Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [10/06/2020]

A number of small businesses in South Africa’s ICT sector are struggling to secure coronavirus relief funding and financial aid from the government.

This, while two months on, Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (Nitda) has yet to implement recommendations of an advisory committee designed to support startups affected by the pandemic.

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.

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

A number of small business in SA’s ICT sector are struggling to secure coronavirus relief funding

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

‘Little relief for IT firms’: A number of small businesses in South Africa’s ICT sector are struggling to secure coronavirus relief funding and financial aid from the government, ITWeb reported in an article yesterday. The Innovation Hub, which incubates over 600 startups, and Progressive Blacks in ICT which has 3000 members say none of their members have been able to secure support from any of the government’s relief schemes.

Startups still waiting for support: Two months on, Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (Nitda) has yet to implement recommendations of an advisory committee designed to support startups affected by the pandemic, tech publication Techcabal reported in a story yesterday. The Nigerian government has previously promised funding and support to tech companies, but the publication says its contributions so far have been “negligible”.

SAP founder donates R100m: The Hasso Plattner Foundation, founded by Hasso Plattner, co-founder of SAP and a German philanthropist, has donated R100-million to the Solidarity Fund. The fund, which was created as a response to the Covid-19 crisis, has to date raised over R2.6-billion in donations.

‘Massive opportunity for innovation’: Tony Wang (pictured above), the managing partner of venture capital (VC) fund 500 Startups, which invests occasionally in African startups, says the VC remains focused on the opportunities created by Covid-19. Writing in a blog post yesterday, Wang said just as the 2008 Global Financial Crisis had seen the adoption of mobile and cloud solutions, Covid-19 will have a similar impact. He said the pandemic will likely accelerate the demise of businesses already on the decline or fuel the arrival of new behaviours and trends that will provide a “massive opportunity for innovation”.

Read more: Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [09/06/2020]
Read more: Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [08/06/2020]

Featured image: 500 Startups managing partner Tony Wang (Facebook)