In a bright, buzzing office in downtown Nairobi, visitors to Africa’s Talking are greeted by a “Karibu” welcome sign—in the shape of a motherboard. It hints at the mission and focus of the digital-services company where young men and women brainstorm within a maze of desks, discussing data science and the Internet of Things.
Walking briskly through the office, Business Development Manager Wiza Jalakasi gives names to different clusters of people. Some are storytellers. Others are data scientists and developers. Still others are administrative and business-development teams. Together, they have created Africa’s Talking—a firm that is unlocking the potential of mobile-communication networks across Africa by simplifying the process and technologies required to exploit them.
Through an online platform developed by Africa’s Talking, a company launching apps can set up an account and have instant access to multiple countries and their mobile operators and services. They can then promote their businesses in several ways: from text messages to mobile-money services to voice calls. Thanks to this six-year-old business, companies that used to spend months to meet regulatory requirements when launching an app can now do it in less than 15 minutes.
IFC made a $5 million equity investment in Africa’s Talking recently—part of our push to create markets that build up Africa’s digital economy. Africa’s Talking will use the investment to expand its reach across the continent.
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