Digital strategy experts across Africa push for more collaborative initiatives

African businesses must leverage collaboration and shared infrastructure to expand digital access for those in remote areas, Arthur Mukembo, the Future Lab Studio Lead at The Innovation Village, said while speaking from the Better Future Stage booth at the Mobile World Congress in Kigali, on Wednesday, October 18. As noted, the success of tech start-ups will be contingent on their ability to unite with other teams that share similar objectives. “Achieving this involves a blend of technology, expertise, and taking advantage of economies of scale to enhance the overall service for the end-user customer,” pointed out Mukembo. READ ALSO: 350 million Africans yet to access digital payment systems The Innovation Village is a company dedicated to fostering the growth of impactful companies that focus on solving significant industry and community problems across Africa. During the session, they served as the moderator. Considering earlier conversations about MWC’s policy context and fintech trends in Africa, Mukembo extended an invitation to a panel consisting of four organizations that are prioritizing collaboration in their digital ecosystem. Dickson Mushabe, representing Cinnamon Clubs, a company streamlining club operations by simplifying financial bookkeeping, and Stephen Kakooza, co-founder of Kawu, a company facilitating pocket money transfers to children's smart cards with free withdrawals and expense management, were among the panellists. Together with two other participants, they advocated for a cross-sectorial synergy approach, emphasizing its potential to facilitate knowledge sharing among local founders, corporate entities, and government organizations, enabling them to learn from one another's strengths and become familiar with tools, design thinking, and sustainable solutions. READ MORE: Rwanda recommits to address digital divide You cannot do it alone Seth Muthano, the Chief Operations Officer of Chap Chap, a company that enhances the potential of our MSME networks through strategic collaborations with leading service providers to offer unparalleled value and convenience to the last-mile population, referenced the African adage, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together,” to get his message across. “I want to bring it closer to home to make it more community-centric,” he explained. “At Chap Chap, we established a network that offers fundamental cash-in and cash-out services. So for example, if a Kawu parent intends to load pocket money onto their child’s card, they can approach a Chap Chap cash-in agent.” READ MORE: UNICEF, Airtel partner to increase access to digital The Agro-Consortium was a significant participant at the event. This organization implements a nationwide initiative offering insurance premium subsidies to farmers. The level of subsidy, which varies based on whether they are large-scale, small-scale, or situated in disaster-prone regions, can be as high as 80%. “At the outset, a big aspect of our approach was centered on collaboration,” noted Attra Atukunda, their Business Development and Partnership Lead. “Many of the solutions we were developing heavily relied on technology, which required us to partner with organizations genuinely committed to farmers’ well-being, such as farmer cooperatives.” Their journey commenced in 2016 with 20,000 farmers, and they now serve more than 600,000 farmers. “In Africa, you cannot do it alone. You just can’t,” reiterated, Kakooza, co-founder of Kawu.

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Digital strategy experts across Africa push for more collaborative initiatives