Category Archives: Google Africa Blog

Google Africa Blog

Supporting Journalism in South Africa

Food for Mzansi, an agriculture news platform, knew that people in rural communities in South Africa often don’t get access to news that is relevant to where they live. So they set up the Sinelizwi citizen journalism project to train 62 citizens from all nine Provinces to tell the untold stories of rural communities and agriculture. National publisher Daily Maverick succeeded in increasing membership by 110% year over year during 2020 by using data from multiple sources in order to better understand, engage and retain its readership.


These are a few examples of how journalists and publishers are using technology to reach their readers. It's also an example of how Google supports journalists and publishers through training and innovation funding as they adapt to digital. As the news industry continues to evolve, publishers in South Africa are asking for more support in their transition to digital. Today, we’re announcing additional digital innovation training and programs coming to Africa in 2022. We are excited to announce the launch of Digital Growth Programme, a training programme for news publishers looking to grow their digital skills and transform their business online programme in South Africa in May 2022. This will be launched in partnership with FT Strategies (the consulting arm of the Financial Times). Publishers can learn more about the program and apply here.




Training and funding for a sustainable news ecosystem
The news landscape in Africa is changing fast. In five years, the number of people accessing digital platforms for news content has almost doubled, opening up access to news and supporting a new generation of independent and digital media. Google uses tools like Google News to connect readers with news organisations of all sizes. During the pandemic, sales of physical newspapers in South Africa were reduced due to lockdown and advertising suddenly slowed. Google provided immediate financial relief to 25 news publishers in South Africa with a combined $188,000 from our Journalism Emergency Relief Fund.



The Google News Lab has provided training on a range of digital tools to more than 17 thousand journalists and journalism students across Africa - with 1,200 in South Africa alone. Journalists who are interested in signing up for training from the Google News Lab can learn more here or contact [email protected].



As part of the Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge, Google provided $260,000 (ZAR 4,459,000) to three South African projects, the aforementioned Food for Mzansi, and Daily Maverick, and online only publisher Scrolla.Africa. Scrolla.Africa is reducing the data cost for readers with a project called Scrolla DataLite to provide a clean, easy-to-navigate platform with content in English and Zulu.

 



Making it easier for publishers to make money through digital advertising
Our ad technology helps publishers of all sizes make money through digital advertising. These tools help publishers sell more ad space than ever before, to advertisers around the world, many of which they wouldn’t have access to without this technology. And publishers that choose to use our advertising services such as Google AdSense, AdMob and Ad Manager retain the vast majority of the revenue. Through the Google News Initiative, we also provide free resources and workshops on advertising revenue.




Supporting the future of news
For two decades, journalism and news has been and continues to be important to Google. We work side-by-side with publishers around the world to build a more sustainable news ecosystem. We recently held the first GNI Africa event to bring together publishers, journalists and experts, and announced a new training partnership with UNESCO to help support over 100 journalism schools across the continent.



We look forward to continuing these discussions with journalists, publishers and policymakers to grow and strengthen journalism in South Africa. Through the Google News Initiative, Digital Growth Programme, NewsLab training program, and products focused on advertising and publishing, we will work together to support the industry’s digital innovation.


Posted by Abongile Mashele, Government Affairs and Public Policy Senior Manager, Southern Africa.


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Soutenir le journalisme en Afrique


Les éditeurs de la plateforme d’information sur l’agriculture Food for Mzansi savaient que les habitants des communautés rurales d’Afrique du Sud n’avaient que rarement accès à des contenus pertinents pour leur région. Ils ont donc mis en place le projet de journalisme citoyen Sinelizwi pour former 62 citoyens des neuf provinces afin qu’ils relatent les histoires des communautés rurales et de l’agriculture dont on ne parle jamais. Au cours de l’année 2020, le quotidien national Daily Maverick a réussi à augmenter le nombre d’abonnés de 110 % par rapport à l’année précédente, en utilisant des données provenant de sources multiples afin de mieux comprendre son lectorat, de le mobiliser et de le fidéliser.


Ce ne sont là que quelques exemples de la manière dont les journalistes et les éditeurs utilisent la technologie pour atteindre leurs lecteurs. Cela illustre également la façon dont Google aident les journalistes et les éditeurs grâce à des formations et au financement de l’innovation pour les accompagner dans le passage au numérique. Alors que le secteur de l’information continue d’évoluer, les éditeurs d’Afrique du Sud demandent un soutien accru pour assurer cette transition. Aujourd’hui, nous sommes heureux d’annoncer la mise en place en 2022 de nouvelles formations et de nouveaux programmes en matière d’innovation numérique pour l’Afrique. Il s’agit du lancement du Digital Growth Programme, un programme de formation destiné aux éditeurs de presse qui souhaitent développer leurs compétences numériques et transformer leur activité en ligne. Le programme aura lieu en Afrique du Sud en mai 2022. Cet événement se déroulera en partenariat avec FT Strategies (la branche conseil du Financial Times). Les éditeurs peuvent en savoir plus sur le programme et s’inscrire en cliquant ici.


Formation et financement pour un écosystème d’information durable
En Afrique, le paysage de l’information évolue rapidement. En cinq ans, le nombre de personnes qui consultent les plateformes numériques pour accéder à des contenus d’information a presque doublé. Cette progression exceptionnelle ouvre l’accès à l’information et permet d’accompagner une nouvelle génération de médias indépendants et numériques. Google utilise des outils comme Google News pour mettre les lecteurs en contact avec des organes de presse de toutes tailles. Pendant la pandémie, les ventes de journaux papier en Afrique du Sud ont enregistré une baisse en raison du confinement et les recettes publicitaires ont brusquement chuté. Google a apporté une aide financière immédiate à 25 éditeurs de presse basés en Afrique du Sud, d’un montant total de 188 000 dollars provenant de notre Fonds de secours d’urgence pour le journalisme.



L’équipe du Google News Lab a proposé une formation sur une série d’outils numériques à plus de 17 000 journalistes et étudiants en journalisme à travers l’Afrique, dont 1200 rien qu’en Afrique du Sud. Les journalistes qui souhaitent s’inscrire à une formation assurée par le Google News Lab peuvent obtenir plus d’informations en cliquant ici ou contacter [email protected].



Dans le cadre du Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge, Google a versé 260 000 dollars (4 459 000 ZAR) afin de financier trois projets sud-africains, à savoir Food for Mzansiet le Daily Mavericket le site de presse uniquement accessible en ligne Scrolla.Africa. Scrolla.Africa parvient à réduire le coût des données pour les lecteurs grâce à un projet appelé Scrolla DataLite, destiné à donner accès à une plateforme claire et simple d’utilisation, proposant des contenus en anglais et en zoulou.



Permettre aux éditeurs d'augmenter leurs recettes grâce à la publicité numérique
Notre technologie publicitaire aide les éditeurs de toutes tailles à augmenter leurs recettes grâce à la publicité numérique. Ces outils permettent aux éditeurs de battre des records en matière de vente d’espaces publicitaires auprès d’annonceurs du monde entier, auxquels ils n’auraient pas eu accès pour la plupart, sans cette technologie. Et les éditeurs qui choisissent d’utiliser nos services publicitaires tels que Google AdSense, AdMob et Ad Manager conservent la majeure partie des recettes. Par l’intermédiaire de Google News Initiative, nous proposons également des ressources et des ateliers gratuits sur la manière de générer des recettes publicitaires.



Soutenir l’avenir de l’information
Depuis deux décennies, le journalisme et l’information ont été et restent des domaines importants pour Google. Nous travaillons en collaboration étroite avec les éditeurs du monde entier pour construire un écosystème d’information plus durable. Nous avons récemment organisé le premier Événement GNI pour l’Afrique qui a réuni éditeurs, journalistes et experts, et nous avons annoncé un nouveau partenariat de formation avec l’UNESCO avec plus de 100 écoles de journalisme à travers le continent.



Nous sommes impatients de poursuivre ces discussions avec les journalistes, les éditeurs et les décideurs politiques afin de développer et de renforcer le journalisme en Afrique du Sud. Grâce à Google News Initiative, au Digital Growth Programme, au programme de formation du NewsLab, et aux produits axés sur la publicité et l’édition, nous travaillerons ensemble pour soutenir l’innovation numérique dans ce secteur.


Posté par : Abongile Mashele, responsable principal des affaires gouvernementales et des politiques publiques, Afrique australe.

Performance Max campaigns launch to advertisers in Sub-Saharan Africa

The past 20 months have brought about unprecedented changes in both consumer and marketing behaviour. Whereas in 2020 people may have been searching for terms such as “DIY” or “home decor trends” to make the most of their time stuck at home, in the past few months we’ve seen a return to the type of searches we saw pre-pandemic. Globally, searches for “live music near me” have grown 400% year-on-year and searches for “healthy snacks for weight loss” grew 100% year-on-year.


Traditionally, that kind of change would have left marketers reeling to catch up. Thankfully, they no longer need a crystal ball to predict the latest consumer trends and demands. In a world where change is constant, automation is the solution. With that in mind, we introduced Performance Max campaigns in 2020. Performance Max is a new method for buying Google ads across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps from a single campaign.


After testing strongly, Performance Max campaigns will roll out to all advertisers in Sub-Saharan Africa and around the world this month. Within the next year, Smart Shopping and Local campaigns will also both be upgraded to Performance Max.
Illustration of six mobile devices lined up next to each other, each showing a different ad example across Google’s channels. From left to right, they show ads on YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Google Maps. Above the phones are the logos for each.
Increase conversions across Google’s full range of advertising channels and inventory with Performance Max Campaigns


Meet your consumers on their terms
More consumers than ever before are looking online for buying inspiration. For example, 77% of South African shoppers research a product on their smartphones before buying and nearly half of the people buying consumer electronics in South Africa first learned about the product online.


Because Performance Max allows advertisers to market their businesses across the full Google Ads inventory, their ads can be visible to more customers. Performance Max can also help increase online sales, generate leads, and grow offline sales in several ways. By embracing automation, for example, advertisers can get better value from their budgets.


When COVID-19 lockdowns hit, the South African Reserve Bank responded by lowering interest rates in a bid to limit economic damage. These low interest rates alongside an increase in online shopping and contactless payments, led to a more competitive credit card market.


So when banking group Nedbank wanted to stand out in this competitive market, it used Performance Max to drive up conversions for its new, affordable, gold credit card via an online application process. The results were positive, with conversions increasing by 26% and the cost per conversion decreasing by 17%. “In just 10 days of running Performance Max, the platform achieved outstanding results on click through rates and cost per application, increasing campaign reach and driving the highest number of clicks to the website,” says Nedbank Performance Media Manager Adheesha Panday.



Advertisers can also use Performance Max to better understand how automation is working and where they can improve their campaigns.

Image of the Insights page in Google Ads, with a line graph that shows week-over-week performance and a “Top insights” section to the right of the graph. Top insights include consumer interest insights, audience insights, change history insights, and auction insights.
Explore the Insights page to understand your brand’s performance
Image of the combinations report in Google Ads that shows how top-performing headlines, descriptions, images and logos are being combined to build creatives
The combinations report allows you to see which assets perform best together and get ideas for future assets to upload.

Investment firm Old Mutual was looking to expand the customer base for its tax-free savings account (TFSA). After implementing Performance Max, TFSA sales increased by 185% and impressions increased by 260.75%. “The insights we gained from Performance Max have been instrumental in growing the tax-free savings account product and we plan to keep using the product for this reason,” says Zacharia Motsei, Digital Campaign Manager, Old Mutual South Africa.


When marketers combine high-quality creative assets and their expertise about which audiences are most likely to convert, they can make automation more effective.


As one of the continent’s largest retailers, Makro is well-established in the brick and mortar space. But with the local e-commerce sector growing rapidly, it has worked to grow its online offerings. These efforts have paid off, with online sales increasing by 40% in 2020.

“Performance Max has provided a new income revenue stream and an efficient and effective way of reaching our customers on different platforms while scaling performance and growth,” says Makro Search Engine Optimisation Manager Wasanga Mehana.”



Improvements and new features for local marketers and retailers
Smart Shopping and Local campaigns will both upgrade to Performance Max in 2022. To make the transition easier for you, we’ll take your feedback and use it to build the right tools for you. We’ll be sharing more information early next year so stay tuned for that.

We know that your business is probably ramping up its festive season marketing plans at the moment. So, for now, you can carry on using Smart Shopping and Local campaigns, but when the time is right, you can start testing Performance Max.


Posted by Alistair Mokoena, Country Director: Google South Africa

Applications open for the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa Class 7


Radhika Bhachu is the co-founder and CEO of Ndovu, a startup dedicated to empowering Africans to develop wealth by promoting financial literacy and providing tools to aid with diversifying financial risks, strengthening security, and increasing financial resilience. Ndovu lays a strong emphasis on closing the gender wealth gap in Africa by intentionally focusing on women. This commitment is reflected in its female client base, which now accounts for 53%, as well as its gender-balanced staff, which presently comprises 50% female staff and 50% female advisory board members.



Ndovu is an alumnus of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program (GFSAA), and like other startups on the continent, it is tackling some of the region's most pressing issues while also providing economic opportunities and jobs. Together, startups in Africa have made some impressive moves in 2021, attracting incredible investments up to the sum of $1.1 billion to date: 69% higher than the entirety of 2020.


We launched the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program in 2017 to support startups to scale their solutions across the continent. So far, 82 startups from 17 African countries have participated in the program, and have gone on to raise over US$117 million in funding and created over 2,800 jobs around the continent. We are delighted to see the progress being made by these companies, and look forward to seeing what the future holds for them.


Today, we are pleased to announce that applications to the 7th cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa Program are now open at g.co/AcceleratorAfrica



Ahead of a promising 2022, we have designed the program based on feedback from participating startups and with the continuous support of our global network of mentors. The program will run for 3 months, with a one-week virtual bootcamp per month, running from March through May 2022.


Applications for GFS Accelerator Africa are open from today through 14 January 2022. If you're building a great tech startup in Africa, or for Africa, you are welcome to apply!


Andy Volk, Head of Ecosystem, Sub-Saharan Africa




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Supporting Journalism in Africa


Citizen journalism is playing a crucial role in helping South African communities unite. Food for Manzi is one organization which tells the untold stories of rural communities and agriculture in South Africa to challenge stereotypes and spread positivity. With support from the Google News Initiative, they set up the Sinelizwi citizen journalism project which trained 62 citizens from all nine Provinces to tell local stories to empower and unite local communities.


Projects like this are why Google invests in the Google News Initiative (GNI), and this week we held the first GNI for Africa event.


The event was an opportunity for journalists, publishers and content creators in Africa to find out more about Google’s training programmes for journalists and news business professionals. From understanding how small and medium size news organizations can grow their digital business; to how to use consumer insights and data to better understand reader preferences and increase profitability and engagement, the event brought together experts from Google and the industry to share tools, training and best practices.


The news landscape in Africa is changing fast. In five years, the number of people accessing digital platforms for news content has almost doubled, opening up access to news and supporting a new generation of independent and digital media. Yet not everyone has the opportunity to access digital media, and many more people and communities are not represented in the news. Organizations who are working to change this, like Pulse in Nigeria, will also be part of the event. They spoke about how they have used new digital formats to engage a mass youth audience and developed formats like Explainers to provide additional - and very much needed - context to the flow of information.

 

At the event, we also announced a partnership with UNESCO to further invest in training for journalists in Africa. Using its networks of established journalism schools, UNESCO will launch a collaborative programme to update journalism education and training programmes run by over 100 expert institutions in Africa, enabling them to better respond to the major changes in journalism and publishing in recent times. This new training initiative will roll out over the next 18 months.


Google is increasing its investment in and support of journalism in Africa, including a News Lab Teaching Fellow who provides locally relevant training for journalists in Southern Africa and programmes such as the Digital Growth Programme and Innovation Challenges which support publishers in their digital transformation. To be part of this training send an email to [email protected].


Watch the sessions from the event here.




Posted by Nitin Gajria, Managing Director, Sub Saharan Africa


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Soutenir le journalisme en Afrique


Le journalisme citoyen joue un rôle essentiel dans l’unification des communautés sud-africaines. Food for Manzi [LIEN] est une association qui racontent les histoires dont on ne parle jamais des communautés rurales et de l’agriculture d’Afrique du Sud afin de lutter contre les stéréotypes et d’encourager une forme de positivité. Avec le soutien de Google News Initiative, l'équipe a mis en place le projet de journalisme citoyen Sinelizwi, qui a permis de former 62 citoyens originaires des neuf provinces afin qu’ils relatent les récits des histoires locales pour renforcer et unir les communautés.


Des projets comme celui-ci sont la raison pour laquelle Google investit dans Google News Initiative (GNI), et cette semaine nous organisons le premier événement GNI pour l’Afrique qui se déroulera virtuellement du lundi 25 au vendredi 29 octobre.


Cet événement est l’occasion pour les journalistes, les éditeurs et les créateurs de contenu en Afrique d’en savoir plus sur les programmes de formation de Google destinés aux journalistes et aux professionnels de l’information. Qu’il s’agisse de comprendre comment les petites et moyennes entreprises de presse peuvent développer leurs activités numériques ou d’utiliser les informations et les données sur les consommateurs pour mieux comprendre les préférences des lecteurs et accroître la rentabilité et l’engagement, l’événement rassemble des experts de Google et de ce secteur d’activité pour partager des outils, des formations et les meilleures pratiques.


En Afrique, le paysage de l’information évolue rapidement. En cinq ans, le nombre de personnes qui consultent les plateformes numériques pour obtenir des contenus d’information a presque doublé. Cette progression exceptionnelle ouvre l’accès à l’information et permet d’accompagner une nouvelle génération de médias indépendants et numériques. Pourtant, tout le monde n’a pas la possibilité d’accéder à ces médias, et nombreuses sont les personnes et les communautés qui ne sont pas représentées dans l’actualité. Des associations qui s’efforcent de changer cette situation, comme Pulse au Nigeria [LIEN], participeront également à cet événement. Elles expliqueront comment celle-ci a utilisé les nouveaux formats numériques pour attirer un large public de jeunes et développé des formats tels que les « Explainers » (notes ou vidéos explicatives) pour fournir un contexte supplémentaire - et indispensable - pour permettre la circulation de l’information.


Lors de cet événement, nous avons également annoncé un partenariat avec l’UNESCO pour investir davantage dans la formation des journalistes en Afrique. En s’appuyant sur ses réseaux d’écoles de journalisme, l’UNESCO lancera un programme collaboratif visant à actualiser les programmes d’enseignement et de formation au journalisme gérés par une centaine d'institutions spécialisées en Afrique, pour leur permettre de mieux répondre aux changements majeurs intervenus récemment dans le domaine du journalisme et de l’édition. Cette nouvelle initiative de formation sera déployée au cours des 18 prochains mois.


Google accroît ses investissements et son soutien au journalisme en Afrique, notamment par le biais du News Lab Teaching Fellow qui dispense aux journalistes d’Afrique australe une formation adaptée aux réalités locales. Google met également en place des programmes tels que le programme de développement numérique et le programme d’aide à l’innovation ainsi que les Défis de l’innovation en vue d’accompagner les éditeurs dans la transformation numérique. Pour participer à cette formation, envoyez un courriel à [email protected].

Regardez les sessions de l'événement ici.


Poste par Nitin Gajria, Directeur général, Afrique subsaharienne

Meet The #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2022

Earlier this year, we introduced the inaugural #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund Artist Class of 2021. In doing so, we had one goal: Amplify Black voices on YouTube. To accomplish this mission, we provided the participating artists with the following:
  • Dedicated partner support from YouTube
  • Seed funding invested into the development of their channels
  • The opportunity to participate in training and networking programs focused on production, fan engagement, and wellbeing

As we shared back in July, the inaugural class achieved incredible feats on our platform, far outperforming any expectations. From Mariah The Scientist’s exclusive live set in support of NIVA, to Rexx Life Raj, Joy Oladokun, and Tkay Maidza taking center stage at YouTube’s annual Brandcast event, and every success in between. We want to thank each and every one of these individuals for bringing so much energy and passion to the program and for sharing the power of their music with fans around the world.


As we celebrate the success of these artists, today we’re excited to grow and reaffirm our commitment to Black musical excellence by announcing the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2022. Expanding on our commitment, this new class will also include songwriters and producers, and for the first time ever, the classes will have the opportunity to come together to co-write and collaborate.


We’re also honored to introduce Hip Hop ICON and the genre's most notable storyteller, Slick Rick,as the inaugural mentor member of the #YouTubeBlack Voices Artist Class of 2022. In this capacity, Slick Rick will play an additional role, sharing his wisdom and experience with fellow grant recipients within educational and networking programs for the class.


These artists, songwriters, and producers — from the United States, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, United Kingdom, Canada — speak to the vastness of the pool of Black genius. Limitless in genre, identity, talent, innovation, and creativity, their voices and the music they make encapsulate the global experience of Black people–past, present, and future.


Please meet the the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2022:



#YouTubeBlack Voices Artist Class of 2022


Azawi (Kampala, Uganda), Barkaa (Barkindji Nation, Western NSW), Blanco Brown (Atlanta, Georgia, United States), Bree Runway (East London, England, United Kingdom), Budjerah (Fingal Head, Australia), Cico P (Jacksonville, Texas, United States), Cimafunk (Pinar del Rio, Cuba), CKay (Anambra, Nigeria), Dijon (Ellicott City, Maryland, United States), Elaine (Pretoria, South Africa), EST Gee (Louisville, Kentucky, United States), Jonathan Ferr (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Jords (Croydon, England, United Kingdom), Kadhja Bonet (Long Beach, California, United States), Kamille (London, England, United Kingdom), Liniker (São Paulo, Brazil), Liza (Toronto, Canada), midwxst (Carmel, Indiana, United States), Monaleo (Houston, Texas, United States), Nija (Union City, New Jersey, United States), NorthSideBenji (Toronto, Canada), NSG (London, England, United Kingdom), Omah Lay (Port Harcourt, Nigeria), Rico Dalasam (São Paulo, Brazil), Savannah Ré (Toronto, Canada), Tai Verdes (Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, CA), Tamera (Kent, England), Tasha & Tracie (São Paulo, Brazil), Teezo Touchdown (Beaumont, Texas, United States), whiterosemoxie (Detroit, Michigan, United States) and one of the globes most legendary voices in hip hop, the legendary Slick Rick The Ruler (from The Bronx, New York United States)




For more information on the Artist Class, click here.



#YouTubeBlack Voices Songwriter & Producer Class of 2022


Cadenza (London, England, United Kingdom), Compass (North London, England, United Kingdom), Dallas Woods (Wyndham, West Australia, Australia), Dj Lag (Johannesburg, South Africa), Gloria Kaba (Irvington, New Jersey, United States), HARV (Kansas City, Missouri, United States), IamTash (Boston, Massachusetts, United States), Jay Versace (Pleasantville, New Jersey, United States), jetsonmade (Columbia, South Carolina, United States), Kobie Dee (South Sydney, Bidjigal Land, Australia), Léo Casa 1 (São Paulo, Brazil), Major League DJz (Johannesburg, South Africa), Mu540 (Praia Grande, São Paulo, Brazil), Nova Wav (Tallahassee, Florida / Atlanta, Georgia, United States), OG Parker (Atlanta, Georgia, United States), P.Priime (Lagos, Nigeria), RDD (Paulo Afonso, Bahia, Brazil), Rodriguinho (Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil), Telz (Lagos, Nigeria), Walshy Fire (Miami, Florida, United States), WondaGurl (Toronto, Canada), YAOB (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)


For more information on the Songwriter & Producer Class, click here.


Posted by The YouTube Music Team

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Notre investissement d’un milliard de dollars dans la transformation numérique de l’Afrique



Note de l’éditeur : Aujourd’hui, à l’occasion de Google pour l’Afrique, le PDG de Google, Sundar Pichai, a annoncé un investissement d’un milliard de dollars en Afrique sur cinq ans, couvrant une série d’initiatives, allant de l’amélioration de la connectivité aux investissements dans les start-up. Vous trouverez ci-dessous une transcription éditée de ses remarques. Retrouvez l’intégralité de cet événement ci-dessous ou sur YouTube.





L’Afrique est en pleine effervescence et nous sommes ravis d’en faire la démonstration à l’occasion de notre premier événement Google pour l’Afrique.


Bien sûr, l’Afrique doit également relever des défis considérables. La pandémie continue d’avoir un impact profond sur les communautés de ce continent et du monde entier. J’espère que chacun prend soin de soi en ces temps difficiles.


Nous avons constaté que la technologie peut être d’une grande aide, qu’il s’agisse d’un parent à la recherche d’informations pour préserver la santé de sa famille, d’un étudiant dont les cours sont dispensés en distanciel ou d’un entrepreneur qui souhaite toucher de nouveaux clients et s’implanter sur de nouveaux marchés. Être utile dans ces moments est au cœur de notre mission : organiser les informations disponibles dans le monde et les rendre universellement accessibles et utiles.



L’extension des possibilités offertes par la technologie est un thème qui me tient particulièrement à cœur. Sans doute parce que j’ai grandi sans y avoir réellement accès. Chaque nouvelle technologie - du téléphone à cadran à la télévision - a amélioré la vie de ma famille. C’est la raison pour laquelle je suis optimiste face aux avancées de la technologie. Je crois en la façon dont les gens peuvent l’exploiter à des fins utiles.

Je vois tellement d’exemples à travers l’Afrique aujourd’hui, que ce soit des start-up comme Tambua Health qui utilisent l’apprentissage automatique pour aider les médecins à diagnostiquer et à traiter les maladies, ou des entrepreneurs comme Tunji, que j’ai eu la chance de rencontrer lorsque je suis allé à Lagos en 2017. Son entreprise, Gidi Mobile aide les étudiants à faibles revenus du Nigeria à accéder à l’apprentissage en ligne.

Légende : Sundar Pichai et Tunji Adegbesan, fondateur de Gidi Mobile, lors de la conférence Google pour le Nigeria en 2017.




De plus en plus souvent, on voit des innovations apparaître en Afrique, puis se répandre dans le monde entier. Par exemple, les Africains ont été parmi les premiers à accéder à l’internet par le biais du téléphone plutôt que de l’ordinateur. Autre exemple : le service de paiement mobile était omniprésent au Kenya avant d’être adopté dans le monde entier.


Cette dynamique ne fera que s’amplifier, puisque ce sont 300 millions de personnes qui seront connectées en Afrique au cours des cinq prochaines années. Beaucoup d’entre eux sont jeunes, créatifs et entreprenants, et ils sont prêts à innover et à saisir les opportunités dans toute cette région du monde.

C’est incroyable de voir le rythme auquel ce changement s’est produit en un temps si court et c’est formidable d’être partenaire de cette transformation. Depuis que nous avons ouvert nos premiers bureaux en Afrique, nous avons permis à 100 millions d’Africains d’accéder à l’internet pour la première fois et donné des outils numériques à des millions d’entreprises et de créateurs.


L’accent a été mis sur l’élargissement des possibilités grâce aux compétences numériques. En 2017, nous nous sommes engagés à aider 10 millions d’Africains à acquérir les compétences numériques dont ils ont besoin pour progresser dans leurs carrières et pour développer leurs entreprises. À ce jour, six millions de personnes ont bénéficié d’une formation. Nous avons également formé 80 000 développeurs de tous les pays d’Afrique et aidé plus de 80 start-up à lever des fonds de capital-risque au niveau mondial, créant ainsi des milliers d’emplois.


En 2018, nous avons ouvert un centre de recherche en intelligence artificielle à Accra. L’équipe se concentre sur la résolution de défis pertinents pour l’Afrique et le monde, comme l’utilisation de l’IA pour cartographier les bâtiments difficiles à détecter avec les outils traditionnels et l’ajout de 200 000 kilomètres de routes sur Google Maps.


Et nous continuons à nous développer afin de répondre aux besoins uniques de l’Afrique. Grâce à des produits comme Android Go et Files Go nous nous assurons que tout le monde puisse profiter d’une expérience optimale sur smartphone. Sur YouTube, nous soutenons les créateurs et les artistes africains par l’intermédiaire de notre fonds Black Voices.


Ce ne sont là que quelques exemples de la manière dont nous investissons et construisons pour l’Afrique. Nous savons que nous pouvons faire mieux pour permettre à un plus grand nombre d’Africains de bénéficier des avantages de la technologie.

Aujourd’hui, je suis donc heureux d’annoncer que nous prévoyons d’investir un milliard de dollars en Afrique sur cinq ans. Cette somme couvrira une série d’initiatives, allant de l’amélioration de la connectivité à l’investissement dans les start-up.


Ces investissements soutiendront la transformation numérique du continent dans quatre domaines clés :
  • Permettre un accès abordable et élaborer des produits pour chaque type d’utilisateur sur le continent africain.
  • Accompagner les entreprises dans leur transformation numérique.
  • Aider les entrepreneurs pour stimuler l’émergence des technologies de nouvelle génération.
  • Soutenir les organisations à but non lucratif qui s’efforcent d’améliorer les conditions de vie en Afrique.


Mais ces investissements, nous savons que nous ne pouvons pas les faire seuls. Nous sommes impatients de nous associer aux gouvernements, aux décideurs politiques, aux éducateurs, aux entrepreneurs et aux entreprises de ce continent. À l’heure où les Africains préparent la prochaine vague d’innovation, un champ immense de possibilités s’offre à nous. Merci de me donner la chance d’y participer.


Posté par Sundar Pichai, PDG de Google et Alphabet

Support for African startup founders looking to scale

One of the top challenges we hear from startup founders around the world—and from African entrepreneurs in particular— is how difficult it can be to acquire new customers and partners when you’re getting started. Google believes that equipping founders with critical sales skills at the beginning of their journey is the best way to build confidence and skills for lasting success. So we created the Google for Startups Sales Academy to provide Sub-Saharan startup founders with essential sales skills and practices that they can implement immediately to acquire new customers and partnerships, and secure funding.

Over the course of seven weeks, 15 founders from Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and South Africa engaged in tactical training sessions with Google mentors and industry experts designed to help them establish a solid foundation for increasing their revenue. During the final week of programming in September, founders perfected their mock sales pitch to earn an official Google for Startups sales certification. The results speak for themselves: 100% of the cohort reported an increase in their confidence and closing skills after completing the program–and most importantly, participants are already seeing tangible business results:
Congratulations to all 14 participating founders on their hard work in Google for Startups Sales Academy—we can’t wait to see what you do next!

Head to startup.google.com to learn more about Google for Startups resources and programs for African founders, such as Accelerator: Africa, Startup School, and the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa.





Posted by : Justin Nabozna, Google for Startups Global Partner Program Lead




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How AI is making information more useful

Today, there’s more information accessible at people’s fingertips than at any point in human history. And advances in artificial intelligence will radically transform the way we use that information, with the ability to uncover new insights that can help us both in our daily lives and in the ways we are able to tackle complex global challenges.


At our Search On livestream event today, we shared how we’re bringing the latest in AI to Google’s products, giving people new ways to search and explore information in more natural and intuitive ways.


Making multimodal search possible with MUM
Earlier this year at Google I/O, we announced we’ve reached a critical milestone for understanding information with Multitask Unified Model, or MUM for short.


We’ve been experimenting with using MUM’s capabilities to make our products more helpful and enable entirely new ways to search. Today, we’re sharing an early look at what will be possible with MUM.


In the coming months, we’ll introduce a new way to search visually, with the ability to ask questions about what you see. Here are a couple of examples of what will be possible with MUM.
With this new capability, you can tap on the Lens icon when you’re looking at a picture of a shirt, and ask Google to find you the same pattern — but on another article of clothing, like socks. This helps when you’re looking for something that might be difficult to describe accurately with words alone. You could type “white floral Victorian socks,” but you might not find the exact pattern you’re looking for. By combining images and text into a single query, we’re making it easier to search visually and express your questions in more natural ways.
Some questions are even trickier: Your bike has a broken thingamajig, and you need some guidance on how to fix it. Instead of poring over catalogs of parts and then looking for a tutorial, the point-and-ask mode of searching will make it easier to find the exact moment in a video that can help.


Helping you explore with a redesigned Search page
We’re also announcing how we’re applying AI advances like MUM to redesign Google Search. These new features are the latest steps we’re taking to make searching more natural and intuitive.


First, we’re making it easier to explore and understand new topics with “Things to know.” Let’s say you want to decorate your apartment, and you’re interested in learning more about creating acrylic paintings.
If you search for “acrylic painting,” Google understands how people typically explore this topic, and shows the aspects people are likely to look at first. For example, we can identify more than 350 topics related to acrylic painting, and help you find the right path to take.


We’ll be launching this feature in the coming months. In the future, MUM will unlock deeper insights you might not have known to search for — like “how to make acrylic paintings with household items” — and connect you with content on the web that you wouldn’t have otherwise found.
Second, to help you further explore ideas, we’re making it easy to zoom in and out of a topic with new features to refine and broaden searches.


In this case, you can learn more about specific techniques, like puddle pouring, or art classes you can take. You can also broaden your search to see other related topics, like other painting methods and famous painters. These features will launch in the coming months.
Third, we’re making it easier to find visual inspiration with a newly designed, browsable results page. If puddle pouring caught your eye, just search for “pour painting ideas" to see a visually rich page full of ideas from across the web, with articles, images, videos and more that you can easily scroll through.

This new visual results page is designed for searches that are looking for inspiration, like “Halloween decorating ideas” or “indoor vertical garden ideas,” and you can try it today.

Get more from videos
We already use advanced AI systems to identify key moments in videos, like the winning shot in a basketball game, or steps in a recipe. Today, we’re taking this a step further, introducing a new experience that identifies related topics in a video, with links to easily dig deeper and learn more.
Using MUM, we can even show related topics that aren’t explicitly mentioned in the video, based on our advanced understanding of information in the video. In this example, while the video doesn’t say the words “macaroni penguin’s life story,” our systems understand that topics contained in the video relate to this topic, like how macaroni penguins find their family members and navigate predators. The first version of this feature will roll out in the coming weeks, and we’ll add more visual enhancements in the coming months.


Across all these MUM experiences, we look forward to helping people discover more web pages, videos, images and ideas that they may not have come across or otherwise searched for.

A more helpful Google
The updates we’re announcing today don’t end with MUM, though. We’re also making it easier to shop from the widest range of merchants, big and small, no matter what you’re looking for. And we’re helping people better evaluate the credibility of information they find online. Plus, for the moments that matter most, we’re finding new ways to help people get access to information and insights.


All this work not only helps people around the world, but creators, publishers and businesses as well. Every day, we send visitors to well over 100 million different websites, and every month, Google connects people with more than 120 million businesses that don't have websites, by enabling phone calls, driving directions and local foot traffic.


As we continue to build more useful products and push the boundaries of what it means to search, we look forward to helping people find the answers they’re looking for, and inspiring more questions along the way.



Posted by Prabhakar Raghavan, Senior Vice President

YouTube NextUp: Are you the next big thing on YouTube?

Last year, creators on YouTube generated billions of views daily and earned millions of dollars via our revenue-sharing Partner Program. In addition to teaching individuals how to crochet flowers and apply the perfect lipstick, Africa's top creators also taught people how to have fun.


We believe that the next generation of successful singers, dancers, actors, producers, musicians, and make-up artists are already honing their skills on YouTube , and we want to see more of them take the next step in their YouTube careers and convert their video hobby into a profession or perhaps a small company.


YouTube NextUp was introduced in 2011 to help YouTube creators take their channel to the next level. Over 250 YouTube artists from 15 different countries have benefited from this initiative, which has helped them to enhance their channels and jumpstart a new stage of development on YouTube. From science enthusiasts like AsapSCIENCE, Marcus Butler, MegwinTV, to foodies like Laura Vitale, NextUp has continued to help selected creators become some of YouTube's brightest stars.
We’re thrilled to announce the expansion of the YouTube NextUp program to Sub Saharan Africa, beginning with Nigeria and South Africa. In 2021, 20 creators in Nigeria and South Africa will be selected for the development program, which offers:
  • A spot at a week-long YouTube creator Camp in which they’ll benefit from 1:1 mentoring and learn an array of production techniques from leading industry and YouTube experts
  • A $1,000 voucher for production equipment to help you make your video dreams a reality.
  • Personalized one-on-one support from the YouTube team until April 2022
  • Mentorship by YouTube NextUp grads, plus the opportunity to meet and work with other fast-rising creators. 
  • The opportunity to become better connected with a special community of aspiring and talented content creators from around the world

So who’s next up? We're looking for YouTube creators who are dedicated, passionate, and inspiring, and who fulfill our eligibility criteria, including having a channel with 10,000 to 100,000 subscribers and having posted at least 3 original and native videos in the past three months. .



Full eligibility details, application guidelines and contest rules available at https://events.withgoogle.com/nextup/


We’re excited to see what you’ll come up with next on YouTube!





Posted by Addy Awofisayo, YouTube Content Partnerships, Sub Saharan Africa


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Celebrating our first YouTube Festival in Sub-Saharan Africa

Around 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute and over one billion hours of video are watched every day on YouTube. With more than 70% of YouTube videos being watched on mobile devices and 475 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa projected to have mobile internet access by 2025, YouTube provides advertisers with distinct opportunities to connect and reach a growing market of African consumers right where they are.

This is why we recently hosted our first-ever YouTube Festival in Africa. The festival celebrates Africa’s vibrant ecosystem of YouTube creators and advertisers, while providing exclusive first looks at new features, products, and innovations.

The virtual festival, attended by leading advertisers from across Sub-Saharan Africa, was an opportunity to learn about key emerging trends and global best practices. All this in a bid to empower advertisers to learn about all the new ways they can reach engaged audiences on YouTube.

The day's headline announcements included the introduction of YouTube Select and YouTube Audio Ads, which are designed to help marketers target individuals interested in particular content categories and those who use YouTube for ambient listening.





YouTube Select
YouTube Select allows advertisers to place their ads alongside curated content that is most relevant to their brand. Let’s say you manage a smartphone brand aimed at tech savvy millennials. You could have your ads play alongside tech review content, for example.

YouTube’s most popular and relevant content, based on topic, audience, or moment is curated into packages called Lineups. Lineups are designed to achieve popularity, with a focus on top categories and creators across sports, broadcast, beauty and fashion, and popular content.

Lineups give advertisers the confidence that the right people are seeing their ads at the right time. Coupled with the existing YouTube targeting capabilities that advertisers know and use every day, ads can be hyper-personalised.




Audio Ads
Audio is a content format on the rise with people spending 18 hours a week on average listening to music — and 89% of them do so through on-demand streaming. Now advertisers have a new way of reaching these audiences on YouTube, the most popular destination for streaming music.


YouTube Audio Ads is a new format that allows advertisers to reach people using YouTube in the background and those on the free version of YouTube Music. 15-second, non-skippable ads are currently available with more formats coming soon.


Advertisers who have tried it are already seeing great success. More than 75% of measured campaigns are driving a significant lift in brand awareness with an audience that is highly engaged.



This is My YouTube
To shine a spotlight on creators, the festival featured an episode of This is My YouTube. The segment invites advertisers to experience YouTube through the eyes of YouTube creators. We find out what they laugh at, who they cry with, learn from, and escape to — and crucially, how they work with brands to bring relevant products and messaging to their followers.

Content creators play a significant role in influencing purchase behaviour. Research shows that conversions from interest to purchase increase 133% with positive reviews for South African consumers.

Watch our first episode of This is My YouTube with South African YouTube creators Kay Ngonyama and Snikiwe Mhlongo — who, combined, have over 250,000 subscribers.



YouTube + TV
Festival attendees also learned about how YouTube and TV work better together. Today, people watch video content across devices, through different platforms, any time, and anywhere. This change requires advertisers to reach their audiences beyond TV.

Planning on both TV and YouTube provides an opportunity for advertisers to extend their reach even further and drive incremental reach. This is because the consumer journey is not linear. It involves a multitude of touchpoints as a consumer considers a product or service.

While TV has a large reach, research shows that when brands combine both TV and digital as part of their marketing strategy, the return on investment is much larger than the sum of just one medium.

With this consideration, when advertisers craft messaging across both mediums, they’re able to be exactly where their consumers are as they navigate the non-linear consumer journey.

Interestingly, we have found that YouTube as an advertising medium allows advertisers to get TV’s large reach at a much lower cost. And as audiences in Africa, and around the world, consume more content on the platform, why not leverage this screentime as a brand?




A new era for advertising
As the go-to platform for video streaming, YouTube offers an array of curated content for diverse groups of people. Our audience solutions offer a variety of ways for advertisers to reach their valuable audiences.

If you would like to find out more about these YouTube offers, watch the full festival on-demand below.




Posted by Alex Okosi, Managing Director of Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA