Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian startup Releaf, which develops proprietary hardware and software solutions to drive the industrialisation of food processing in Africa, has raised US$4.2 million in seed equity and grant funding to support the development and scaling of technology solutions for the oil palm sector. Agri-tech startup Releaf was founded in 2017, and took part in the…
Written by TOM JACKSON Kenya’s Hello Tractor and Nigeria’s ColdHubs have been named winners of the inaugural AYuTe Africa Challenge, securing a combined US$1.5 million in grant funding to help fund rapid expansion plans. The AYuTe Africa Challenge, run by Heifer International, announced the winners of its inaugural edition at the African Green Revolution Forum…
Written by TOM JACKSON The story formation of Nigerian startup Sabi, a B2B marketplace serving Africa’s informal sector, is not a common one, with the beginnings of the company traced back to another Nigerian startup – Rensource. Rensource, which launched in 2016 and raised US$20 million in funding in 2019, is a renewable energy and merchant…
Written by The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the deployment of 5G and asked the NCC to initiate immediate implementation of the same. The Federal Government has approved the deployment of the Fifth Generation Network, otherwise called 5G in Nigeria. The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) announced…
Written by Manish Singh Truecaller, which operates an eponymous caller-identification service, said on Wednesday it is looking to raise $116 million in an initial public offering on Nasdaq Stockholm. The 12-year-old Stockholm-headquartered firm, which counts India as its biggest market by users, is aiming for a valuation of about $3 billion in the IPO, according to…
Written By Luis Monzon A South Korean competition regulator, the Korea Fair Trade Commission, on Tuesday announced that it has fined Alphabet Inc’s Google $177-million for allegedly using its dominant position in the mobile operating system (OS) market to stifle competitors. Google’s Android OS currently holds the majority of the smartphone market share, being the…
Written by Adeyemi Adepetun Only 19 African countries are signatories to multilateral cybersecurity agreements The United Nations (UN), arm in charge of global telecommunications, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has called on governments in Nigeria and other parts of Africa to deepen Internet safety. The UN observed that as the world continues to recover from…
In Africa, internet data is expensive currency Sudan leads nine other African countries that charge its citizens less than $1 for a gigabyte (1 GB) of mobile data, a report by British technology research firm Cable shows. The Northeastern Africa nation offers the lowest cost of internet access over a smartphone anywhere in Africa and…
Written by TOM JACKSON Egyptian fintech startup Kashat has raised a US$1.75 million bridge funding round to further develop its platform and expand operations. Founded in 2019 by Sumair Farooqui and Karim Nour, Kashat is the first nano lending mobile application in Egypt, offering short-term loans of between EGP200 (US$13) and EGP1,500 (US$95) with a repayment plan…
Written by TOM JACKSON Legal-tech startups in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Burundi have been invited to apply for the Justice Innovation Circles incubation programme. Run by HiiL, Justice Innovation Circles is an incubation programme curated for justice innovators who only have a minimal viable product or prototype and no real traction. It is looking…
Written by MARIA MELLOR It cuts down on eye strain, prolongs battery life and it may even be good for your health. So if you haven’t investigated the dark side of operating systems yet, here’s how to do so on Android, iOS, PCs, Macs and even individual apps Dark mode is here to help with…
Xiaomi Smart Glasses will only show the most important notifications, the company said. By Tasneem Akolawala Xiaomi has unveiled new the Xiaomi Smart Glasses – its first new smart eye wearable device. The Xiaomi Smart Glasses look like normal sunglasses but are embedded with sensors and an imaging system to enable various smart features including navigation…
Written by TOM JACKSON South African ed-tech startup FoondaMate is enabling students with limited internet access to study online using just WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. Basically, by sending a text to the startup’s number on WhatsApp you can search anything you are confused by, get help with maths, and download practice questions and memos. For…
Written by Furqan Shahid It seems like Google is having a hard time staying on its feet as the company has now been hit with another fine for alleged anti-competitive practices. This time in South Korea. According to the news outlet Korea Herald, the latest fine is 207.4 billion won (~$177 million). The company is being fined for…
Written by Anibe Idajili To achieve her goal of impacting 10,000 women in 2021 and 5 million women across Africa by 2030 through the Women Techsters initiative, Tech4Dev – a non-profit social enterprise working to provide access to decent work for Africans through digital and technology skills empowerment and advocacy – launched the #IAmAWomanTechster Campaign…
Written by Claire Huxley When does an app become more than an app? When it starts thinking about its brand. Did you know Growth Quarters is taking the stage this fall? Together with an amazing line-up of experts, we will share key insights into entrepreneurship during TNW Conference 2021. Secure your ticket now! Former Spotify boss…
Written by Janet John Online marketplace, Jiji, has completed an extensive rebranding effort to align with accelerated company growth, development, and vision for the future. The company aims to strengthen its young, friendly, and extraordinary corporate image. At the heart of this rebranding is a change of the company’s vision, mission, and position. And that’s…
Written by Ejike Kanife Nigerian-led legal technology startup, Definely has announced a £2.2 million funding round. The funding round was led by Microsoft’s venture fund, M12, and supported by CRE Venture Capital. This funding brings the startup’s total funding to £3.4m following a seed round in September 2020. Founded in 2017 by the Nigerian-born Nnamdi Emelifeonwu who…
Written by Janet John Video conferencing platform Zoom, is continuously creating new features to help users connect with teams and customers, share ideas, and get more done together. The company plans to expand its support for automatic live transcriptions with the addition of live translation, among other new changes coming to the platform. The company…
Written by Alex Wilhelm This afternoon Intuit confirmed persistent rumors that it was in the process of buying Mailchimp, detailing a $12 billion transaction that will bring the well-known email infra company to its corporate remit. Intuit is not a well-known player in the email marketing space. The company is instead best known for its TurboTax software…
Written by Daryn Kara Ali Speedtest issued on Wednesday its most recent Global Index report exploring speeds from July 2019 till July 2021, revealing that download speeds have globally escalated in the past year regarding mobile and fixed broadband, and 200 percent faster than 2017. A drastic change has occurred in the world’s internet performance as…
Infinix and Royal Observatory Greenwich have embarked on a corporate partnership to support Infinix in an exciting online webinar to launch the new smartphone – ZERO X Pro – to spark inspiration to capture visuals outside of the norm. Global smartphone company, Infinix, held its long-awaited Infinix Presents: See Beyond online webinar event at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in…
Written by Michael Egbejule The Centre for Global Eco-Innovation University of Benin (CGE-Nigeria) has stressed the need for Nigerians to embrace new strategies, especially anaerobic digestion (AD) technology for waste management to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It stated this at the weekend during a RECIRCULATE stakeholders’engagement it organised for secondary school students with…
Written by Yinka Okeowo Focussed on catalysing dramatic change via disruptive tech investments in emerging markets, the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG), has announced the launch of a unique profit and purpose fund aimed at investing in early-stage tech innovation startups across Africa. The GIIG Africa Fund, a Curaçao-based private investment fund, will invest annually in the…
The medical wire business within Sandvik was looking to expand operations in the US, but the pandemic hindered our search for a new site. So, they did it entirely virtual instead. Biotech is booming right now, and many companies are looking to expand into new locations and markets. Certainly, this was the case for Sandvik…
Written by Joan Aimuengheuwa Focused on metamorphosing sustainable and resilient changes in the African tech ecosystem, Google for Africa plans to develop an environment where the internet would be more beneficial to individuals, businesses, and organisations in Africa. The ultimate goal is to keep unlocking the benefits of the digital economy globally, while simultaneously accelerating…
The winners of the inaugural US$1.5 million Heifer International AYuTe Africa Challenge were announced today: Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, founder and CEO of ColdHubs, a Nigerian company that provides solar-powered walk-in coolers for smallholder vegetable farmers, and Jehiel Oliver, founder, and CEO of Hello Tractor, a Kenyan company that has become known across Africa as the “Uber…
Written by Luis Monzon South Africa’s Department of Transport announced the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act, which will introduce a new licence points demerit system geared towards imposing stricter penalties for road rule infringements. It’s estimated that between 15 and 20 million fines a year will be issued countrywide once the new system…
Written by Tage Kene-Okafor Funding startups that help manufacturers and sellers distribute products and merchants access them on a single platform keeps increasing across Africa. Today, Cairo-based B2B e-commerce startup Capiter continues that trend by raising a $33 million Series A round. The investment was co-led by Quona Capital and MSA Capital. Other participating investors include Savola, Shorooq…
Written by Luis Monzon Nedbank South Africa has announced the launch of a series of enhancements to its digital services, including the introduction of a conversational AI-powered chatbot. “In line with its commitment to offer cutting-edge digital banking that adds real value to clients, Nedbank works tirelessly to add new features and services across its…