Technology
Three Reasons Why Ghana Is Winning In Tech | Martin Best
This year the Tech in Ghana event has moved its London-based event to coincide with London Tech Week, allowing the 55,000 attendees to get a taste of the Ghanaian tech ecosystem first hand. Those new to Ghana may not appreciate the speed of change in the country nor the degree to which tech-focused services are fuelling growth. There’s significant room for expansion in the economy – a young population that ‘skipped’ a tech generation straight to smartphones. The use of mobile money and e-commerce is normal for these consumers and not a ‘thing for tomorrow’. Below GSMA Intelligence lead Kenechi Okeleke talks about some of the reasons why Ghana is on the cusp of a step change in tech:
Below sources: GSMA / HOOTSUITE
With the Ghanaian economy posting some of the fastest growth in the world over the last 2 years, the government are keen to attract and diversify inward investment into the economy.
“We’re looking to make Ghana the best place to do business – technology is critical to our economy and we need to focus on it even more going forwards.”
Yofi Grant , CEO Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC)
Three Reasons Why Ghana
1. Ghana is seeing its ‘weaknesses’ as a tech opportunity.
It may look small on the map but try getting across the country and you’ll see that for many rural inhabitants, accessing services is no easy matter. This geographical isolation leads to poverty and low growth. Agriculture employs over 40% of the population, but represents only 18% of GDP in 2017 (down 14% points since 2009). Farming is riven by low productivity, and high costs of non-farming related expenditure. Weather patterns, yield optimisation and market prices are all ‘luxury’ items beyond the reach of many. Most of these smallholder farmers live and work in remote rural communities that have poor internet connectivity, poor road networks and low levels of education.
Step forward Farmerline which combines digital technology with 200+ field agents who deliver information and resources to smallholder farmers. They aim to help farmers increase productivity and yield, generate more profit and build sustainable businesses. They do this by offering inputs such as location-specific weather forecasts, market prices and good agricultural practices suited for the specific crops they grow; all made available through mobile voice messages in the farmer’s preferred local language. All this information is managed and shared from their bespoke Mergdata platform. The platform creates digital profiles for farmers which allows them to receive value-added services such as receiving inputs and advice on credit. This gives farmers immediate access to farming inputs which they can pay for at a later date.
Mergdata offers decentralized traceability, certification audit, farm mapping, farmer education, and analytics solutions to help organisations that work with farmers achieve their sustainability and food security goals efficiently. We’ve collected insights from 200,000+ farmers in 13 countries, and mapped over 1m acres of farmland. Over the next three years, Farmerline plans to leverage technology to connect over 126,000 farmers in Ghana to extension services. We also have an ambitious goal of reaching and transforming the lives and work of 1.3 million farmers directly and through partnerships by 2023.
Amos Olerty Wussah, Senior Consultant at Farmerline
By increasing farmers’ access to resources and increasing other players’ access to farmers, Farmerline aims to increase the quantity and quality of the global food supply.
2. Ghana is a leading tech nation not just a developing one.
Those that have not been to Ghana might not realise how easy it is to get by without touching physical cash – mobile money can suffice in everything from taxi’s to school fees. Beyond the mass consumer tech jump is also a movement to modernise how SME’s operate. Once such example is Jetstream, a cloud-based web platform which consolidates international freight shipments and cross-border shipping.
African SME’s pay the highest rates globally to import and export cargo in shipping containers. Often, they have no visibility into basic things like transit times, landed costs, and the physical whereabouts of their shipments. What they cannot see, they cannot control. When it comes to the unglamorous work of moving physical goods from A to B across borders, there is a fundamental lack of coordination between the thousands of customs agents, shipping lines, freight forwarders, and truckers who comprise cross-border supply chains in Africa.
Jetstream’s tech platform, combined with real-world coordination with third-party logistics providers in Africa (customs agents, shipping lines etc.) is designed to solve the SME’s entire logistics problem; being only point of contact that they need when they trade across borders.
With Jetstream, B2B cross-border trade from Africa is converging with eCommerce logistics.
Say you’re a farmer or factory owner in Africa. You shouldn’t have to become an expert in tariff rates and sailing schedules in order to move 5 tonnes of dried cassava from Ghana to Malaysia, or to buy fertilizer from India, for example, and know the full cost beforehand.
We create that level of convenience and transparency by putting the fragmented pieces of the supply chain together. You book a shipment on our online platform the same way you would book an airline ticket. You give us details about where your cargo is going, where it is from, and the info we need to clear it through customs. Jetstream then takes that online information and dispatches orders to our network of third party logistics providers — from customs agents to shipping lines — who physically execute the shipment.
Miishe Addy Co-founder, CEO at Jetstream Africa
Based in Accra, Jetstream claim to have 2 million kilograms of cargo in their pipeline from their HQ in Ghana; with a view to expanding their physical footprint to Lagos and other African port cities by 2020.
3. Digitising trade means more than offering aid.
Some were taken aback in 2017 when newly elected President Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo declared Ghana as ‘moving beyond aid’, but this mindset has placed Ghana on the side of reform and a growing belief in economic self-determination.
The African continent when you look at its resources, should be giving monies to other places…We need to have a mindset that says we can do it…and once we have that mindset we’ll see there’s a liberating factor for ourselves.
President Nana Akufo-Addo
This sentiment is shared by many of the countries entrepreneurs, such as Founder and CEO Samuel Tettey Amanor who runs BlueSPACE Africa Technologies in Accra. Thanks to the recently signed AfCFTA trade treaty, the company will create a linkage with Banks/Insurance/and Trade partners to spur growth on the continent; increasing cross-border payments & FX businesses for companies in Ghana and across Africa.
How can it be that intra-African trade is only 12%, when intra-EU trade is at 68% for example? Those walls and restrictions are coming down and technology is driving that based on the landmark political decision to work together across the continent. With our BlueSPACE (BlueTRADE Platform), we’re fully supporting the aim of increasing intra-African trade by as much as $35 billion per year by 2022 as stated in the last meeting BlueSPACE represented with IMF officials.
Samuel Tettey Amanor Founder & CEO BlueSPACE Africa Technologies
52 of 55 nations across Africa have now signed the treaty and this is allowing entrepreneurs to see their own region in a new light. At a company level, it addresses the challenge of a business operator exporting goods to an African counterpart with an average rate of protection of around 12.4% compared to 8.4% when exporting overseas.
Ghana still has a long walk ahead. Countries such as Malaysia and South Korea have all found the ‘middle income trap’ a challenge to navigate with mixed success. For it to thrive in the coming years, it will need sustained reforms, forward thinking institutions and a corruption free platform for inward investment. With a bullish young and educated population, a proven democracy and an ever-more-influential diaspora the ingredients are there for greater diversification of the economy.
Founder of Tech in Ghana, Akosua Annobil is keen to widen the interest in Ghana from the diaspora to the mainstream Tech scene – and London Tech Wekk offers that visibility.
What might surprise many observers is how international the Tech in Ghana event is. By holding this year’s event within London Tech Week, we’ve seized the opportunity to further internationalise and widen participation. Whether you’re an American based Venture Capitalist or a European tech start up looking to expand, our event is a window to an economy that is booming, and sincerely pushing the tech agenda in both the public and private sectors. Ghana is a entry point to a continent that offers stability among a whole region of growth. It’s tech-based businesses that offer many of the solutions to unlocking those opportunities in the coming years, which is why this event is so important.
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Author:
Martin Best is the Managing Director of the agency Full Reach
LG Electronics (LG) has made significant strides in the global market with its innovative brand strategies, earning its place as a top global brand.
On October 10, LG was ranked 97th with a brand value of approximately USD 6.5 billion in the Best Global Brands 2024 report by global brand consulting firm Interbrand.
Interbrand’s evaluation of the Best Global Brands assesses brand value through a comprehensive analysis of a company’s financial performance, role of brand and brand strength. Factors such as direction, engagement and relevance are considered. As a pioneer in the industry, Interbrand’s ISO-certified evaluation criteria are widely regarded as the most reliable methodology in branding and marketing.
LG’s brand value has surged, reflecting significant improvements in both business and brand competitiveness compared to the previous year. LG’s brand value increased by a substantial 38.7 percent year-over-year, receiving high scores in the categories of role of brand and brand strength.
Interbrand attributes this positive assessment to LG’s clear vision as a Smart Life Solution Company and its sustained growth through the exploration of new opportunities. The company has also adapted its brand strategies to ensure consistent customer engagement across diverse regions and generations, utilizing communication methods that resonate with audiences both online and offline.
In July of last year, LG unveiled its vision to evolve into a “Smart Life Solution Company,” enhancing customer experiences across various environments, including homes, commercial spaces, mobility and virtual realms. Since embarking on its transformation, LG’s brand value has skyrocketed. From approximately USD 3.1 billion in 2022, it has more than doubled to about USD 6.5 billion in 2024.
Interbrand has also praised LG’s “Brand Reinvent” initiative, which aims to establish LG as a youthful and dynamic brand that resonates with customers across generations and regions.
To achieve this, LG has unified its brand message under the brand promise of “Life’s Good,” ensuring it is embraced by all organizations globally and integrated into every customer touch point of brand experience. This includes redefining its brand identity and visual expression. “Life’s Good” encapsulates the brand’s mission to help everyone savor life’s precious moments through its products, services and communications. In the digital realm, the brand symbol “Face of the Future” engages customers with a friendly smile and wink, fostering a sense of connection through various digital expressions.
In addition, LG is launching brand campaigns and pop-up events that invite future customers, particularly Generation Z, to engage both online and offline.
The global campaign “Optimism your feed” aims to spread positivity through online algorithms, encouraging a better life with an optimistic outlook. This initiative garnered significant attention, amassing over 1.8 billion views within two months of its launch on platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Moreover, LG is going to keep enhancing its engagement with Generation Z by creating offline customer experience spaces that reflect young customers’ interests, such as lifestyle, games and music.
LG has previously been recognized as one of the top 100 global brands for three consecutive years from 2005 to 2007.
“We are transforming from a leading home appliance and consumer electronics company into a Smart Life Solution Company. As part of this transformation, we’ve initiated our brand reinvention based on our long-standing promise, ‘Life’s Good,'” said William Cho, CEO of LG Electronics. “At this historical moment of business transformation, we are proud to be recognized as one of the top 100 global brands, a testament to our strong brand presence and growth potential.”
Technology
LG WashTower: A high-performance, space-saving laundry solution designed for today’s urban households
As global demand grows for sustainable living, energy efficiency, and minimalist design, companies are reshaping their product offerings to stay competitive and meet consumer expectations. At the forefront of this shift in the home appliance market is LG Electronics with its cutting-edge WashTower – a high-performance, space-saving laundry solution designed for today’s urban households.
Boasting advanced features, large capacities, and innovative technology, the WashTower is more than just a washer-dryer combo – it’s a game changer for those seeking efficiency, smart connectivity, and excellent cleaning performance.
Ideal for compact spaces, the LG WashTower’s slim, vertical design fits seamlessly into small laundry rooms or closets without sacrificing performance. Standing at 1655mm tall and 600mm wide, it offers ample capacity—13kg in the washer and 10kg in the dryer – perfect for large loads like bedding or towels, all while saving valuable floor space.
The 2024 LG WashTower™ is a revolutionary solution that aligns perfectly with Nigeria’s vision for modern, sustainable living,” said Oktae Kim, Product Director, Home Appliance Division, LG Electronics Nigeria. “Its space-saving design and advanced features cater to the unique needs of our customers in the country, setting a new benchmark for laundry care.”
Unlike traditional stacked units with controls in hard-to-reach places, the LG WashTower™ introduces an all-in-one control panel designed to simplify laundry care. With the TurboWash 360, DUAL Inverter Heat Pump™ Dryer, Auto Cleaning Condenser, and LG ThinQ™ connectivity, the WashTower™ enhances functionality and convenience, meeting the demands of modern, fast-paced lifestyles.
Some of its most impressive features include:
Built-in Intelligence Takes Out the Guesswork
When it comes to doing laundry, one out of two consumers default to the Normal Cycle on their washers and dryers because they simply don’t know which to choose. LG WashTower takes out the guesswork with built-in intelligence that uses sensors to detect fabric texture and load size, and then automatically selects the right wash motions, temperatures, and more for precision fabric care.
And it gets smarter: WashTower will even learn your preferred settings. Simply activate Smart Learner in the LG ThinQ® app, and it will remember your ideal wash temperature, spin speed, or dry level. With Smart Pairing™, the washer can even tell the dryer the right compatible drying cycle, making LG WashTower the ultimate laundry hack.
Help Remove Allergens in Fabrics
LG washers are the industry’s first to be CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The Allergens™ wash cycle goes beyond everyday cleaning, using the gentle power of steam to remove common household allergens in fabrics by more than 95 percent. In addition, LG TurboSteam™ technology in the dryer helps sanitize and refresh clothes in between washes as well as children’s toys, decorative pillows and more.
Exceptional Cleaning and Drying Performance
With steam function in the washer and heat pump in the dryer, the WashTower effectively sanitizes clothes and removes wrinkles, which is a boon for those with allergies or sensitive skin. Its durable, never-rust stainless steel drum ensures long-lasting reliability, and the absence of an agitator means it’s gentle on delicate fabrics. The dryer starts to preheat before the end of washing, so drying takes less time. With the Dual Inverter Heat Pump™, an energy-saving way to dry, the dual cylinders allow for faster drying and energy saving.
Laundry Made Better – for You and the Planet
Designed with energy efficiency in mind, the LG WashTower includes energy monitoring capabilities, helping consumers save money while helping the planet. ENERGY STAR certified washers and dryers use 25 percent less energy and 33 percent less water than traditional models.
Verdict: A Smart, Stylish Choice
The LG WashTower stands as a top contender in the world of washer-dryer combos, offering a perfect blend of technology, performance, and space-saving design. With no drawbacks, the WashTower’s overall functionality, energy efficiency, and convenience make it a strong choice for families and individuals alike.
If you’re looking for a washer-dryer combo that combines smart technology with stylish design, the LG Wash Tower is a reliable, high-performing option.
The LG WashTower™ strengthens LG’s position as a leading innovator in the home appliance sector. With its cutting-edge technology and user-friendly interface demonstrates LG’s dedication to shaping the future of home appliances. It’s more than just a product – it’s a testament to LG’s vision of bringing convenience, efficiency, and sustainability into every home.
For more information or to purchase the LG WashTower, visit https://www.lg.com/africa/washing-machines/lg-wt1310rh
The launch of the LG InstaView refrigerator introduced a new era in home refrigeration, combining advanced technology, exceptional energy efficiency, and unmatched convenience to transform how households interact with their appliances. The LG InstaView Door-in-Door™ Refrigerator does more than just keep food fresh. It’s a perfect mix of modern technology and everyday usefulness, taking cooking to a whole new level of sophistication and ease.
“At the core of the LG InstaView Refrigerator is the Inverter Linear Compressor, a ground-breaking technology that delivers remarkable energy efficiency,” says Oktae Kim, Product Director, Home Appliance Division, LG Electronics Nigeria. By adapting its cooling power to the refrigerator’s needs, this compressor minimizes power consumption, helping reduce energy bills while also contributing to a quieter kitchen. For long-term peace of mind, LG offers a 10-year warranty on the compressor, reinforcing its durability and reliability.
“One of the standout features of this fridge is the InstaView Door-in-Door™ technology. With just two knocks on the sleek glass panel, you can see inside the fridge without opening the door, helping preserve cold air and keeping your food fresher for longer. This not only adds a touch of modern elegance but also helps reduce energy consumption by limiting unnecessary door openings” he noted.
Some other key features in the LG InstaView Door-in-Door™ Refrigerator include;
A New Level of Convenience: Door-in-Door™ Access
The Door-in-Door™ compartment offers even greater convenience by allowing easy access to frequently used items like drinks and snacks. Instead of rummaging through the entire fridge, you can grab your essentials quickly and effortlessly. This feature also limits cold air loss, making it both a time-saver and an energy-efficient solution for busy households.
Purified Hydration: UVnano® Water Dispenser
Staying hydrated has never been more convenient or hygienic. The UVnano® water dispenser uses UV light to eliminate up to 99.999% of bacteria from the water outlet, ensuring that every sip is clean and safe. The self-cleaning cycle can be activated automatically or manually, making this feature both functional and reassuring for users who prioritize health.
Hygiene Fresh+™: A Breath of Fresh Air
Maintaining an odour-free refrigerator has never been easier thanks to Hygiene Fresh+™ technology. This system actively removes bacteria and unpleasant smells, circulating clean air throughout the fridge. With a 99.999% bacteria removal rate, your food remains fresh and healthy, while the built-in deodorization feature ensures that strong odour, like leftovers, never linger.
Even Cooling Every Time: DoorCooling+™ Technology
No more worrying about uneven cooling inside your fridge. The DoorCooling+™ feature ensures that every inch of the refrigerator is consistently cooled by placing air vents at the front of the appliance. This technology helps food stay fresh and evenly chilled, even in the door compartments, enhancing the quality and shelf life of your groceries.
Smart Control with ThinQ™ Technology
In the age of smart homes, LG takes convenience one step further with ThinQ™ technology. This feature allows users to control and monitor the refrigerator from their smartphones, whether at home or on the go. With just a few taps, you can adjust the temperature, activate Hygiene Fresh+™, or even diagnose potential issues, making maintenance and operation effortless.
Proven Benefits: Energy Savings, Convenience, and Hygiene
When it comes to pros, the LG InstaView Refrigerator excels in several areas. Its energy efficiency through the Smart Inverter Compressor and InstaView technology helps reduce environmental impact while cutting down on household energy bills. The convenience provided by the Door-in-Door™ feature, combined with the peace of mind from UVnano® and Hygiene Fresh+™ technologies, ensures that families have access to fresh, clean, and organized food storage.
Verdict
The LG InstaView refrigerator is a perfect blend of advanced technology, innovative design, and health-conscious features. From linear cooling that keeps food fresh to the Hygiene Fresh+ filtration system that ensures a clean storage environment, this fridge has everything you need for modern food preservation. Add to that the convenience of the Knock-Knock feature and the health benefits of UVnano, you have a refrigerator that truly stands out.
If you’re looking for a premium appliance that delivers freshness, hygiene, and style, the LG InstaView refrigerator is a worthy investment.
The LG InstaView Door-in-Door™ Refrigerator is available across Fouani showrooms and Dealer stores Nationwide. It’s a must-have for modern kitchens thanks to its many useful features.
For more information about the LG InstaView Refrigerator, visit https://www.lg.com/africa/instaview-door-in-door-refrigerators
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