What You Need to Know to Travel to Africa

January 31, 2023 Yura

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. For more information check out our Advertising Disclosure.

A safari is on nearly every traveler’s bucket list, and if you’re willing to jump through the necessary hoops to get to Africa, it can be an epic experience. But I’ve also seen firsthand that planning a trip to Africa for a safari is not for the faint of heart.

Last year, I traveled to the Masai Mara region of Kenya for a safari as part of my honeymoon. The Masai Mara is, in my opinion, the easiest place to plan a safari – and one of the best to see the most wildlife, too. It’s a great starting point for anyone looking to take a safari trip.

Even so, the planning process felt a bit overwhelming. In the end our trip went off (mostly) without a hitch. Now I’m here to help you do the same.

If you’re considering traveling to Africa, advance preparation is key. Here are my safari planning tips to help you put together a stress-free trip to the Masai Mara this year or next.

Why the Masai Mara?

I’m tempted to just let a few of my photos answer the question: Why should I plan my safari trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya?

A lot went into the decision to plan my honeymoon in the Masai Mara instead of one of the other popular safari sites in Africa.

The Masai Mara, also known as the Mara, is one of the most popular safari destinations in the world, and for good reason. It’s a relatively small area compared to the neighboring Serengeti (about 10 times bigger than the Mara) for instance, but the animal populations there are thriving.

The Masai Mara is 583 square miles, so it’s not exactly an intimate setting either. Yet there are an estimated 850 to 900 lions in that area alone, and the safari guides know exactly how to find them.

The end result: You don’t have to drive far to find wildlife activity in the Masai Mara.

You can get right up close and personal to the animals, too. The wildlife are used to humans and are completely unthreatened by us because they’re protected. While poaching and hunting of these animals used to be a problem, it’s been all but completely eradicated in the region, according to our guides.

The Masai people are strict conservationists with a spiritual attachment to the land. It’s a beautifully maintained region of Africa, making it possibly the most fertile wildlife-spotting region in the world.

And the access to this land is amazing. Every safari outfitter and safari lodge has a fleet of trucks like the one above. These trucks are durable and can drive almost everywhere. We logged

… Read More... Read More

The path to a zero-emission automotive sector in Africa and the Middle East

August 16, 2022 Yura

GCC/Africa: The initial of a two-component Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Intelligence report, manufactured by Oxford Organization Team (OBG) in partnership with Standard Motors (GM), explores the essential purpose that electric automobile (EV) generation could perform in chopping carbon emissions and creating viable sustainable mobility remedies throughout Africa and the Middle East.

Titled “Gearing up for the inexperienced automotive transition”, the to start with report focuses on the environmental part of ESG. Overseen by OBG’s ESG Intelligence division, the assessment charts the seismic shifts underneath way in the global automotive marketplace, and the implications for production and intake in Africa and the Middle East in an simple-to-navigate and available structure, supported by facts and infographics.

The position of research and advancement (R&D) things to do in producing the technologies and improvements demanded for very low-carbon and zero-emission motor vehicles are amid the other subjects explored.

The ESG Intelligence report also considers the value of making sure EVs and automatic cars (AVs) meet up with the expectations of consumers, with security, reliability and affordability amid the standards necessitating gratification. It also notes the value of making certain that related infrastructure progress, these kinds of as EV charging services, keeps tempo with car or truck output in markets across the Center East and Africa.

In addition, subscribers will find coverage of the probable for EV and AV technologies to be built-in into the region’s smart metropolis developments, thus encouraging to reduce the two emissions and site visitors congestion. Below, the report features a circumstance review of how environmentally friendly automatic taxis could revolutionise transportation in Dubai.

The report is made up of in-depth coverage of GM’s sustainability journey, tracking the strides that the multinational automotive manufacturing firm has made in building and commercialising EVs and AVs. It also maps out GM’s evolving footprint throughout the Middle East and Africa, both equally of which are crucial locations for the manufacturer’s environmentally friendly growth options.

The ESG examination features an job interview with Luay Al Shurafa, GM’s President and Managing Director, Africa & Center East in which he talks about how the company is prioritising inclusive local climate options as it targets a zero-emissions, all-electric powered future.

“Our dedication to this listed here in the Center East is evidenced by our goal of a 95% reduction in our annual operational carbon footprint in the UAE and our system to start 13 EVs in the location by 2025.. In the UAE, by 2035, we will have reduced our CO₂ emissions by additional than 24,000 metric tonnes, and we are arranging to make all our world-wide products and functions carbon neutral by 2040,” Al Shurafa claimed.

“Working with Oxford Enterprise Group to generate GM Africa and Center East’s 1st-at any time ESG report has been a worthwhile encounter and alongside one another we have developed a compelling perception into the progress and possible for assisting accelerate sustainability in the automotive industry in Africa and Middle East,” he extra.

Jana Treeck, OBG’s Taking care of Director for

… Read More... Read More

Autochek acquires CoinAfrique to improve its francophone Africa existence

July 10, 2022 Yura

Autochek, the Nigerian pan-African automotive know-how company, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired CoinAfrique, a classified market in francophone African international locations, for an undisclosed amount of money to speed up penetration of its automobile financing solutions in the region, in particular in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.

Autochek appears to be to be on an acquisition spree as this new buyout is coming a very little above a month because the corporation announced the acquisition of Moroccan automotive tech startup KIFAL autos, a deal that would start its foray into the North African market place.

CoinAfrique was to begin with established in Benin in 2016 by Matthias Papet and Eric Genetre, and it promptly grew into other francophone African international locations. The company now has a presence in 10 countries in the area which includes its 2 biggest economies—Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.

Over the yrs, CoinAfrique has grown to grow to be the amount 1 labeled marketplace for francophone Africa, enabling businesses and people to seamlessly buy and provide motor vehicles, electronics, genuine estate, and other merchandise. According to a assertion shared with TechCabal, the CoinAfrique app has been downloaded additional than 2 million times, with 800,000 month-to-month energetic people and 60,000 new products listings per thirty day period. The CoinAfrique web-site, on the other hand, gets more than 1.5 million visits for every thirty day period.

CoinAfrique, which was a undertaking-backed startup and has elevated about $3.1 million in funding, was in the current market for either funding or a merger and acquisition (M&A) offer. Eventually it went for the M&A. According to Papet who spoke to TechCabal above a zoom simply call, the decision was based mostly on the “conviction this is the deal we will need to consider the corporation to the subsequent level”.

Papet said CoinAfrique’s classifieds company will proceed to run throughout the various item categories, with a deep integration of Autochek’s vehicle financing item to generate entry to credit for automotive buys. He also explained 50% of the small business transacted on the CoinAfrique platform is now going on in the automotive category—this additional than nearly anything explains this deal—and now, leveraging on Autochek’s engineering, CoinAfrique can present obtain to automobile funding and other benefit-added expert services.

“We are enthusiastic about the possibility to generate the penetration of car financing across francophone Africa and to assist the broader mission across Africa,” mentioned Papet. “We see quite a few alternatives to unlock worth for people throughout all the groups on our platform and to develop into new countries, and we are wanting forward to leveraging Autochek’s industry foremost loans item and expertise to deliver extra transformative encounters for our end users.”

Etop Ikpe, CEO and co-founder of Autochek, and Matthias Papet and Eric Genetre, the co-founders of CoinAfrique

“Matthias and Eric are pioneers of the classifieds product in Africa and they have constructed an exceptional system with numerous significant partnerships with auto

… Read More... Read More

Why the Masai Mara?

Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox