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Shelter Afrique unveils new five-year strategic plan

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Shelter Afrique new Managing Director and CEO, Mr Thierno-Habib Hann

Pan-African housing development financier, Shelter Afrique has unveiled a five-year strategic plan to restore the Institution’s performance, competitiveness, and value creation for the long term.

Shelter Afrique unveiled the plan during a Ministerial and Board retreat in Nairobi, which was also attended by the Shareholders’ Bureau represented by Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Rwanda who currently serve as President, First Vice-president, and Second Vice-President of the Bureau, respectively. Development partners such as the African Development Bank, and investment partners such as Actis, Mi Vida and Shapoorji Pallonji (India) were also in attendance. Side discussions were held with Bilateral partners such as CDC, now known as BII (British International Investment), one of the initial shareholders of the Institution.

The new 2023-2027 strategic plan, dubbed the ‘New Dawn’, is expected to position the Institution for growth through improved governance, operational and financial performance. 

The plan focuses on building relationships with various stakeholders to deliver strong and impactful business performance based on a new corporate structure fit for purpose.  

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Refocusing the business

Speaking at a retreat organised by the Institution in Nairobi to appraise the Board of Directors, shareholder representatives, and business partners, Shelter Afrique Chairman Dr Chii Akporji said the unveiling of the new strategic plan was an important milestone for the Institution.

“The new strategic plan that we have dubbed the ‘New Dawn‘ has laid the foundations to refocus our business on growth and impact, while creating sustainable returns for our shareholders and all our stakeholders. It has the board’s unanimous support and provides the Institution with a clear compass,” Dr Akporji said.

Dr Akporji welcomed the new Managing Director and CEO, Mr Thierno-Habib Hann and thanked the board for showing a great sense of responsibility and collective support to the new leadership paving the way to “creating conditions necessary to enter this new phase confidently”.

Echoing the Chairman, Shelter Afrique’s new Managing Director and CEO, Mr Thierno-Habib Hann said it was imperative for the Institution to refocus, deliver and scale up, following the successful conclusion of its restructuring program.

“The past 20 years provided us with some vital lessons which have been critical in developing the new strategic plan – a plan centred on sustainable and competitive growth while delivering consistently and enhancing shareholder value.” Mr Hann said.

Mr Hann added that the new strategic plan offers the Institution an impetus to focus more on clients, business performance, and staff; provides a framework for upscaling engagements with various stakeholders; offers a motivation to bolster the institution’s corporate governance credentials; and creates the momentum to introduce new product lines.

“While driving Mobilization and Syndication, we will be focusing on four business lines, namely (1) Funded and unfunded lines of credit to financial institutions to finance housing solutions, (2) Project Finance for large-scale housing initiatives; (3) Affordable Housing PPPs structuring and (4) Thematic Housing Fund Management and Advisory Services. The new strategic plan envisages a streamlined approach, which allows us to reach the end users by establishing new product structures such as Employer Staff Housing Funds, Green/Resilient homes and Rent-To-Own financing”, Mr Hann explained.

New organisational structure 

The unveiling of the new strategy has necessitated the re-alignment of the organisation and the introduction of a new organisational structure and operating model designed to support the Institution’s innovation, growth, and productivity ambitions for the next five years.

Effectively, the Institution has created new units which will focus the business on financial institutions, project finance, fund management, and public-private partnerships. Additionally, the Strategy, Policy, research and partnerships functions will also be driven from the CEO’s office.  

“We believe the new organisational model is central to the successful implementation of our new strategic plan as it will make us more agile and competitive, enhance client focus, unlock significant potential across the business, and drive value-creation through operational efficiencies,” Mr Hann concluded. 

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Deel Acquires PaySpace

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Deel announced today that it is acquiring African-based payroll and HR solution company PaySpace for an undisclosed amount. It is one of Deel’s largest acquisitions to date.

PaySpace has more than 20 years of payroll technology experience, providing payroll engines and HR services in 44 countries across Europe, Latam, Middle East and Africa for more than 14,000 customers. Its size, expertise, and proprietary disruptive payroll technology give it unrivaled scale and reach. Customers include multinationals across various industries such as Heineken, Coca-Cola Beverages and Puma Sports SA.

By acquiring PaySpace, Deel will become the first global payroll & Employer of Record (EOR) with its own full-stack payroll engine localized in 50 countries and integrated into its offering. Deel has the ability to be the system of record for HR organizations worldwide and can give its customers a simple and single interface to manage their global teams. All of this results in greater efficiency and control for companies, faster payroll cycles, more localized compliance insights relevant to their workforce, plus the ability to make changes to their payroll at any time.

The news follows Deel’s acquisition of leading APAC payroll provider PayGroup. Deel now owns the full HR stack- entities, local teams (legal, HR, payroll), and local payroll engines – across six continents. Its four-year ambition is to serve 100 countries with native payroll engines, and this acquisition is a significant step toward that goal.

Deel co-founder and CEO Alex Bouaziz said, “Global payroll is hard to do and critical to get right. As a company, you want assurances you can pay your teams on time, compliantly, anywhere in the world. PaySpace’s single-platform payroll expertise and breadth of coverage, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, combined with PayGroup’s presence in APAC, will give Deel customers the reach they need to grow their businesses globally. Our long-term vision is to be the most comprehensive payroll system in the world.”

PaySpace’s proprietary technology is a cloud native framework built as a single engine. Its platform allows for easy configuration to add additional countries through localization. These localization projects normally take years to complete, but with PaySpace’s innovative technology, it can localize much faster than any other payroll provider.

Clyde van Wyk, PaySpace Director explained, ”Like PaySpace, Deel strives to evolve its offering through disruption. We set out to modernize the payroll industry, which was burdened by manual processes and stringent legislative and compliance requirements, much like Deel revolutionized global hiring. This acquisition brings together leading employment services and payroll technology expertise, delivering a unique and powerful customer offering with unrivaled automation, flexibility and scalability.”

Deel also announced today that it has achieved $500M+ in annual recurring revenue (ARR) organically, outside of this acquisition. In under five years, the company has grown to 3,000 team members in more than 100 countries. It has been EBITDA positive and consistently generating cash for a year and a half.

Since its founding, Deel has transformed into the all-in-one HR and payroll solution for global teams. It owns 150+ entities in the world and now manages in-house in-country payroll teams in over 70 countries, in addition to offering Employer of Record, contractor, immigration, HRIS, and performance management services worldwide.

 

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Dream VC Launches Its 2024 Venture Capital Fellowship Program

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Dream VC, Africa’s foremost venture capital institute and investor accelerator announces the commencement of applications for the 2024 cohorts of their flagship African-focused Venture Capital training programs. Founded in 2021, Dream VC has trained more than 170 African and Africa-focused investment professionals across 3x successive cohorts and 5x programs, many of whom are currently leading and operating in different investment roles across over 65x African investment firms.

The annual remote venture capital fellowship programs provide the ideal launchpad for all aspiring and current investors to break into the African venture space, with an extensive curriculum, practical training, and direct exposure to world-class investors provided to both junior and more venture enthusiasts.

Dream VC’s tailored educational investor training programs are dedicated to creating the necessary pipeline of talent, the next generation of African-focused investors. Investor Acceleratorand Launch into VC are Dream VC’s remotely delivered flagship venture capital fellowship programs, both run entirely virtually. The two concurrently running programs provide an ideal launchpad for all aspiring and current investors to learn, practice, and sharpen the skills needed to successfully find, invest in, and grow African technology businesses.

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“The Dream VC fellowship was a big part of my journey into Venture Capital, it allows you to work alongside enthusiastic venture capitalists in the African VC ecosystem, gain hands-on experience in due diligence and deal sourcing, and build a strong network in the industry,” said Cinderella Alinaitwe, now an Investment Analyst at Pearl Capital Partners, a Dream VC alumni (2021 cohort).

“Dream VC is what I wished I had access to when I started my VC journey. The barrier to entry is high for anyone looking to break into the African VC industry, and going through Dream VC equips individuals with the necessary skills set needed to land that entry-level role at an African VC firm. With more African funds springing up every year, there is a huge opportunity to fill positions and get the best talent. The current gaps in the market for talent are huge, and Dream VC is plugging into a critical pain point. With Dream VC, you are sure of the best talents to hire from.” echoes Dayo Koleowo, General Partner at Microtraction and a past speaker at Dream VC’s venture capital training programs.

This year, Dream VC is back in full force with an expanded team and a success rate evidenced by the many funds that count Dream VC alumni on their teams. In 2024, the investor accelerator will accept applications for their now-familiar venture capital training programs from today, the 27th of February 2024. The two programs running for this year are:

Dream VC’s focus on accessibility continues, and Dream VC is proud to share that they have once again secured a round of commitments from their partners and alumni to enable the Dream VC Access Foundation (Dream VC’s scholarship arm) to provide much-needed support and financial assistance to any aspiring investor-in-training, who makes it through the application process but cannot cover a portion of the program costs.

“Our commitment at Dream VC extends far beyond merely churning out a set number of investors within a specific timeframe. We’re dedicated teachers and builders, meticulously identifying and bridging gaps within the investor ecosystem across Africa. We firmly believe in the immense potential of African talent. Through our programs, we’re shaping future leaders poised to enter various roles within the venture capital landscape, from joining VCs and launching funds of their own to becoming angels, venture builders, and ecosystem enablers at ESOs,” remarked Mark Kleyner, Co-Founder of Dream VC, highlighting Dream VC’s pivotal role and continued success rate in nurturing and empowering investors, funds, and corporate entities to actively participate in Africa’s burgeoning startup scene.

Applications for the 2024 cohort for “Launch into VC (LIVC)’’ and “Investor Accelerator” programs open on Tuesday, February 27th, and will close at 23:59 GMT on the 14th of April 2024.

Both programs will run concurrently from summer to autumn. Launch into VC runs for 4 months from June to Late September. The Investor Accelerator program commences in June and runs until October for a total of 5 months.

Interested applicants can apply for the 2024 cohort of Dream VC’s programs here before 23:59 GMT on April 14th, 2024: https://forms.gle/DJuY7QHsMMYxBEBZ9

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Fawry partners LA Market to empower local brands in Egypt

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Fawry, the leading company in the field of banking technology and electronic payments signed a strategic cooperation agreement with “LA Market”, an exhibition and conference management company. As the first choice in the electronic payments market, “Fawry” seeks to support women empowerment initiatives within the region, which not only strengthens the business but also the landscape.

“Fawry”, a company specializing in financial technology solutions, aims through this partnership to bring mutual benefits to both parties and contribute to the overall development of the market within the framework of its commitment to the Egyptian market by contributing to spreading the culture of digital transformation and digitization and providing multiple electronic services to all the various sectors of the country.

Heba El-Awady, Chief Business Officer at Fawry, said: “The agreement highlights the bridging of international and local markets, demonstrating a commitment to creating a global impact while focusing on the specific needs of the Egyptian market.”

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El-Awady added: “The agreement has a positive impact on the local community by creating opportunities for businesses to thrive, thereby contributing to economic growth.”

On the other side, Lydiaa Akram, founder and CEO of LA Market, confirmed that the cooperation helps to promote women’s empowerment by incorporating specific initiatives or programs within the partnership.

Akram said: “We are proud to be the ideal partner for “Fawry”, the leading company in the field of banking technology and electronic payments”.

She added: “we hope to benefit from Fawry’s sizeable experience and unique resources in the Egyptian market, and to combine the strengths of both companies to serve our customers better.”

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