Smartphone shipments in Africa have surpassed feature phones, with a 17.9% increase in Q1 2024, reaching 20.2 million units. This growth, driven by South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, is led by Chinese brands and mid-range models. IDC predicts continued growth despite short-term economic uncertainties.
OneClickDrive, the leading car rental marketplace in Dubai, expands its operations to Morocco, marking its first venture into Africa. This move broadens its market reach, leveraging Morocco’s strategic location and growing demand for car rentals, particularly among tourists. The company plans further expansion into GCC and African regions.
Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and telecom operator Inwi signed an agreement at GITEX Africa to support digital startups. The collaboration aims to foster innovation and growth, particularly through the InwiDays Awards, and establish a national center for startup acceleration in key areas like fintech, AI, and sportstech.
Huawei Cloud has launched its Cairo Region, serving 28 African countries with innovative cloud services. It also introduced a new Arabic language model for automatic speech recognition with 96% accuracy. These initiatives aim to support digital transformation and enhance services across Africa, including Egypt, Ethiopia, and Algeria.
Yahsat has signed an MoU with South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to enhance collaboration in satellite and ICT services. The agreement includes satellite broadband, IoT, geospatial applications, and more. This partnership aims to develop infrastructure, skills, and communications capabilities in South Africa.
Orange and AWS are launching the first AWS Wavelength Zones in Africa, in Morocco and Senegal, to support low-latency applications and local data residency across industries, fostering cloud adoption and digital transformation.
GITEX Africa Morocco 2024, held from May 29-31 in Marrakech, will focus on AI and digital transformation. The event will gather leaders from 130 countries to boost Africa’s innovation economy. Organized by KAOUN International, it aims to position Morocco as a regional digital hub.
Yango reaffirmed its commitment to Africa’s development at the CEO Africa Forum in Kigali. Operating in over 13 countries, Yango focuses on empowering local SMEs and enhancing urban transportation through technology, with plans to expand partnerships and services across the continent.
Orange and Digital Africa have partnered to support and invest in startups across Africa and the Middle East. The collaboration aims to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation, with startups potentially receiving up to $50,000 in their first year through the Fuze scheme.
Arabsat is partnering with ST Engineering iDirect to integrate cloud technologies into its gateway infrastructure, expanding satellite connectivity in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. This initiative will enhance Arabsat’s coverage, provide vital managed services, and support Saudi Arabia’s broader space investment and efforts to deliver satellite internet to underserved regions.
