Leading fashion brand, DC.ONE has opened its doors to the rest of Africa. Now shoe lovers in various African countries will be able to shop their favourite footwear styles online. Just in time for the Summer 2021 collection.

The pioneer shoe company, part of Dangee | Carken, is behind brands like ButterflyFeet, Miss Black, Urban Art, Roberto Morino, Via Beach, Rock + Co and Mazerata. They launched their online store over a year ago, catering to fashion-focussed South African’s directly.

Previously, the footwear retailer only delivered within the borders of South Africa. But many customers around the African continent were hungry to get their hands on styles from their brands.

DC.ONE was more than happy to oblige. As of September 2021, customers in Namibia, Mauritius, Lesotho, and Botswana can order their desired shoes from the online store.

Direct delivery from DC.ONE means that not only does the consumer get their new fashion footwear delivered to their front door, but they also don’t need to worry about things like import fees and customs issues.

The list of SADC countries that DC.ONE now caters to includes Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Estwani, Mauritius, Angola, Zimbabwe, Comores, Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Seychelles, and Tanzania.

In the 10 years since their inception, DC.ONE has prided itself on being first in fashion footwear, with the intention of one day leading fashion on the continent. Expanding their offering into the rest of Africa was the next logical step in achieving this goal.

The shoe company is focused not only on trend-seeking but also trendsetting. They are constantly innovating and evolving. And most importantly giving shoe lovers access to fashionable, comfortable and unforgettable footwear.

Whether you’re in South Africa, or one of the SADC countries, you can take full advantage of DC.ONE’s extensive portfolio. Enjoy access to some of South Africa’s leading fashion brands by visiting their website, dc1.co.za.

Johannesburg, May 2021 - The commemoration of Africa Day presents a unique opportunity for the affirmation and celebration of the history and ideals that spawned and sustained the movement towards economic integration, political unity, and liberation of the African continent.

Africa Day celebrations should be inspired by more than just inquisitiveness about the past and about politics. Though history and politics are still the basis of the celebrations, the celebration should also help us affirm our ingenuity, entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and excellence as progenies of the African soil. It is indeed true that much has been achieved on the political and economic front. In a similar vein, there is a lot that still needs to be done. We should pause, take stock, and embrace what has been achieved – with the sole understanding that this can lead us to achieve even more.

The African Union theme for 2021 is ‘“Building the Africa We Want.”  Local beverage manufacturer Twizza, with several international awards under its belt, its support of women and youth sport initiatives, its commitment to economic growth and responsible manufacturing processes, has cemented its position as a proudly South African and proudly African company.

Innovation is not always a big leap forward in evolution, sometimes it is a combination of finding the right elements’ and combining them to bring about change. This forms the cornerstone of the Twizza business model and a strategy that sets them head and shoulders above the bigger international production companies.

Twizza has put responsible manufacturing and sustainability at the top of its priorities ensuring they contribute to “Building an Africa They Want”.  They utilise solar power for their Queenstown plant where they have 2,700 panels covering 5,500 square meters generating 1.5 million KWH annually.

Lisle Clark, CEO of Twizza says “We have an eye for the latest technologies and efficiencies, and a demand for the best quality. Not only committed to provide affordable and accessible refreshment, we are also committed to sustainability, where we aim to have all of our factories using solar as an alternative form of energy by 2025.”Being a voluntary member of PET Recycling Company is another way in which Twizza is giving back by paying a voluntary levy to PETCO for every ton of PET that is converted since its inception in the early 2000s. Twizza’s investment into their manufacturing capabilities sees them able to produce their own products as well as retain the capacity needed to serve the local beverage market as a contract manufacturer producing beverages for a number of local players.

Another display of their commitment to South Africa and Africa is their support of the #BuyLocal Campaign as well as ensuring that the jobs of their employees were well protected, fully putting their weight behind rekindling the economy post- Covid-19 Lockdown and fulfilling their promise to “create a place where people want to and love to work”.

Despite competition from international soft drink brands, Twizza’s vision to become the “local refreshment of choice” and its dedication to innovation has seen the company grow to become one of South Africa’s most popular soft drink brands and are well set for growth across the continent and African Diaspora.

“In addition to this, when it comes to our customers and our consumers, we endeavour to not just deliver, but to go the extra mile,” adds Clark, “we want to obtain a deeper understanding of our consumer’s needs where our objective is to become a household South African name in the communities that we serve. Not only this, but we aim to win by becoming the supplier of choice, delivering on the explicit needs of our customers and outdoing our competitors. Africa is a unique continent, with an unmatched diversity and at Twizza we want to be equally as unique and diverse.”

With ingenuity and forward thinking like this, Twizza embodies African excellence  and contributing to “Building an Africa We Want.” 

The Impakt Fund Successfully Launches in Johannesburg, South Africa at the 12J Conference (For release after 31 January 2020) 

Many have an interest in investing in Africa-based businesses that both help the African people and deliver a financial return. The new Impakt Fund is focused on delivering just these kinds of win-win opportunities. 

31 January 2020 

The idea of solving problems while still making a profit is a remarkable and achievable one. Especially in Africa, where with experienced guidance many opportunities to support businesses with huge potential are presenting themselves. The Impakt Fund is an approved Section 12 J Company, and an impact investment platform for Africa with just this kind of powerful mission. In exciting news, The Impakt Fund recently successfully launched on January 31st, 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa at the 12J Conference at Melrose Arch, where they presented their innovative and intriguing vision, that can revolutionize the way mindful investors approach African development. The enthusiasm surrounding the launch is high and rising. 

“We believe that business is the tool that can help to sustainably solve Africa’s problems in quite dramatic ways,” commented a spokesperson from the fund. “We had an amazing experience meeting potential investors, and businesses at the 12J Conference who share our vision and exciting mission, we look forward to connecting with more in the days and years to come.” 

Some of the world’s most impressive business successes have voiced support for this kind of initiative. A prime example is Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, remarked, “Every risk is worth taking as long as it’s for a good cause and contributes to a good life.” 

The Impakt Fund is basing much of their drive around a very progressive concept that is inspiring increasing international interest and praise called the Business-as-a-Tool (BaaT) philosophy. This and more were discussed at the successful launch and The Impakt Fund continues their work to spread the BaaT message.

 The Impakt Fund is a proud initiative of the boutique management advisory firm the Grovation Group, who are trusted advisors for organizations looking for effective and innovative ways to solve the world’s problems. The Grovation Group is based in Cape Town, South Africa. For more information be sure to visit The Impakt Fund at http://www.impaktfund.com.

As it stands at the moment, Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to the adoption of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

View Bitcoin Price to South African Rand https://www.sashares.co.za/bitcoin-to-rand/

Africa’s interest in the currency is not translating into real-life use, and there are a variety of reasons why this is the case.Crypto experts are noticing something that could change this current start of cryptocurrency and there are even economists who are predicting that these currencies will be the next big economic innovation that will have a positive disruptive influence.The many advantages that the average African will experience are the exact reason why widespread adoption of Bitcoin is a likely reality.

Open a Free Bitcoin Wallet here https://www.luno.com/en/signup?utm_source=sashares&utm_medium=affiliate

1. Pegged against the dollar

 Even the strongest currencies in Africa struggle against the US dollar, the primary currency in which Bitcoin is traded. The Rand, in particular, is struggling more than ever, depreciating as the country tries to solve its current economic woes by simply creating more. Many Africans are looking for a way to add more value to their money and by converting cash into cryptocurrency, or by taking the extra step and mining it themselves, they can do just that. 

2. Instant payment between people

Awaiting payment slows down businesses and often some of the biggest banks on the continent have a delayed payment protocol while they do offer instant payment at an additional cost. Instant payment benefits both the payer and the payee and with cryptocurrency, this aspect is greatly beneficial to e-commerce in particular, which in emerging economies can go a long way towards encouraging entrepreneurship

3. Secure encrypted wallets More than 2 million people already have a secure Bitcoin wallet, which means there are already 2 million people ready to trade. Unlike the risks involved with cash and card transactions, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are safe to transact with and cannot be stolen or lost.

4. Bitcoin is fast becoming a part of many stock and wealth portfolios

Bitcoin and similar currencies are being used by all kinds of traders to diversify their portfolios and in most cases, they are enjoying a fairly good return on their investments. For many traders, Bitcoin has become an investment alternative it generally remains profitable. Global Stocks hasn’t outperformed bitcoin in 10 years

5. Africa already uses instant mobile payments Africans are no strangers to mobile currencies, which are just one step away from cryptocurrencies. Zimbabweans use EcoCash for just about all of their payment needs, continuing to buy and sell even though the country’s currency has collapsed. The framework is for the most part already in place for cryptocurrency to swoop in and make its mark. 

6. Bitcoin is down 60% from its all-time high price

This means that there has possibly never been a more affordable time for Africans to invest in Bitcoin. Past trends have shown that Bitcoin normally picks up again, and despite what the naysayers believe, the currency shows no sign of disappearing completely, or becoming financially nonviable, any time soon.

7. Supply and demand

Unlike other currencies which tend to supply a nearly limitless amount of notes and coins, Bitcoin is governed by a supply and demand set up. There are only 21 million Bitcoins in existence and demand has the power to drive up the currency value

8. Crypto is becoming mainstream with Bitcoin in the forefront. 

Although not everyone knows or understands the complexities of these currencies, if you were to ask anyone what cryptocurrency is, their answer is likely to be Bitcoin. This is because Bitcoin has become the name synonymous with cryptocurrencies of all kinds and when people hear that there is money to be made, they take an interest.

9. Bitcoin is decentralized and not governed by any government institution. This is arguably one of the most appealing things about Bitcoin. A decentralized currency of this kind protects users from bank collapses, bank fees and various bank policies that affect the value of their currency or determine how and to whom they may make transactions. A decentralized currency is also untouched by geographical borders and will enjoy cheaper international transactions. This type of currency is also unaffected by both inflation and deflation because it doesn’t belong to one single country.

10. Bitcoin is unaffected by global recessions The global economy is on the brink of collapse as a massive amount of debt and economic downturn characterize many economies. Numerous economists are expecting a crash bigger than that of 2008 to come sooner rather than later. centralized currencies are certainly in the firing line when this happens, but the decentralized cryptocurrencies are at the moment the safest option for anyone wanting to protect their wealth.

Water is fast becoming Africa’s most important currency and Fab Tanks has joined the ranks of water storage tanks solutions companies in playing a significant role in contributing to the success in Agriculture, Business, Industry and Mining sectors in African countries as well as to keep communities running.

In a world where water will determine who thrives and who doesn’t, who you bank with will make all the difference.

Fab Tanks was founded by then founder, now Executive Chairman, Mannie Ramos Senior. During the time when Fab Tanks was established, few people had ever heard of the term ‘climate change’, much less knew what its consequences would mean to the normal running of businesses and communities. But Mannie identified that many communities lacked access to adequate water supplies and that many others faced future water shortages without urgent planning.

With uncanny foresight, Mannie Senior anticipated the increased frequency of water scarcity and, more importantly, the need to be able to supply clean water to Africa’s businesses and communities via to enable them to successfully operate even in times of a water shortage.

More than 35 years later when drought and changes in rainfall patterns have become more and more commonplace, Fab Tanks has emerged as the definitive leader in the design, manufacture and installation of innovative water storage tanks.

  Their expertise, on-the-ground experience and exceptional service has taken Fab Tanks far beyond Southern Africa to more than 35 countries. The Fab Tanks brand is well-known and trusted throughout Africa and beyond.

As the leader in providing innovative water storage tanks solutions in Southern Africa for many years, Fab Tanks has become known as a ‘water bank’, providing an economical, convenient and stable supply of water to protect every community in Africa from the risk.Our ‘water banks’ act like a ‘savings account’ so that businesses and communities have the water they need to keep running, even in times of water scarcity.

That’s why Fab Tanks is contributing to the world’s first bank for the business of water and the leader in supplying hygienic water storage solutions.

We collaborate with industrial and commercial property development companies, engineering and mining sectors, fire control companies, farms, corporates and local government municipalities to ensure a stable supply of clean water.

Fab Tanks provides different types of ‘water banks’ - Circular tanks, agricultural water tanks, mining water storage tanks, desalinations water storage tanks, fire protection water tanks, low cost housing water tanks.

Like a bank, Fab Tanks manages risk to deliver the most secure and long-lasting ‘water bank’ on the market by building quality into every part of the process.

Visit our website here to request a quote

Cape Town, South Africa (CNN) Britain's Duke and Duchess of Sussex brought their son Archie to his first official engagement Wednesday -- a meeting with Nobel laureate and retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Marking his South African debut, four-month-old Archie met the beloved 87-year-old statesman when the family visited his legacy foundation in Cape Town.

The Sussexes are midway through a 10-day trip to southern Africa on behalf of the UK government.Footage posted to the official Sussex Royal Instagram account revealed the much-anticipated moment -- to the delight of royal fans around the world.Baby Archie could be seen being cradled by his mother Meghan as the family of three walked down a corridor to meet Tutu and his daughter, Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe.

Beaming from ear to ear, Meghan cooed "here we go" at the bouncing baby boy in her arms while proud father Harry looked on in delight.Harry then started making sounds as the family continued on to the meeting, prompting a squeal of amusement from his young son.Once welcomes were taken care of, the group went inside and sat down on sofas surrounding a coffee table laden with an impressive display of snacks.

The group shared a laugh over the number of cameras clamoring to get shots of the young royal. Harry quipped that "he is used to it already," according to Britain's PA Media news agency."He's an old soul," Meghan said of four-month-old Archie.

Tutu-Gxashe joked, "You like the ladies," to the baby, adding: "He's going to be a ladies' man."During the meeting -- which lasted roughly half an hour -- Tutu said he was "thrilled" by the "rare privilege and honor" of meeting the young British royals, PA Media also reported.

Wednesday was not the first time Prince Harry has met the retired archbishop.In 2015, he presented the South African statesman with the Insignia of an Honorary member of the Order of the Companions of Honour on behalf of the Queen, recognizing his services to UK communities and International Peace and Reconciliation.

Tutu, the first black archbishop of Cape Town, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end apartheid.Following the meeting, the couple's official Instagram account shared several photos from the engagement with a message from Meghan and Harry saying, "Thank you Archbishop Tutu for your incredibly warm hospitality, Archie loved meeting you!

The account also shared some video highlights from the encounter, including a heartwarming moment of Tutu asking Archie for a high five and another of him busting out a few dance moves in an attempt to grab the youngster's attention from across the coffee table. Later, Meghan attended her first engagements in Cape Town without Harry, who has traveled on to Botswana. One of the events was a visit to mothers2mothers (m2m), a charity training women with HIV to work as frontline health workers.

Twenty-nine-year-old Limpho Nteko, one of the women m2m has helped train as one of their "mentor mothers," welcomed the duchess to the engagement."It was such an honor to meet the Duchess of Sussex in person and share with her the incredible and important work that we do as mothers2mothers," she said in an m2m statement.

"It was an opportunity to shine a light on the impact we have had and the lives we have changed but also to highlight the hard work that still lies ahead to ensure that we create a generation that is healthy and free from HIV."Meghan took an opportunity at the event to give away some of Archie's clothes that she had brought from the United Kingdom."I just thought that, in the spirit of community, what's so nice is to be able to share some of the things that we have at home as well," the duchess explained. "We can obviously make sure anything you need is provided for you, but we've brought some of the things that my friends and I used for our kids and Archie that don't fit anymore.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have opened up to well-wishers at other engagements earlier this week about parenting Archie.

Tuesday afternoon, Meghan and Harry marked Heritage Day, a public holiday that celebrates South Africa's diversity of cultural traditions and beliefs, with a tour of the Bo-Kaap neighborhood in Cape Town.While there, they visited the home of Shaamila Samoodien for tea. Samoodien's sister, 61-year-old Nazli Edross-Fakier, told CNN that Meghan said "Archie is the most calm, beautiful, easy baby.

"Edross-Fakier added that the new mother also told her "he travels well" and slept most of the time on her chest."And then daddy said, 'He's come alive, he's shouting and screaming and carrying on,'" Edross-Fakier said.A royal source told CNN ahead of the tour that the Sussexes were hoping to include their son "at some point" but had been unable to say exactly when, as his age made a public appearance difficult to schedule.

Archie is thought to be youngest royal to go on an official tour, taking the title from his cousin, Prince George, who traveled with his parents to Australia in 2014 when he was eight months old. 

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/25/africa/archie-royal-africa-tour-gbr-intl/index.html

Robin Watson, Managing Director South Africa for MAN Energy Solutions will deliver a keynote presentation next month at #SSAPOW19 and also talk about Man Energy Solutions range of engine and turbine-based power solutions.

The Southern Africa Power Summit will provide a platform to address some key challenges of improving ageing power infrastructure, developing new power infrastructure, renewable power innovations, gas to power technologies, transmission & distribution solutions, more cost effective temporary power solutions and much more.

We will bring together Ministries of Power & Energy, State Power providers, Public – Private partnerships (PPP), Independent Power Producers (IPP’s) and key solution providers to tackle some of the most pressing issues within the African Power industry.

In the Sub Continent region power companies will be looking toward the strategy for increased power capacity: Eskom, ZESCO, Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM), NamPower, TANESCO, Southern African Power Pool, Botswana Power Corporation, SNEL, RNT and many more.

Meet the key decision makers from The Southern Africa Power Industry for 3 days of panel discussions, workshops,1-2-1 business meetings and networking. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details to register. 

STEAG GmbH Energy Services confirm as Roundtable Sponsor for the upcoming 5th Annual Southern Africa Power Summit 2019! #SSAPOW19 

“THE 3 PILLARS OF ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA – REGULATION  FINANCING & TECHNOLOGY” 

The Southern Africa Power Summit hosted by Vale Media Group, the number 1 Africa Focused B2B events company, will provide a platform to address some key challenges of improving ageing power infrastructure, developing new power infrastructure, renewable power innovations, gas to power technologies, transmission & distribution solutions, more cost effective temporary power solutions and much more.

We will bring together Ministries of Power & Energy, State Power providers, Public – Private partnerships (PPP), Independent Power Producers (IPP’s) and key solution providers to tackle some of the most pressing issues within the African Power industry. In the Sub Continent region power companies will be looking toward the strategy for increased power capacity: Eskom, ZESCO, Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM), NamPower, TANESCO, Southern African Power Pool, Botswana Power Corporation, SNEL, RNT and many more.

29th -31st October 2019, The Vineyard Hotel, Cape Town. 

For more information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or go to www.ssapower.com

It doesn’t look like the hub of an online bank. But that’s what the yellow and blue metal kiosk becomes when Albert Agane locks himself behind the metal bars every day at 6am.

From his perch along a dusty suburban thoroughfare in Accra, the 28-year-old helps fellow Ghanaians withdraw or deposit cash for accounts they operate from their mobile phones. All they need do is text.

Mobile money is the fastest-growing source of income for wireless-network operators like MTN and Vodafone’s Safaricom unit, outpacing data since many Africans don’t have the latest smartphones. They need agents like Agane because ATMs and bank branches are out of reach, or too costly. “In a village, where there are no banks, you can go to an agent and transact,” said Agane, who earns a commission of about 1% for moving as much as 20 000 cedis ($3 700) a day.

“Once people have phones there’s no need for a bank account.”The service has become an indispensable part of how Africa’s 1.2 billion people live, from buying funeral cover to borrowing money. The number of registered users in Ghana soared 11-fold between 2013 and 2017, International Monetary Fund data shows. Across the continent in Kenya, where it was pioneered, the value of such transactions amounts to almost half of gross domestic product, according to the World Bank.Sub-Saharan Africa has more mobile-money accounts than anywhere else in the world with about 396 million registered users at the end of 2018, a 14% increase from a year earlier, according to the GSM Association.

As it catches on around the world, South Asia saw 29% growth in 2018, and it was 38% for East Asia and the Pacific.“There are a lot of partnership opportunities with immense revenue potential for both mobile-network operators and banks,” said Patrick Quantson, head of digital transformation at the Accra-based unit of Standard Bank, Africa’s largest lender. “The mass appeal of mobile-money services and the mode of delivery also presents an opportunity to scale financial products to all market segments, at incredibly lower costs.”

It’s easy to see why Agane-one of 182 000 mobile-money agents-is busier than the ATMs around Ghana’s capital city. There are more than 1 740 such outlets per 100 000 people in the country, compared with only 11.7 ATMs and 8.7 bank branches, the IMF data show. “We’ve seen that people in the informal sector, who would have kept their money under pillows, move into mobile money,” said Eli Hini, general manager for mobile financial services at MTN Ghana, which controls about 78% of the active-customer market.

“Now, when there are floods people don’t lose their money. They’d rather get interest paid on it.” Banks don’t lose out because the mobile-phone companies park deposits with them, giving them cheaper access to funding.MTN and Sanlam, Africa’s largest insurer, last month announced that the continent’s biggest wireless network operator will offer funeral and other life-cover products through its digital channels spanning 237 million subscribers in 21 markets. Vodafone’s Johannesburg-based Vodacom Group last year bought a stake in Safaricom, based in Nairobi, from its parent to gain access to its M-Pesa money-transfer service, helping to double earnings from financial services. Vodacom last year made 11 billion transactions worth R2trn to 36 million customers.

The potential stretches to Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt, where reforms could add 110 million mobile-money accounts in the next five years, the GSM Association said in February. There’s more to come, said Martison Obeng-Agyei, who heads Vodafone Cash in Accra. There were about 31 million mobile-voice subscriptions in the country of 29 million people, and 12.1 million active mobile-money accounts at the end of 2017, from just 345 400 five years ago, Bank of Ghana data show.

“There’s huge prospects,” he said. “One of the things that was lacking in our financial system was the ability to move funds around. Businesses have been established because of mobile money.” While Agane hasn’t been robbed in his four years as an agent, he stays alert. A company comes around to exchange hard cash for electronic money to lower the chances of being targeted, like a vendor Agane heard of across town, who was attacked with a cutlass.

“There are so many risks,” he said, especially with the kiosk open until 9pm. “But there’s no jobs. If you don’t do it, there will be no food on your table.”

Source: https://www.fin24.com/Companies/ICT/mobile-phones-are-replacing-bank-accounts-in-africa-20190813

Details regarding the speaker line-up and agenda for BigFive Summit have been announced. Cape Town will play host to the Summit from 13 – 15 May 2019 where pioneers in the provision of digital media and marketing technology solutions to the region’s SMEs will converge for three exciting days of knowledge-sharing, networking and debate. The overarching purpose is to explore how media, mobile and technology vendors, and their agencies, can work together to drive and promote technology adoption for literally millions of local businesses across Africa and the Middle East.

With an estimated 40 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa and the Middle East (AME), it should come as no surprise that our continent is supporting a vibrant and fast-growing ecosystem of media, telecoms, financial and software companies eager to bring these businesses into the digital age. 

Enter BigFive Summit, a first-of-its-kind for Africa, designed by and for companies engaged in the supply, sale and servicing of digital marketing and productivity solutions to SMEs across the Africa/Middle East region.

Hosted by BigFive Digital, one of the foremost thought-leadership enterprises connecting AME media and tech companies to SMEs, the event will assemble an exciting mix of media, tech and digital stakeholders, influential thought-leaders, and disruptive start-ups to address the five key elements fueling the rise and growth of the AME digital ecosystem – Search, Social, Mobile, Location, and Payments.

The event features a number of exciting and influential speakers, each of which is an experts or pioneer in their respective fields:

Katlego Maphai is the Co-Founder and CEO of revolutionary South African innovation Yoco. Maphai has overcome many hurdles to build a payments solution that today powers tens of thousands of small businesses in SA by providing an easily accessible and easy-to-use platform to help start, run and grow your business.

Louw Barnardt is the Co-Founder and MD of Outsourced CFO. In 2017, he was nominated as one of FastCompany’s Most Innovative Companies of the Year, and in 2018 received the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Outsourced CFO is disrupting traditional financing and accounting practices for SMEs providing cloud-based services, combining integrity and professional excellence.

Gustav Praekelt is the Founder and CEO of South African Praekelt Group. He is a passionate believer that mobile technology will transform Africa. While spearheading groundbreaking work in the digital arena, Gustav established the Praekelt Foundation, to develop scalable mobile solutions for social good, whose programmes have reached over 100 million people across 30 countries.

Brendan King is Co-Founder and CEO of Vendasta Technologies, a Saskatoon Canada-based multi-award-winning platform for the sales and fulfilment of digital solutions. Vendasta partners with almost every major digital brand, including Google and Facebook, and is the platform of choice for many of the leading marketing agencies in North America.

Nick Grubb is Chief Executive: Radio at Kagiso Media, one of South Africa’s largest media owners. Nick oversees radio operations at Kagiso, including two of the country’s largest independent stations, Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio. A Bachelor in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University, Nick’s entire career has been in media, and he is expertly placed to talk about the changing dynamics of media consumption across AME.O

ther confirmed speakers include:

Chantelle Bowyer, CEO, Metis Online (South Africa)

Cheryl Ingram, Digital Marketing Director, The Digital Media Collective (South Africa)

Adi Engel, CBDO, vCita (Israel)

Trevor Harries-Jones, CEO, Yola (South Africa & USA)

George Leith, CRO, Vendasta (Canada)

Sandy Lohr, CEO, Matchcraft (USA)

Lyndon Munetsi, CRO, Trudon (South Africa)

Trevor Nadeau, CEO, Local Knowledge (Dubai)

Sohail Nawaz MBE, Former CEO ACS Media (Bahrain)

Magnus Rademeyer, Managing Director, AfriGIS (South Africa)

Ezana Raswork, Founder and MD, Africa 118 (Kenya)

Lunga Siyo, CEO, Trudon (South Africa)

Daryl Van Arkel, CEO, BPS & Vicinity Media (South Africa)

The speaker list also features:

Thabo Seopa and Paul Plant, two of the Co-Founders of BigFive Digital, hosts of BigFive Summit.

BigFive Summit promises to be an informative event packed to the brim with topics highly relevant to any company selling or servicing technology solutions to the region’s SMEs, including:

Why Africa is Poised for a Small Business Revolution

How Industry Leaders View the AME Digital Opportunity (results of Exec Survey)

The Changing Face of Media & Solution Selling

The Local Customer Journey 2019

The Payments Revolution and the Transforming of Africa’s Small Business Ecosystem

Transforming Business Results with Location Insights

Time for Local Radio to Tune-In to the Digital Opportunity

Running a Digital Agency in an Automated Age

The Impact of Data/AI and Machine Learning on Local Commerce

Messaging Apps and Conversational Commerce

Unlocking the Location Data Opportunity

Can SEO Work for Very Small Businesses?

The Importance of Reputation Management

BigFive Start-up Showcase – A Peek at the Next Wave of Disruptors

The Unfiltered Truth – SMEs Talking Digital Transformation

The Service Imperative – Preventing Customer Churn

The Do’s and Don’ts of Search & Social Marketing

The Path to Ecommerce for Small Businesses

Details of the Event: BigFive Summit 2019

The Summit will take place from 13 - 15 May 2019 at Workshop 17 in the prestigious V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and will feature some of the finest digital practitioners sharing strategic insights, best practices, and practical guidance for success, through a series of engaging presentations, tactical sessions and networking forums. 

With two cocktail receptions, plus a networking dinner all included in the package, delegates will have an opportunity to engage with like-minded companies, eager to promote and sustain the local commerce landscape.

To register as a delegate, join our list of speakers or learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit: www.bigfivedigital.org/summit 

Executive Survey – Respondents will receive a Discount Code to attend BigFive Summit

BigFive Summit is currently running an Executive Survey to gauge how leaders inside companies who serve or sell to SMEs view the digital opportunity. The full findings of the survey will be presented at BigFive Summit. Anyone working in this space is encouraged to participate in the survey. The more responses we receive, the better.

All contributors to the survey will receive a discount code on tickets to the event.

Take the survey here: http://bit.ly/ExecutiveSurvey

ENDS 

For more information about BigFive Summit or this press release, please contact:

Mika Stanvliet | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | 081 534 6237  

About BigFive Digital:

BigFive Digital was created to support digital media and technology solutions providers serving local SMEs throughout Africa & The Middle East. The Africa/Middle East region is enjoying a period of sustained economic growth. Every major indicator is predicted to perform above global averages for the next decade, with the region boasting six of the world’s ten fastest growing national economies*. Local digital commerce is widely recognized as a lead indicator of a healthy and growing modern economy.*Sources: The Economist; The UN; The World Bank; McKinsey & Co.BigFive Digital has been co-founded by four highly respected global media and digital commerce executives: Thabo Seopa, Paul Plant, Charles Laughlin, and Oscar Sousa Marques. Collectively, they have spent more than a century experiencing digital transformation, witnessing first-hand the impacts of disruptive innovations in local marketing and commerce in various countries all over the world.  

For more information about BigFive Digital, visit: https://bigfivedigital.org/ 

About BigFive Summit:

Hosted by BigFive Digital, BigFive Summit is a knowledge-sharing and networking event for companies that provide digital marketing and technology solutions to local businesses across Africa & The Middle East. The Summit is built around the five pillars that support local commerce, namely: Search, Social, Mobile, Location and Payments. It is these five sectors that are fueling the rapid rise and growth of digital and technology adoption across the region. Any company with a vested interest in this exciting ecosystem is invited to join us in Cape Town, from 13-15 May 2019.

For more information about the Summit, please visit: https://bigfivedigital.org/summit/