Meet the 8 teams on the southern Africa Jamlab Accelerator programme
Eight big ideas to bring new information, new audiences and new conversations into the southern African media landscape
We are thrilled to announce the first southern African Jamlab Accelerator Programme cohort. Due to lockdown regulations caused by the covid-19 pandemic, we will be running a virtual six month programme with teams tackling varying media challenges in their respective countries. The teams are based in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Madagascar, eSwatini, Zambia, Botswana and Angola.
This six-month hothouse accelerator initiative for journalism and media innovators will provide teams with tools, contacts and support to help realise their ideas and ambitions.
Manifexto (Angola)
Manifexto, is a web-based news aggregator that combats the rise of fake news in Angola. Launched in beta in August 2017, this startup makes its mission to be the go-to platform for reliable news sources and wants to make it easy to verify real news sources. This web-based platform is in Portuguese and has drawn over 110,000 users already. Manifexto is co-founded by Zedilson Almeida.
Independent News Service (Botswana)
INS is a Botswana based news agency delivering fast, accurate, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from Politics, Economics, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Science and Technology. Our vision is to see consumption of news through digital platforms embraced across generations, providing an alternative to Botswana’s mainstream print media. The news services is founded by Andrew Maramwidze. #INSwedowrite
Greenspace Zambia & Zambeziflora (Zambia)
These two projects seek to address urban and peri urban gardening and environmental issues to promote positive and responsible engagement in the greater community. Through profiling individuals and organisations involved in gardening and horticulture, we seek to provide facts and information that will motivate people to make more responsible decisions in relation to the environment and indigenous plant conservation. The projects are founded by Priscilla Nyathi and Nicholas Wightman.
iHubOnline (Malawi)
iHubOnline is a Malawi-based start-up online media platform initiated by international multi-award winning journalist Mallick Mnela. The platform seeks to innovate and carve a niche in serving populations that are currently underserved, under-represented and considered “unprofitable” by the traditional media. In the long run, the start-up hopes to tackle exclusion, expand enjoyment of digital rights, spur media and digital literacy and innovate cheaper media products to address media inequalities.
Bema (Madagascar)
Founded by Dina Nomena, Bema is a digital media platform focused on reporting issues faced by Malagasy women using personal narratives through visual stories, safe virtual space, themed contents challenging stereotypical perception.
Cardinal magazine (eSwatini)
Cardinal magazine is a travel , lifestyle and leisure publication that explores travel in its entirety . The magazine is a one-stop tourist info hub whereby readers can find information concerning travel. The magazine’s main aims are to educate and assist in removing certain stereotypes surrounding travel. The magazine also aims to educate on racism ,xenophobia, and beauty in diversity, those three being the main themes in the magazine. The magazine is founded by Bongani Shongwe.
Impact Chronicles (Zimbabwe)
Impact Chronicles is a platform that addresses the information deficit that exists in Africa regarding startups and their founders. The organisation showcases the work of founders from all over the African continent and in addition assists them in communications work for their specific audience. Impact Chronicles is also building community of founders, investors and industry experts, an exercise which promotes collaboration.
Success magazine (Malawi)
Success Magazine is made up of self-starter group of people who are ambitious in their planning and execution. Their vision for the magazine is for it to be a tool that inspires, connects and motivates every youth of Malawi and beyond, to become successful through provision of right information. Ronard Kachaje and Louis Kamphete are co-founders of the magazine.
SAVE THE DATE: The next #JamlabDemoDay will take place on Thursday October 1 at 13:00 CAT— startups from our third South African cohort will showcase their achievements made during the accelerator programme. Register here to book your spot.
Follow how the team’s progress on the Jamlab Accelerator Programme southern Africa by keeping up with their story’s on this platform or subscribe to our newsletter to receive these updates and more articles on innovation in journalism and media in Africa.
