The cryptocurrency market is more versatile than you’d think. Written by Laura van der Most If you’ve been out of the crypto game for a while, here’s what’s been happening: major cryptocurrencies are trading in the red, retirees protest El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender, and Honduras opened its first cryptocurrency ATM. Basically, business as usual in…
Written by Doroteya Borisova Over a billion Android and Windows device users around the world have been discovered compromised by a new vulnerability. This particular weakness has been found in the Bluetooth chip firmware produced by a variety of SoC vendors, among which are Qualcomm, Silicon Labs, Intel, and others. According to MSPoweruser, so far, eleven vendors…
Sequoia Heritage, Stripe and others invest $200M in African fintech Wave at $1.7B valuation Written by Tage Kene-Okafor The largest Series A in Africa by a long shot is geared towards taking on telecom-led mobile money Francophone Africa has its first unicorn, and if you’ve been following tech on the continent, you will be very unsurprised…
Writteb by S. Dent The move is part of a greater privacy push by the Facebook-owned app. WhatsApp has come under fire of late for its privacy policies, but an upcoming update will actually give you a bit more control over your privacy settings, according to WaBetaInfo.com. Several years back, WhatsApp introduced new privacy settings that let you change…
Kenyan fintech startup Pezesha raises 7-figure seed extension round for African expansion Written by TOM JACKSON Kenyan fintech startup Pezesha, which is building scalable lending infrastructure for SMEs and institutions, has closed a seven-figure seed extension round as it looks to expand further across the continent. Founded in late 2016, Pezesha has created a holistic digital financial…
These open banking startups are driving the next wave of fintech innovation in Africa Written by TOM JACKSON All of a sudden, open banking is a very real phenomenon in Africa, with entrepreneurs and investors alike betting on the long-term opportunities within the nascent space. First of all, what is it? Open banking is a…
Enugu to host Nigeria’s latest StartupSouth conference Written by TOM JACKSON The Southeast Nigerian city of Enugu will host the sixth edition of the StartupSouth conference, the biggest startup and innovation-focused event in the South-South/South-East of Nigeria, in October. StartupSouth attracts founders, investors, public officials and top technology brands from across the region and beyond,…
The challenge for any organization in the world right now is to figure out how to maximize the efficiency of its operations using IoT technologies while reducing all possible risks, ideally, to zero, writes David Balaban; a computer security researcher. Let us take a look at potential IoT device connectivity issues in companies, review the…
3 Most Common Cyberscams that Compromise Business Emails Written by Luis Monzon Online security firm Kaspersky reports that its cybersecurity experts are increasingly observing BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks online. Between May and July 2021, Kaspersky says that its security products prevented more than 9,500 BEC attacks globally, including those against businesses in air transportation, industry,…
Cardano, the cryptocurrency that could become the most valuable in the cyber world Written by Alto Nivel In contention with global leaders, virtual currency challenges bitcoin and ether. The Cardano platform could become the most valuable in the ‘ cyber world ‘ with its virtual currency ( ADA ), even surpassing current market leaders such as bitcoin or etherum by increasing its value by 1000% during this 2021….
Telkom South Africa Cuts 1GB Data Prices & Launches New 1.5GB Bundle Written by Luis Monzon South Africa’s semi-private telecommunications firm Telkom has cut the price of its 1GB + 1GB All networks data bundle to R79,00 from the previous price of R99. The telco has also announced the introduction of a new 1,5GB + 1,5GB…
Largest-Ever Data Centre Expansion in Africa to Cost $500M Across 10 Countries Written by Luis Monzon Africa Data Centres, one of the continent’s leading carrier-neutral co-location data centre providers, has announced plans to build large hyperscale data centres throughout Africa, including the North African countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. According to a statement today released…
How Digitisation Can Lead to Real Change in Africa’s Competition Laws Written by Luis Monzon Digitisation has ushered in an era of hyper-connectivity, marked by disruptive digital platforms that operate on a global scale. A recent Baker McKenzie report – Competition in the Digital Economy – an African Perspective – shows that, in Africa, this dynamic evolution…
MTN Ghana Donates $1.6-Million to Girls in ICT Program Written By Luis Monzon MTN Ghana, the Ghanaian arm of Africa’s largest telecom, has donated $1.6-million (GHS10-million) to support the Girls in Information Communication Technology (ICT) Project. A Ghanaian initiative hoping and aimed at exposing the ICT sphere to young women. According to Business Ghana, the donation is…
eTranzact secures ISO 9001:2015 renewal Written By Yinka Okeowo eTranzact International Plc, Nigeria’s leading payment service provider, has received the ISO 9001:2015 validation. This makes it one of the few Nigeria’s companies that have received the certification. ISO 9001:2015 standard is the world’s most recognised quality management systems, which outline a set of standards that help…
Meet the Top 14 Finalists of the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize 2021 Written by Jane Machigere Meet the 14 young Agripreneurs competing for this year’s prestigious GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize. These finalists shall be facing a team of experienced judges during the Cheetah’s Chase session at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) on Wednesday, 8th September at 2…
World Bank hints on how Nigeria can save $432,600,000 before December Written by David Oladele The World Bank has hinted that Nigeria could save about $432.6m from May 2020 to December 2021 through the debt service suspension initiative. The Bank disclosed this in a statement on COVID-19: Debt Service Suspension Initiative updated on its website. The organisation, in…
Nigeria’s Ustacky is getting Africans career market-ready with tech-focused digital micro-degrees Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian ed-tech startup Ustacky is teaching Africans industry-relevant IT skills and providing them with micro-degrees at an affordable price to make them job-ready. Launched in 2019, Ustacky delivers training in programming through its website and mobile app using high-quality instructor-led video courses…
Ugandan e-logistics startup Ridelink raises $150k pre-seed funding round Written by TOM JACKSON Ugandan e-logistics startup Ridelink has raised US$150,000 in pre-seed funding to help it scale operations. Launched in 2017, Ridelink is an e-logistics platform that connects SMEs to a network of transport operators at the click of a button. So far it has served over…
UCT GSB Solution Space, Ayoba launch E-Track Programme for startups across Africa Written by TOM JACKSON Applications are now open for the upcoming E-Track Programme, which is designed to support startups from across Africa with scalable businesses and global potential. The E-track Programme is a three-phase venture acceleration programme developed by the UCT GSB Solution…
What 377 Y Combinator pitches will teach you about startups Written by Natasha Mascarenhas Along with a cadre of other TechCrunch folks, I spent this week extremely focused on one event: Y Combinator. The elite accelerator announced a staggering 377 startups as its Summer 2021 cohort. We covered every single on-the-record startup that presented and…
Nigeria’s Autochek acquires Cheki Kenya and Uganda from ROAM Africa Written by Tage Kene-Okafor Nigerian automotive tech company Autochek today is announcing the acquisition of Cheki Kenya and Uganda from Ringier One Africa Media (ROAM) for an undisclosed amount. Per a statement, Autochek will finalize the deal in the coming weeks. With the acquisition, Autochek completes its…
Founders Factory and G-Force launch Seed program for climate-focused startups Written by Mike Butcher UK tech accelerator Founders Factory is joining forces with a European counterpart to launch the Founders Factory Sustainability Seed program. Launched in partnership with G-Force (the G is for Green) based out of Bratislava, Slovakia, the program will look to invest in and accelerate…
Data: The next great resource Forget oil, gas, or rare-earth elements. In the coming years, data is set to become the world’s most valuable resource. Advances in technology, from robotics to artificial intelligence, are transforming industries across the world. Industry 4.0 is the next phase in digitalization. It is driven by a sharp rise in…
Understanding 5G – The backbone of the industrial Internet A data-driven “fourth industrial revolution” has long been predicted. Now, the backbone for that platform is finally becoming a reality. The long-promised benefits of cyber-physical industrial systems are within sight. The year 2019 will be remembered as the year that true cellular connectivity for the Internet…
5G network is finally here – This is what you need to know The 5th generation of mobile networks, 5G is the evolution of the 4G networks of today. It has been created to meet and surpass the massive growth of data and connectivity of IoT, changing today’s reality and paving the way for tomorrow….
Data Snapshot: Insect ranches, vertical ag among 2020’s top-funded ‘Novel Farming’ startups Written by Lauren Manning & Jack Ellis AFN‘s parent company AgFunder released the latest edition of its annual Farm Tech Investment Report earlier this month, which showed that funding for agritech startups last year saw its biggest annual increase in since 2018. According to the report, Novel Farming…
Rwanda’s new SIM registration, Somalia’s Trade Information Portal, Cellulant’s partnership with GAINDE 2000 Written by Victoria Fakiya Rwanda’s new SIM registration directives What’s the news? Telecom operators will implement new SIM card registration procedures. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), Rwanda’s telecom regulator, claims it will help reduce fraud. According to RURA, anyone who wants to get…
Zip acquisition of Payflex means Africa is ripe for BNPL disruption Writen by Tage Kene-Okafor Australian buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Zip this week acquired South Africa-based BNPL player Payflex for an undisclosed amount. It’s a piece of news that once again highlights the hype around BNPL services and the quest for global dominance among the…
African energy startups to benefit from SIMA’s $68,000,000 Energy Access Relief Fund Written By Joan Aimuengheuwa With a focus on ensuring adequate decentralisation of clean energy globally, Social Investment Managers and Advisors’ (SIMA) has made its $68,000,000 Energy Access Relief Fund (EARF) accessible to startups in the energy sector. Smaller to mid-sized energy companies across sub-Saharan…