Africa to Silicon Valley (A2SV), is a leading tech academy and incubator, backed by Google,  training African university students, connecting them with career opportunities, and creating tech-driven solutions addressing community challenges.

A2SV proudly participated in GITEX AFRICA 2024, Africa’s premier technology showcase, held from May 29 to 31 in Marrakesh, Morocco. A team of 40 representatives from A2SV attended the event, highlighting the organization’s commitment to advancing technology and innovation in Africa, and playing a key role in the digital transformation of the continent.

The A2SV team featured 6 projects:

Adot (https://www.Adot.life): Combining medical and tech expertise, Adot offers a platform for pregnancy monitoring, localized maternal health information, and community support tailored for African mothers.

AKIL (https://AKILconnect.org):  Akil brings together NGOS and volunteers in a painless and centralized approach, helping NGOs easily connect with volunteers and volunteers with the causes they want to support. AKIL facilitates these meaningful connections to maximize the impact of NGOs and passionate volunteers.

SkillBridge (https://SkillBridge.academy): Skillbridge transforms learning and exam preparation in Africa with an AI-powered, customized learning platform where students gain access to learning resources, personalized learning paths, and gamification.

AfroChat (https://AfroChat.app): AfroChat is a centralized platform providing a much-needed easy access to a wide range of AI services with affordable pricing. Through awareness education and affordable pricing, AfroChat ensures that more businesses and people, including those with low incomes, can benefit from advanced AI technologies.

RateEat (https://RateEat.app): RateEat simplifies the food search process with up-to-date restaurant information and filtering options based on price, location, and rating. The platform offers image and video reviews with ratings for item-specific feedback on individual dishes.

Eskalate (https://www.Eskalate.io): Eskalate empowers businesses by connecting them with Africa’s top engineering talent. By providing access to skilled software developers who have graduated from A2SV’s rigorous software engineering training program, Eskalate powers local and global business with their number one asset — talent. Some examples of its partners include Google, Bloomberg, Databricks, and Amazon.

The expo at GITEX AFRICA provided an excellent opportunity for A2SV to demonstrate its talent, innovation, and impact to industry leaders, investors, and tech enthusiasts from across Africa and beyond. A2SV’s exhibitor projects were highly praised, including reaching semi-finals at the startup pitch competition, and also received valuable constructive feedback.

“I am particularly happy that A2SV is well-represented at GITEX Africa with 40 A2SVians and I believe this is an invaluable opportunity for us to demonstrate our capabilities,” said Emre Varol, A2SV’s founder and CEO. “Events like GITEX Africa help us create visibility and form meaningful partnerships aligned with our mission of democratizing access to opportunity and innovation.”

Since its founding, A2SV has trained over 800 students via its free, rigorous program (in-person and remote), employed 142 of them as it expands its operations to more countries in Africa, and connected 65 students with career opportunities at leading tech companies. Additionally, A2SV has started developing technology projects as early seed ventures, further driving innovation and growth.

“We continue to see that digital transformation will be key to Africa’s future, especially as the continent has the youngest population in the world. For that, we need capital and talent but without the talent capital alone can’t do much,” said Yordanos Asmare, A2SV’s Head of Talent and Partnerships. “At A2SV, we have over 800 students who are ready to tackle Africa’s challenges and solve them better than outsiders. We are showing the world that A2SV has the means to do that.”

For more information about A2SV and its projects, please visit A2SV.org

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Africa.

Media contact:
Yordanos Asmare
A2SV
yordanos@a2sv.org

About A2SV:
A2SV is an international nonprofit started in 2019 working to bridge the gap between students across African countries and Big Tech. With the tech industry becoming increasingly competitive, the nonprofit is on a mission to provide opportunities for talented software engineers to grow their careers, learn from industry experts and use this knowledge to better their local communities through digital innovation. A2SV currently partners with universities in Africa to provide students with free training and pathways for internships in leading tech companies including Google and Bloomberg. Their annual continent-wide Hackathon further aims to diversify the industry by encouraging youth to address unique challenges in their communities through tech-led initiatives. To learn more about A2SV, visit our website at A2SV.org.

Infobip (www.Infobip.com), global leader in omnichannel communication solutions, proudly announced the launch of enhanced Voice connectivity services in Morocco today. The unveiling event, held in Casablanca, marked a significant milestone in Infobip’s expansion within the region, reinforcing its commitment to delivering unparalleled communication services to local and international businesses.

The introduction of stronger Voice connectivity is positioned to transform the communication landscape in Morocco, providing enhanced reliability and connectivity for voice services. By addressing common issues such as packet loss and call latency, Infobip is poised to offer superior call quality and stability, ensuring seamless communication experiences for its users.

Revolutionizing voice services in Morocco

Infobip’s new Voice connectivity services are a testament to the company’s dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction. This initiative enables Infobip to offer local connections with local numbers, significantly increasing call answer rates and reducing call drop-offs. With low latency calls and reliable connections, businesses can now enjoy crystal-clear voice communication, enhancing customer interactions and support services.

Enhanced capabilities and customer benefits

The introduction of greater Voice connectivity brings several advantages to Infobip’s clients. One of the primary benefits is the availability of local numbers, which boosts the likelihood of calls being answered. Organizations can add privacy features, such as Number Masking which anonymizes private numbers of both parties, adding an extra layer of security to 2-way communications.

Moreover, Infobip’s Voice services are designed to support various use cases tailored to different industries. For instance, the Call Link feature enables immediate customer support and remote diagnosis via video calls, while automated voice message broadcasts and IVR call flows streamline customer interactions. These solutions provide contextualized support that goes beyond text-based messaging, offering a more personalized and effective communication experience.

Positioning Infobip as a market leader

The launch of voice connectivity cements Infobip’s approach in the region. With the widest-reaching network of direct connections, Infobip ensures low latency and reliable call connections regardless of where the calls are routed. This strategic investment solidifies Infobip’s market presence and underscores its commitment to delivering reliable communication solutions.

Infobip’s comprehensive control over voice scenarios through APIs allows customers to tailor call flows to their specific needs, providing unmatched flexibility and customization. Predefined use cases can be built and deployed in hours enable clients to quickly adopt and implement voice solutions with minimal development effort, making it easier for businesses to integrate advanced communication capabilities into their operations.

Customer-centric approach

Infobip’s focus on easily accessible connections between businesses and users is at the core of its strategy. By understanding the unique needs and goals of its clients, Infobip can develop relevant use cases that deliver tangible value. The new Voice connectivity services are already operational, and businesses in Morocco can immediately benefit from its advanced features and capabilities. This focus spans across industries such as Banking, Retail, and Telco, where Infobip provides significant value.

The event in Casablanca featured insightful presentations and live demonstrations, showcasing the transformative potential of Infobip’s Voice services. Attendees from various industries had the opportunity to explore how these solutions could be applied to their specific use cases, fostering a deeper understanding of the benefits and applications of advanced voice communication.

Looking ahead

As Infobip continues to innovate and expand its offerings, the enhanced Voice connectivity in Morocco represents a significant step forward in enhancing communication infrastructures. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and a customer-centric approach, Infobip is well-positioned to lead the market and set new standards in voice communication.

Infobip’s Regional Manager, Imane Rifki, reflected on the latest company updates in the local market: “We are dedicated to continuously improving the communication experiences that businesses across Morocco provide to their clients. We are enablers of high-quality services and conversational experiences in different industries, and the launch of the local Voice connectivity is just one example of our commitment to driving progress.”

For more information about Infobip’s Voice services and the new data center, visit Infobip’s website (www.Infobip.com).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Infobip.

About Infobip:
Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip’s omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact centre solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty. With over a decade of industry experience, Infobip has expanded to 75+ offices globally. It offers natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and ‘things’ in 6 continents connected to over 9,700+ connections of which 800+ are direct operator connections. Infobip was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutić, Roberto Kutić and Izabel Jelenić.

Recent award wins include:

• Infobip ranked as number one Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider, in the inaugural MetriRank CPaaS Report from Metrigy (Dec 2023)

• Omdia Ranks Infobip as Leader for the second year running in its CPaaS Universe Report (Nov 2023)

• Infobip named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) 2023 (Sept 2023)

• Infobip named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) 2023 Vendor Assessment (May 2023)

• Infobip named a leader in the Juniper Customer Data Platform Leaderboard Report (July 2023)

• Infobip named a leader in the CPaaS Leaderboard, Juniper Research (Feb 2023)

• Infobip named a leader in the CCaaS Leaderboard, Juniper Research (Dec 2023)

MultiChoice Group (www.MultiChoice.com/) demonstrated resilient operational performance for the year ended March 2024 (FY24), delivering a 26% trading profit margin in South Africa, while increasing trading profit in the Rest of Africa by 48%, despite very challenging macro-economic conditions. Clear strategic milestones were reached, with the group successfully launching Showmax 2.0, SuperSportBet and Moment, all of which are now revenue-generating and supporting the group’s future growth prospects.

Download document: https://apo-opa.co/4cj3eXQ

“Four years after setting out a clear strategy of building Africa’s entertainment platform of choice and investing in services to support a broader ecosystem, our three core segments are now fully operational: video entertainment, interactive entertainment and fintech. Our focus now shifts to building on these solid foundations to drive growth in these new areas, and on further enhancing business efficiency across our operations.

While we are not alone in feeling the challenges of a weak consumer environment, I am proud of the speed and effectiveness of the team in implementing strategic actions to retain customers, safeguard cash generation and drive costs savings which surpassed our targets. It is the strength of this team, the quality of the underlying business and the clarity of our strategy which underpins my confidence in delivering on our potential,” said Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO.

Some key points for the past financial year:

Subscriber base: Given the challenging consumer environment, overall active subscribers declined by 9%. This was mainly due to a 13% decline in the Rest of Africa business, with Nigeria, Angola and Zambia most affected, while the South African business was more resilient, declining by only 5%.   
Group revenue: increased by 3% on an organic basis. However, due to weaker local currencies and consumer pressure, reported Group revenue declined by 5% to ZAR56.0bn.
Subscription revenues: grew by 2% on an organic basis. However, on a reported basis, subscription revenues declined by 7% due to a weaker Naira.
Group trading profit: increased 24% on an organic basis, despite the additional ZAR1.4bn investment in Showmax to drive future growth. After factoring in the ZAR4.5bn impact related to foreign exchange weakness, reported trading profit declined by 21% to ZAR7.9bn.
Positive operating leverage: Given the positive impact of the lower expenditure (including ZAR1.9bn in cost savings and ZAR1.5bn in reduced decoder subsidies), the group achieved positive operating leverage of 4.3% (i.e. a 3.3% organic revenue increase against a 1% organic reduction in operating expenses).
Adjusted core headline earnings: Higher realised hedging gains and benefits from a narrower gap between official and parallel Naira rate, was more than offset by the weaker trading profitability, resulting in adjusted core headline earnings (which now includes losses on cash remittances after tax and minorities) decreasing by 20% to ZAR1.3bn.
Free cash flow: amounted to ZAR589m, impacted by lower profitability and the  ZAR1.7bn in Showmax platform payments.
Retained cash and cash equivalents: ZAR7.3bn in cash (before short-term commitments) and access to ZAR4.1bn in undrawn borrowing facilities provides significant headroom and flexibility to fund opportunities.

MultiChoice is by far the largest producer of original content on the African continent. In FY24, the group again produced over 6 500 hours of local content and its local content library now has more than 84,000 hours of content, a 12% increase YoY.

The highlight for the year was Shaka Ilembe, which launched on Mzansi Magic in June to become Africa’s biggest TV series. Filmed entirely on location in South Africa, it was created through the skills and contributions of over 8 000 people. The premiere episode attracted over four million viewers and was the top-performing show with an audience share of over 45% in its time slot.

Other content highlights of the year was Reyka (season 2), Devil’s Peak and White Lies on linear (co-produced with Fremantle, Canal +, Abacus Distribution and BBC Studios-owned Lookout Point) and Spinners, Original Sin: My Son The Killer, and Catch Me a Killer, on streaming. Across Africa, the group launched 3 new proprietary channels – in Ethiopia (Maaddii Abol), Uganda (Pearl Magic Loko) and Mozambique (Maningue Magic Kool) while also producing content in Africa’s 4th most spoken language, Oromo.

SuperSport broadcast 34 490 live events during the year – arguably more live sport than any other broadcaster in the world. Highlights included the Rugby World Cup in France, the Cricket World Cup in India, a second  SA20 season in South Africa, AFCON, FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, as well as the Netball World Cup in Cape Town.

SuperSport Schools more than doubled its registered user base during the year. The fast-growing platform displayed more than 49 000 hours of live programming across 43 different sports codes, covering 900 school sport festivals and events, featuring more than 1 100 schools, and over 14 500 teams.

SEGMENTAL REVIEW

South Africa Pay-TV (MultiChoice South Africa)

Due to a strong focus on retention initiatives, the decline in active subscribers in South Africa was limited to 5%, despite the challenging environment. The base now stands at 7.6 million households.  Power outages experienced on 275 days of the year further discouraged potential subscribers without backup power.

Although the Premium bouquet is trending toward a stable base given the targeted retention efforts, the premium customer tier (which includes the Premium and Compact Plus bouquets) declined by 8%. The mid-market Compact base, which is most exposed to the macro-economic challenges, was down 9%, while the mass-market tier was 2% lower due to pressure in the Family base, the impact of loadshedding, and reduced decoder subsidies.

A consequent 3% decline in subscription revenues and softer advertising income weighed on the segment’s total revenues (-2% to ZAR33.6bn), but was partially offset by strong traction from new revenue streams, especially the insurance business (NMSIS) which reported a 35% increase in premium revenue to almost ZAR1bn. Several interventions to reduce costs enabled the SA business to achieve a trading margin of over 26%.  

Rest of Africa Pay-TV (MultiChoice Africa)

The business in the Rest of Africa faced the toughest macro-economic conditions in its core markets with high, double-digit inflation and extreme depreciation of local currencies, (especially in Nigeria, Angola, Kenya and Zambia) which impacted USD revenues by 32%.

The active subscriber base declined to 8.1m, but effective retention efforts contributed to an improved subscriber mix.

Due to the challenging market dynamics, the short-term focus of this business shifted from subscriber growth to safeguard profitability and cash flows. Several cost-saving initiatives were implemented, including scaling back significantly on decoder subsidies (-46% YoY or ZAR1.3bn), and reducing SG&A costs by ZAR500m. These interventions enabled the Rest of Africa business to increase trading profit by 48% YoY to ZAR1.3bn.

Sub-Saharan Africa SVOD (Showmax)

FY24 was a pivotal year for Showmax as it relaunched across 44 markets in sub-Saharan Africa on Peacock’s world-class platform, which is 4K/HDR and ATMOS ready. Almost 100% of the eligible customer base was migrated to the new Showmax platform, and 88% of those migrated had reactivated their accounts in the seven weeks to year-end.

Alongside local content from M-Net, Mzansi Magic, Africa Magic and Maisha Magic, Showmax ramped up its local content, releasing 59 original movies and series in SA, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana (FY23: 48). Popular shows that drove viewership included Tracking Thabo Bester, Koek, The Mommy Club, Youngins, Red Ink, Adulting, Outlaws and Real Housewives of Durban in South Africa, Cheta’m, Real Housewives of Lagos, Dead Serious, Wura and Flawsome in Nigeria, and Single Kiasi and Second Family in Kenya.

Showmax revenues for the year grew by 22% (+22% organic) to ZAR1.0bn, while trading losses increased to ZAR2.6bn. These losses came in below the expected range of ZAR3-4.0bn. As noted before, due to the partnership agreement signed in 2023, 30% of Showmax’s funding requirements is contributed by Comcast.

Technology (Irdeto)

Irdeto’s strong execution, enabled it to become the market leader in managed security services for video with a 22% market share. It also saw significant success in combatting piracy, taking down some 30 000 streaming piracy services during the year. Revenue increased by 17% (7% organic) driven by external customers across video entertainment, gaming and connected transport, with some additional uplift from a weaker ZAR against the USD. Disciplined cost management supported a 23% trading margin.

Irdeto shipped its first keyless solutions to leading customers, including one of the largest fleet operators in the US market. This resulted in a revenue increase of 119% YoY in the connected transport division, with revenue from new services now representing a combined 35.7% of total revenues. 

Sports betting and interactive entertainment (KingMakers)

KingMakers reported strong growth in the online business in Nigeria, with monthly active users up 37% YoY and online gross gaming revenues up 26% YoY in constant currency. New products were also launched, including BetKing Casino and BetKing FootballGO, a virtual football sportsbook service.

Revenue of USD147m was affected by the weak Naira, while the business reported a positive EBITDA of USD2m. At the end of its December year-end the business had a retained cash balance USD113m to fully fund its growth initiatives.

KingMakers launched the SuperSportBet business in South Africa in January 2024. Its pre-game shows and live feed integration with SuperPicks, as well as the Playbook preview show were key drivers of uptake, further supported by SuperSportBet becoming the official betting partner of local soccer clubs, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Fin-tech (Moment)

After being founded during FY23, Moment officially launched in FY24. The business played a vital role in the Showmax relaunch stepping up to fill a critical payments gap. In January this year, Moment also began processing MultiChoice’s payments for DStv, reaching a milestone of processing USD85m in payments in early March 2024.

To-date, Moment has processed local and cross-border card payments in 44 Showmax markets and is already accounting for more than 20% of Group’s payment volumes. It also joined real-time payment networks in 18 countries, including South Africa, and is currently piloting instant payment and account activation for DStv.

The business raised an additional USD22m of funding, with MultiChoice contributing USD8m. As a result, Moment is now valued at USD82m and MultiChoice owns a 26% stake.

FUTURE PROSPECTS

The linear video-entertainment business remains the mainstay of the group’s operations and provides a valuable base from which to expand its service offerings. The new streaming, interactive entertainment, fintech and connectivity services are having a positive impact on the business, and more importantly, on the lives of its customers. Going forward, the group will focus its efforts on scaling Showmax, Moment, SuperSportBet, as well as on driving growth in insurance (NMSIS), DStv Internet and DStv Stream.

To counter the challenges around an uncertain economic recovery globally and across the group’s operating footprint, the group will continue to drive business efficiency and cost optimisation, with an increased cost savings target of ZAR2bn.

Not only should this mitigate the ongoing impact of currency volatility and consumer weakness on performance, but together with the company’s strategic plans to continue adapting its platforms to cater to customers’ evolving needs, it positions the group well to prosper once currencies stabilize and economies rebound.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MultiChoice Group.

MultiChoice Group Contact Details: 
Litlhare Moteetee
Senior Manager: Corporate Communications 
Litlhare.Moteetee@Multichoice.co.za     

Meloy Horn, Head of Investor Relations 
Mobile: +27 82 772 7123 
meloy.horn@multichoice.com    

About MultiChoice Group:
MultiChoice Group (MCG), listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), is a leading provider of entertainment and related consumer services, with an expanding ecosystem, underpinned by scalable technologies, and a track record now spanning almost 40 years.  MCG provides video entertainment products and services through its linear and streaming platforms to 23.5m households across 50 countries on the African continent and continues to grow by producing and acquiring the best local, sport and international content and offering tiered subscription packages and aggregated streaming services to its customer base. MCG’s superior technology capabilities enables it to continue innovating around distribution, digital and payment solutions and content security to offer the best customer experience across the continent. Reaching up to 100 million individuals on a daily basis, the MultiChoice Group is using its scale and distribution to expand its platform to include sports betting and interactive entertainment, fin-tech services, household services (focused on internet connectivity and emergency response services) and ed-tech. Irdeto, MCG’s technology business, provides platform cybersecurity services which protect over 6bn devices and applications globally for some of the world’s best media and technology brands, as well as clients in the connected industries sector. 

The Groupement Insoft-Saphir Systems, a leading provider of advanced software solutions in the Middle East and Africa, proudly participated in GITEX AFRICA 2024 (https://GITEXAfrica.com), held from May 29 to 31. As part of the premier technology event in Africa, the Groupement highlighted its cutting-edge solutions designed to drive digital transformation across various industries.

Insoft showcased its flagship solutions, Assabil and weSign, which are tailored to optimize sales force automation and streamline digital workflows, respectively.

Assabil by Insoft is a comprehensive sales force automation solution designed to enhance sales performance through several key features:

– Itinerary Optimization: Streamlines sales routes to maximize efficiency and reduce travel time.

– Market Data Appropriation: Provides detailed insights into customer visits and sales activities, enabling data-driven decisions.

– Real-Time Sales Activity Monitoring: Allows businesses to track sales performance in real-time, ensuring strategic oversight and quick adjustments.

– Customer Dashboard and Loyalty Management: Offers tools for managing customer relationships and loyalty programs, driving repeat business and customer satisfaction.

weSign by Insoft revolutionizes document management by offering:

– Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with existing systems to provide a unified workflow solution.

– Automated Task Management: Simplifies processes with automated reminders and follow-ups, ensuring no task is overlooked.

– Robust Security Measures: Ensures compliance and secure access to sensitive documents through advanced security protocols.

– Real-Time Tracking and Notifications: Keeps users informed about document status and workflow progress with instant updates.

Saphir Systems presented its innovative LEAN solution, a comprehensive financial services platform that offers:

– Modular Financial Services Platform: LEAN is designed to provide a secure and agile environment for digital banking, mobile money, and agent network management.

– High Security and Scalability: Meets stringent security requirements and scales to accommodate growing business needs.

– Rich API for Integration: Facilitates rapid integration with third-party systems, allowing for easy customization to meet specific business requirements.

– Comprehensive Functional Coverage: Supports a wide range of financial services, including wallet management, P2P transfers, salary payments, and more.

“We were thrilled to participate in GITEX AFRICA 2024 and showcase our innovative solutions that empower businesses to achieve operational excellence and digital transformation,” said Mr.Benider Abdellatif, CEO of The Groupement Insoft-Saphir Systems. “Our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction drives us to continuously enhance our offerings and support our clients in their digital journeys.”

Attendees of GITEX AFRICA 2024 had the opportunity to visit The Groupement Insoft-Saphir Systems at booth 5E-06 to experience firsthand the transformative power of Assabil, weSign, and LEAN solutions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GITEX Africa.

For more information, please contact:
Email: abdellatif.benider@insoft.ma
Phone: +212661172530
Website: www.Insoft.ma
www.SaphirSystems.com

About The Groupement Insoft-Saphir Systems:
The Groupement Insoft-Saphir Systems is a collaboration of two leading technology companies, Insoft and Saphir Systems, dedicated to delivering innovative software solutions across the Middle East and Africa. Insoft specializes in sales force automation and workflow management, while Saphir Systems focuses on financial services platforms. Together, they provide comprehensive solutions that drive efficiency and growth for their clients.