Waste Enterprisers - Delivering new revenue streams to Sanitation

From Site:

Waste Enterprisers Ltd. (WE) is an innovative social enterprise that aims to reduce the financial burden of adequate sanitation through productive and profitable reuse. WE accomplishes this goal by harnessing the resource value of human waste and allocating a portion of our profits from reuse back to our host facility, or otherwise into the sanitation value chain.

In addition to implementing, owning, and operating “waste-based” enterprises, WE also engages in research and development on emerging reuse technologies for wastewater and fecal sludge (FS), and accompanying financial models to help incentivize and enable complete sanitation.

WE is based in Ghana with activities in several African countries.

Mobius Motors - affordable transporation for developing markets

 

Mobius Motors sells affordable vehicles designed specifically for the needs of developing world consumers. They aim to change millions of lives by providing the appropriate transport to mobilise rural Africa.

From Site:

Mobius Motors designs, manufactures and sells highly functional, highly affordable vehicles as a transportation platform empowering local entrepreneurs to mobilise the developing world. 

We empower entrepreneurial buyers with business advice and financing to use their Mobius cars as a platform to operate limitless transport services to lower income end-users. The range of business-in-a-box services is vast from public transport, to mobile medical care, to consumer goods distribution. These endogenous businesses will create systemic change in the capacity and utility of Africa’s transport network, connecting the continent to hospitals, schools, markets and employment in even the most remote rural areas. Our vision is a more mobile, more prosperous Africa.

Komaza - African microforestry, income-generating tree farms

From Site:

We partner with dryland famers to help them plant drought-resistant trees on unproductive land. They get seedlings and tools on credit plus training, post-harvest processing and access to new markets. We spend less than $1 to plant a tree. And each tree returns at least $20 to the family. That’s over $6,000 from half an acre.

Farmers rise out of poverty. The trees restore the environment and prevent deforestation. And each tree farm yields enough extra money to start nine new farms. KOMAZA will be able to achieve self-funded growth to more families.

Angaza Design - using solar to power Africa

From Site:

Angaza Design aims to improve the quality of life in East Africa by making clean and affordable electricity accessible to all.

Our solar-powered household lighting and charging system will run clean, bright LED lights, charge cell phones, and run radios. Our product will change the lives of our East African customers by saving them money from buying kerosene and batteries, raising their productivity at night leading to increased income, and improving their health and education.

Agro-Hub - Making agriculture markets work

About:

AGRO-HUB is a business venture set up to mine, manage and disseminate agricultural information. To make this possible, AGRO-HUB exploits three fundamental information and communication technology components (Joint Community Effort, Short Message Service, and the Web) with a focus to achieve its main vision; make Cameroon’s agricultural markets work.

Uganda Medicinal Plants Growers

From Site:

Uganda Medicinal Plant Growers, Ltd. (UMPG) is a project started and incubated under Project Diaspora as an example of Diaspora-led projects that can impact entire communities.

Project UMPG is a large commercial farmining initiative based in Masindi, Uganda designed to transform over 1500 susbsistence farmers to commercial farmers. Project UMPG’s goal is to create markets for crops such as moringa, chili peppers, neem and aloe vera. In order to increase farmer daily earnings by broadening their market reach. Project Diaspora role involves crop selection, agricultural training, product development, supply chain management and international marketing. UMPG has attracted customers and partners in South Africa, Canada and USA.

Targetting Africa: The case for investment

AFRICA that u dont see on t.v

Alive & Kicking - Made in Africa, by Africa, for Africa

From Site:

Vision: Alive & Kicking's vision is of an Africa where every child can play with a real ball, where thousands of jobs are sustained in the production of balls, and where sport contributes to the eradication of deadly disease.

Approach: Alive & Kicking believes that by combining social entrepreneurship with sport's mass appeal, lasting economic and social development can be achieved in Africa.

Mission: Alive & Kicking strives to help children exercise their right to play, to create employment for communities in Africa and to help raise awareness of preventable disease. This will continue to be achieved through the African manufacture and distribution of sports balls and the provision of appropriate health awareness materials for young people.

Africa's New Construction on VOA's In Focus

The Knowledge Channel - African education

The Knowledge Channel (TKC) is an educational television and Internet channel that enlightens and empowers high school and university students, professionals and artisans across Africa. This channel is a training outreach for individuals interested in developing and maximizing their knowledge, skills and potentials through flexible TV friendly training programs.

Pagatech - Nigerian mobile money startup

About

Pagatech was founded in early 2009 with a vision to enable a cashless society and bank the unbanked in Africa. Our first product offering, Paga, is a direct to consumer mobile payments service. Paga is an innovative, open, secure, and interoperable mobile payments platform that allows any person who has a mobile phone to transact electronically – thus turning the mobile phone into an electronic wallet.

At launch, customers can use Paga to send cash, purchase airtime credits, or pay bills from their mobile phone. Paga supports all phones, even the most basic SMS-enabled phone. Customers will also be able to transact on Paga via USSD, over the internet, and via the Paga mobile application which will be made available for java-enabled devices. Paga will work on all mobile networks.

Nii Simmonds interview at Tech4Africa about financing for African Startups

In August, I was invited to Tech4Africa and I participated in a panel discussion on venture capital in Africa and what startups need to do to be fundable. I was also interviewed by some local media, one in particular, Zoopy, has a clip below.

iYam.mobi - SMS Apps startup in Cameroon

I met Fritz Ekwoge at Tech4Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa in August. His startup, iYam.mobi, uses apps focused on SMS. He demoed the product to me, and it seemed really cool and interesting. The key is hitting critical mass, but I wouldn't bet against this young man.

Flocash - let your cash flow

FloCash is a fast and convenient payment method to send and receive cash around Africa using your email or mobile phone. You can use FloCash to pay for products at FloCashMart.com or at any of the growing number of online retailers that accept FloCash.

Entrepreneurs who run FloCash are based out of the UK, and East Africa.

TEU - Empowering communities through agriculture

From site:

Tseai Energy Unlimited seeks to become West Africa's leading socially-responsible and environmentally-friendly producer and exporter of palm oil and rice commodities. Our company will adopt the strategic approach of utilizing small-scale agro-processing technologies to ensure appropriate, efficient, and sustainable commercial success - all while ensuring developmental support, in healthcare and education, for the communities we serve.

Diaspora Camp DC 2010 - African diaspora Barcamp focused on Access to capital & SME finance

Diaspora Camp DC 2010

DiasporaCamp is a BarCamp with a focus on African Diaspora, primarily African affairs and issues. DiasporaCamp DC follows the successful organization of BarCamp Diaspora in Washington, DC on July 25, 2009. The event brought together Africans and people interested in Africa for a day of demos, dialogue and discussion about Africa. The theme was " Investing our talent where it counts."

DiasporaCamp DC 2010 will be held from 9am to 6pm on July the 24th, 2010 at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

The Proposed Theme for our July 24th Event is: Financial innovations for African small & medium-scale enterprises.

AFRICAJOU Natural Oils - African Earth

From Site:

AFRICAJOU is a Senegalese company set up to produce and market natural vegetable oils extracted from the plants and seeds of the local pharmacopoeia. The objective is to allow people everywhere to discover the benefits of AFRICAJOU's African Earth Vegetable Oils - for their virtues have been known for thousands of years by the local populations who use them as food or cosmetics.

African Institution of Technology - supporting technology diffusion in Africa

From Site:

Our plan is to help the diffusion of semiconductor, microelectronics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and other emerging technologies in developing nations (especially African nations) by supporting schools, SMEs (small and medium-scaled enterprises) and governments through world class education support and technical consulting.

African Colours - Contemporary African art scene

From Site

AfricanColours works towards a viable contemporary African art scene that is internationally recognised and technologically savvy. AfricanColours does so by connecting artists and engaging the art industry through leveraging technologies, offering cultural experiences in and creating value for contemporary visual arts in Africa”.

Mlako Purified Ice Cube - Tanzania

Mlako is a Tanzanian commercial ice company focused on purified cube ice.

Mafuta Sasa Biodiesel Limited - Tanzania

From site:

Mafuta Sasa collects used cooking oil as its feedstock for biodiesel production. The Company collects used cooking oil from local hotels, restaurants, and street cart vendors, and transports the used oil to its factory for processing. The Company produces one liter of biodiesel from each liter of feedstock.

In addition to biodiesel, the Company produces and sells crude liquid soap. Raw glycerine is the main by-product from the biodiesel production process, and is also a primary ingredient in soap. By making soap from the raw glycerine, Mafuta Sasa earns a secondary revenue stream, while efficiently and safely disposing of its waste stream.

Mafuta Sasa is a company limited by shares duly formed under the laws of Tanzania. The Company is fully licensed by local taxing, industrial, and health authorities.

ANZA - a technologies-focused social enterprise

From site:

Anza turns the conventional notions of raw materials on their head by reinventing trash to make low-cost, high-utility products that will enable millions of African farmers to lift themselves out of poverty.

Founded in the summer of 2008, Anza employs a portfolio approach by offering a set of appropriate technologies products. Our company began selling “upcycled” solar cookers and water sanitation solutions in Pemba, Mozambique, in June 2009. To date, we have sold hundreds of solar cookers and Tip Taps, positively impacting the health and environment of over 2,500 villagers in Northern Mozambique, and creating over $50,000 in social benefits to these communities.

Kilonshele - Nigerian ticket marketplace

From Site

Kilonshele® is a live entertainment and marketing company. We connect the world to live entertainment events in Nigeria by providing up-to-date information on live events and giving fans opportunity to buy tickets conveniently. Kilonshele® provides ticket sales, marketing and distribution through www.kilonshele.com, one of the best e-commerce sites on the Internet.

Africa Now

From Site

AfricaNow! is an innovative collaboration of modern home decor and accessories celebrating the fusion of African art and life.

Inspired by authentic African cultures with a contemporary influence, products include contemporary and traditional jewelry, accessories, home textiles and furnishings, whimsical holiday ornaments, baskets, wood, ceramics, and more.

Elephant Pepper - African spices

From Site

African Spices Pvt Ltd.(AS) was formed in 2000 to sell chilli peppers to domestic, regional and international markets. EPDT selected AS to act as a for-profit facilitator between a collection of communal farmers who normally harvest small amounts of cash and food crops. The specific reason that the chilli pepper was targeted as a cash crop was two fold; 1) the pepper is a highly adaptable plant which can grow under conditions other cash crop cannot and 2) the complex chemicals that make peppers hot make them unpalatable to mammal pests. One of the main constraints on agricultural in the Zambezi Valley is crop raiding by elephants, buffalos and a variety of primates.

Nuru Light

From Site:

We are a social enterprise that sought to provide an affordable and clean off-grid lighting system for the world’s poor. So, we created the Nuru Light, the most affordable and efficient lighting system in the world.

Kina Klothing

Mkuki Bgoya is a Tanzanian designer and owner of Kina Klothing. Kina Klothing is an exciting East African apparel brand that is internationally recognized.

Quality Chemical Industries - Uganda

From site:

We are the premier and leading world class pharmaceutical industry in Uganda. In partnership with our development partners (Cipla and Quality Chemicals Limited), we use the latest state of the art technologies to manufacture and sell antiretroviral and antimalarial drugs. With over twelve years of experience, our time tested products have been a big relief in dealing with HIV Aids and Malaria, the two predominantly atrocious epidemics in Africa.

Village Reach & VidaGas in Mozambique

VillageReach’s model improves access to healthcare by providing a logistics platform to facilitate delivery of medical supplies and by starting and managing social businesses to improve local infrastructure.

Creation of social businesses to fill critical infrastructure gaps is a fundamental part of VillageReach’s model. VidaGas is VillageReach’s pilot social business program that fills the requirement for safe, clean, affordable energy with broad market appeal. In 2002, VillageReach and its local partner, Mozambique Foundation for Community Development (FDC), established VidaGas to provide critical propane fuel services to rural health centers operated by the Mozambique Ministry of Health.

• Largest volume propane provider in northern Mozambique with an annual delivery of approximately 300 tons
• Supplies more than 260 remote health centers supporting a population of approximately 5 million
• A reliable and profitable market supplier, reaching an expanding customer base of households and businesses including hospitality, tourism and light industry
• Recognized by the World Bank Development Marketplace and UNDP World Business Award

AfriCAN Solutions

This 13 part series travels across Africa, celebrating the spirit of enterprise, technology and ingenuity while also taking a deeper look at the paradox of progress. This is the most Comprehensive TV series ever produced about African technology, innovation and ingenuity.

Aschobi - African fashion house

Aschobi is a global fashion brand with an African essence. Aschobi exists in the space where luxury meets classic feminine elegance together with an aesthetic that enhances the natural curves of a modern woman. The Aschobi woman is a true global citizen – intelligent, well travelled, socially conscious, and fun. Clad in Aschobi she reflects the opulence and freedom of her modern lifestyle.

Sustainable Harvest - specialty coffee importers

From site:

Sustainable Harvest is headquartered in the Natural Capital Center in Portland, Oregon, USA. The company has supply-side divisions in Mexico, Peru, and Tanzania with on-the-ground staff to support and train coffee producers.

Sustainable Harvest has the diversity of a true global company. Two-thirds of the staff work outside of the United States. The company has 24 employees from 10 different nationalities. More than 80% of the staff are fluent in two or more languages. Nine staff members are Q Grader cuppers, certified by the Coffee Quality Institute.

Ingenious Africa - tv series that profiles African ingenuity

13 x 1/2 hour series shot across the continent of Ingenious Africa, focuses on the African continents amazing ability to solve problems, overcome obstacles, create new technologies, draw on some ancient wisdom as well as lead the world in fields like astronomy and conservation.

Myweku - All Things African

From Site:

My Weku was borne out of a strong desire to:
• Unearth positive news, talent and inspirational figures across Africa.
• Provide a hub for discussing and celebrating “All Things African….”

My Weku is a première online resource for the review, analysis and promotion of African Culture in its entirety.

Faso Foods - Ivory Coast consumer foods company

From site:

We are importers of high quality and wholesome products that are certified organic and fair trade, providing a sustainable and economic stimulus to farmers and food producers in Africa and around the world. Faso Foods represents a range of natural and delicious grains, nuts, teas and produce that American consumers are sure to love.

AFAS International Group - Agribusiness conglomerate Nigeria

From site:

Our mission is to produce fish and livestock feeds, and agricultural products that meet international quality standards. This will be an ongoing economy aligned initiative which will result in a decrease in poverty for beneficiaries conducting business with the company and an increase in economic productivity and other secondary entrepreneurial opportunities.

We aim to produce top quality feed products, hire, train and retain personnel with required knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to set in motion the growth of the agricultural economy of Nigeria and ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) through fish and livestock feed manufacturing. This will be accomplished through the following objectives:

Trigen Healthcare

Trigen Healthcare is committed to improving healthcare outcomes in resource-poor countries by providing continuing medical education, healthcare skills training and consultative services to healthcare professionals, medical facility managers and health policy leaders.

EGG-Energy - affordable power

About EGG-Energy

Since June 2008, a multi-disciplinary team from MIT and Harvard has been working on an innovative solution to bring affordable power to communities in the developing world. Their goal is to bridge the power distribution gap that keeps 1.6 billion people worldwide in the dark.

The Energy Center, KNUST - Center of excellence for Africa energy research

The Energy Center at KNUST, is an African energy research center devoted to sustainable energy sources. Their research in energy is pivotal to finding a sustainable long-term solution to the world-wide energy crisis.

Chembe Urban Security Competition 2010 - East Africa

Chembe Ventures is an Irish owned company which provides seed capital to mobile application developers, social media start-ups and web ventures in East and Southern Africa. We’re sponsoring this competition to encourage innovative mobile solutions to assist residents in urban communities address a specific or general security problem. One prize of US $5,000 will be awarded to the winning entry. On top of that, we’re offering a potential further US $5,000 or more of investment and pilot testing capital to the winning team or individual.

Entry Criteria:

• Entrants must be registered as a developer in the Betavine community
• Entries need to be written in English
• Entries must be designed for deployment in one of the following countries: Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa or Tanzania.
• This challenge is all about helping residents living in low-income, densely populated urban areas improve their personal security.

Entries must provide solutions under one or more of the following headings:


• early warning notifications of criminal activity, violence or other security threats
• assistance for families, communities at risk of crime
• reducing crime, preventing the spread of violence
• location, identification and assistance of victims of violence or crime

LimbeLabs - Cameroon startup incubator for startups

From site:

Limbe Labs is a unique community / collaboration space in Cameroon for startups, freelancers, designers, entrepreneurs (esp. internet entrepreneurs) and independent thinkers. Limbe Labs provides not only a great space to work but also opportunities to interact with other like-minded individuals.

African Capital Alliance - Private Equity fund manager West Africa

From Site:

African Capital Alliance (ACA) is a leading private equity firm focused on Nigeria and West Africa. ACA was founded in 1997 with a mission to build Africa’s premier private equity investment firm by mobilizing capital, technology and management resources from local and international sources to unlock Africa’s private sector potential. Through our funds, we strive to improve the economic landscape of Nigeria and Africa while earning superior returns for our investors based on management excellence through professionalism and unquestionable integrity.

Grand Challenges: Point-of-Care Diagnostics Grant Opportunity

The Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative is seeking innovative ideas for diagnostics in the developing world. $30 million in funding is available for Phase I of a new grant program to create technologies and components that can be used to assess multiple conditions and pathogens at the point-of-care in a variety of settings.

Letters of inquiry will be accepted December 1, 2009 through February 16, 2010.

Specifically, we seek to create a new class of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics that will be easy to use, low cost and otherwise appropriate so that these new tools achieve significant impact and rapid uptake in resource-poor settings.

Mobile Web East Africa - Feb 3,4 Nairobi, Kenya

Conference on African mobile technology

Mobile Web East Africa is the next in a series of progressive and innovative events to focus on one of the most important technological advances of the 21st century.

By utilising the exceptionally interactive roundtable format, the 2 day conference promises to be one of the leading events of 2010, where the future development of the mobile internet, mobile applications and mobile ecosystem in the region will be discussed and mapped.

Country Home - African consumer foods company

From Site:

Country-Home Food Products is a World Bank assisted Project located at Koforidua, the Capital of Eastern Region of Ghana. The company which is a privately wholly-owned Ghanaian limited Liability Company incorporated on 18th June 1981 to go into the processing and canning of vegetables, fruits, and other related products. The company’s first batch of products went on sales display at the Kingsway Stores in Accra.

Kasahorow - Propagating technical standards for African languages

About Kasahorow

Kasahorow is a project spearheaded by a Suuch Solutions (a Ghanaian company) to bring Africa’s languages alive. Kasahorow brings together editors and contributors from all over Africa to help create dictionaries for African languages.

Kasahorow is a commercial project but it has several of its end products being open source. Kasahorow also brings African languages into the mainstream by releasing add ons and plugins for open source software and technologies.

Broadstreet Lagos - web based research portal on Nigerian securities

BroadstreetLagos

From site:

BroadStreetLagos.Com – is APL’s web based research portal on Nigerian securities. It is a consolidation of publicly available information on all tradable asset classes; equities, fixed income and unit trusts. The portal allows users who register, access to all aspects of the site for free for a limited period. Features on the site are a screening function which allows users to search for securities that meet their selected investment criteria. Portfolio creation and tracking feature is also available. Summary profiles and historical financial and price information is available on over 100 equities, 59 FGN Bonds and 15 unit trusts.

Privaty Equity fund manager in in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana

About ManCap

ManoCap is a private equity fund manager that operates in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana. We invest in the SME space, looking at expansions, MBOs, pre-IPO and venture capital transactions that have a clear exit. Our investments are in the $500,000 to $5,000,000 range in equity or quasi-equity instruments. We may take a controlling or minority stake depending on the particular needs of the business shareholders and managers.

Absolute furnishing limited - African furniture company

From Site

Absolute Furnishings Limited manufactures a wide range of high quality hotel, office, school; and home furniture as well as home accessories. We have furnished some of the finest homes, hotels and offices in the country.

Our beautiful world class furniture is produced in wood, wrought iron, rattan, cane, a mixture of rattan or cane with wrought iron and rattan with wood, massive wood and carved massive wood. All these are expertly crafted and finished in exotic, classic and contemporary designs making our range of furniture the ultimate for both indoors and outdoors.