Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [21/05/2020]

City authorities should seize the opportunity to learn from informal transport networks and incorporate them into the urban fabric, WhereIsMyTransport‘s co-founder and CEO Devin de Vries argues in a blog post.

This, as new Statistics SA survey of 2688 South Africans has revealed that 8.1% of its respondents lost jobs or closed businesses as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Those with any news releases relating to Covid-19 and Africa’s tech startup sector can send these to editor@memeburn.com.

With the coronavirus (Covid-19) headlining news all over the world, Ventureburn has launched a regular daily roundup on the virus and how it is affecting Africa’s tech startup sector.

A Statistics SA survey has revealed that 8.1% of its respondents lost jobs or closed businesses as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic

Here then is the latest on the coronavirus and African tech startups:

Pandemic driving Luno expansion: SA founded cryptocurrency platform Luno is in discussions to expand to Kenya and Ghana and in so doing, service more African countries, as the price of bitcoin has climbed almost 100% over the past two months amid the coronavirus pandemic, TechCentral reported in an article yesterday.

One in 10 have lost job: A Statistics SA survey of 2688 South Africans has revealed that 8.1% of its respondents lost jobs or closed businesses as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey (opens as a PDF) studied the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on employment and income in South Africa. Stats SA released the findings yesterday. The survey was conducted between 29 April and 6 May.

‘Informal transport critical’: City authorities should seize the opportunity to learn from informal transport networks and incorporate them into the urban fabric, says WhereIsMyTransport‘s co-founder and CEO Devin de Vries (pictured above). Writing in a blog post on Medium earlier this week, De Vries says the coronavirus has shown how critical informal public transport networks are to keeping the world’s smallest and largest emerging market cities running. The company has built comprehensive maps for informal transport networks in 36 cities around the world. WhereIsMyTransport raised a $7.5-million round in March (see this story).

Read more: Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [20/04/2020]
Read more: Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [19/04/2020]
Read more: Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [18/04/2020]

Featured image: WhereIsMyTransport’s co-founder and CEO Devin de Vries