Cenfri contributes to building the fundamentals of welfare-enhancing digital economies. We prioritise digital transformation that is inclusive, sustainable, opportunity-creating and has appropriate safeguards. Digital transformation underpins much of our work and ranges from payments digitalisation to digital economy diagnostics, and digital skills assessments to direct digitalisation support.
Cenfri also collaborates with policymakers and other public and private sector stakeholders in data-driven decision-making that is calibrated to the data available and is designed to strengthen the existing skills and data governance processes within these organisations. The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme is our flagship evidence-informed policymaking and data-for-decisions intervention, but we have considerable experience in using evidence to generate insights and inform policymaking and business decision-making with a view to improved economic development outcomes. Our expertise in data, payments and digital identity enables us to contribute to current DPI (digital public infrastructure) conversations.
App usage in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa data signals digitalisation of Africa’s economic exchanges Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa are leading digital app markets in Africa. The relatively high levels of app usage across these markets are driven by expanded smartphone penetration, as well as higher levels of access
We recently spoke to the country manager for Bolt in South Africa, Gareth Taylor. Bolt is a digital platform that provides ride-hailing and scooter-sharing services, and it has more than 25 million users in over 30 countries[1]. Gareth has a long history in social entrepreneurship, having previously worked as the
We set out to understand the dynamics and factors enabling the three top innovation ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa: Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos. With a growing number of tech start-ups, hubs, accelerators and investors, Lagos has put itself on the map as an important innovation ecosystem in Africa. Through our
Payment facilities underpin scaling of Africa’s digital platforms. Digital platforms, also known as multi-sided marketplaces, are seamlessly matching customers to suppliers of goods and services in e-commerce and other emerging industries, thereby creating new pathways for individuals to participate in the digital economy. At the heart of the rapid rise
At the beginning of this year, we set out to understand what makes innovation ecosystems tick. We wanted to uncover the factors that might turn a city into an engine room for tech innovation and commercialisation, by using a systems mapping approach to make sense of Africa’s top innovation cities:
Webinar: Livelihoods of workers on e-hailing platforms The sustainability of e-hailing platforms is coming under question, and as Africa grapples with the COVID-19 crisis, platform margins have come under immense pressure. Some e-hailing platforms have responded by rapidly readjusting their offering, leveraging their last-mile delivery networks to pivot into logistics
What enables tech innovation ecosystems to flourish? Innovations of all kinds contribute to greater economic growth, and tech innovations, in particular, can increase digital inclusion for individuals. But this doesn’t happen in a vacuum. For an innovation ecosystem to flourish, you need tech-savvy entrepreneurs, access to finance and a balanced
The construction sector – which accounts for 4.5% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa – forms a critical component of economies, but it faces significant challenges related to shortages of skilled labour, low technology adoption, and payment disputes. Partly supported by digital platforms, digitisation and associated data infrastructure support contractors and
Digital platforms are a quick and convenient way to match prospective customers to gig workers, and more than 50% of a surveyed[1] sample of mobility workers in Nigeria said that they were better able to reach customers through joining an e-hailing platform. To put this into perspective, web traffic data
A qualitative case study on the level of youth digital skills in Kenya – Are Kenyans tech savvy? Known as “Silicon Savannah,” Kenya’s ICT sector has grown by an average of 10.8% annually since 2016 according to the World Bank. The sector is becoming a significant source of economic development
App usage in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa data signals digitalisation of Africa’s economic exchanges Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa are leading digital app markets in Africa. The relatively high levels of app usage across these markets are driven by expanded smartphone penetration, as well as higher levels of access
We recently spoke to the country manager for Bolt in South Africa, Gareth Taylor. Bolt is a digital platform that provides ride-hailing and scooter-sharing services, and it has more than 25 million users in over 30 countries[1]. Gareth has a long history in social entrepreneurship, having previously worked as the
We set out to understand the dynamics and factors enabling the three top innovation ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa: Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos. With a growing number of tech start-ups, hubs, accelerators and investors, Lagos has put itself on the map as an important innovation ecosystem in Africa. Through our
Payment facilities underpin scaling of Africa’s digital platforms. Digital platforms, also known as multi-sided marketplaces, are seamlessly matching customers to suppliers of goods and services in e-commerce and other emerging industries, thereby creating new pathways for individuals to participate in the digital economy. At the heart of the rapid rise
At the beginning of this year, we set out to understand what makes innovation ecosystems tick. We wanted to uncover the factors that might turn a city into an engine room for tech innovation and commercialisation, by using a systems mapping approach to make sense of Africa’s top innovation cities:
Webinar: Livelihoods of workers on e-hailing platforms The sustainability of e-hailing platforms is coming under question, and as Africa grapples with the COVID-19 crisis, platform margins have come under immense pressure. Some e-hailing platforms have responded by rapidly readjusting their offering, leveraging their last-mile delivery networks to pivot into logistics
What enables tech innovation ecosystems to flourish? Innovations of all kinds contribute to greater economic growth, and tech innovations, in particular, can increase digital inclusion for individuals. But this doesn’t happen in a vacuum. For an innovation ecosystem to flourish, you need tech-savvy entrepreneurs, access to finance and a balanced
The construction sector – which accounts for 4.5% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa – forms a critical component of economies, but it faces significant challenges related to shortages of skilled labour, low technology adoption, and payment disputes. Partly supported by digital platforms, digitisation and associated data infrastructure support contractors and
Digital platforms are a quick and convenient way to match prospective customers to gig workers, and more than 50% of a surveyed[1] sample of mobility workers in Nigeria said that they were better able to reach customers through joining an e-hailing platform. To put this into perspective, web traffic data
A qualitative case study on the level of youth digital skills in Kenya – Are Kenyans tech savvy? Known as “Silicon Savannah,” Kenya’s ICT sector has grown by an average of 10.8% annually since 2016 according to the World Bank. The sector is becoming a significant source of economic development
