A selection of tech news from Nigeria and Africa at large.
Sobertech Addiction Recovery | Insurtech Startup Inclusivity Solutions | Biotech Startup Cancer Genome Project | Healthcare Startup Funding | Hurupay Tackles Currency Fluctuations
SoberTech Leverages Tech to Transform Addiction Recovery Across Africa – TechinAfrica
SoberTech, founded by engineer Dinah Lugard, is expanding its innovative addiction recovery outreach program from Nigeria and Ghana to South Africa. Through technology, it aims to make recovery accessible, engaging, and stigma-free. “SoberTech’s vision is digital rehabilitation across the globe. We want to create a lasting impact and a world where people struggling with addiction have judgement-free support and captivating resources for sobriety,” said Lugard.
Beyond raising awareness, SoberTech offers tailored support and essential resources to those in need. At its core is increasing awareness, particularly among youth, about substance abuse dangers while providing tangible assistance. It equips rehab centers with cutting-edge devices, making recovery more effective and engaging, and awards scholarships to students in rehab. Lugard pioneered the SoberTech app, offering non-judgemental support to reduce the stigma often associated with addiction recovery. Read more here:
South African Insurtech Startup Inclusivity Solutions Raises USD 1.5 Million in New Funding Round – Africanheroes
Impact investor Goodwell Investments has successfully concluded an extension round with Inclusivity Solutions, an award-winning insurtech company specializing in embedded insurance solutions. Goodwell, renowned for funding African enterprises providing essential services to low-income populations, initially led Inclusivity Solutions’ Series A funding round in 2019. This latest extension round, which raised a total of USD 1.5 million, underscores Goodwell’s confidence in Inclusivity Solutions’ ability to revolutionize insurance access in emerging markets.
The investment will bolster Inclusivity Solutions’ expansion efforts, which include plans to operate in a minimum of 12 African markets by the end of 2024. Additionally, the company will continue to invest in its highly acclaimed no-code, open-API platform, facilitating the rapid deployment of a wide range of insurance products for distribution partners and insurers within hours. Read more here:
Nigerian Biotech Startup, Syndicate Bio Collaborates With NICRAT to Launch Cancer Genome Project – Techtrends
The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) and Nigerian biotech startup Syndicate Bio have announced a strategic partnership to launch the Cancer Genome Nigeria project. The study’s goal is to close the gap in cancer disparities by examining the most common cancers among more than 300 ethnolinguistic groups and Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Along with Drs. Jumi Popoola and Estelle Dogbo, Syndicate Bio was founded in September by Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, the former founder and CEO of the now-defunct Nigerian genomics startup 54gene. Through partnerships with governments, pharmaceutical companies, academia, and other important industry stakeholders, Syndicate Bio is deepening the impact of precision medicine locally while producing priceless datasets that improve global health outcomes and speed up drug discovery and development.
The strategic cooperation between the firm and NICRAT would involve a concerted effort to address cancer detection and treatment for Nigerian patients. Through this project, patients in Nigeria would have greater access to targeted therapies by increasing the availability and accessibility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) based cancer testing in the nation. Read more here:
Healthcare startup raises $3.6 million to expand to other countries including Nigeria – Nairametrics
According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Techpoint Africa, Egyptian Healthcare startup, Almouneer, has raised $3.6 million to expand to other countries including Nigeria. Global Ventures led the seed round with participation from Wrightwood Investments, Proparco and Digital Africa through the Bridge funds and other international funds.
Almouneer aims to transform healthcare for people living with chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. Chronic diseases impact on Subsaharan Africa and Nigeria. The Lancet reports that there is a rising burden of non-communicable diseases in Subsaharan Africa.
Currently, non-communicable diseases also known as NCDs are the leading cause of death in the world killing 41 million annually (70% of deaths). In Nigeria, nearly 30% of all deaths are due to NCDs. The risk of premature death from NCDs among Nigeria’s 30-69-year-olds is 22%. Among these NCDs, the top four killers are cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, cancers, respiratory diseases and diabetes. Read more here:
Ghana’s Hurupay tackles currency fluctuations with stablecoin-based payments platform – Disrupt Africa
Ghanaian startup Hurupay is helping businesses and individuals across Africa overcome the negative impacts of fluctuating local currencies by allowing them to make and receive stablecoin-based payments.
Formed earlier this year, Hurupay is a crypto wallet that enables users to access stablecoins, which are non-volatile cryptocurrencies pegged to the value of the US dollar at a ratio of 1:1. The platform is designed to help SMEs and individuals mitigate the negative impacts of depreciating local currencies against the dollar on their income and growth, by providing a more stable and reliable payment method.
Businesses can accept stablecoin payments from customers simply by scanning QR codes, and pay suppliers with zero fees. Individuals can save money in dollars and stablecoins, send and receive money across borders with very low fees, and pay at shops. The idea for the platform came to co-founder and CEO Philip Mburu, a Kenyan, when he relocated to Ghana in September 2021. Read more here:
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