Page 15 - AfrElec Week 18 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

infrastructure”posited by some politicians
to provide temporary relief to a continuous
problem.

ENERGY AS A SERVICE
Cote d’Ivoire -based startup

Afrikrea launches SaaS

platform to power African
e-commerce

Cote d’Ivoire -based e-commerce startup
Afrikrea has launched a new software as a
service (SaaS) platform to power omnichannel
global selling for African micro retailers.
Founded in 2016, Afrikrea is a marketplace
for the selling and buying of African-inspired
clothing, accessories, arts and crafts. The
platform has 7,000 sellers across 47 African
countries, and records over 500,000 visits a
month with the majority of customers located
CEO Antonio Trindade and businessman NUCLEAR in Europe and North America.
Maphoko Kgomoeswana. The startup, which raised a $1mn funding
“The freezing order prohibits them from Nuclear power for Nigeria round early last year, has now partnered DHL
dealing in any manner with any of their and Visa to launch ANKA, a platform that
realisable property,” NPA independent As Nigerians continue to groan under power allows African micro retailers to easily sell
directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka blackouts and grid collapses, a group called, their products to the world.
said. One of the contractors, Lomas, is a UK Nigerian Young Generation in Nuclear, ANKA allows merchants to sell via a
resident, and Seboka said a curator in SA NYGN, Tuesday, advocated the use of nuclear customised online storefront, social media
received the order on his behalf. energy to boost economic activities. platforms, or by links such as on Gumroad
The restraint order in terms of section 26 Speaking to Nigeria’s Vanguard, the and also the Afrikrea marketplace. This is
of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act Co-founder and President, NYGN, Mbazor carried out via an omnichannel dashboard
is so wide-reaching that it can even apply to Jeremiah, said it has become necessary for with a single inventory, orders and messages
gifts to third parties and unspecified assets. the government to look at the option of management.
The valuables, including those held in family nuclear energy to solve Nigeria’s protracted International shipping is also offered,
trusts and by spouses, have been frozen in energy crisis that has negatively impacted the while ANKA can also facilitate and centralise
terms of the act. Among the seized assets are economy and impeded development in all payments via a secure online wallet and
houses belonging to Masango and Hlakudi sectors. receive payouts according to the merchant’s
in Pretoria, a house of Kgomoeswana’s in According to Jeremiah the population of preference. A dedicated Afrikrea Visa card is
Polokwane, and a property undergoing sub-Saharan Africa is about 1.1bn and 60% also available.
renovations belonging to Trindade. of this population is youths who are in their “We see Afrikrea as the bridge between
In a statement, Seboka recorded that court- productive age brackets, and it is nuclear Africa and the world, empowering thousands
appointed curator Trevor Hill had compiled energy that would help them contribute of micro retailers and their clients globally.
the list of affected assets now restrained effectively to the Gross Domestic Product, Those entrepreneurs currently lose time and
pending the outcome of a criminal trial. GDP, of the economy. energy managing multiple channels of sales,
The R745m corruption case was over a He said: “Consider Lagos State, Nigeria and also lose money through the multiple
project at Eskom’s Kusile power station, one with its high population density, a nuclear intermediaries needed to ship their orders
of the delayed megapower projects whose power plant would do justice to the or get access to their funds. ANKA enables
spiralling costs helped push the power utility ameliorating its energy needs and opening them to sell anywhere as well as get paid –
into a financial crisis that has pushed its debt more opportunities for growth. seamlessly, from one place,” said Moulaye
to nearly R500bn. The delay in getting Kusile “The youths in Africa and Nigeria Taboure, co-founder and chief executive
and Medupi finished has been one of the especially need energy to power their officer (CEO) of Afrikrea.
major factors behind power cuts that have productive activities,ingenuity, and spring up
crippled industry and propelled the economy industry for development. It is not enough
into recession even before Covid-19 hit SA in to have an easily deployable solar/renewable
2020. installation to power lights and charge mobile HYDRO
devices; this is tantamount to the “stomach

Week 18 06•May•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P15