Formula Africa Partners with Blocksport for Digital Community Development

Formula Africa has brought Blocksport on board as its Founding Official Digital Community Partner, a move that sets the groundwork for the organisation’s digital entry across the continent.

The partnership sees Blocksport take on the technical responsibility for the Formula Africa Super App, which is meant to serve as a central digital space for the organisation’s growing network of young participants, local communities, and institutional backers.

Rather than building a separate app for each function, the aim is to consolidate engagement, learning materials, community interaction, and partnership coordination into one platform that can scale as the programme expands into different African markets.

Formula Africa has been clear from the start that it does not see itself as a traditional sponsor-driven project. The approach leans more towards bringing in organisations that can contribute specific capabilities—technology, sector expertise, or regional reach—and giving each a defined role within a wider ecosystem.

Blocksport is the first to sign on under this model, with its digital community tools expected to handle the membership and interaction layers of the Super App.

Julia Green, founder and executive chair of Formula Africa, said the organisation was built around the idea that access remains one of the biggest barriers for young people across the continent.

She says while talent and ambition are not in short supply, the pathways to education, skills training, and career opportunities are often fragmented. The Super App, she added, is intended to bridge that gap by keeping users connected to the organisation’s physical events and programmes, while also offering a digital journey that continues beyond a single interaction.

Green also confirmed Formula Africa is in active discussions with governments, schools, and industry bodies, with the aim of weaving their inputs into the platform as it develops. The Blocksport agreement is the first of what the organisation says will be several founding partnerships, with future announcements expected in areas such as engineering, artificial intelligence, financial services, and mobility.

For its part, Blocksport sees the partnership as a chance to apply its mobile-first community platform to a pan-African audience.

Chief executive Vladimiro Liulka described the youth demographic on the continent as a dynamic group that stands to gain from digital tools designed not just for connection, but for practical outcomes like job referrals, learning pathways, and community-led support. He said the Super App would be built with that in mind, focusing on usability and real-world relevance rather than novelty features.

The announcement comes as Formula Africa prepares for a broader roll-out of government engagements and commercial discussions over the coming months. The organisation has positioned this partnership as a foundational step, with the Super App expected to evolve gradually as new capabilities and partners are introduced. No timeline has been given for the app’s public launch, but those close to the project indicate that development is already under way.

Both parties have emphasised that the agreement is not a short-term sponsorship, but a long-term collaboration aimed at building a sustainable digital presence for Formula Africa’s work across the continent.

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Colin-on-Cars - New graduates from VWSA training programme

Massive investment since it was launched in 2011, has seen a number of candidates processed through Volkswagen South Africa’s Dealer Principal Apprentice Programme (DPAP).

The programme offers candidates personalised mentoring and coaching, which is structured to provide broader training exposure, using a blended learning model. It is uniquely designed and developed for Volkswagen and focuses on principles of leadership and management within the automotive industry.

Transformation

“Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) has invested more than R1-billion in transformation programmes in the past 10 years. The DPAP promotes economic inclusion and diversification of the dealer network as well as fostering a true spirit of transformation and black economic empowerment,” says Nonkqubela Maliza, VWSA Corporate and Government Affairs Director.

The fourth wave of the programme took 10 candidates through a development journey that covered subjects such as retail business, finance, leadership and general management. The programme is developed by Optima Training, a global specialist in development and management learning programmes.

Promoted

Of the total 33 candidates who have graduated from the DPAP programme in the past decade, 17 have been promoted into Dealer Principal positions whilst others have been promoted to Group Financial Director and management roles.

VWSA has invested in transformation and B-BBEE programmes through its Business Support Centre in Kariega, Automotive Industry Transformation Fund, the VWSA B-BBEE Initiatives Trust, Ntinga Project and the DPAP.

“The goal of our initiatives is to make a lasting and valuable impact in the transformation of the South African automotive industry.

Furthermore, VWSA has also provided meaningful work opportunities to more than 2 000 unemployed youth through the Youth Employment Service (YES), an investment of R128-million,” concluded Maliza.

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Colin-on-Cars - Boost for auto industry in Senegal

Development of the automotive industry in Senegal will be getting a boost from the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) that will provide advisory services and expertise to the West African country.

This follows this year’s Intra-African Trade Fair Conference opened by President Cyril Ramaphosa, and is part of the Coega Africa Programme.

“Final negotiations between Senegalese Investment Agency, PAIMRAI, and the CDC have recently concluded with the CDC and Automotive Investment Holdings (AIH) being appointed to elaborate a strategy for the development of the automotive industry in Senegal,” says Dr Ayanda Vilakazi, CDC Head of Marketing, Brand and Communications.

The Intra-African Trade Fair 2021 took place from 15-21 November 2021 under the theme African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) - a single market for goods and services across 55 countries, aimed at boosting trade and investment.

Analysis

The Senegalese Automotive Industry Strategy developed by the CDC and AIH will provide a comprehensive analysis of the automotive industry in Senegal, its potential and the upstream and downstream linkages that can be developed with countries such as South Africa and Morocco, which are the leading vehicle manufacturers in the continent. 

The appointment of the CDC sees the organisation expanding its project footprint throughout the continent, with projects currently in Zimbabwe, Cameroon for the Central African Republic, and now Senegal. Drawing from 21 years of expertise in project managing mega and complex infrastructure projects in South Africa for public and private sector, the Coega SEZ has successfully developed its Automotive Zone and attracted investment exceeding USD 895-million.

Dr Vilakazi explains the Sub-Sahara Africa automotive sector currently accounts for less than 3% of global production, against 30% for China, 22% for Europe and 17% for North America.

“The motorisation rate in this region was very low in 2018, with 42 cars per 1 000 inhabitants, against 837 in the United States, 173 in China and 214 in South Africa, for a world average of 180 cars per 1 000 inhabitants.

“This rate hardly exceeds 3% in Senegal, which means only 30 people out of 1 000 own a private vehicle.”

Nascent

Apart from Nigeria and Ghana, the automotive industry remains nascent in the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States, whose process of industrialisation faces the threat of used car imports from Europe, Japan, United States, Canada, and other countries.

The sub-regional and regional integration, through the development of upstream and downstream links in the automotive industry value chain, will stimulate industrialisation and competitiveness throughout Africa. According to research conducted by Dakar’s Foreign Trade Office, about 100 000 vehicles are imported to the country every year, which require constant replacement of parts due to difficult climate and infrastructural conditions.

Senegal imports almost all spare parts. However, strong government focus on encouraging automotive industry in the country is an important driving force for Senegal. Stringent environmental regulations on pollution and carbon emissions are necessitating heavy investments.

As the leading Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Africa, the CDC is poised to foster collaboration with the rest of the continent to promote the coordinating, championing, and driving of the implementation of free trade across borders and take advantage of supply chain networks and technological advancement.

“We believe the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will provide investors with easy access to new, rapidly developing markets while it has the potential to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty but achieving its full potential will depend on significant policy reforms and trade facilitation measures,” says Ms Nkuli Mxenge-Mayende, CDC’s Global Market Manager.

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