Nutrition News Updates 2020

When the world shut down due to the pandemic, everything changed, especially for small businesses. Suddenly, the ability to connect to customers became even more critical, and the safe way to do so is through technology. While companies have long relied on email or text messaging to communicate, many entrepreneurs found they needed to expand their technology toolkit, becoming more creative and resourceful with how they conduct business and compete effectively. As a technology expert who advises more than 3.4-million entrepreneurs around the world on technology solutions that can help them serve their customers and manage their business, Rhonda Vetere, Chief Information Officer, Herbalife nutrition and serial entrepreneur provides seven essential tech tools every entrepreneur must use. Customer service We are living during a time of tremendous technological transformation. Gone are the days when people waited for what seemed an eternity to send or receive a message. Time has sped up, and with it is the demand from customers for immediate attention. According to recent research , 82% of consumers expect a quick response from brands. Keeping up or ahead of customers requires staying on top of technology trends and ensuring that you have the tools to compete in the digital age. For website support, many entrepreneurs use a live chat tool that can help customers with basic questions. Many of these tools can be used on social media as well. If paid chat options are price prohibitive, there are also useful and free tools, including Zoho Desk . Communication and collaboration Video conferencing and video chat applications grew exponentially during the pandemic. In March, video conferencing apps saw 62 million downloads . Entrepreneurs are using video apps for connecting with customers, partners, and vendors. While these tools are excellent for meetings, they are also useful for maintaining connections with industry organizations and networking groups. Many of the tools allow break-out rooms for a small meeting within a session, creating an intimate and collaborative space. As you continue to build your reputation as an expert in your industry, video conferencing can also be used to host a webinar for existing and potential customers. Many entrepreneurs are hosting panel discussions, bringing in other partners and collaborators. These sessions can be taped and repurposed as content for your social media channels, website, and email marketing. There are many video conferencing options, including, Joinme, which has a free plan that lets you invite up to 10 video participants Social media Social media is not just for sharing videos and memes it is a top business tool. Your customers are on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, and Instagram. Once you identify which channels you want to use, you need to post engaging content. These can range from news about products, sales, and impactful information. Posting across several channels every week can be daunting. Thankfully, many social media tools help you schedule and publish content that can be calendared and posted automatically. These tools range from Hootsuite (which has a free option) to Zoho Social to Buffer . Slack More and more brands, companies, and entrepreneurs use Slack to communicate with their customers. It's a great place to provide relevant updates, tips and advisement, and new product announcements. It also gives your customers a place away from social media to share stories and entrepreneurs a place to connect with their team more visibly easily. Storage There is a lot of discussion about the term "the cloud." Think of the cloud as an off-site storage locker, where all your critical information is safe and secure and easily sharable. Google Drive , Dropbox , or Microsoft Sharepoint safeguard your backups and allow users access from any location. Moving your work to the cloud, not only benefits you to work from anywhere and any device, but it also makes it easy to share content with your customers. Email Marketing Your marketing toolkit may contain a variety of options one of which is email marketing. Sending professionally designed, informative newsletters to your customers is a great way to keep in touch. One of the most popular companies in the business is Mailchimp. Even better, If your company sends fewer than 12,000 email messages per month to fewer than 2,000 subscribers, you can take advantage of Mailchimp's Forever Free plan. E-commerce The pandemic has changed how we shop. Overnight, people began to purchase everything from groceries to furniture online and in record numbers. Customers now expect to buy their products online. They expect the experience to be easy and fast. There are many great e-commerce platforms out

MicroMab Diagnostics / UP has secured first prize in the Biosciences category for its innovative rapid test for SARS-CoV2 in the Gauteng Accelerator programme. Hosted by The Innovation Hub , the selected winners have secured a share of R3 million in seed funding which will allow businesses to further incubate and drive scalability. Professor Tahir Pillay, Dr Bettina Chale-Matsau, and Mr Reggie Govender, founders of MircoMab Diagnostics/UP led the winning innovation in the GAP Biosciences category receiving R500 000. In an official press release, Advocate Pieter Holl, CEO of The Innovation Hub explains that entrepreneurs that presented unique innovations will have access to personalised mentorship, advisory, and sessions addressing skills development in addition to funding. This year has proved that the next generation of entrepreneurs can adapt to change and take hold of opportunities within the market. Our innovators have stepped up to the challenges faced in South Africa today. We are proud to see so many entrepreneurs involved in the sciences and blazing the trail for other innovators and entrepreneurs. It is our privilege to be able to provide them with the mentorship and funding that they need to advance their projects. Innovators will be provided with networking opportunities as well as infrastructure in 2021 that will further establish their business. First prize winner MicroMab Diagnostics / UP is awarded first prize for their innovation in the Biosciences category which has the highest prize money. The innovation supports bioscience technology as it is a rapid, and cost-effective test strip or kit created for SARS-CoV2 that utilizes nanobodies. Nanobodies are a special type of antibody that is produced in bacteria which detects viral proteins. The winning innovation uses bioscience technology which will lead to several rapid tests for diagnosis during acute infection. In addition, the unique mechanism will result in a diagnosis of carrier states that is based on viral protein antigen detection. The Gauteng Accelerator Programme The Gauteng Accelerator Programme, implemented in 2011, has received more than 1 400 applications across five different categories. This year the event was hosted virtually gathering SA and international attendees. The Innovation Hub has reportedly invested more than R19 million in seed funding and assisted over 100 start-ups through the programme by providing incubation. There are five different categories within the GAP innovation competition with five winners announced for each category. The full list of winners and their prizes are available here . Winning innovations GAP Township economy category The GAP Township economy recognises and supports innovations that are township-based and displays the potential to lead to growth in the township economy. Mamntlane Phyto Pharmaceuticals nutritional Supplements for Elderberry and Pelargonium Cough Syrups was awarded first place in the GAP Township economy category. The healthtech company has developed cough syrups which are plant-based. The unique and sustainable product reportedly does not contain alcohol. The innovation can be used to treat coughs, flu, colds, and even diabetes. GAP ICT category GAP ICT identifies researchers and entrepreneurs that address ICT solutions to solve challenges in South Africa. Teambix receives first prize for its innovation, an online solution that allows companies to share their employees with other companies. The ICT innovation allows salary costs to be shared with other organisations and ensures employees will earn a full salary for time worked. Medical category UNISA receives first place in the medical category for a mobile health technology that accelerates accessibility and availability of antimalarial drugs as well as Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs). The innovation uses data that was collected during a three-year research project. The mobile health technology drives a theoretical supply chain coordination of ACTs into a practical mobile application tool. General hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing economies with coordination and technological issues are encouraged to use the software that is the practical mobile application tool. The application tool will manage, facilitate, and improve the availability of ACTs. GAP Green category GAP Green supports entrepreneurs who tackle green technology solutions tailored to SA challenges. The University of Limpopo in collaboration with EcoHarness Pty Ltd receives first place for its simple water purifying gadget. The inno

Share The 2020 WFP bootcamp is wrapping up after successfully hosting a virtual 32nd innovation session. In this WFP challenge, priority was given to startups that tackle solutions that offer remedies to the current Covid-19 situation while transforming the lives of the poor and vulnerable positively. While at the programme, startups are mentored through their innovation process, project ideation, and design. 10 teams are taking part in the WFP Innovation Challenge , where Africa was represented by innovators from Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa. The competition was stiff as one had to stand out from 793 applications spread out across 95 countries. As with other innovation bootcamps focus is on bold innovations addressing the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030 - which is the SDG 2. Some of the companies taking part are Tiny Totos which is a Social enterprise whose product transforms the lives of communities while enhancing child nutritional wellness in informal daycares. Enterpreneurs are provided with tools, training, and skills to enhance the services of informal daycare. Kuza Biashara operates both in Africa and Asia as a social enterprise offering small businesses the resources to grow sustainably. You can apply here for the next round of the 2021 Bootcamp before November 15. Share

The important thing for people embarking on fasting diets to remember is: you need to meet all of your nutritional needs.

MenaPay SuperApp released a new feature: Influencer Marketplace. The first marketplace for influencers and social media celebrities from MenaPay MenaPay the first blockchain-based SuperApp, released a new feature named 'Social Store' in which influencers and social media celebrities can add their social media channels and services to engage their followers to communicate, get support or to sell anything via MenaPay. MenaPay , the first blockchain-based SuperApp, continues to add new features to services network on MenaPay application and expand technology investments based on the needs of the new digital world. With the help of the 'Social Store' feature of MenaPay, influencers, and content creators can add their social media channels and create services for their followers to get support. Users can easily buy the services to support the people they follow with one click. Also, service providers can activate the 'send message' option and get messages from their supporters. Use MenaPay to get support from your followers! Recently, fitness trainers, nutritionists, astrologers, and many other content creators have received enormous attention from their users, and getting support from followers has becomes very popular. Influencers, social media celebrities, content creators can continue to create new content with the help of their followers. MenaPay released a new feature that enables the influencers to get support from their followers easily and securely within seconds with one click. It is very easy and fast to send support with MenaPay Influencers and social media celebrities sign up to MenaPay SuperApp and create channels on Social Store to get support from followers. Channel owner decides what service to provide and how much to charge for that service. Followers can find these channels on the 'Social Store' of MenaPay SuperApp by searching for the name of the channel they want to support. They can easily buy the service to support the person without giving any credit card or personal information thanks to the blockchain technology of MenaPay. MenaPay CEO Cagla Gul Senkardes stated that digital content consumption has increased significantly especially during the pandemic period. Gul Senkardes said: " Recently, the culture of support and donations on social media platforms has become very common. We were inspired by the idea of ??donations on Twitch and YouTube for the social store feature we brought to the MenaPay application." Gul Senkardes continued: "The influencer culture is very common both in the Middle East and in Turkey, but marketplace practices in this area are very recent. By trying a new model on MenaPay SuperApp, we opened a new channel for influencers to get support easily from their followers. So, content creators on social media will be able to get support securely through the MenaPay SuperApp." Stating that they are following the new trends closely, Cagla Gul Senkardes added that they continue working at full speed to add innovations to the 'social store" feature in the application. About MenaPay MenaPay is a blockchain-based super app that offers financial services, entertainment solutions, and daily life solutions in one application. MenaPay is the first blockchain-based SuperApp. Established in Dubai by the well-known leaders of the business world, MenaPay works to be the most widely used application in the region with the vision of supporting digital transformation, especially in the blockchain. MenaPay enables users to benefit from services other than payment while performing payment transactions within the same application. Thanks to blockchain technology of MenaPay payments are made within seconds, game keys can be purchased, and influencers can get support from their followers using the 'Social Store' feature of MenaPay. MenaPay pays through an encrypted blockchain network instead of traditional payment methods. This provides a secure and transparent payment network for all types of users and all aspects of daily life. MenaPay offers USD-equivalent "MenaCash" to build a cashless society with its extensive merchant network and to benefit from in-app services.

Twenty-five African agricultural entrepreneurs have been announced as the finalists of the African Development Banks AgriPitch competition . The finalists have been shortlisted across three categories namely; Startups, Mature Startups, and Women Empowered Businesses. After completing the Agripitch online training programme, the selected finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative agricultural proposals to a panel of investors and experts. Each finalist will go head-to-head in the pitch round to be selected as one of the winners. The selected winners will secure a share of $120 000 in seed funding prizes, receive training, and more. The AgriPitch competition The AgriPitch competition aims to create jobs and wealth to improve the livelihood of young African agricultural entrepreneurs. The competition raises funds to assist entrepreneurs and grow inclusivity across Africa. Over 2 500 entrepreneurs showed interest in the competition and over 600 applications were submitted from 30 countries. In an official press release , Wambui Gichuri, African Development Bank Groups Acting Vice President of Agriculture, Human and Social Development, commented on the percentage of women applicants and the growth of the competition. It is encouraging to see that almost 62% of all AgriPitch 2020 applicants self-described as being women-led businesses or having women make up at least 50% of their management. Word is spreading that AgriPitch is the competition where all qualified agripreneurs can get the training and support to grow their businesses. Driving inclusivity in Agri-Food systems The theme for the 2020 AgriPtich competition is, Driving Sustainable nutrition and Gender Inclusivity in Africa's Agri-Food Systems: Youth Agripreneurs Seize the Decade. AgriPitch falls under the African Development Banks fourth African Youth Agripreneurs Forum (AYAF) which is a platform for Africas youth who are interested in the agriculture startup scene. The competition hosted its first session on 3 November and discussed potential policies for sustainable nutrition and gender inclusivity. On 10 November a webinar was held to address empowering the youth and women in agricultural value chains in order to drive sustainable nutrition. The 25 finalists are currently enrolled in the AgriPitch online training platform, referred to as the bootcamp. The AgriPitch online programme includes a training session on strategic partnerships for equity in agriculture, nutrition, and financing the youth and women. Edson Mpyisi, Coordinator of the Banks Enable Youth Program, explains whats on offer during the boot camp for the 25 selected candidates. In this two-week-long business development boot camp, AgriPitch competitors can attend virtual sessions on product development, revenue channel identification, logistics, marketing, business management, investment readiness, financing, and other issues, led by trainers and coaches. The cash prizes may be the most ever awarded at AgriPitch, and the skills offered to all the finalists are invaluable. The finalists in all three categories Start-ups Category Agripoa Company Limited (Tanzania) Bringo Fresh (Uganda) Digifarms Africa (Cameroon) Farm Kiosk (Uganda) Farmspeak Technology (Nigeria) One Kiosk (Nigeria) Premium Hortus (Benin) Releaf (Nigeria) Solar Freeze Limited (Kenya) Tropic Coffee Company (Rwanda) Mature Start-ups Category Agwenda Investments Limited (Malawi) Bee Happy Enterprises Limited (Kenya) Carl Group (Rwanda) Dasfarm Limited (Ghana) Foodlocker (Nigeria) Herdy Limited (Kenya) Lentera Limited (Kenya) Lono (Cte d'Ivoire) Stawi Foods (Kenya) Tilaa Limited (Ghana) Women Empowered Businesses Category AquaFarms Africa (Guinea) Baby Grubz (Nigeria) Farmz2U (Nigeria) INVXT Agro Investimentos (Mozambique) Mhogo Foods (Kenya) Finalists were selected from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Benin, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mozambique, Guinea, Malawi, Ghana, and Cte dIvoire contributing to the goal of inclusivity. The 2020 AYAF and AgriPitch competition partnered with UN Women, the African Leaders for nutrition, and the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative. The winners ceremony will take place on 16 and 17 November. Selected winners will be invited to the AYAF/AgriPitch online DealRoom, which aims to connect expansion-ready, youth-led African businesses with global investors. Qualified applicants who were not chosen for the AgriPitch competition will be given the opportunity to join the AYAF/AgriPitch online DealRoom.