A Month in Tweets | February 2021 in the African tech ecosystem

Welcome back to  “A month in tweets”, where we look at the tweets that have catalysed conversations in the last month in the African tech space. 

From new appointments to new companies and verticals, here are 4 tweets that stirred conversations in the African tech space in February.

1. The rise of Clubhouse

If you haven’t heard of Clubhouse then you must be living under a rock. The mobile application, which is only available via iOS seems to have become increasingly popular amongst African business and technology enthusiasts in the past few months. As it is an invitation only application, it’s exclusivity originally drove users to the app, however it is now a one-stop shop for “tech bros” across the globe.

So what exactly is Clubhouse? Clubhouse is an audio-enabled social media platform where individuals can create virtual rooms in order to run virtual events in real time. So far, users have been running events of different genres spanning from parenting and women's health to relationships and technology. The app has been used for flirting, gossip, raising money for charity, and even pitching investors.

The application hosts 10 million users from around the world and is steadily being considered by brands as the latest strategy to gain visibility and build communities. It is also regularly mentioned by some of the key influencers in the African tech community. Are you on there yet?

2. The first female African Director General of the World Trade Organisation

We are indeed very proud of Dr Ngozi-Okonjo Iweala for becoming the first female and first African to be the Director General of the World Trade Organisation. She has made history and is now one of the most powerful women in the world!

Ngozi’s tenacity is second to none. She is an avid feminist and technology enthusiast who is passionate about Africa and making impact wherever she finds herself.This sentiment was echoed by many commentators when the news broke of her appointment. There was a collective pride among Nigerians and Africans worldwide at the significance and enormity of Dr Iweala’s new role, visible in the thousands of tweets generated by the news.

We are looking forward to all the great things she will accomplish whilst in office, particularly in the development of African trade and e-commerce.

3. Another stream of income for influencers?

Recently, Twitter announced that they will be introducing new features to the platform, such as “Super Follow”, where users can charge for tweets and extra features such as newsletter subscriptions, and “Communities”, a feature similar to Facebook Groups where users can join groups based on their interests. This will be a new way for the company to drive revenue growth, while empowering young creators on the platform.

This is great news for influencers because it means another stream of income for them. This will also encourage more individuals to utilise the Twitter platform, knowing that they can now monetise directly on the platform. But there were also thousands of tweets expressing uproar at the idea, with some saying they would not be using the platform if these changes are implemented.

So this new development poses the question - whose content will you pay for?

4. Are robots replacing humans?

A South African hotel has introduced a very interesting concept to help curb COVID-19 infection on their premises - they have opted to use robots as attendants, as this limits the chances of virus transmission to guests. 

This concept is already being used by hotels in Japan, however it may not be as readily accepted in Africa, as most people might be worried about losing their jobs to robots and the lack of personal touch in customer service. This is why guests can choose whether they want the help of robots, real staff members or make use of the self service option. However, they will need to stick to the option of the robot if they are showing any symptoms of the virus. Very interesting concept indeed - let’s see how it works out and if it is a trend that spreads continent wide, or indeed worldwide.

These tweets are just a few of the many that had us informed, entertained and inspired in the last month. For more tweets on the African tech start up space, follow us at @DiNNAfrica.