MEST Africa (www.Meltwater.org), a leading Pan-African tech entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator, proudly announces Koa Academy (www.KoaAcademy.com) as the grand prize winner of the 2023 MEST Africa Challenge (MAC), securing a $50,000 equity investment after a competitive pitch battle among Africa’s brightest tech innovators.

In a thrilling showcase of ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, Koa Academy from South Africa stood out at the MEST Africa Challenge finale in Accra, Ghana, surpassing contenders from across the continent. This coveted startup competition, known for identifying and nurturing tech talent, saw Koa Academy clinch the top spot with its groundbreaking solution, poised to transform the Edtech industry.

The competition drew applications from hundreds of early-stage tech startups, rigorously assessed on criteria such as innovation, scalability, and team strength. Finalists from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Kenya competed in the grand finale, demonstrating their unique solutions and business models to a panel of esteemed judges, including investors and industry experts.

Koa Academy, Winner of the 2023 MEST Africa Challenge and a South African innovator in online education, offers dynamic and interactive courses for grades 4-12. With a focus on engagement and accessibility, it champions digital learning, making quality education available to anyone, anywhere, and transforming the educational landscape in South Africa.

The startup impressed the judges at the MAC Finale showcasing significant market potential, revenue growth, and social impact. “Winning the MEST Africa Challenge has been an amazing experience for the Koa Academy team. It highlights the hard work and dedication that everyone has put into growing Koa. This recognition is not just an award; it’s a testament to the passion and perseverance that drives us every day. Amidst the challenges, this journey has brought us closer to others across the continent, forging relationships and connections that fuel our mission even further. We are reminded that we’re not alone in this endeavor and are incredibly grateful for the support and learning opportunities this challenge has presented,” said Lauren Anderson, Co-founder and CEO, Koa Academy, expressing gratitude and optimism for the future of tech startups in Africa.

Ashwin Ravichandran, Portfolio Advisor at MEST Africa congratulated the winner and finalists for their exceptional achievements and resilience. The event also highlighted the support of Absa Bank Ghana for contributing to the challenge’s success.

The MEST Africa Challenge continues to be a pivotal platform for emerging tech startups in Africa, offering funding, visibility, and support to innovate and scale. Koa Academy’s victory underscores the vibrant potential within Africa’s tech ecosystem, promising a brighter future for the continent’s digital landscape.

For more information and updates on the MEST Africa Challenge, visit https://apo-opa.co/4a7ZUhN.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa).

For more information or media inquiries, contact:
Ophesmur Naa Adjeley Adjei
Communications and Community Manager, MEST Africa
ophesmur@meltwater.org

About MEST Africa:
MEST is an African-wide software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology startups across the continent. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a 12-month program that provides critical skills training in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s burgeoning tech talent. MEST provides seed funding for the best ideas coming out of the program and continues to support the growth and development of its portfolio companies.

To date, MEST has trained over 2000 entrepreneurs from across the continent and funded over 90 startups across industries from Agritech, Fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, Digital Media, and Healthcare amongst others. MEST is fully funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Norwegian company Meltwater; a global leader in social and media intelligence headquartered in San Francisco.

Visit www.Meltwater.org to learn more.

Ecobank (www.Ecobank.com), the pan-African banking group, has become an official signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles by UN Women and the UN Global Compact (WEPs), which provide guidance to the private sector on how to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. Ecobank Group CEO, Jeremy Awori, announced the signature of these Principles during a webinar organised by Ecobank Foundation and UN Women on the occasion of the International Women’s Day celebrations.

Themed “Invest in Women: Why does it matter? How can we accelerate it?”, the webinar discussed the importance of investing in women to build inclusive societies, and success strategies to counter unconscious biases and discriminatory practices that hinder investments in women.

Commenting about the signing of these principles, Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, said: “At Ecobank, we are fully committed to driving gender equality. Ensuring that women and girls have equal rights as men and boys and can attain their full potential without facing discrimination in any aspect of their lives. This is essential to achieving a sustainable, just, and prosperous society. Across the Bank we have implemented numerous initiatives and solutions, including our multi-award winning Ellevate programme to meet the financial and non-financial needs of women’s businesses, and we will continue to introduce new solutions. While we recognise that there is more to do, signing the WEPs is another step in our absolute commitment and determination to advance gender equality and inclusion.”

Ecobank ‘s dedicated Ellevate programme provides women-owned, led or focused businesses with a comprehensive suite of cash management, borderless payments and collections, banking and funding solutions, in addition to skills training and mentoring. It has onboarded over 73,000 women business customers and lent more than US$177 million since its launch in November 2020.  

Ecobank has implemented several other initiatives to advance gender equality and inclusion. These include establishing a Diversity and Inclusion Council to create an environment where individuals can thrive without discrimination or bias. Additionally, Ecobank has signed the Women Working for Change Gender Diversity Charter; sponsored awareness programmes on gender-based violence for its staff; and implemented mentoring programmes, along with comprehensive learning and development initiatives aimed at advancing women’s career progression. The Bank will shortly launch a women supplier programme to onboard more women-owned and women-led businesses into its procurement database.

Congratulating Ecobank Group, Mireille Kamitatu, Deputy Regional Director UN Women Regional Office West and Central Africa said: “I am pleased to acknowledge Ecobank Group’s commitment confirmed by the signing the WEPs. We commend the leadership of this Pan-African bank, spanning 35 countries, for its decisive step in advancing gender equality across the continent. UN Women stands ready to offer support in your gender-focused initiatives towards our ultimate objective to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.

Many of Ecobank Group’s gender equality initiatives align with the seven Women Empowerment Principles which are:

High-level Corporate Leadership
Treat all Women and Men Fairly at Work without Discrimination
Employee Health, Wellbeing and Safety
Education and Training for Career Advancement
Enterprise Development, Supply Chain and Marketing Practices
Community Initiatives and Advocacy
Measurement and Reporting.

WEPs are a primary vehicle for corporate delivery on gender equality dimensions of the 2030 agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. By joining the WEPs community, Ecobank’s Group CEO has signalled the Bank’s commitment to this agenda at the highest levels of the conglomerate and a desire to work collaboratively in multistakeholder networks to empower women. These include equal pay for work of equal value, gender-responsive supply chain practices and zero tolerance against sexual harassment in the workplace.

For more information about the Women’s Empowerment Principles by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, please visit www.WEPs.org

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.

Media Contact:
Christiane Mbimbe Bossom
Group Communications
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated
Email: groupcorporatecomms@ecobank.com
Tel: +228 22 21 03 03
Web: www.Ecobank.com

About Ecobank Group (or ‘Ecobank Transnational Incorporated’ or ‘ETI’):
Ecobank Group is the leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise. Present in 35 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 15,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 32 million customers. For further information, please visit Ecobank.com.

Dalberg Advisors (https://Dalberg.com/) has announced the award of the Private Sector Engagement Strategic Collaboration and Leading- Edge Engagement (“PSE SCALE”) program, a framework agreement of advisory services that will support the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID: https://www.USAID.gov/) to engage the private sector to achieve development and humanitarian outcomes. Through the five-year, $99.1-million contract, Dalberg and its partners will support USAID to accelerate private sector partnerships around the world and transform the Agency’s capacity to work with the private sector.

PSE SCALE is an extension of over 20 years of efforts by USAID to increasingly partner and invest with the private sector to achieve the Agency’s development and humanitarian goals. It represents the flagship mechanism to upgrade USAID’s capacity to work with the private sector and will provide a range of technical and advisory services to USAID Missions and operating units seeking to expand or accelerate private sector engagement.

In Africa, USAID’s long track record of partnership with the private sector will be strengthened with companies seeking to drive growth and innovation in new markets, reduce risk, and advance sustainability goals. Partnerships are essential for achieving USAID’s goals related to improving health outcomes, addressing climate change and driving resilience, advancing gender equity, and many others in Africa and beyond.

Dalberg and a consortium of partners—60 Decibels (https://60Decibels.com/), CrossBoundary (https://CrossBoundary.com/), Vera Solutions (https://VeraSolutions.org/), and Social Solutions International (https://www.SocialSolutions.biz/)—will provide a comprehensive and integrated suite of services that are delivered on-demand and in response to needs and opportunities in any operating unit across USAID. The team collectively brings decades of experience in serving clients globally across the public and private sectors on a wide range of sustainable development issues.

“The Dalberg team in Africa looks forward to supporting USAID teams from across the continent to better engage the private sector in pursuing the impact that so many of us are working towards.  We are eager to mobilize our 100+ colleagues on the continent around this effort,” said Lillian Kidane, Dalberg’s Regional Director for Africa.

“Dalberg is thrilled to be supporting USAID in deepening its collaboration with the private sector. Our experience and local networks across markets in Africa, Asia, and Latin America makes Dalberg a natural partner for USAID,” said Gaurav Gupta, Dalberg’s Global Managing Partner. “And with over 1,100 clients across the public and private sectors, we have a long track record of designing successful cross-sector partnerships that help all parties to advance their goals.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Dalberg Advisors.

For media inquiries, contact Karishma Kram at karishma.kram@dalberg.com.

About Dalberg Advisors:
Dalberg Advisors is a strategic advisory firm that combines private sector strategy skills and analytical capabilities with deep knowledge and networks across emerging and frontier markets. Dalberg works actively across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors to help clients achieve their goals, and has over 500 employees across 25 locations in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and the U.S. Dalberg Advisors is part of the Dalberg Group, which comprises a collection of mission-driven enterprises—Dalberg Advisors, Dalberg Data Insights, Dalberg Design, Dalberg Media, Dalberg Implement, Dalberg Research—and the not-for-profit, Dalberg Catalyst.

The Teachers Association in the Central Region convened its 8th congress on 23 March in Asmara.

Mr. Belai Habtegabir, head of the education office in the region, highlighted that the National Teachers Association stands as one of the prominent vocational associations in the country, encompassing both veteran and young teachers. He urged the association to establish sustainable training programs aimed at enhancing the capacity of teachers, thereby fostering the teaching-learning process.

Mr. Afwerki Gebrezgiabihier, chairman of the Teachers Association in the Central Region, urged participants to thoroughly assess the strengths and challenges and actively contribute to realizing the association’s mission.

Participants engaged in extensive discussions on the administrative and financial reports, adopting various recommendations. Additionally, they elected an executive committee for a four-year term.

Mr. Simon Mehari, chairman of the National Teachers Association, called upon the newly elected executive committee members to work with commitment and diligence toward achieving the association’s objectives.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.