MultiChoice Africa has launched its accelerator programme to provide training and growth opportunities to small and medium-sized businesses across the continent.
The programme is part of the MultiChoice Innovation Fund which targets start-ups and small businesses in the technology, health, tech, agritech, fintech, edutech, the circular economy, and creative industries.
The first phase of the programme engaged both the public and private sector partners in each country that nominated businesses or entrepreneurs for the programme.
From there, 29 of the start-ups embarked on an intensive virtual training course in December 2022.
Eleven companies have now been selected to proceed to the second phase of the programme, attending a dedicated boot camp in Lusaka, Zambia to learn more about how to shape their story for international investors, and to sell their business ideas to investors in Dubai.
Among the businesses are two start-ups are from Nigeria, an identity verification start-up Dojah and agri-tech company Crop2Cash. Others are South African business Botlhale AI and Gradesmatch.
Botlhale is a natural language processing tool provider and Gradesmatch is an edu-tech start-up.
Also in the list is Angolan on-demand quick-commerce platform Tupuca, Ethiopian home-service provider Taskmoby, Ivorian media tech company StarNews Mobile, Ghanaian social commerce start-up Tendo, Kenyan e-health start-up Zuri, Senegalese fintech business MaTontine, and Zambian credit platform Mighty Finance Solution.
MultiChoice Africa CEO Fhulufhelo Badugela said: “There’s no denying the impact African SMMEs [small, medium and micro enterprises] have on job creation and economic growth.
“Through the MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Programme, our vision is to take that impact and multiply it beyond what our start-up founders ever believed possible.
“I have no doubt that these small businesses will be able to take everything they’ve learned so far to unlock transformative business funding.”
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