Techy w̶i̶n̶t̶e̶r̶ ❄🎄 💻- Issue #128

Hello Venturer, Compliments of the season. Christmas is here, and so is winter, harmattan. For many Techy w̶i̶n̶t̶e̶r̶ ❄🎄 💻- Issue #128 By [VA Weekly]( • Issue #128 • [View online]( Hello Venturer, Compliments of the season. Christmas is here, and so is winter, harmattan. For many of us living in sub-Saharan Africa, what we often associate with winter is Christmas. But that’s not all there is. Although the sun looks bigger in winter, severe cold persists, plants stop growing, the night gets longer, and some animals hibernate. A similar occurrence happened early in the year when winter winds blew in some American and Asian tech economies, causing a sharp decline in VC funding. In the regions, VC funding stood at $39 billion, down 20 per cent from $49 billion a year earlier in May 2021. But Africa was the only region to record three-digit growth in the first quarter of 2022. As the Russian-Ukraine war and a mutating COVID-19 virus in China continue to trigger global inflation and reduce investor confidence, is winter coming for African Fintechs? Ishioma Emi Staff Writer, Ventures Africa. What's New? AFIS: Is winter coming for African fintechs? The growth of Africa’s tech ecosystem is one of the best things happening on the continent. Tech jobs are in high demand globally, but there are not so many qualified people to fill in these roles. Consequently, there is a global scramble for the few available talents. [Read more.]( US-Africa Summit: Why the US is pushing for Chinese debt transparency in Africa? Last year, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) reported that China’s Ministry of Commerce created 25 economic and trade cooperation zones in 16 African countries. But the China debt burden is becoming too heavy for many emerging economies. [Read more.]( My Pivot Journal: How Evelyn Falaye dropped farming for graphics design. My transition to tech was not planned and it was also not easy. When I started learning graphics design, all I had was my phone. I didn’t have a laptop. There was always no power supply. I attended to my assignments at night because of my farming job. [Read more.]( Seven charts that explain Nigeria's economic state. Oil is Nigeria’s primary source of revenue. But now the country has reached its lowest productivity levels since 1999. And it’s even more concerning that the government-owned refineries don’t work, but it trades crude oil for petrol.[Read more.]( Weekly Economic Index: A bullish summit, a loan bailout, and the world’s longest subsea cable. The International Monetary Fund has agreed to a $3 billion loan to Ghana to get the West African nation’s debt under control, restore financial stability and help people most at risk from rising prices and other economic problems. Ghana has experienced more than 40 per cent inflation, growing debt, and a sharp currency decline. [Read more.]( Our Weekly Collectibles - Where do we draw the line between journalism and PR? Find out in [the invasion of corporate news]( - The Noks are known for being the earliest iron-making people. But there is more to them. Discover [the Nok culture]( like never before. - Think you experienced the best of the world cup event? Think again. Discover blind spots from the world’s biggest sports event in [Max Pinickers’s spectacular world cup.]( - From a mysterious human tooth to discovering primordial galaxies, discover the [22 most amazing discoveries of 2022.]( VA BIZ HIVE: The Agric Issue. The need for a technological footprint has given rise to an agritech ecosystem on the continent. Startups in this space are proferring technological solutions to problems faced in the agricultural sector with ultra-modern technologies like drones, automated irrigation systems, soil sensors, etcetera. [Read more.]( #VANUGGET Remember to stay safe! Did you enjoy this issue? [VA Weekly]( By [VA Weekly]( Ventures Africa is an online business news site and community that produces stories about an evolving Africa. Our stories inspire people to positively shape their environment. We cover business, policy, innovation and culture in Africa. [Tweet](    [Share]( In order to unsubscribe, click [here](. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe [here](. Powered by [Revue](