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Nigeria, Others to Account for Half of 115m new Subscribers by 2020 – de Morais
Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais is an entrepreneur and innovation specialist with a deep interest in African socio-economic development. In 2007, He founded Quantum Global Group, an international group of companies focused on African development, particularly in the fields of corporate finance advisory, asset and private wealth management, real estate and investment consulting. He has been supporting sustainable and innovation-led socio economic growth in Africa through African Innovation Foundation. He spoke to chike Onwuegbuchi on issues around his Foundation and supporting innovation in Africa
Low Internet penetration in Africa as a Challenge for Entrepreneurs
The 2017 Mobile Economy report by GSMA estimates that at the end of 2016, there were 420 million unique mobile subscribers in Sub-Saharan Africa, equivalent to a penetration rate of 43%.
The region will have more than half a billion unique mobile subscribers by 2020, by which time around half the population will subscribe to a mobile service.
Four of the most populated markets in the region – DRC, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania – will account for nearly half the 115 million new subscribers expected by 2020.
A decade ago, none of this existed. Today, despite bandwidth challenges, African entrepreneurship is on the rise.
The 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report shows that three quarters of working age adults in Africa consider entrepreneurship as a ‘good career choice’.
The GEM report also shows that ‘Total Early-stage Entrepreneurial activity (TEA) rates in Africa are amongst the highest in the world, with just under a fifth of working age adults engaged in early-stage entrepreneurial activity.
The majority, 55%, of early-stage entrepreneurs in Africa operate in retail trade, hotels and restaurants, while the second most-popular sector is agriculture, forestry and fishing, at 10%, followed by manufacturing at 8%.
Through IPA we have seen many African innovators rise above the common day challenges that affect Africans at large and go on to build successful local, regional and global businesses.
As I referenced before, the challenges are more in relation to entrepreneurs not being able to commercialize their ideas due to their lack of ability to meet the real needs in Africa, which renders their ideas technically and commercially unviable.
AIF and Innovative Initiatives in Africa
In the six years since AIF hosted the inaugural Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA), I have seen African ingenuity evolve in its sophistication and relevance. Africa’s youthful demographic has come of age in the digital era, making them early adopters of technology and the vanguard of innovation on the continent.
The continent has witnessed a cultural shift from consumers of technology to innovators capable of disrupting traditional sectors such as agriculture while pioneering relevant African-focused solutions in important growth sectors such as healthcare and clean energy.
However, not all segments of African society have been privy to being able to participate in driving the continent’s innovation needs.
In order for African innovation to truly have an impact on socio-economic transformation, we need to create more inclusive innovation ecosystems that provide windows of opportunity for Africans who are outside the formal economy to develop technically and commercially viable solutions that meet their needs as well.
Attracting Investment to Develop ideas in Africa
Africa’s investment in research and development (R&D) is less than one per cent of the global investment share. Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) infrastructure and resources continue to fall short.
These factors are amongst the reasons why very few scientific discoveries translate into viable solutions that solve real African challenges.
An innovative solution is only as good as its viability in the real world. Year after year, through IPA, hundreds of African innovators put forward solutions that they believe meet local challenges. Yet only a handful of African innovators are able to translate their ideas to the lab and scale their innovations.
There is a need for increased collaboration between researchers and innovators to facilitate knowledge transfer and enable the creation of more impactful and marketable innovations across the continent.
In an effort to close this gap, AIF recently entered into a MoU with The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) to create more value and enhance cooperation, interaction, and knowledge sharing in STI in Africa. In doing so, we aim to catalyse research-led innovations into sustainable African enterprises.
Motive Behind African Innovation Foundation
I founded the AIF in 2009 with the aim of supporting sustainable and innovation-led socio economic growth in Africa. Its key focus has been to enable Africans to create homegrown solutions for local challenges.
Then, in 2011 we launched the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). This proved to be the catalyst for unlocking the dormant African innovation spirit.
In 2012, at the joint Africa Union (AU) and UNECA conference, IPA was endorsed by the ministers in attendance, and a resolution was passed, calling for member states to work with AIF to promote innovation-based societies in Africa.
To me, this will always remain one AIF’s greatest milestones because it led to important beginnings.
Many African governments have since begun to see the real value in investing in innovation economies and have been increasingly putting innovation ahead on their development agenda.
Last year at IPA2017 held in Ghana, H.E. President Akufo-Addo pledged to commit a minimum of one per cent of GDP towards strengthening Ghana’s innovation ecosystem.
This is yet another reflection of AIF’s impact in defining the importance of innovation in securing widespread socio economic transformation.
I sincerely hope to see more African leaders make this level of commitment towards driving innovation-led growth in their respective countries.
Way out of problem of Access to Credit for Entrepreneurs in Africa
This comes down to a financing mismatch more often than not. Africa is an early stage market. The ideas on the continent are also young, reflecting a young demographic that are early adopters of technology.
At present, investors are largely interested in startups in the e-commerce, clean technology, e-health and financial services space but many of these startups are still in early stages. What they need is venture capital because they do not yet qualify for private equity.
Africa needs to attract more venture capital money in order to boost its startup scene at a faster rate.
The theme for IPA2018, ‘Investing in Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems’ calls for African governments and innovation stakeholders to invest in building bridges for more inclusive ecosystems that will accelerate and scale African innovation at all levels of society.
The aim is to find solutions to increase access to innovative financing and knowhow, and to enhance collaboration between African nations to enable local innovators to access higher value markets for their solutions at a faster rate.
We are also looking to garner increased participation form the diaspora. Diaspora entrepreneurs and investors too are uniquely positioned to recognize opportunities in their countries of cultural origin as ‘first influencers’ in fostering economic growth.
Recent research suggests that diaspora entrepreneurs can contribute to development by creating businesses and jobs, stimulating innovation, expanding global networks, and generating social capital across borders. So in this regard, IPA2018 is a call to action for diaspora investors to support African innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Senate on Tuesday deplored what it described as violations of the principles of federal character in the appointments, recruitments and promotions in some key federal institutions and agencies.
Specifically, the upper legislative chamber fingered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Pension Commission (PENCOM), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and several other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as culprits.
The matter was a subject of debate at plenary as Senator Osita Ngwu called the Senate’s attention to the alleged violations through a motion.
Ngwu’s motion, entitled “Urgent Need to Address Systemic Abuse and Ineffective Implementation of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria’s Public Sector,” got the attention of the lawmakers.
Ngwu, who led the debate, cited Sections 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which explicitly prohibit the dominance of individuals from a few states or ethnic groups in federal institutions.
He observed that while recruitment opportunities are limited, promotions are often based solely on years of service rather than merit, leading to the continued marginalisation of certain regions.
According to him, the lack of accountability in enforcing federal character principles has compromised fairness in the public sector, with senior-level recruitments often influenced by cronyism instead of competence.
Ngwu further observed that while the federal capital principle aims to balance merit with equitable state representation, its poor implementation has negatively affected discipline, morale, and institutional efficiency.
According to him, “The federal character principle, entrenched in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, mandates fair representation in federal appointments to reflect the linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity of the nation.”
He continued, “Section 14(3) and (4) of the Constitution unequivocally stipulate that ‘no predominance of persons from a few states or a few ethnic or sectional groups’ should exist within the federal government or its agencies.”
Ngwu listed the NNPCL and its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), PENCOM, NDIC, the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), the National Library of Nigeria (NLN), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) as non comliant entities.
He accused them of consistently failing to adhere to federal character Mandates, and often bypassing regulations in their recruitment exercises.
Ngwu warned that unchecked violations of federal character laws would continue to erode the effectiveness of key legislative provisions.
He listed the affected legislative provions to include Section 14(d) & (e) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017, Part I(1)-(2) of the Subsidiary Legislation 23 of 1997, and Section 11(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
He also raised concerns about the lack of independence of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
Ngwu observed that despite the Commission’s constitutional mandate, it remains weakened by underfunding, political interference, and a lack of enforcement power.
While approving the probe of the affected entities, the Senate directed its Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs to conduct investigative hearings into their activities.
The committee is expected to submit its findings within four weeks.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four bank employees over their alleged involvement in a sophisticated fraud and money laundering scheme that diverted over £138,924 (more than ₦270 million) from international airline accounts.
CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, command’s spokesperson, disclosed the arrests on Monday during a press briefing at the state police headquarters in Ikeja.
According to CSP Hundeyin, “The suspects conspired to siphon funds from domiciliary accounts into personal accounts before redistributing them to multiple destinations.
“The fraud was uncovered when the affected bank detected unauthorized transactions and alerted the police.”
Explaining further, the spokesperson said: “Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the following suspects: Oluwatobiloba Olaleye, male, aged 27, was arrested on March 12, 2025, in Ogun State. A Toyota Camry 2012/2013, suspected to be a proceed of the crime, was recovered from him.
Oladunjoye Adegoke, male, aged 33, was arrested on March 13, 2025, in Victoria Island, Lagos. A Toyota Camry (Pencil Light), suspected to be another proceed of the stolen funds, was also recovered.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Austin Alfred, male, aged 38, the Supervisor of the Trade Services Department, and Jude Uzobuaku, male, aged 36, a processor in the same department. Both facilitated the illegal transfer of funds to foreign accounts.”
Police investigations revealed that the stolen funds were initially funneled into an account belonging to one of the suspects before being transferred to multiple other accounts, making it harder to trace. Authorities are now working to track down additional accomplices and recover the remaining funds.
“The suspects are in custody and will face prosecution as the investigation continues,” CSP Hundeyin stated.
Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has announced a $15 million grant to support 3,000 budding entrepreneurs from 52 African countries.
Tony Elumelu, founder, TEF, made this known on Sunday in Abuja during the unveiling of the 2025 cohort of the foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme.
He stated that each beneficiary would receive a $5,000 seed grant to kick-start their businesses.
Elumelu, who is also chairman of Heirs Holdings, Transcorp, and United Bank for Africa (UBA), reaffirmed his commitment to empowering African entrepreneurs and transforming the continent’s economic landscape.
According to Elumelu, the foundation aims to democratise opportunity across the continent, fostering economic growth and providing young Africans with access to funding and mentorship.
“We had a vision that started in 2010; one that envisions a self-sustaining Africa, driven by the energy, vision, and resilience of young entrepreneurs.
“We understand the challenges they face in contributing to Africa’s economic transformation.
“If empowered and encouraged, these young Africans can drive meaningful change,” he said.
He noted that capital alone was not enough, highlighting the importance of business education, mentorship, and training in building successful entrepreneurs.
The entrepreneurship programme, which began in 2015, originally set out to economically empower 10,000 young Africans over 10 years, each receiving $5,000 in seed capital.
“This year marks the 15th anniversary of the foundation, and we have made a considerable impact across all 54 African countries.
“In the 21st century, Africa does not need aid; what it needs is investment in its youth,” Elumelu said.
Somachi Chris-Asoluka, chief executive officer (CEO), TEF, noted that since the programme’s launch in 2015, the foundation had.disbursed over $100 million to more than 21,000 young entrepreneurs across Africa.
According to Chris-Asoluka, these businesses have collectively created 1.5 million enterprises, and generated $4.5 billion in revenue.
“Our entrepreneurs have demonstrated that ideas are the lifeblood of the African continent.
“For the 2025 cohort, we received over 200,000 applications, and from this pool, 3,000 entrepreneurs from 52 African countries will receive $15 million in funding.
“Each entrepreneur will receive a $5,000 non-refundable seed grant; this is neither a loan nor equity,” she stated.
She further assured that the foundation had a monitoring and evaluation platform in place to track progress after disbursement, ensuring that beneficiaries adhered to their approved business plans.
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