Microsoft names Kunle Awosika as the new Managing Director of the Africa Transformation Office (ATO) in a new reorganization to optimize its operations in Africa to scale impact. He succeeds Wael Elkabbany, who now heads Microsoft’s new Africa Regional Cluster (ARC) subsidiary. Kunle will lead the ATO subsidiary with a focus on driving digital transformation initiatives across the continent.
“I am passionate about the incredible potential Africa has to become a truly connected continent that exports digital goods and services to the rest of the world. I am delighted to have the opportunity to meaningfully impact this growth and help unlock the continent’s full digital potential,” said Kunle.
Kunle has over 22 years of experience working in multiple countries across the continent. He also has a deep understanding and passion for Africa’s growth. He has held several positions at Microsoft, including director of Enterprise Business, Country Manager Microsoft Kenya, as well as director of Small and Medium Corporates, Emerging Markets. Kunle Awosika was also one of three pioneer team members when Microsoft opened its Nigeria office.
He is credited with the introduction of different transformational technology opportunities to a wide range of organizations in both the public and private sectors, enabling them to unlock significant value. Kunle will bring this deep experience in multiple African markets to the new role.
While welcoming him to the new role, Elkabbany said: “With his multifaceted experience of the continent and deep understanding of transformative technology, Kunle Awosika is ideally placed to lead the strategy, investments, and initiatives of Microsoft’s transformation plans for the African continent.”
“I look forward to playing a role in unlocking Africa’s potential as the ATO develops and steers strategic partnerships with governments, international organizations, and partners to accelerate digital transformation agendas and fuel a knowledge-based economy,” Kunle added.
Microsoft Africa Transformation Office
Launched in 2021, the ATO supersedes the continent-wide multi-million dollar Microsoft 4Afrika investment project launched in 2012. In simple terms, the Microsoft ATO is Microsoft’s move to scale out what it did with 4Afrika across the continent. It focuses on enabling growth and fuelling investment in four essential development areas. – Digital infrastructure, skilling, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and start-ups. –
Now, we have a responsibility to play a different role that drives impact at scale, says Wanja Gitonga, Microsoft ATO Communications lead. Reaching millions of Africans and accelerating Africa’s digital transformation to help deliver long-lasting African economic prosperity through digital technologies. The ATO will play an enabling role to accelerate and scale up existing programs within Microsoft, she adds.
Wanja notes that Microsoft is committed to rethinking how and why it develops digital solutions and strategies to better serve the needs of Africa. Through large-scale digital partnerships and initiatives across infrastructure, skilling, SMEs, and startups, we hope to impact the lives of millions of Africans and foster economic prosperity through digital technologies.
Microsoft understands that it cannot achieve these ambitious goals alone. Saying, strategic partnerships with governments, international organizations, multinationals, and African enterprises will accelerate investments in Africa and increase the continent’s export of digital services.
Since its inception, Microsoft Africa Transformation Office has spearheaded a number of initiatives and strategic partnerships across Africa. It announced the launch of Microsoft Startups Founders Hub in Africa and new partnerships with accelerators and incubators to provide startups with access to markets, technical skills, and funding to accelerate the growth of 10,000 African startups over the next five years.
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Visa is partnering with Flocash to introduce Flostore to help small businesses across Africa accept digital payments. It will also allow the businesses to manage supplies and access financial services across Africa. The Flostore solution consists of an integration of the Visa digital wallet and Flocash’s pan-African payment platform.
In addition to Flostore, Flocash and Visa will bring the element of analytics, bookkeeping and reconciliation to small businesses. Through Visa’s dynamic underwriting capabilities that include buying now pay later structures.
“Visa is committed to expanding the digitization of payments across Africa. With partners like Flocash, our goal is to enable African businesses to access our payments ecosystem and technologies to enable them to innovatively and efficiently serve their customers. This partnership with Flocash, as well as the launch of Flostore, are important steps towards achieving this goal.”
Corine Mbiaketcha, Vice President and General Manager for East Africa at Visa.
SMEs according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) account for 90% of all businesses in Africa. But they have an annual financing gap of over US $136 billion. A digitized SME sector will unlock the huge market potential of the African continent underpinned by rapid population growth.
Through digitization, SMEs can use their digital footprint to tap into both traditional and alternative sources of funding. To expand commerce while banks lower operating costs as they increase their revenue base. Digitization of the lending process enables banks to streamline their inefficient processes for SME lending and deliver value to their customers. 82% of small and micro business respondents to Visa’s annual outlook survey in 2022 indicated a preference for digital payment options.
With a Flostore Tap2phone, small businesses will be able to turn their existing mobile devices into payment acceptance terminals. Tap2phone is an essential and cost-effective mechanism for developing digital payment infrastructure in developing markets.
“Flocash has grown significantly as a travel payments processor over the last few years. We are thrilled to partner with them to build innovative payment solutions that reduce friction in commerce for merchants in East Africa,” Mbiaketcha adds.
On the other hand, the CyberSource Payment Gateway technology incorporates all the safety protocols in place to give customers peace of mind as they transact online. With a design to provide increased fraud protection, minimize cardholder friction, and increase the completion of sales, leading to a better experience for all parties involved. This helps both merchants and issuers detect and avoid fraud more effectively.
“Visa is a great partner to scale Flocash’s pan-African payment platform and develop this critical area of African commerce that can offer enormous continent-wide economic development opportunities.”
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Africa is known as the land of unending opportunities…the aphrodite for the ailing global economy. The continent is taking baby strides in different aspects, and there are people who are moving forward to be the harbinger of change so far as the African economic resurgence is concerned. Let’s discuss a few African Tech Tycoons and get to know more about their story here.
So let’s have a look at the African tech Tycoons …the black pearls of business in this article. (In no particular order).
1. Tunde Kehinde, Co-Managing Director Of African Courier Express
Tunde Kehinde is a London-based businessman who co-founded Jumia, Africa’s first unicorn, with a financial investment of around $1 million from a rocket internet German startup. Presently the company has set a strong foot in Nigeria, and it is now the country’s top eCommerce website.
The path of success with Jumia is so pronounced that Tunde Kehinde set up another tech business in the year 2014, collaborating with Ercin Eksin, founder of Africa Courier Express (ACE). This company aims to streamline the logistics of delivery for various companies working in Nigeria and other African countries.
Tunde recently co-founded Lidya; a digital fintech lender which allows SMEs to unlock one-click, same-day credit and build a credit rating for the first time.
So he is someone who can be a role model for African Youth. Indeed a pathfinder!
2. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Founder And General Partner, Future Africa
At the early age of 29, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji co-founded some of the most innovative and disruptive tech companies in Africa. Talk of Andela and Flutterwave, companies working actively to transform the tech innovation infrastructure for Africa. His efforts turned Africa’s challenges into opportunities.
With Andela, Aboyeji was of the opinion that Nigerians would love to if they thought they could earn around $105000 or even half from remote work. He joined Flutterwave in the year 2016 and helped raise funding of $35milion in a Series B round. Presently the company has gone on to become the fastest growing payment technology business and Africa’s unicorn.
Iyin is currently looking to help African startups reach the same scale as western companies with Future Africa. By removing the issue of funding, a primary barrier to a startup’s success.
3. Ken Njoroge, Co-Founder Of Cellulant
Ken Njoroge started with just $3000 on his credit card and co-founded Cellulant, a mobile payment system that connects consumers to merchants.
Presently Cellulent has fitted its flag successfully in 10 countries in Africa. The company now connects to 200 merchants and 44 mobile network operators.
Impressed by reputation and integrity, the government in Nigeria turned to the company and offered it a four-year-$8.9 m contract to run a registration and validation system for fertilizers at friendly prices.
4. Obi Ozor, Co-Founder, Kobo360
Ozor Obi began with a small logistic company using the savings that he made by working part-time at a supermarket whilst in school. His small side business began to bring about $7000 every month.
Then he began his business, Kobo 360, a logistic business that uses technology. At that time, the infrastructure of this very business in Africa was not that good enough. But with a never say die attitude, the company has gone on to become one of the largest supply chain providers in Africa, reaching people with resources. It raised $37 million in its series A round.
Conclusion
Other than these, there are other prominent names like Bright Simons, president of mPedigree Network, Jason Njoku, Founder iRokoTv, and Michael Macharia, the group chief executive SevenSeas Technologies.
We are all as interested in Africa’s rise, and we know so are you too. There are many books and resources on Africa that you could download at thepirateproxybay.com to gain comprehensive knowledge.
Indeed the names discussed above are like stars that the African youth like to chase. They are working extremely hard to bring in fortunes for themselves, the company, and the continent in general.
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Catherine speaking at a Girls in ICT Kenya event. Image via Twitter: Shikoh Gitau @DrShikoh
Catherine Muraga brings a diverse wealth of experience to Microsoft ADC having worked in a variety of industries such as manufacturing, aviation, and banking. With an expansive 15 years of knowledge of the IT landscape in Kenya and the region.
Prior to joining Microsoft, she led the Engineering team at Stanbic Bank Kenya and South Sudan. Leading all engineering capabilities including information technology, data, AI and Analytics, Cyber Security, Operations & Real estate services. She was also a member of the bank’s Executive Leadership team. She was previously the Director of IT and Operations at Sidian Bank.
I am excited to be joining the ADC at this particular time says Catherine Muraga. “I look forward to continuing the tremendous work that has already begun“, she adds.
Catherine is an alumnus of Columbia Business School Digital Strategies for Business, Oxford University Fintech Programme and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Africa Nazarene University.
Microsoft says the ADC engineering hub has grown to over 450 full-time employees.
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In November last year, we hinted that Microsoft was bringing The Garage program to Africa. Months on the company is officially launching the innovation hub and creative space to engage with the broader academic, start-up and local tech ecosystem to develop and bring new impactful ideas to life. Microsoft The Garage Africa is co-located with the ultra-modern Africa Development Center software engineering offices in Lagos and Nairobi.
The program is primarily an extracurricular resource for Microsoft employees to connect, experiment and be creative outside of their day job. However, Microsoft will open the creative space for hacking and making to the local tech ecosystem and Microsoft customers to use technology to solve a wide range of societal and business challenges. Through hackathons, engineering internships, and an experimental outlet for students and tech communities, says Linda Thackery, Sr. Director The Garage EMEA. Who was also at the ADC office sites launch events to concurrently launch the program. The launch of the Africa sites means there are now 14 Garage sites across the globe.
Welcome Garage Africa to the Garage family! Can’t wait to see the amazingly awesome innovation to come.
Linda Thackery
The creative space has three dedicated lab sections and fosters collaboration, innovation and a growth mindset. The lab section consists of a collaboration hub for hackathons and workshops, a Makerspace and an Advanced Makerspace. The advanced Makerspace has an electronic workbench, 3D Printers, laser cutter, PCB milling machine for creating prototypes. A Reality Room dedicated to working in the space of Augmented Reality (AR) Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality applications and dedicated space and equipment for doing work on Deep Learning.
We need a place for people to feel confident to take creative liberties, and that place is The Garage.
Jeff Ramos, general manager of The Garage
Microsoft The Garage East Africa
In Kenya it will help Microsoft employees, customers and developers tap into their creative prowess, notes Lydia Karanja, Lead of The Garage East Africa. She says The Garage is structured as a freeform workspace where Microsoft employees, interns, schools, and community groups can find the tools and training they need to launch products and learn skills.
“The Garage is meant to spread the values of openness and collaboration throughout the Microsoft ADC. Where people come to The Garage to work with interdisciplinary teams on passion projects that sometimes make their way into Microsoft products. This should ultimately allow Microsoft ADC to become a more prominent shaper of Africa’s tech culture.”
Lydia Karanja, Microsoft Garage Lead- East Africa
The program initiative comes from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s drive to encourage employees to be creative, entrepreneurial and open-minded. It also takes inspiration from many global technology companies that started in the garage. The likes of Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Google and Hewlett-Packard to name a few. Through the Garage, employee projects have gone on to become full Microsoft branded products or features. Notable ones are Kaizala, Microsoft launcher, Seeing AI, FarmBeats, Mouse without Borders and the Xbox Adaptive Controller.
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