About a month ago, I was searching for a website with a list of start-ups focused on Africa, similar to Crunchbase. Then I found this post from last year about Afridex on Appfrica, unfortunately the Afridex database was empty. I enquired and Jon Gosie was kind enough to drop me a line saying the site was been updated and the project should relaunch soon. True to his word, Afridex relaunched last week all because of me ;)
What is Afridex?
Afridex is a business database of business professionals, start-ups, NGOs, non-profits and government institutions operating in Africa. The purpose is to make it easier to look-up information about companies operating throughout the continent.
Companies and organisations focused on Africa are starting up everyday and this tool is a great way to monitor them and make contact if necessary. Afridex also serves as a repository of information for potenial investors or for students looking for a internships or full time jobs.
For bloggers like me, you have the option of using Afridex’s portable data which give a description/CEO of the company and link to their website (as seen as Techcrunch).
My Thoughts
Initially I had hoped for a site that would focus on just web start-ups in Africa. I’m still torn on that issue. I don’t neccessarily think it’s a bad thing that business professionals, NGOs, non-profits and government institutions can also register on the site.
The design of the site still needs some improvement. It took me some time to locate the navigation buttons on the company listing page. Even though the project is open to public, the site is still very much in beta. Don’t be surprised if you get the occasional error page. If you encounter any issues, give feedback to the Afridex team, it will help improve the site.
The project which is led by Moses Mugisha under the leadership guidance of Jon Gosie, (CEO, Appfrica) hopes to release new features in the coming weeks. Great work, guys! I’m really looking forward to it.
Please support the site by registering your company.
Been thinking of something like this for a while, I think it’s cool
— Yinka · 9 June 2009, 12:40 · #
I hope you have added NaijaPulse to the Afridex database ;)
— AL · 15 June 2009, 10:06 · #
This is a cool site, a bit clunky in design but incredible in all else
— techmasai · 2 July 2009, 19:41 · #
All in all I think it’s a good project, good luck
— Jobs in Nigeria · 3 November 2009, 18:33 · #