Press Release
Mastercard and Kasha Reinforce Commitment to Empower Women and Support Micro-Entrepreneurs in Africa
Mastercard today expanded its relationship with Kasha Global Incorporated through an investment in the purpose driven ecommerce platform. The companies will continue their shared efforts to ensure women across emerging markets have essential access to health and personal care products along with the information required to support everyday hygiene needs.
Combining online and offline capabilities, Kasha’s platform allows women across rural and urban locations to make confidential personal care orders. By utilizing the full product catalogue available online, or by placing orders using basic mobile handsets, women can search, order and pay for hygiene products that are discretely delivered to them by local micro-entrepreneurs, thus also helping local store owners grow their business.
Mastercard’s investment is the next step on a journey the organizations have been on since Kasha joined Mastercard StartPath in 2019. Since joining the award winning start-up engagement program, Mastercard has worked with Kasha to integrate digital payment acceptance across its ecommerce platform, and most recently the partners joined forces to deliver virus, hygiene and protection products to families across Kenya in efforts to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Kasha’s goal is to ensure women in emerging markets get the products, information and services they need for their health, self-care and well-being” said, Joanna Bichsel, Kasha’s Founder and CEO “I am thrilled that we are continuing our collaboration with Mastercard and that we not only have a committed investor with shared values, but also an innovative partner as we continue to take Kasha’s development and growth to the next level.”
Mastercard’s activities with Kasha directly support the company’s pledge to bring 1 billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025, with a direct focus on providing 25 million women entrepreneurs with solutions to help them grow their business.
“Mastercard works with governments, businesses and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their ambitions and is committed to applying its resources to drive sustainable and inclusive growth.” said, Raghav Prasad, Division President, Sub Saharan Africa, Mastercard. “Through our activities with Kasha we are leveraging Mastercard’s innovations, expertise and partnerships to help drive the empowerment of women and small businesses. This partnership is a major step in our journey to support the fundamental needs of women and drive growth across African communities.”
Mastercard’s investment will help Kasha expand its current platform offering, reaching more women, communities and small businesses than before and build’s on Mastercard’s efforts to bolster support for micro-entrepreneur and women owned small business in Africa through the Mastercard Track Micro Credit Program, known in Kenya as “Jaza Duka” (fill up your store in Swahili). By leveraging Mastercard and Kasha’s combined capabilities, in collaboration with global consumer goods and banking partners, the partners aim to positively impact historically underserved communities across Africa and beyond.
Press Release
TelCables’ Partner Program is shaping the future of digital connectivity in West Africa
TelCables West Africa, part of the Angola Cables global network, shared details of its innovative Partner Program at a recent event held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. This initiative is designed to empower companies in West Africa to shape the future of digital connectivity, tap into the rapidly growing enterprise market, and expand their businesses internationally.
The TelCables Partner Program enables telecommunication companies, operators, ICT integrators, as well as internet service providers to extend their influence in shaping West Africa digital ecosystem.
Multinational telecommunications company Angola Cables operates in the wholesale market, providing connectivity, IT solutions and services, as well as international data circuit capacity and IP transit via owned, high-capacity submarine cables, including SACS, Monet, and WACS.
“Leveraging the Angola Cables Partner Program provides a unique opportunity for us to help connect our partners’ businesses from West Africa to the world,” said TelCables Nigeria CEO, Fernando Fernandes.
“As the most connected network operator in Africa, our secure, low-latency direct routings Data Center to Data Center from West Africa to the USA and South America, and from West Africa to London provide an immense advantage to our partners. Moreover, our presence across a number of Nigerian IP hubs such as Lekki, WACS CLS, Medallion DC, Rack Centre and others, and connections across Africa via the Djoliba network, means our partners have access to some of the most advanced digital infrastructure on the continent and our featured products to address secure connectivity and Clouds2Africa the most interconnected Cloud IAAS in Africa benefiting to our Global Network in more than 400 Cloud and Anti-DDoS secured nodes,” he added.
The Partner Program provides a comprehensive suite of management resourceful tools to support partners in their sales efforts. This includes portal, sales and marketing tools that enable partners to define product, commercial, and marketing strategies, as well as receive technical formation and go-to-market initiatives to streamline and accelerate their market offerings. The personalized program also adapts to the needs of each partner’s experience and market demand, ensuring mutual success. Additionally, tailored training and support are provided to each partner to help them achieve their goals.
Based in Nigeria, and with a global footprint in 20 countries on five continents, TelCables offers a wide range of internet exchange points, points-of-presence, peering, and related services. Current participants in the Partner Program include Microsoft, NEC, Juniper Networks, Ciena and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., all benefiting from Angola Cables’ extensive, low-latency direct access connectivity, connecting to the largest Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), Tier 1 operators, and global content providers in Africa and around the world
As part of the Angola Cables family, TelCables West Africa’s Partner Program is a testament to the company’s dedication to empowering businesses in West Africa to reach new heights in the digital age. Companies interested in joining the Partner Program and becoming part of a network that is shaping the future of digital connectivity in West Africa, can do so here
Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB) Chief Executive Officer, Thierno Habib Hann, has presented his credentials to Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya and Foreign & Diaspora Affairs Minister of Kenya, H.E Dr. Musalia Mudavadi.
In a formal ceremony held at the Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya’s office in Nairobi, Mr. Hann conveyed Shelter Afrique Development Bank ‘s commitment to enhancing its collaboration with the Government of Kenya in addressing the pressing challenges of affordable housing and urban development in the country and across Africa.
Mr. Hann highlighted the organization’s commitment to sustaining its impactful efforts in Kenya, particularly in advancing affordable housing programs. Mr. Hann reiterated Shelter Afrique Development Bank ‘s dedication to supporting Kenya’s housing agenda with a particular focus on housing programs that seek to address key thematic areas of climate financing, gender, migrants, refugees, and the diaspora.
“We enjoy a great relationship with the Government of Kenya, being Kenya Shelter Afrique Development Bank ‘s largest shareholder and we are looking forward to scaling up projects that are in line with the visionary economic development agenda – Kenya Vision 2030. We extend our gratitude to the Government of Kenya for their enduring confidence in our institution and for hosting ShafDB’s Headquarters for the last 42 years,” stated Mr. Hann.
He further conveyed Shelter Afrique Development Bank ‘s readiness to collaborate closely with Kenyan authorities in implementing innovative solutions aimed at expediting the provision of quality, affordable housing, and associated infrastructure and urban development across the nation.
Welcoming Mr. Hann and accepting his appointment, Prime Cabinet Secretary Honorable Musalia Mudavadi, commended Shelter Afrique Development Bank for its ongoing transformation and continued commitment to Kenya and further Africa’s development priorities, highlighting the organization’s valuable contributions to the region’s housing sector over the years.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and N Gage Consulting signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance implementation of the AfCFTA within Africa, with a focus on North Africa and Arabic speaking countries as well as harness the potential of the AfCFTA through targeted outreach towards positive impact in Africa. The MoU was sealed by the AfCFTA Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Wamkele Mene and Mr. Karim Refaat, Chairman of N Gage Consulting and Dr. Sherif Fahmy, CEO.
The was established as an effort to eliminate trade barriers among African countries with the aim of creating a single market size of 1.3 billion people with a combined annual GDP of $3.4 trillion. As the largest free trade area in the world, the AfCFTA is expected to increase intra-African trade and promote regional economic integration of Africa and, as a result, contribute to the sustainable economic and social development of the continent through the creation of employment opportunities and the reduction of poverty.
Pursuant to the MoU, the two parties commit to strengthen cooperation and promote concrete activities in areas of conducting webinars, tailor effective roundtable sessions, public-private dialogues and to develop a series of monthly newsletters to disseminate relevant information through social media platforms with the aim of raising awareness of business and governments on the AfCFTA, its objectives and showcasing AfCFTA’s Guided Trade Initiative and its role in powering trade among members states.
Additionally, the collaboration will facilitate the preparation for the AfCFTA Business Forum and The Intra African Trade Fair (IATF) and the execution of different capacity building programs for the member states in order to leverage the AfCFTA to boost intra-African trade and utilise Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects to support investment in infrastructure.
The MoU is expected to promote the AfCFTA as a trade liberalisation instrument and sustainable development enabler and accelerator as well as enhance intra-African trade as an engine for economic diversification and industrialisation.
As one of the leading companies operating in the area of government relations and public policy in the MENA region, N Gage Consulting is committed to support the AfCFTA and will deploy all the necessary resources to strengthen and expand cooperation with the AfCFTA Secretariat to enhance African trade integration.
In addition to her impressive legal background, Rosemond has cultivated a niche expertise in the tech startup ecosystem. She has consistently provided comprehensive consulting, due diligence, and investor readiness services to numerous companies in the tech sector.
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