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Four Nigerian Start-ups Selected for NBA Africa Startup Accelerator’ Demo Day

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NBA Africa has unveiled the list of ten startup companies from seven African countries selected for the Demo Day at the NBA headquarters in New York City on Wednesday, Sept. 25 as part of “Triple-Double: NBA Africa Startup Accelerator,” which the league launched in April 2024.

At the event, designed to support Africa’s technology ecosystem and the next generation of African entrepreneurs, the ten start-ups will pitch their products to a panel of international industry leaders, after which four winning companies selected will be awarded financial support and mentorship, including an opportunity to participate in workshops and development programmes facilitated by NBA Africa or its partners.

The selected companies from Nigeria include Buzza (Nigeria) which helps sports organisations improve their operations through digital solutions, including digital management transition and Festival Coins (Nigeria), an event technology company that offers a customised, no-code event registration and ticketing platform for events.

The other two are Naemo Global (Nigeria) which aims to revolutionise sports scouting on the African continent through its proprietary data analytics and AI-utilising scouting software, Afriskaut and Salubata (Nigeria) which creates modular shoes repurposed from plastic waste and noted for innovation while reducing the global carbon footprint.

The six other companies from across the continent include one each from Rwanda (Backrest), which provides a wearable technology solution called WristWrist to facilitate cashless payments at event venues, Côte d’Ivoire (Gara), a pan-African video gaming and comics platform that facilitates the distribution of digital entertainment experiences; and Kenya (HustleSasa), which provides live event services that support payment processing, attendee check-in, merchandise sales, customer data management and more.

Others are from Ghana (Power to Girls Foundation), which provides a social connection and mentorship platform called My Power App dedicated to empowering girls and women aged between 13 and 20, and Egypt (UBR VR), which delivers state-of-the-art, fully immersive, in-person virtual reality (VR) experiences across Egypt and South Africa (Vambo Technologies), known for a digital language technology platform leveraging AI to provide real-time translation, content creation, and language learning technology.

Speaking of the initiative, NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi, said: “We have been inspired by the level of talent and creativity from all of the applicants, and we congratulate the 10 deserving finalists who will showcase their innovative solutions at Demo Day later this month.”

He added that “NBA Africa is committed to supporting the continued growth of startups on the continent, including the four prize-winners whose innovative solutions will further elevate the sport and creative industries in Africa for years to come.”

Operated by ALX Ventures, “Triple-Double: NBA Africa Startup Accelerator” was open to early-stage startups in Africa that develop solutions in event management and ticketing, youth development, AI, and digital marketing.

The initiative will support Africa’s tech ecosystem and the next generation of African tech entrepreneurs by providing them with access to mentorship and capital that will help drive growth in the sports and creative industries.

The four prize-winning startups will be announced at Demo Day.

NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organisation with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.

NBA Africa conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya.


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E-Business

ICANN Empowers Underrepresented Communities with New gTLD Applicant Support Program

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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit organization that coordinates the Domain Name System (DNS), announced today the opening of the Applicant Support Program (ASP) for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round.

The New gTLD Program: Next Round is an initiative that will enable the introduction of new gTLDs (including those longer than three characters and in non-Latin scripts) into the Internet’s domain name space.

It will be the first opportunity since 2012 to secure a gTLD, and the ASP makes it possible for lesser-resourced organizations to benefit from this transformation in their presence online.

Top-level domains are the part of an Internet address that comes after the dot. For example, in the domain name icann.org, the characters ‘org’ identify the TLD and help to classify the purpose of the domain name.

The Internet started with just a handful of TLDs, such as .com, .net., .org and others. As it has evolved, the number of generic TLDs in the DNS has increased to reflect the multidimensionality of its billions of users and to help classify and communicate the purpose of a domain name.

ICANN appreciates that applying to operate a gTLD can be expensive and out of reach for many organizations. The ASP is intended to make the processes and fees involved in applying for a new gTLD more accessible to entities that may want to operate a gTLD but are unable because of financial and other resource constraints. Supported applicants will be eligible to receive access to pro bono service providers, training, and other resources, and a 75-85% reduction in gTLD evaluation fees.

“The New gTLD Program: Next Round will give businesses, communities, and others the opportunity to apply for new top-level domains tailored to their community, culture, language, business, and customers. The program reinforces ICANN’s commitment to encourage innovation, competition, and consumer choice in the domain industry,” said Pierre Dandjinou, Vice President, ICANN, Africa.

“The ASP supports that commitment by paving the way for more entrepreneurs, small businesses, governments, and communities around the world to apply to operate a generic top-level domain of their own choosing.”

To be eligible for the program, applicants must meet financial need and financial viability criteria, and fall into at least one of the following entity categories:

  • Nonprofits, charities, or equivalent
  • Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)
  • Indigenous/tribal peoples’ organizations
  • Social impact or public benefit micro or small businesses
  • Micro or small businesses from a less-developed economy

More information on evaluation and eligibility criteria are described in Section 4: Applicant Eligibility and Evaluation Categories, of the ASP Handbook.

ASP applicants will be evaluated on an ongoing basis. The first applicants to apply and qualify for support will the first to take advantage of the available resources. The application window will remain open for 12 months. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.


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Kaspersky, AFRIPOL Strengthen Partnership in Combating Cybercrime

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To further enhance global efforts to combat cyber offenses, Kaspersky and AFRIPOL have signed a cooperation agreement in preventing and fighting cybercrime.

Covering a period of five years, the document formalises and facilitates cooperation between the company and the law enforcement agency in sharing threat intelligence data on the latest cybercriminal activities.

The landscape of cyberthreats in Africa has constantly been evolving, with the continent having been especially susceptible to industrial threats. The region, in particular, has the highest share of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) computers on which malicious objects were blocked by Kaspersky solutions, compared to other regions.

Africa’s vigorous cyberthreat environment requires enhanced collaboration of the parties concerned to safeguard against potential risks.

Strengthening the existing relationship between the two organisations, the agreement provides for enhanced data exchange on cyberthreats and cybercrime trends, with Kaspersky handing over such data to AFRIPOL for the further criminal intelligence analysis by the organisation.

Another aspect of collaboration includes the provision of assistance, know-how and technical knowledge in information security analysis by Kaspersky’s vastly experienced teams of experts.

The official signing ceremony took place at AFRIPOL’s headquarters in Algiers on November 18, with the agreement signed by Kaspersky founder and CEO, Eugene Kaspersky and AFRIPOL’s Acting Executive Director, Ambassador Jalel Chelba.

Kaspersky founder and CEO, Eugene Kaspersky, noted: “An effective fight against cybercrime is inconceivable without cooperation. Our company has always put collaborative effort first – sharing its expertise with the widest range of stakeholders: the security expert community, law enforcement agencies, and also the general public to empower them with knowledge about acute cyberthreats.

“Hence, by advancing our cooperation with AFRIPOL and by equipping the agency with both the information and technology required for responding to emerging cyberthreats, we hope to enhance our contribution in fostering greater cyber-resilience and a safer cyberspace for all.”

AFRIPOL Acting Executive Director Ambassador Jalel Chelba stated: “This agreement with Kaspersky represents a major step forward in strengthening Africa’s digital defenses.

By leveraging Kaspersky’s expertise and resources, we are not only enhancing AFRIPOL’s ability to counter cyber threats, but also contributing to the protection of a secure digital space for all African citizens.

This collaboration brings substantial added value to both our organisations: it strengthens AFRIPOL’s operational framework in combating cybercrime, while allowing Kaspersky to play a key role in the digital security of a strategically important continent in terms of cybersecurity. Together, we are taking a significant step towards resilience and digital trust in Africa, by mobilising the best of both partners.”

Kaspersky and AFRIPOL have a long record of joint cooperation projects. The two organisations have been active contributors to the assessment of the African threat landscape, while also being active participants in INTERPOL-led actions to disrupt cybercrime on the African continent, namely Africa Cyber Surge Operation and Africa Cyber Surge Operation II.

The two organisations have also been advocating for greater digital trust, with AFRIPOL having endorsed Kaspersky’s first Transparency Center in the African region in Rwanda. Learn more at the website.

 


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CNCF, Andela Partner to Train Over 20,000 African Tech Professionals

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The Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF®), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud-native software, along with Linux Foundation Education, the training and certification arm of the Linux Foundation, has partnered with Andela, home to the world’s largest private tech talent marketplace, to train 20,000 to 30,000 African technologists in cloud native basics to enable them to excel in jobs globally as cloud-native development grows.

The training—done at no cost to the participants—will begin next year and unfold over two to three years. Participants will have the opportunity to train for the Kubernetes and Cloud Native associate (KCNA) certification, which demonstrates a user’s foundational knowledge and skills in Kubernetes and the wider cloud native ecosystem, and the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), which certifies that users can design, build, configure, and expose cloud native applications for Kubernetes.

“This partnership showcases the global impact of CNCF’s education programs. By standardizing cloud native knowledge, developers across the globe can confidently work toward certifications that will enable them to land developer positions both within their own countries and globally,” said Chris Aniszczyk, CTO at the CNCF.

“By partnering with Andela, which has a long history of training technologists in Africa, we see great opportunity in providing our training to communities that may otherwise not have access. Together, we can create a win-win for companies that need workers and workers that need opportunities.”

According to Google’s Africa Developer Ecosystem Report 2021, the increased global demand for remote tech talent, which was accelerated by the pandemic, created more remote employment opportunities for African developers. Now, 38% of African software developers work for at least one company based outside the continent.

“We are excited to partner with CNCF to extend training and, ultimately, enhance job opportunities for African workers. The continent is emerging as one of the most important markets in the world.

“It has the fastest-growing population of developers, and its young workforce will be key to solving the tech talent shortage,” said Carrol Chang, Andela CEO. “Organizations are looking for talent with advanced skill sets like AI and cloud-native, and this particular skill set is a perfect addition to the Andela marketplace.”

Training participants will take six to nine months to achieve the KCNA and CKAD certifications and will be selected from Andela’s talent marketplace, which includes 150,000 technology professionals globally, with a large percentage from Africa. Andela’s talent marketplace in Africa spans 49 countries, including Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.

The company fosters an active community for marketplace participants and has worked with numerous companies, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, AWS, and Nvidia, to train talent in technologies that offer vast workplace opportunities.

The need for cloud-native developers continues to increase and a recent study by CNCF revealed that almost 55% of developers landed a new job as a result of training and certification courses.

Almost 7 in 10 (67%) said it made them feel more engaged and fulfilled in their work. However, 8 in 10 (81%) also said cost prevented them from completing certifications.

“As a non-profit focused on growing open source and cultivating the IT talent needed to sustain it, partnerships – like this one with Andela – help us train and certify underrepresented groups, which is crucial to both our long-term success and amplify our impact,” said Clyde Seepersad, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Linux Foundation Education.


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