China’s role in the African tech market is rapidly evolving away from just being a source of low-cost electronics to becoming the indispensable player in the continent’s rapidly developing market for digital services, networking equipment and venture capital financing.
But the good also comes with the bad. Although Chinese companies like Transsion, Boomplay, Huawei and many others are launching one exciting product after another, these same firms are also taking advantage of Africa’s weak digital governance. Sensitive issues over data rights, online surveillance and digital privacy are largely ignored in most African countries.
This week, Eric & Cobus speak with Stephany Zoo, founder of the Nairobi-based China-Africa Tech Initiative and head of marketing and communications at AZA Finance, a currency trading firm located in Kenya, about what to expect in the China-Africa tech sector in 2020.
Show Notes:
- The South China Morning Post: 2019 has been a big year for Chinese VCs in Africa as they branch out into tech, logistics and e-commerce By Stephany Zoo
- TechCrunch: Opera’s Africa fintech startup OPay gains $120M from Chinese investors by Jake Bright
- Quartz Africa: A fresh crop of China’s most promising tech companies are looking to set up shop in Africa in 2020 by Alexandria Williams
Having lived on three continents, and working in tech, finance, and social impact, Stephany strives to create stories and processes that knit together diverse backgrounds. Currently, she is Head of Marketing at AZA, Africa’s largest FX platform, helping create more financial access and liquidity to the entire continent. She is also the founder of the China Africa Tech Initiatives, focusing on accelerating the tech industry as the next era of collaboration between China and Africa.
Entrepreneurial at heart, Stephany founded BUNDSHOP.com, an eCommerce site bringing Chinese designers to the western world, and League X, a boutique branding firm that represented fast-growing Chinese tech startups.
She helped launch SAP’s flagship SME product in China, as well as consulted for a number of Chinese SOE’s, including Ping’An and China Telecom. After founding Buzz & Bloom, a sex education platform for young Chinese women, and the League of Extraordinary Women, she is currently the executive director of Phoenix Risen, a nonprofit to bring men and women together to combat sexual violence. She graduated from Princeton with an undergraduate degree in Economics and East Asian Studies.
