Now reading: Guidance on start-up support in Ethiopia

Digital Africa


Ambitions around an increasingly digital and connected Africa, underscored by accelerated digitalisation in response to COVID-19 and technological change, have profound implications for life on the continent.

We are exploring the impact of digitalisation on the:

  • Regulatory environment and governance of data and privacy, digital infrastructure, the digital economy (including employment conditions) and innovations in the financial sector
  • Livelihoods, skills and aspirations of young people
  • Transformation of the financial sector
  • Growth in digital platforms and their role in the economy
  • Innovation enabled through digital technology and related ecosystems
  • Future of Africa (scenarios and forces for a digital Africa)
Digital Africa

Guidance on start-up support in Ethiopia

Recommendations to support digital start-ups Cenfri supported Digital Financial in producing a technical guide on the creation of a fund to support a digital start-up ecosystem in Ethiopia. This work was commissioned by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) of Ethiopia in partnership with Digital Pathways at University of Oxford and

Digital Africa

Africa Fintech Radar: Fintechs operating in Africa

  In 2020, the Africa Fintech Network (AFN), in partnership with findexable and Cenfri, launched the Africa Fintech Radar project. This ongoing initiative strives to showcase and track fintechs operating in Africa through a live listing. The Radar provides critical information to understand the challenges, opportunities and levers for fintech

Partnership announcement for digital transformation in Rwanda
COVID-19 impact and recovery

Partnership announcement for digital transformation in Rwanda

Kigali, Rwanda, 2 June 2021: Today, the Ministry of ICT and Innovation in Rwanda, Cenfri, and the Mastercard Foundation have signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding to kick-off an ambitious three-year digital transformation programme in Rwanda aiming at harnessing Rwanda’s big data to enhance the Government’s digital capabilities and systems. Building

Platforms for employment
Digital Africa

Platforms for employment

Leveraging digital labour platforms to provide jobs for graduates in Nigeria Nigeria faces a huge challenge of unemployment, with 27% of the population out of work. Their graduates are one of the hardest-hit groups: In 2019, 36.3% of graduates lacked formal employment in Nigeria, which is higher than the overall

Digital platforms supporting MSMEs through Africa’s COVID-19 crisis
Digital Africa

Digital platforms supporting MSMEs through Africa’s COVID-19 crisis

The global COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the importance of connectedness – and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Africa are no exception. As MSMEs begin a path to recovery in 2021, digital platforms can be a way to get them reconnected. The impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs in Africa

Africa fintech radar
Digital Africa

Building the first pan-African fintech census and digital map

Africa Fintech Network (AFN), in partnership with global data analytics firm findexable and independent African think tank Cenfri, are launching the first pan-African fintech census and digital map to track fintech activity across the whole of Africa. The Africa Fintech Radar initiative will drive visibility and awareness of Africa’s fintech innovation ecosystems before a

Behavioural Science

Building foundations for new behavioural scientists in Africa

Behavioural science studies how people behave and tries to answer why they behave in the way they do. This is done by looking at how people process information and how context affects our decisions. Being aware of their customers’ decision-making processes can help financial services providers develop products that really

Digital app services in sub-Saharan Africa sees promising start
Behavioural Science

Digital app services in sub-Saharan Africa sees promising start

Expanded smartphone access in Africa underpins evolving consumer behaviour. Smartphone uptake in Africa is growing rapidly. GSMA reported that smartphone adoption in sub-Saharan Africa reached 45% in 2018 – nearly half a billion people – and is projected to reach 66% by 2025. To put that further into perspective, 623

How do we develop work-ready youth in a digital age?
Digital Africa

How do we develop work-ready youth in a digital age?

Although Kevin has a master’s degree in science and had been teaching ICT to secondary school students in Kenya for over 25 years, he scored just 61% on a digital skills test run by Cenfri. This test asked participants to research and digitally present a day trip to Nairobi for German