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…
Glovo, a Spanish on-demand delivery service, has announced that it will invest $60 million over the next 12 months to extend its footprint in Africa, including Ghana and Tunisia. “Our mission is to provide everyone simple access to anything in their city, and our platform is at its best when it is linking users and…
Written by TOM JACKSON The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) and Villgro Africa have opened a call for healthcare innovators with the potential to improve optimal health outcomes or make healthcare more, with the best solutions to be awarded cash prizes and access to other resources. The Kenya Healthcare Innovation Programme awardees will be given the opportunity…
Written by Luis Monzon One of South Africa’s big four telcos, Vodacom has announced the installation of new solar-powered sites in Polokwane, Vereeniging, and Bloemfontein as part of its energy and carbon management strategy and commitment to reducing its impact on the environment. Vodacom, in a statement today, says it has invested over R8-million ($564K)…
Written by Matthew Sparkes El Salvador has officially adopted bitcoin as legal tender. Draft legislation may soon lead Panama down the same path, while China, the US and the UK are investigating launching their own cryptocurrencies. Here’s what you need to know. Why are countries adopting bitcoin? President Nayib Bukele hopes bitcoin will alleviate El Salvador’s prickliest…
Written by Matthew Sparkes PayPal has two decades of experience in online payments and manages 403 million user accounts. So, it caused ripples when it announced on 23 August it would allow UK customers to buy and sell four cryptocurrencies: bitcoin prices rose to a three-month high. But will this – and last October’s roll-out in…
Written by Russel Ayugi Alliance Microfinance (AMAS) has signed a grant agreement with Norad, based on an application form submitted in partnership with Norwegian Church Aid, Norwegian tech company Bakken & Bæck, and a leading industrial conglomerate in Ethiopia East African Group. AMAS is the lead partner and grant manager running the project and aims to provide farmers across…
Writteb by Joan Aimuengheuwa Implemented by the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (WE4A) programme is set to improve the business capacity of women-led enterprises, increasing scaling changes globally. The programme is organised by a joint effort from the European Union (EU), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the…
Written by Luis Monzon MTN today announced a new mobile money partnership with one of Africa’s leading payments technology companies and unicorn startup, Flutterwave. This partnership will allow businesses integrating Flutterwave in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia to receive payments via MTN Mobile Money (MoMo), the South African telecom behemoth said in a…
Written by Luis Monzon A collaborative project in Botswana is getting essential and emergency healthcare products to remote communities quicker than ever before through leveraging unmanned drones. The Drones for Health project sees a partnership between the country’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), the United Nations Population…
Written by Yinka Okeowo The #TwitterBan in Nigeria is no news anymore, as the country hits 100 days post-Twitter ban. On Monday, September 13, Nigerians would have witnessed 100 days of #TwitterBan by the Federal Government. The measure taken by the government declaring the platform suspended has been heavily criticized as undermines Nigeria’s corporate existence; a…
Written by Luis Monzon According to an announcement made by South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla, digital vaccination passes will be issued to all eligible vaccinated South Africans in less than a week. The country’s Department of Health says that currently, the digital vaccine certificates are “under development.” According to Mia Malan, editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa Health Journalism…
Written by Luis Monzon Kenya’s job sector took a serious blow last year, having contracted for the first time in over 20 years. Overall, 737,500 jobs were lost as Kenya’s economy shrunk for the first time since 1992 as a result of COVID-19 induced lockdowns and restrictions, reports Business Daily. Kenya Bleeds Jobs in 2020 According…