The fourth edition of the FederUnacoma Think Tank dedicated to the geopolitical emergency and the commodity crisis took place on 31 March in Bologna. The commodity crisis could last for years, so it is necessary for agro-mechanical companies to develop long-term strategies, while being reactive to sudden situational changes. Proposals were made by thematic study groups.
The international landscape presents many factors of instability that require agricultural machinery companies to adopt more flexible strategies than ever before. This is what emerged from the work of the fourth edition of the FederUnacoma Think Tank, which was held on 31 March in the evocative setting of the Dall’Ara Stadium in Bologna and which dealt with topics relating to the current geopolitical crisis and the raw materials emergency.
Crisis in Ukraine, agricultural machinery must ‘work as a system’
Jacobs Foundation calls for “culture shift” to put evidence at the heart of Africa’s $1.5 billion Edtech industry
The Jacobs Foundation called on investors, edtech companies, and academia throughout Africa and around the world to deepen their collaboration and integrate more research in the development of new edtech products. The Foundation also urged edtech venture capital funds to make greater use of evidence in investment decision-making, as analysts predict that the African edtech market, currently valued at $1.5 billion, will exceed $10 billion by 2026.
The Jacobs Foundation made this call ahead of May’s World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, where world leaders will convene under the theme, ‘Working together, restoring trust’. They will look at the role of public-private cooperation in rebuilding trust and shaping a more sustainable future. This comes after the pandemic disrupted learning for more than 1.5 billion students throughout the world.
To help further this drive, the Jacobs Foundation has committed CHF 40 million ($44 million) globally to foster greater cooperation between edtech investors, start-ups, and researchers. These key actors will convene in May this year at the Jacobs Foundation’s Unlocking the Impact of Edtech Conference in Germany, where they will discuss ways to make more and better use of evidence in edtech.
E-commerce plays role in retailing to consumers
Shega.com, an E-commerce company announced that it has availed its platform in December 2021 with a variety of locally made and other fast moving consumer goods for its online customers. Following the recent cooking oil shortage for instance, Shega worked with wholesalers and distributors and availed Tena cooking oil a local brand with an attractive pricing and is available for anyone that orders through Shega android and iOS applications, the website www.shega.com and the customer service direct line 8500.
In the words of Chris Rumenda, the CEO of Shega, “When we launched Shega with the entire Kifiya Financial Technology team, we set out with the purpose of digitizing commerce in Ethiopia by selling Ethiopian products sourced from Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and other manufacturers and distributors making Shega the leading online retail & market place in Ethiopia. With the platform coming into service in December 2021, its customers, major stakeholders, partner companies using Shega and with over 10,000 items listings we’ve been able to witness first-hand the technical talent and trade potential in Ethiopia.” He further added, “Technology has the opportunity to transform lives and economies across Ethiopia and Africa and we’re excited about Shega being a meaningful part of that transformation through making trade local, fair and transparent. So watch out for Shega in the coming few days with more variety, more local products and attractive prices”
Golelchaa Baalii
Name: Golelchaa Baalii
Education: Ph.D. candidate
Company name: Waliif Education share company
Title: Founder and General Manager
Founded in: 2016
What it does: Provides educational services from KG to university
HQ: Addis Ababa around Lideta
Number of employees: 500
Startup Capital: 400,000 birr
Current capital: Growing
Reasons for starting the business: To fill the gap in the education industry
Biggest perk of ownership: Helping others
Biggest strength: Commitment and transparency
Biggest challenging: Inflation
Plan: To be the best leader in the world
First career: Partnership director
Most interested in meeting: Barack Obama
Most admired person: Myles Monroe
Stress reducer: Swimming
Favourite past time: Working
Favourite book: Naked leader, David Taylor
Favourite destination: Amsterdam
Favourite automobile: Ford
