Mr EAZI Bets Big on Rwanda

The international music superstar and business mogul popularly known as Mr Eazi has expanded his business empire to Rwanda, beginning with the launch of his sports betting and gaming franchise BetPawa.

Mr Eazi was in Rwanda in the third quarter of 2021 to develop strategic relations with an eye to launching multiple business ventures in the country. Less than 10 months later, the African music superstar is now live with several businesses launched in the country including BetPawa and his music-focused emPawa Africa.

Eazi founded emPawa Africa in 2017 as an Africa-focused music services company working with artists, producers and independent record labels across the continent. Among the acts who have benefited from partnerships with the emPawa Africa juggernaut are Nigerian mega superstar Joeboy, South African superstar DJ duo Major League Djz, Tanzanian music star Nandy, Gambia’s Jizzle and Nigerian music icon DJ Neptune amongst others.

emPawa has not only achieved continental success but has also hit major milestones including over 3 billion streams across its releases; a strategic partnership with global music publishing giant Kobalt; and the development of its own proprietary music distribution and rights administration software. The company is behind Detty Rave, a 15,000-capacity music festival in Ghana, where it is in the process of setting up a premier events center. emPawa is also rumored to be concluding an investment round set to make it one of the most valuable Africa-focused music companies. It’s safe to say that Mr Eazi has become a major player and investor in the African tech ecosystem.

BetPawa is one of Africa’s leading online sports betting franchises. It officially went live in Rwanda in March, joining Cameroon, DR Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Nigeria as its ninth African market. The online betting platform offers a wide range of football betting games to add to the thrill of following the continent’s favorite sport. Punters can stake on the most popular leagues worldwide from the English Premier League to Germany’s Bundesliga. Also, basketball and other sports including virtual and local in-country games are available. There are a plethora of various betting options and entertainment on the site.

Rwanda is fast turning into a preferred location for technology and innovation through a combination of visionary leadership and investment in infrastructure. The Rwandan government has shown a high level of commitment to entrepreneurs and innovators, Mr Eazi noted.

“I am impressed by the processes in Rwanda and encouraged by the ease of doing business. The regulatory efficiency and support from the Rwanda Development Board, Ministry of Trade, Kigali International Finance Center, and other regulatory bodies has enabled us to kick off operations in the country in less than a year from the incorporation stage.” – Mr Eazi said

Additionally, Mr Eazi is now invested in the fintech sector through PawaPay, a U.K.-based and Africa-focused payments company backed by his venture capital fund Zagadat Capital. In August, Zagadat invested in PawaPay through its seed funding round. With 10 million transactions per week totaling 257.4 million transactions worth $1.2 billion, recorded in 2021, and integrated with over a dozen MNO’s, PawaPay is positioned as an industry leader in high volume mobile money payments on the continent.

PawaPay, which previously launched in Zambia, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ghana, is now fully operational and live in Rwanda after fulfilling all regulatory requirements. Mr Eazi’s investment across the continent is setting the young entrepreneur on a path to changing the narrative and defining “The New Africa.”

Source: techpoint.africa

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