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<p>Data, research and most importantly big data have become focal points for conversations on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the future of work. As we look ahead to the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, Managing Director of Hepta Analytics, Victoria Munguti joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


The role of Big Data in Africa’s growth

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<p>The theme of this year’s SAPOA Convention, hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, is “Challenging Times: Understanding the Issues and Planning for the future”. One of these challenges is the global water crises. CNBC Africa’s Fifi Peters caught up with Benoit Le Roy, CEO of Water Shortage SA, who commented about steps the City of Cape Town has taken to avert the water crisis.</p>


How the City of Cape Town avoided Day Zero crisis

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<p>He is a man who has fought armed pirates, salvaged cruise ships and rescued penguins in need. But now he is trying to solve Cape Town’s water crisis, he is South African Mariner Nicholas Sloane. Sloane is embarking on a journey to the Antarctic to tow an iceberg all the way back to Cape Town. With a team of engineers and glaciologists by his side he hopes to see the Southern Ice Project done within 90 days. Captain Nicholas Sloane, Director at Resolve Marine Group joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


How an Antarctic iceberg will solve SA’s water crisis

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<p>Onyx development, a luxury apartment complex in the making has already sold out 219 units off plan. The glass black box apartments are said to be a piece of product design that will inspire fantasy and will be a unique architectural design, the first of its kind in South Africa. Robert Silke, Architect at Robert Silke Partners joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Cape Town’s Onyx apartments proving popular with buyers, here’s why

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<p>CEO of South African Tourism, Sisa Ntshona spoke to CNBC Africa about scaling up tourism in Africa and tackling visa challenges that hinder growth in the sector.</p>


SA Tourism CEO on the upside to digital innovation in tourism

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<p>Tourism Business Council of South Africa CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa spoke to CNBC Africa on how South Africa can best leverage innovation and technology to boost tourism in the country.</p>


TBCSA’s Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa on how digital innovation is impacting tourism

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<p>SA Tourism minister Derek Hanekom spoke to CNBC Africa’s Lubabalo Mashiqana on the side-lines on the World Travel and Tourism Council about the need to tackle the country’s visa challenges as a way to boost tourism.</p>


Derek Hanekom on the need to reform SA’s visa system to boost tourism

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<p>Listed investment holding company, Stadio is set to develop a new and comprehensive campus outside Cape Town at Phesantekraal in Durbanville after finalising a transaction for a site of 7.8 hectares.</p>


Stadio set to build new campus near Cape Town

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<p>Life without water has become the stark reality not only for the residents of Cape Town but for all South Africans mainly because of the harsh drought conditions that have swept through parts of the country.</p>


How Cape Town residents are coping with the water crises

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<p>As we observe World Water Day, South Africa is clouded by a stark reality of long-term water scarcity with Cape Town being plagued with the worst drought in decades and has also been declared a national disaster area.</p>


Why restricting water in SA is not the answer

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<p>GP Lifestyle is an initiative by Gauteng Tourism and Sun International to create more business opportunities for the Gauteng Province. CNBC Africa spoke to Brett Hoppe, General Manager of Sun International.</p>


Here’s how Sun International is dealing with the Cape Town water crises

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<p>In its interim results released earlier today, Tower Properties highlighted that it will be taking on some short-term initiatives should positively impact the company&#8217;s returns and strengthen its financial position.</p>


Tower may freeze further investments into Cape Town if water crises continue

<p><strong>By Steven Grin and Rob Eloff </strong></p>
<p>From London’s ‘Silicon Roundabout’ to Dubai’s ‘Silicon Oasis’, governments and businesses around the world are keen to brand their local tech industries as the next hotbed of innovation. With young, digitally-savvy populations, African cities are also joining in on the trend: ‘Silicon Savannah’, ‘Silicon Cape’ and ‘Silicon Lagoon’ have emerged as popular monikers for Nairobi, Cape Town, and Lagos.  While these names might boost visibility, approaching business in a Silicon-style may constrain African entrepreneurs hoping to replicate Valley-level output. While Nigeria has emerged as the top destination for venture capital (VC) in Africa, Lagos isn&#8217;t Palo Alto &#8212; and it shouldn&#8217;t be. In the Valley, too much innovation has become about vanity and convenience for the top 10%. in African markets, however, tech can have a significant impact by filling product and service needs for the emerging middle class in sectors from banking and health to transportation and energy. Aspiring to the structure and ideas of Silicon Valley is not a recipe for the long-term success of Africa&#8217;s tech ecosystem. Instead, recognizing differences in funding environments, infrastructure challenges, and regulation can help entrepreneurs and investors foster new kinds of solutions better-suited to Africa’s needs.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>  The funding environment</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Because the Valley ecosystem is not constrained by resource scarcity, startups often use<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/valley-unicorns-terrified-by-profits-2016-4"> growth as a substitute for profitability</a>. In contrast to the deep pockets of Palo Alto, founders in cities like Dakar or Douala are more likely to encounter predatory bank loans and an arduous road to secure seed capital given a short supply of<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-13/silicon-valley-missing-out-on-african-startups-techcrunch-says"> local and diaspora capital</a>. In 2017, African startups raised an estimated<a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/venture-capital-funding-peaked-in-2017-2018-1?r=US&amp;IR=T"> $195 million compared with $84.2 billion in the U.S</a>. Without the same access to venture capital, successful local entrepreneurs must reach profitability as soon as possible with viable commercial models. As a result, a founder operating in Lagos is often more entrepreneurial than her counterpart in the Bay. P2P payments app Venmo was acquired by Braintree for $26.2 million in 2012; the company has yet to report a profit despite<a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4136932-crypto-looms-paypals-next-earnings-report"> strong user growth</a> and<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/venmo-makes-moves-to-monetize-2017-5"> $30 billion in annual transactions</a>. By contrast, Zambia’s Zoona, also founded in 2009, has processed only<a href="https://ilovezoona.com/about-us/"> $2 billion in total transactions</a>, but has been<a href="http://www.itwebafrica.com/mobile/339-africa/235153-zambias-zoona-isnt-flustered-by-competition"> profitable since 2013</a>.</p>
<ol start="2">
<li><strong>  Infrastructure challenges</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>By 2050, 1 in 4 people worldwide will be African. As the region’s population soars and more people come online for the first time, entrepreneurs must design solutions better suited to the “next billion”. Transportation in Africa may be better addressed by<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/28/business/mellowcabs-taxi-south-african-transportation/index.html"> Mellowcabs</a> of Cape Town or<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/25/africa/the-smart-way-to-get-back-on-a-bike----safebodas-in-kampala/index.html"> SafeBoda</a> of Uganda than by<a href="https://afridigest.com/will-africas-challenges-solved-silicon-valley/"> autonomous cars from the Valley</a>. Similarly, startups like M-Kopa and Rensource may be better equipped to solve energy challenges than Tesla because they are entrenched in the environments for which they are building solutions. Customers, like entrepreneurs, develop unique ways to overcome infrastructure challenges that don’t necessarily translate to the Valley: in a region where your customer may not be found on Instagram, it’s the local founder who can understand the gap in the market and find opportunities to meet the customer where they already are. <a href="https://www.tulaa.io/">Tulaa, </a>for example<a href="https://www.tulaa.io/">, </a>is a B2B agriculture marketplace built to address the fragmented value chain for smallholder farmers. Tulaa layers a mobile-technology solution onto the last mile to aggregate farmers, suppliers and financiers.</p>
<ol start="3">
<li><strong> The regulatory environment</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>While investors may gripe about the regulatory obstacles to doing business in Africa, nascent legal frameworks are an opportunity to experiment in Africa’s tech ecosystem. Those who supported the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repeal net neutrality in December argue that deregulation forces innovation in telecoms and internet companies; likewise, many American cities are struggling to regulate<a href="http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/368382-cities-and-state-are-struggling-to-regulate-airbnb"> drone technology, Airbnb, and Uber</a> without alienating the tech companies that create jobs and tax revenue. In the absence of prohibitive regulation, however, startups in Africa have greater flexibility to experiment with new models. Benefiting from limited regulation of cross-border payments, Flutterwave, for example, connecting siloed payments systems to<a href="https://medium.com/@theflutterwave/bring-on-the-impossible-2018-89fe26517e9e/"> process $2 billion in 2017</a> &#8211; a 900% increase over the $200 million it processed in 2016. Similarly, despite Kenyan banks’<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielrunde/2015/08/12/m-pesa-and-the-rise-of-the-global-mobile-money-market/#19249c4e5aec"> attempts to contain competitor M-Pesa</a>, the company flourished thanks to a loose regulatory environment for mobile money.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>But  for all their opportunities, African markets still  present major  obstacles, including lack of mentorship networks and difficulty recruiting talent. As a result, founders must be even stronger to overcome fundamental ecosystem challenges.</p>
<ol start="4">
<li><strong>  Mentorship networks</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Silicon Valley boasts a massive mentorship network: from Y Combinator cohorts to the PayPal Mafia, serial entrepreneurs and founders-turned-VCs are an invaluable resource to up-and-comers. According to VC Brad Feld, a great tech ecosystem requires a non-hierarchical network of entrepreneurs committed to a full<a href="http://ventureburn.com/2015/02/cape-town-will-never-silicon-valley-thats-good-thing/"> generation of community-building</a> &#8212; a luxury African founders often lack. In the absence of homegrown unicorns beyond Jumia, founders on the continent are not exposed to the positive externalities commonplace in the Valley and often navigate their entrepreneurial journeys without experienced guides. As a result, even many eagerly anticipated successes from Kopo Kopo to Wakanow  have succumbed to mistakes that local advisors may have helped to prevent. This may soon change, however, thanks to the rise of hubs such as Co-Creation Hub in Lagos and MEST’s expansion from Accra to Lagos and Cape Town.</p>
<ol start="5">
<li><strong>  Talent.</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>As the youngest, fastest-growing continent, Africa boasts an enormous workforce full of potential. The challenge in Africa’s tech ecosystems is not a lack of talent but a shortage of talented people willing to risk the rocky road of entrepreneurship. This is a far cry from the Silicon Valley ethos, where ‘go big or go home’ is encouraged. The lure of startup glory and equity often pales in comparison to  dreams of<a href="https://medium.com/global-entrepreneurship-summit/silicon-valley-invest-in-africa-but-do-it-differently-80edacc6a8c7"> financial stability or a small raise</a><u> in markets like Uganda, where per capita income is $1,820</u>. The experienced professional working at a mid-tier bank may not be willing to trade a pay cut for the chance to ride the startup wave. With a high supply of quality engineers, PocketGems and Dropbox don’t struggle to find top talent. Startups in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, on the other hand, must contend with education systems that<a href="https://afridigest.com/will-africas-challenges-solved-silicon-valley/"> do not produce enough high-caliber technical talent</a> and the flight of many gifted, promising minds to the West.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>Ultimately, Silicon Valley investors looking to sub-Saharan Africa must leave their expertise at Immigration: the rules mastered in the Bay need to be rewritten for and by African markets. Social and structural differences should not deter those with an eye towards the continent: opportunities in these ecosystems are plentiful, but seeing them requires a little unlearning and contextual understanding.</p>
<p><em>Steven Grin and Rob Eloff are co-founders of Lateral Capital, a mission-driven venture fund  focused on technology ventures in Sub-Saharan Africa</em></p>


Op-Ed: Five reasons why Lagos ain’t Palo Alto

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<p><em>This content was supplied to CNBC Africa by Standard Bank </em></p>
<p>We live in exciting times where our daily lives are dominated by innovation. The education landscape is also gradually changing as new inventions and new ways of teaching become the norm. It’s worth noting that innovation does not only mean technology, but it encompasses any creative, new way of doing things. If it improves learning, processes and systems, or solves a real problem, then it is innovation.</p>
<p>We want to highlight some of the ways in which creativity has been applied to solve some of these plaguing educational issues, across the African continent. They include:</p>
<ul>
<li>High and unaffordable fees.</li>
<li>Lack of access to learning material for pupils.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>MATHS MEETS HIP-HOP</strong></p>
<p>One of the biggest flaws in the education system is the assumption that all children learn in the same way. A single, age-old learning method of sitting behind a desk and absorbing facts and numbers is still used across the world. While this technique works for some learners, it does a disservice to others, who are left feeling academically inadequate.</p>
<p>A maths teacher in Cape Town is turning the traditional teaching method on its head.  He is using rap music to help learners remember their multiplication tables. Kurt Minnaar, a former hip-hop dancer and choreographer, has creatively come up with a system of turning maths concepts and numbers into hip-hop lyrics – a language that his grade 8 learners understand very well.</p>
<p>“There are four types of learning methodologies &#8211; kinaesthetic, visual, audible and the traditional reading and writing. Kinaesthetic learning is when pupils learn through movement; visual through sight; audible through what they hear and the traditional reading and writing method is when pupils are more independent and able to learn in the traditional sense,” the Cape Town teacher <a href="http://www.parent24.com/Learn/High-school/teachers-who-have-the-most-creative-way-of-teaching-20161122">explains</a>. “When you fuse creativity into lessons, you cater to more pupils, and more will understand because now you&#8217;re speaking their language. Whereas if I just &#8216;chalk and talk&#8217; and stand there in front of a class, it predominantly only caters to one type of pupil, who are also in the minority.”</p>
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<p>Minnaar used to struggle with maths in school. At the time, he thought he was incapable of grasping the complexities of the subject but later realised he needed a different way of learning. He says his students are incessantly in a cheerful mood as they come to class eager to break it down to his rhymes. The pupils’ marks have also improved, says Minnaar.</p>
<p><strong>MOBILE SCHOOLS </strong></p>
<p>In some parts of Africa, the tradition of nomadic pastoralism is still alive. People move from one location to another in search of grazing lands for their livestock. For children who grow up in such families, the on-the-go lifestyle proves to be a barrier to education as they struggle to attend school regularly.</p>
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<p>Fortunately, for some nomadic school children in Kenya, access to education has become easier as they can now move around with their school! In 2010, the Kenyan government joined forces with UNICEF to launch mobile schools which brought education to learners whose families had to relocate frequently in order to survive. As part of the initiative, teachers now live and travel with the nomadic groups, setting up tents and temporary schools.</p>
<p>The mobile schools normally plan their calendar around rainfall patterns. Most of the learning takes place during the rainy seasons when children do not have a lot of household chores.</p>
<p><strong>CROWDFUNDING FEES WITH FEENIX</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong>The #FeesMustFall protests in South Africa shone a glaring spotlight on the issue of the rising costs of education.  Many students are struggling to pay for their tertiary education. In an effort to help students, who cannot afford high university fees, crowdfunding initiatives have mushroomed. <a href="https://www.feenix.org/how-it-works">Feenix.org</a> is an online platform which allows donors to donate money to students registered on the site.</p>
<p>1068 Live student profiles have been uploaded onto the platform which features their biographies and fees statements.  Once a profile has been verified it, and the fees needed, becomes visible to anyone who visits the site. With the minimum donation set at R100 (US $7.5) anyone is welcome to make a donation.  85 Students have been fully funded since this initiative started.</p>
<p>Up to date R4.3 million has been raised by 744 funders (of which consists both individual and business funding).  Donors are also required to upload their information and go through a verification process.</p>
<p><strong>E-LEARNING IS GROWING</strong></p>
<p>Technology is transforming education in Africa at an unprecedented rate. With the rapid growth of mobile learning, the e-learning market is set to be worth well over US $530 million by 2018. E-learning is not only helping students learn better, but it is also giving underprivileged learners inexpensive access to educational content.</p>
<p>In Kenya, adoption of e-learning is happening at an impressive rate.  Schools in low-income areas are using technology to boost their learning. In Nairobi’s Kawangware area, students are using eLimu, an app for primary school learners to learn and revise for their exams. The platform contains educational content in the form of locally produced and culturally relevant videos, animations, songs, music, games and quizzes to improve learning.</p>
<p>One of the other successful e-learning platforms in Kenya is Kytabu, a textbook subscription platform that provides low-cost digitalised books to millions of students. Kytabu allows users to rent textbooks, chapters, and pages on a low-cost Android app and pay with M-Pesa, the successful East African mobile money transfer service.</p>
<p><strong>LEARNING THROUGH ROBOTICS</strong></p>
<p>Ghanaian company, <em>Metro Institute of Innovation and Technology</em> (MIT), offers school children training in robotics and mobile app development.  Their aim is to promote science and entrepreneurship in this way. The company applies innovative ways to introduce technology to learners and help enhance their learning.</p>
<p>Offering lessons to children of all ages, MIT established the National Robotics Summer School.  Attending this school, learners can take their science skills to the next level by programming robots and designing games. “We’re trying to use robotics as a tool to inspire the study of science and maths, to relate classroom theories using robots so that if we’re talking about a scientific principle, they [the learners] shouldn’t just memorise the facts,” <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/innovate-africa/2014/11/innovate-africa-tech-teaching-2014111712128255343.html">explains</a> Ben Nortey, Founder and CEO of MIT.</p>
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How innovation is turning education on its head in Africa   

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<p>For decades now, Cape Town has been South Africa&#8217;s tourism crown jewel and able to attract both business travellers and tourists alike. But with Day zero fast approaching, how will the water shortage impact the tourism sector?</p>


Why Day Zero is not a threat to business tourism in Cape Town

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<p>On 17 October the Accenture Innovation Conference 2017 brought together the world&#8217;s top thinkers and experts in leading in the new and sustaining business to share their ideas on to leverage technology in a technology driven world. Take a look at what took place at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23AIC2017">#AIC2017</a>.</p>


Accenture Innovation Conference 2017 Special Highlights

<p>Ricardo Pillay | Dentons</p>
<p>Facing its longest drought in recent history, Cape Town is preparing itself for the inevitability of “Day Zero” &#8211; the moment it runs out of water completely. The City has developed a water augmentation plan, which includes the construction of desalination plants at several locations, and has issued tenders for the projects. However, critics &#8211; especially water treatment companies eager to submit their proposals &#8211; have accused the municipality of taking too long to start the process.</p>
<p><strong>Legal requirements: protection, not delays</strong><br />
According to Ricardo Pillay, a partner at law firm Dentons, the perceived lag stems not from negligence on the part of the City. Rather, it’s constrained by its obligation to follow strict legal procurement procedures that align with the principles of the Constitution and relevant procurement legislation. “Failure to comply with tendering and public procurement laws could result in significant delays that would, in fact, impact on the lawfulness of the award of a tender with the consequent delays in the delivery of water to the public.”</p>
<p>Pillay warned that the procurement legislation ensures “a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective procurement process that supports competition, BBBEE requirements and promotes economic growth by employing and empowering local labour and sourcing production content locally. A departure from these core principles threatens the sanctity of the award of a lawful tender. This is particularly crucial in the construction sector where the government has a responsibility to ensure that all contracting parties have equal access to competition in the sector”.</p>
<p>“Emergency conditions may present itself as excuse to bypass correct procedure, but doing so presents immense risk for the state owned entity, the project and the public at large,” says Pillay. For example, a disgruntled vendor who feels a contract was unlawfully awarded to another party could contest it in court, effectively bringing the project to a halt.</p>
<p>Although time consuming, adherence to the law throughout the project lifecycle, in particular during the procurement stage, ensures the prompt delivery of promised benefits and its sustainability.</p>
<p>Meeting the legal requirements for all phases of public procurement ensures that critical services are implemented as soon as possible while protecting the constitutional rights of every stakeholder. “Water delivered outside lawful processes could run dry very quickly,” warns Pillay. “It may be impractical under urgent or emergency circumstances to go out to tender. However, using this exception, provided for under the procurement legislation, must be exercised under proper legal guidance. To ensure that public money is spent in an effective and efficient manner, the procurement process must be respected and adhered to, notwithstanding the delays caused by a commitment to compliance.”</p>
<p><strong>Before</strong><br />
In the initial phases, it’s critical to pursue the correct tender process, develop watertight RFP’s, check proposals thoroughly against legislation and perform any other due diligence. Only then should a contract be created, also carefully developed by an experienced legal team to address all relevant laws.</p>
<p><strong>During</strong><br />
Independent audits can be carried out to ensure adherence to requirements. Are workers representative of the submitted BEE certificate? Is work being performed to plan? Is this happening throughout the supply chain? Audits reveal the facts and provide learnings that can be applied to future undertakings.</p>
<p>As the project progresses, changes to contracts may become necessary. This and the initial development of contracts are administered through the process of contract management, another area requiring legal oversight. Arbitration and dispute resolution are also important legal services both during and after a project. Resolving conflict professionally and amicably as it occurs avoids stoppages. Failing in either contract management or dispute resolution usually results in project delays or budget overruns.</p>
<p><strong>After</strong><br />
Once delivered, a project needs to be operated and maintained. Funding models for operations and maintenance agreements must be appropriate to the project type. Once again, the legal aspects of this phase cannot be overlooked. Proper maintenance and operation models should be agreed on in the tender stage.</p>


Cape Town

The role of Big Data in Africa’s growth

How the City of Cape Town avoided Day Zero crisis

How an Antarctic iceberg will solve SA’s water crisis

Cape Town’s Onyx apartments proving popular with buyers, here’s why

SA Tourism CEO on the upside to digital innovation in tourism

TBCSA’s Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa on how digital innovation is impacting tourism

Derek Hanekom on the need to reform SA’s visa system to boost tourism

Stadio set to build new campus near Cape Town

How Cape Town residents are coping with the water crises

Why restricting water in SA is not the answer

Here’s how Sun International is dealing with the Cape Town water crises

Tower may freeze further investments into Cape Town if water crises continue

Op-Ed: Five reasons why Lagos ain’t Palo Alto

How innovation is turning education on its head in Africa

Why Day Zero is not a threat to business tourism in Cape Town

Accenture Innovation Conference 2017 Special Highlights

Legal Considerations Before Cape Town Water Can Flow

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Cape Town

The role of Big Data in Africa’s growth

How the City of Cape Town avoided Day Zero crisis

How an Antarctic iceberg will solve SA’s water crisis

Cape Town’s Onyx apartments proving popular with buyers, here’s why

SA Tourism CEO on the upside to digital innovation in tourism

TBCSA’s Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa on how digital innovation is impacting tourism

Derek Hanekom on the need to reform SA’s visa system to boost tourism

Stadio set to build new campus near Cape Town

How Cape Town residents are coping with the water crises

Why restricting water in SA is not the answer

Here’s how Sun International is dealing with the Cape Town water crises

Tower may freeze further investments into Cape Town if water crises continue

Op-Ed: Five reasons why Lagos ain’t Palo Alto

How innovation is turning education on its head in Africa

Why Day Zero is not a threat to business tourism in Cape Town

Accenture Innovation Conference 2017 Special Highlights

Legal Considerations Before Cape Town Water Can Flow

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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