Aspirations, when mated to seemingly wasted resources and achievable goals, usually births a brilliant creation. Woelab Industries, a startup in Togo, has mastered this formula by building the "first 3D printer from recycled electronic waste." 3D printing, or Additive Manufacturing, is a rapidly evolving technology, allowing simple production of objects that would otherwise take a considerable amount of resources. The benefits for the African continent are extensive, but the technology is not readily available or affordable for those underprivileged. Woelab Industries has ...

South African businesses are poised for massive adoption of cloud computing, with some 75% of all applications set to be in the cloud within two years. That's thanks to the fact that the promises made by the IT industry for cloud ring true. For decades, IT has served its own interests and not that of the business. With cloud computing, a corner is turned. Cloud delivers. It is secure, it is flexible, it scales -- and South African companies, like ...

There has been a massive uptake of ecommerce in South Africa over the last three years with an increase in the number of online shoppers who are buying more frequently than ever before. The online shopping scene in South Africa is getting more competitive with many international companies now entering the local market hoping to take advantage of this growth. These companies have the potential to disrupt and take over categories with their international expertise and large investments. This means ...

Lenovo and Konga have teamed up in Nigeria to increase online shopping education through the radio. Lenovo, one of the world’s largest computer manufacturing companies, is using the ecommerce platform to bring exclusive deals to Nigerians. Kongo meanwhile claims it is benefiting via increased traffic and a push for more Nigerians to shop online. Currently the Nigerian ecommerce market is on the rise, but it needs more education and accessibly to flourish. By launching a weekly radio spot to better inform ...

Malaria remains a prevalent disease that affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every year, especially in Africa. In an effort to raise awareness of the disease, Kaymu, one of Nigeria's online marketplaces, has partnered with Global Oceon, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Lagos State Ministry of Health by donating mosquito nets that will be distributed to the Itedo Community in Lekki Area of Lagos -- coinciding with World Malaria Day which took place on 25 April. The ...

Bill Gates first began his work in computers at the age of 20. Steve Jobs was 21 when he and Steve Wozniak began selling the Apple computer, and Oprah Winfrey was 17 when she began her public broadcasting career. Tokologo Phetla of Pretoria, South Africa is currently 19 years old and working for two different startups. He is managing to do this while attending the University of Cape Town, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance and ...

Fundi is an app recently launched by global market research company, GfK, that promises to deliver business and entrepreneurial content and tools to the thousands of small business owners across South Africa. The platform offers a variety of tools such as its Mobisite Builder which helps entrepreneurs create their own online profiles -- sort of like having a business card in the cloud. Fundi will also aim to keep its users as up-to-date as possible. This is done through a ...

Africa Internet Holding's (AIH) online property listings brand Lamudi is six months old and now operates in 25 countries across Africa, Asia and South America. The company has released an infographic highlighting its extraordinary growth path since it launched in October 2013. It boasts over 250 000 properties listed which means it recorded a 100% increase on the 100 000 properties that were listed on Lamudi in February of this year. Aneesa Arshad, CEO of Lamudi East & Southern ...

“Think outside the box” is some of the worst advice I hear concerning innovation. Originating with 1970s management consultants, it offers the comfort of a familiar line, but it carries little actual meaning. It’s the equivalent of an overburdened teacher writing “Try harder” on a grade schooler’s report card. The advice is stale, overused, and provides no actual guidance. Stop trying to innovate, and start solving problems The lure of creating a new product or service that people don’t even ...

The South African development group for small businesses, MEDO, recently announced that, together with the continued support from UK telecom giant BT Global Services, it will be continuing its international programme to further promote local entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, a group of 15 chosen South African entrepreneurs returned from their trip to the UK. The aim of this annual trip is for small local businesses to gain international exposure as well as receive adequate business training and mentorship. The latest ...