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DEMO Africa releases 2016 list of Top 30 Finalist Startups

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

July 18, 2016 Nairobi, Kenya: Demo Africa, the continent’s premier launch pad for emerging technologies and trends has today released the list of its final 30 startups that will launch at this year’s DEMO Africa conference in Johannesburg, 25th

The finalists were picked from a record 723 technology startups from 27 African countries that applied to launch at the event. Out of the 30, South Africa is represented by 11 startups, Nigeria 6,Kenya 5 and Ghana 3. For the first time Morocco will have a representative in the continental faire. Other countries include Egypt, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda.

“The entries this year certainly kept up with the DEMO Africa spirit to produce innovative and creative ideas that are bound to transform the technology landscape and we are excited by the growth of innovation and technological advancement in Africa as portrayed by our finalists,” said Harry Hare, DEMO Africa Executive Producer while congratulating the finalists.

The 30 finalist startups have products in 11 verticals including logistics, retail, ecommerce,
education, banking and finance, media, renewable energy, health and agriculture. Banking and financial technologies had the highest number of entries followed by media, ecommerce and education.

The adjudication process which began mid-June 2016, involved a series of activities with a continental jury. “The adjudication process involves a review of the documentation submitted by the startups, a review of their online properties, and testing some of the applications that are online, but the judges also look at the innovation, viability and the product – market fit,” said Mbugua Njihia, the Event Director.

“It was difficult to come up with this list,” said Harry Hare, Executive Director, DEMO Africa.
“Any of the short-listed companies could make an impression on the DEMO Africa stage due to the quality and their potential. But we can only have 30 companies. I would like to congratulate all the companies that participated and encourage them to continue building their business,” Hare continued.

The DEMO Africa 2016 conference, which will take place from 25 to attract venture capitalists, angel Investors, investment fund managers tech buyers, entrepreneurs, innovation supporters & media from various parts of the world.

This year’s event is supported by the LIONS@frica Partners, City of Johannesburg, the South African Department of Science and Technology. Other partners include Google, The World Bank, and African Technology Foundation.

DEMO Africa 2016 list of finalist startups

  1. Grid Supply Chain
  2. Loystar
  3. Iyris KO Ltd
  4. Cocktail Insights
  5. Boresha Limited
  6. Ujuzi Software Solutions
  7. MumsVillage Ltd
  8. Strauss Energy
  9. IT Brothers
  10. Nextwi
  11. Solstice HES
  12. WESABI
  13. ArtNigeria
  14. Shuttlers
  15. Rubiqube Limited
  16. SharpHire Global Limited
  17. Vuga Ltd
  18. ConnectMed
  19. Reel Gardening
  20. SolarCap Pty Ltd
  21. RadioVybe
  22. Sortd
  23. ION Comsys
  24. Ekasi Energy
  25. 4th Element
  26. K Measure Pty Ltd
  27. Zivo Learning
  28. flexyPAY Intenational
  29. Telescrypts
  30. Lipa Mobile

About DEMO Africa

DEMO Africa is one of the flagship initiatives of LIONS@frica and aims to connect African startups to the global ecosystem. DEMO Africa is the place where the most innovative companies from African countries get a platform to launch their products and announce to Africa and the world what they have developed.

DEMO Africa allows start-ups from all over Africa to meet VCs, investors, tech acquisition specialists, IT buyers and media from across the region and around the globe. The Start-ups are given an opportunity to launch their products to a tech eco-system.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of DEMO Africa 2016

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Call for ApplicationsNigeria

2015 World Bank WomenX : Unleashing the Exponential Power of Women Entrepreneurs ( Scholarships Available)

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

Application Deadline: Ongoing

WomenX is a pilot programme providing business education and support services to women entrepreneurs running small and medium sized enterprises.

The World Bank in collaboration with the Enterprise Development Centre is giving Scholarship to Female Entrepreneurs in Nigeria through the WomenX Program. The WomenX program is aimed at providing practical business education through a blended learning approach for 5 months, a 6-month face-to-face and online mentoring, help strengthen their networks and create linkages to access finance. Over a 3 year period, a total number of 500 female entrepreneurs will be awarded this scholarship in Nigeria.

Duration of WomenX program

The program consists of 17 modules, delivered in 28 days (in-class and online) spread over 5 months and includes a mentoring period of about 6 months.

Selection Criteria

  • Company must be owned/managed by a Female
  • Functional Business (at least 6 months in Operation)
  • Business must have high Growth Potential
  • High Local Value add and Content

Completed forms should be sent by email to [email protected] and copy [email protected]

Shortlisted applicants will receive an invitation for an interview.

Apply Now for the Women x Programme for Female Entrepreneurs

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Women x Programme for Female Entrepreneurs

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Contests

2015 World Bank Group Spring Meetings Blog Contest #Blog4Dev

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

Application Deadline: April 25 2015 (midnight GMT).

  • Do you blog about development issues such as food security, financial inclusion, global public health, and more?
  • Would you like to be published on the World Bank Group’s Voices blog?

If the answer to those questions is yes (and you meet the eligibility criteria below), we’re excited to invite you to enter the first World Bank Spring Meetings Voices Blog Contest.

The contest is an opportunity to share your perspective on pressing development issues discussed at the World Bank Group-IMF Spring Meetings in Washington the week of April 13.

The World Bank is looking for original, well-written posts related to the Spring Meetings and the World Bank Group’s mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity.

The World Bank will choose up to five winners and link to all entered and accepted blog posts from the Voices blog.

One grand prize winner will also win an opportunity to interview a senior World Bank Group official during the next six months. That blog post also will be considered for publication on Voices.

Eligibility

  1. Current World Bank Group staff members, consultants, or retirees are not eligible.
  2. A blogger must have all rights to submit all of the content in his blog post.  Content from sources other than the blogger must be clearly marked throughout the submission and properly cited.
  3. Bloggers are defined as people who published blog posts on a blog established by Jan. 1, 2014, and who posted at least 12 times in calendar year 2014.
  4.  Bloggers must be at least 18 years of age at the time of submission of their entry.
  5. The World Bank Group reserves the right to research and verify the eligibility of any entrants, and the decision of the World Bank Group shall be final.

Prizes

  • A panel of expert judges from inside and outside the World Bank Group will select up to five winning posts to be published on the World Bank Group’s Voices blog during the month of May 2015 and promoted on World Bank corporate social media channels.
  • Each of the winners will have the opportunity to submit another blog post to the World Bank on a subject of their choosing related to international development, for consideration for the Voices blog within the next six months. If accepted, the posts will be published on Voices.  The World Bank Group reserves the rights to edit any blog posts to comply with its editorial and other policies and guidelines.

Grand prize

  • From the winning entries, the judges will choose one grand prize winner who, in addition to the prize described above, will also win an opportunity to interview a senior World Bank Group official during the next six months, and write a blog post based on that interview. That blog also will be considered for publication on Voices.
  • The World Bank Group reserves the rights to edit any blog posts to comply with its editorial and other policies and guidelines.
  • How to enter
  • You can blog about any of the World Bank Live webcasts from April 15 through 18, 2015. The webcasts cover a variety of topics including big data, water security, the future of food, oil prices and universal financial access.
  • Write a blog post that doesn’t just summarize the webcast but expands on its issues and themes. Each blog post must include a link to at least one event page on the World Bank Live site from April 15 through 18, 2015.
  • Keep your blog post to 700 words or fewer. Longer entries will be disqualified.
  • Blog entries should be published, and contest entries must be received, by 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, April 25 (midnight GMT). Send submissions by email to [email protected], including the URL and author’s full legal name, email address, and phone number. No anonymous or pseudonymous entries will be considered.
  • Entries will be accepted only in English, but winning posts will be translated by the World Bank Group into Arabic, French, Spanish, and possibly other languages.
  • If you promote your blog on Twitter, please use the hashtag #Blog4Dev.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the 2015 World Bank Group Spring Meetings Blog Contest 

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DoctoralFellowships

2015 World Bank Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program $25,000 for PhD candidates from developing countries.

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

Application Deadline: Wednesday February 11, 2015.

The 2015 World Bank (Robert S, McNamara) Fellowships Call for Applications will open on Wednesday January 7, 2015 and will close on Wednesday February 11, 2015.
The Robert S. McNamara World Bank Fellowships Program was established in 1982 to honor the former President of the World Bank. The Program awards fellowships of up to $25,000 annually for developing country PhD candidates to conduct innovative, development-related, doctoral research under the supervision of a research advisor at a host institution abroad.

The Program’s funding comes from investment income earned from an endowment fund set up by contributions from the World Bank and the governments of Bangladesh, China, India, Kuwait, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, and former Yugoslavia.

Who Can Apply?

  • Applicants must be from developing countries and currently enrolled in a PhD program for which they have completed all coursework and exam requirements.
  • Lecturers or researchers working in an academic or research institution in their home, developing, countries are particularly encouraged to apply.

What does the Program Support?

  • The purpose of the grant is to help fellows advance their doctoral research work through a residency period of 6 to 10 months in a host institution of their choice outside of their country.
  • During the research period at the host institution, the fellows are expected to have access to essential resources such as reference books and research publications, databases, and software; attend seminars and courses; and to benefit by interacting with peers.

Host Institution

Candidates should be accepted or invited by a host institution which would designate an academic advisor to assist the fellow during his research period. Host institutions should also commit to provide the fellow with basic amenities such as office space and access to a computer, and to facilitate his/her research activities.

Fields of research

The candidate’s field of research should be related to development, in fields such as economics, health, education, agriculture, environment, natural resource management, or other development-related subject.

Grants

  • Candidates are requested to submit a budget for their fellowship, using the Robert S. McNamara budget template provided on the fellowship’s website, covering the costs related to their research program: tuition; living allowance; basic medical and/or accident insurance; travel; and an allowance for the cost of research, including books, research materials, software, local field trips (for data collection), research expenses, fees for host institution seminars/conferences, printing and other miscellaneous expenses.
  • The maximum amount of the grant is US$25,000.

Fellow’s Commitment

Fellows are required to issue two reports, a mid-term report during the fellowship period and a final report containing the results of the McNamara sponsored research. Fellows are expected to return to their home countries upon completion of the fellowship to complete their PhD and work.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a fellowship award:

  • Your home country is a World Bank member developing country.
  • You are not a dual citizen of a developed country.
  • You are currently enrolled in a PhD program in a World Bank member country.
  • You will have completed all coursework and exam requirements for your PhD at the time of application.
  • You have a master’s degree.
  • You are 35 years or younger as of February 11th, 2015.
  • You meet one of the following conditions:
  1. a) You are enrolled in a PhD program in your home country, and not currently employed.
  2. b) You are enrolled in a PhD program in your home country or another World Bank member country and are working in an academic or research institution in your home country.
  • You are accepted as a visiting scholar for a period of six to ten months by a university or research center in a World Bank member country other than your home country.
  • Your research proposal is endorsed by your PhD thesis supervisor and your host institution.
  • You can begin your fellowship between July and December 2015.
  • You are able to complete your proposed fellowship research in 6 to 10 months.
  • You commit to returning to your home country to complete your PhD and work after completion of your research.
  • You are not an Executive Director, his/her alternate, staff, or consultant of the World Bank Group (the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, International Development Association, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes), and you do not have any relatives or in-laws who are employed by the World Bank Group in any capacity, including consulting.

 

Application Forms

The 2015 Robert S. McNamara (RSM) World Bank Fellowship Application will be an online application, available through the RSM website from January 7, 2015 to February 11, 2015. Both references and the application form will be submitted through this online platform. The application itself will be in English, but applicants may choose to complete it in either English, French or Spanish.

Contact E-Mail:

 

 

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of  The Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program 

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