African startups shines at Mobile World Congress

Six African startups showcased their businesses at the Mobile World Congress, the globe’s biggest connectivity event.
The event in Barcelona gathered more than 88,500 telecom operators, entrepreneurs, corporations, and public institutions to network and create meaningful partnerships through connectivity.

GSMA, which represents mobile network operators around the world, hosts the event. In September, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and GSMA launched a Working Group that aims to bring connectivity to more small businesses in underserved countries.

The companies from Benin, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia took part in the 4YFN innovation hall. The name comes from the vision of looking to the future, or 4 Years From Now.

Sparco, a Zambian start-up, took top honours by winning a global pitch battle for financial tech companies.

For the African tech start-ups, the exhibition was an opportunity to secure business opportunities and to showcase Africa technology beyond borders. Especially in Africa, with a large population that relies on mobile money rather than traditional banks, technology promotes financial inclusion and connects people to digital services.

The companies in the ITC Pavilion work in both financial (fintech) and marketing technology (martech). Travelling to Barcelona gave the firms greater visibility and a chance to further their close connections with telecoms, either as partners or clients.