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Africa’s inventor of the continent’s first medical tablet, the Cardiopad, Arthur Zang, could win a portion of the 93 million FCFA (150,000 USD) of 2015’s Prize for Innovation in Africa (PIA) held by the African Innovation Foundation (AIF).

The Cameroonian engineer who developed the tablet that facilitates cardiovascular testing with results being communicated remotely is among the 10 nominees for 2015’s Prize for Innovation in Africa out of 925 candidates from 41 African countries.

The final results will be announced on May 12 and 13 in Skhirat in Morocco, the country which the AIF has referred to as “becoming a platform for innovation in Africa.”

Zang grew up in Mbankomo, a town 22 kilometres from Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé. It had no running water and the electricity supply was intermittent. “During that time I learned to make do with little,” he says. Making it to university to study computer engineering in Yaoundé, he became fascinated by the potential of computers to changing lives. From his disadvantaged beginnings, he drew the motivation to solve problems that would leave humanity better off.

Zang felt he could best serve Cameroon by improving the health of its people. Conscious of the rising toll from heart disease caused by changing lifestyles and the difficulty of getting a reliable early diagnosis – especially in rural communities – he  designed a robust, portable, low-cost way to measure heart health, anywhere, any time. In 2014, his invention inspired U.S. business magazine Forbes to list Zang among the “30 most promising entrepreneurs in Africa”.

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Ngwa Bertrand

21.Apr.2015

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Africa’s inventor of the continent’s first medical tablet, the Cardiopad, Arthur Zang, could win a portion of the 93 million FCFA (150,000 USD) of 2015’s Prize for Innovation in Africa (PIA) held by the African Innovation Foundation (AIF).

The Cameroonian engineer who developed the tablet that facilitates cardiovascular testing with results being communicated remotely is among the 10 nominees for 2015’s Prize for Innovation in Africa out of 925 candidates from 41 African countries.

The final results will be announced on May 12 and 13 in Skhirat in Morocco, the country which the AIF has referred to as “becoming a platform for innovation in Africa.”

Zang grew up in Mbankomo, a town 22 kilometres from Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé. It had no running water and the electricity supply was intermittent. “During that time I learned to make do with little,” he says. Making it to university to study computer engineering in Yaoundé, he became fascinated by the potential of computers to changing lives. From his disadvantaged beginnings, he drew the motivation to solve problems that would leave humanity better off.

Zang felt he could best serve Cameroon by improving the health of its people. Conscious of the rising toll from heart disease caused by changing lifestyles and the difficulty of getting a reliable early diagnosis – especially in rural communities – he  designed a robust, portable, low-cost way to measure heart health, anywhere, any time. In 2014, his invention inspired U.S. business magazine Forbes to list Zang among the “30 most promising entrepreneurs in Africa”.

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Ngwa Bertrand

21.Apr.2015

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The Cameroonian subsidiary of the Nigeria-based United Bank of Africa (UBA) copped the 2015 “Prepaid Innovative Product of the Year”. The distinction was bestowed on the Cameroonian bank at Visa’s recent Prepaid Summit Middle East 2015 held in Dubai.

 

“I’m happy that UBA Cameroon was rewarded for its efforts in electronic payment development. By 2016, Africa will be the continent with the most electronic payments. In this regard, Visa provides a variety of innovative mobile banking services and solutions via its partnerships with global financial institutions and mobile telephone corporations, particularly with Samsung Pay and Apple Pay,” remarked Mohamed Touhami El Ouazzani, Visa’s Managing Director for Morocco and French-speaking Africa.

 

UBA Cameroon copped the prize because of its innovative “Cobranded Student ID Visa Prepaid” concept which aims to provide universities and students with a multipurpose Visa card. With this prepaid Visa card, UBA Cameroon signed three partnerships with the country’s top universities: Université de Douala, Université de Yaoundé 1 and Université de Yaoundé 2.

 

Currently, the Université de Douala students have 50,000 cards and close to 100,000 more cards are being made for Université de Yaoundé 1 and Université de Yaoundé 2. The card can also be used for student identification as it features the holder’s name, faculty and year.

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Ngwa Bertrand

20.Apr.2015

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According to the auditors’ report on the Central African States Bank (BEAC), Cameroon’s gold reserves were estimated to be a little over 29,954 ounces in December 31, 2014. These reserves had a monetary value of 19.5 billion FCF compared to 17 billion FCFA for the same period in 2013. This amounts to a 2.3 billion FCFA increase.

The report suggests that this increase in the gold reserves’ value can be attributed to the improvement in the price per ounce of gold on the international market as the precious metl was going for “994 euros per ounce (around 651,000 FCFA) at the end of 2014, against 875 euros (around 573,000 FCFA) in late 2013.”

Of the five CEMAC countries having gold reserves at the central bank, (according to the report, Equatorial Guinea has none), Cameroon possesses the largest quantity, far ahead of Gabon, which has 12,837 ounces in the BEAC. The Congo, the Central African Republic and Chad are almost the same: 11, 125 ounces.

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Ngwa Bertrand

19.Apr.2015

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According to Jeune Afrique, Marck President, Philippe Belin, recently signed a contract to supply military uniforms to Cameroon’s defence forces. Marck will fulfil the contract in partnership with a GDF Suez subsidiary. The contract’s value has not been disclosed.

Before Cameroon, the French group which specialises in uniform and equipment manufacturing for armed forces (the army, policemen, customs, firemen, forestry agents and prison officers) had already landed the Burundi army contract.

The Marck contract has been announced in Cameroon only weeks after the Cameroonia police decided to change uniforms. Indeed, since the month of March, Cameroon’s finest shed their famous brown uniform for another in dark grey.

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Ngwa Bertrand

19.Apr.2015

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Dangote cement has gone on sale in Cameroon! The Dangote 3X Cement graded 42.5R is produced from Dangote Cement Cameroon S.A. multi-billion industrial scientific complex at Bonaberi in Douala. Cameroon Concord can now reveal that the construction of the 1.5 million tons capacity per annum cement plant in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon is now a reality. Dangote Cement has a work force of 290 personnel, 13 expatriate staff and 167 contract staff.

The General Manager Abdullahi Baba told local and international media recently that once the project goes fully operational, Dangote Cement Cameroon S.A shall increase its staff to 500. He also revealed that an estimated 2,000 indirect jobs will be created soonest. 60,000 bags of cement is being sent out of the factory on a daily basis.

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Ngwa Bertrand

14.Apr.2015

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