In a rapidly evolving world, regulatory bodies often have trouble keeping up with the pace of business and technology innovation – especially when it comes to fintech. To allow for innovation while protecting potential customers, governments across the globe – and across Africa – have designed “regulatory sandboxes.”
Henri Nyakarundi was born in Rwanda, grew up in Burundi, and moved to the United States at nineteen to study computer science. After spending over a decade in Atlanta and founding several businesses in the States, Henri went back to Rwanda on vacation and felt the pull to come back home. Following several years of researching and working on his idea, Henri moved to Rwanda. He founded ARED, a company that provides green solutions to expand digital access and electricity connectivity in Africa and now operates in four countries.
Emmanuel Lahai is a 21 year old entrepreneur from Sierra Leone. After a year of studying civil engineering in Sierra Leone, Lahai won a scholarship to continue his degree in China where he founded Send Me, a business to help Sierra Leoneans buy Chinese-made products online. Now, Send Me is shifting its focus towards facilitating e-commerce within Africa, with the long term goal of connecting small businesses throughout the continent with consumers from all over the world.
Agricultural companies that research native crops in Africa can position themselves for success both in Africa and globally. By finding more efficient ways of storing and processing native crops, companies can sell these indigenous crops to the growing urban population on the continent while supporting local farmers. By researching the health benefits of native crops, agribusinesses might discover new superfoods to be marketed globally.