Literacy in empoverished lands is a pressing issue, especially on the African continent. But NGOs and other organisations are looking to eradicate this discretion entirely. The latest partnership formed will see the African division of the Cambridge University Press partner with NGO digital book provider, Worldreader, to make over 390 ebooks available for Africans across the continent for free. Thanks to the dropping price of technology, and increased adoption rates, it's easier to spread educating materials in developing countries. Using the ...

Gyft, the virtual gift card service founded by South African-born entrepreneur Vinny Lingham has been acquired by First Data, a big player in the payment technology and services space. Neither party has disclosed the terms of deal, although early Gyft investors have expressed pleasure at the deal. Karlin Ventures managing director TX Zhuo told Pandodaily that it was “a great outcome for everybody involved.” Sources close to the acquisition meanwhile said that the deal was larger than the US$54-million it ...

Every year, Microsoft asks university students to imagine what they could do with technology through its Imagine Cup competition -- a skills-based challenge comprised of three key categories: Games, Innovation and World Citizenship. The idea is to create innovative and original software applications for Windows devices, of course. The competition is open to students around the world and spans a period of one year, beginning with national and online competitions, and culminating at the World Finals. So here we are, ...

We are at a very exciting stage in the African Startup space. The attention we are getting internationally is great and we are seeing competitions, incubation spaces and accelerators popping up seemingly weekly. It is great to get the international support and attention, but beware the hype. The international ‘plug and play’ formulas offer limited value and struggle to create any kind of consistent momentum and value in the local markets. Setting Africa apart We need to look at the market ...

The City of Tshwane, in partnership with the free Wi-Fi crusade Project Isizwe, has launched more than 200 new free internet zones. Centered at schools in the Tshwane area, this move sees the city become one of largest free Wi-Fi providers in South Africa. The move follows Phase 1 of the non-profit, Project Isizwe, which last year in November rolled out free internet zones to Soshanguve, Hatfield, Church Square, Tshwane North College and Mamelodi Community Centre. Besides allowing users 250Mb per ...

Get in the Ring (GITR) South Africa has announced transport startup Go Metro as the regional winner of the Cape Town batch. Founder of Go Metro Justin Coetzee will represent Cape Town in Rwanda as part of the regional finalists in September 2014. Over 2 000 startups from around 50 countries will compete for the grand sum of €1 000 000 (R15 000 000) in November. Apart from the global competition, GITR says to encourage the global entrepreneurial movement ...

"Things don't work like that here," someone in the audience responds as Gareth Knight, founder of popular tech conference Tech4Africa, talks about the need to learn on your feet. There seems to be an underlying negativity when it comes to the tech ecosystem in Nigeria. There's a sense that it will always be a struggle and a hustle; one with no glorifying future in sight. I am at lunch with three startups: one has a solid footing in the market and ...

Pearson, in collaboration with US accelerator Village Capital, has announced its Edupreneurs programme which seeks to support entrepreneurs across Africa trying to solve pressing education issues. The programme will host 15 chosen edtech startups in South Africa after which two winners will be given up to US$75 000 in seed funding. Although the programme will be operating in South Africa, applications are open to all entrepreneurs across the continent who want to make a positive impact on the future of learning. ...

Stately is an online shopping service that curates products for lifestyle estate residents in South Africa. After having launched a new site, it also carries a bunch of fancy features such as a concierge service, home exchange, and a premium pre-owned luxury goods authentication service, to make the buyer feel more at home. By riding on the belief that the ecommerce landscape can easily become overwhelming, Stately hopes to feature the best in local design. To better the shopping experience, each ...

Apis Partners is a new fund dedicated to startups operating in the financial tech industry within growth markets. With Africa and Asia specifically in mind, the fund seeks to raise between US$250-million and US$300-million. In collaboration with Anthemis Group, the move comes after a history of successfully completed investments in the world's fastest growing markets. "Africa and Asia showcase similar financial services innovation patterns as these regions continue to transform to meet growth market financial service needs," reads the company's current ...