An $8 million seed fund dubbed EchoVC Chain has been formed by EchoVC, a Lagos-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in underrepresented founders and underserved industries. EchoVC Chain is targeted at blockchain investments in Africa. The business, which has invested in around 40 businesses in a variety of global areas, made its initial blockchain…
Although while it is debatably still “a man’s world,” particularly in the tech industry, Nigerian women are undoubtedly doing their share and doing it well enough to attract attention from around the world. These are the seven female business founders from Nigeria who have made the Aurora Tech Awards 2023 shortlist. The AURORA Tech Awards…
Samsung has announced the new Galaxy A14 with the latest innovation and technology that has become synonymous with Galaxy smartphones. This latest Galaxy A series comes with a large screen, an awesome camera and all the essentials you need to stay connected. It looks and feels awesome as it delivers a truly special performance from…
Bellafricana has opened its tech-enabled community as a FREE platform to support creative entrepreneurs in the fashion, arts & craft, beauty, home & living, food produce & snacks industry, to gain visibility, increase sales, have the right business support and structure that gives them the capacity to grow their business. Speaking to the press on the…
Rwandan startups are encouraged to submit applications for the ZEP-RE InsurTech Program, which will aid scalable startups in expanding their market reach and increasing productivity. Next month, 25 businesses will be chosen for an insurtech hackathon, which will be hosted by the PTA Reinsurance Company (ZEP-RE) in collaboration with Westerwelle Startup Haus. Five teams will…
The fifth annual edition of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy-sponsored Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Award Competition has begun, and the continent’s entrepreneurial talent is now encouraged to enter. ABH is a component of the Jack Ma Foundation’s ongoing dedication to promoting an open, robust, and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa. Since 2019, ABH…
Today, Meta revealed that it will support Facebook Reels up to 90 seconds long and would also be introducing some new artistic tools. Facebook Reels had a 60-second time limit before. Once Meta introduced support for longer Instagram Reels of up to 90 seconds, the changes were made a few months later. The growth came…
The fact that Nigeria’s debt profile keeps increasing without any corresponding economic growth is very concerning. In January 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari authorized the appropriation bill, which had been originally proposed to be voted into law at a cost of N20.51 trillion, to be increased to N21.83 trillion. The president then announced a planned loan of N1…
Microsoft has unveiled a variety of fresh initiatives with the goal of boosting digital development, skill development, and infrastructure in the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs). By 2025, the IT behemoth will work with Liquid Intelligent Technologies to provide internet access to 20 million more people in Africa. Through this collaboration, Microsoft’s Airband Initiative, which…
In 2022, phishing affected 7% of Nigerian internet users, according to a statement released on Thursday by leading antivirus company Kaspersky. Phishing is the activity of sending emails or messages to people or businesses in an effort to get them to divulge sensitive information that will later be utilized for evil. According to Kaspersky analysts,…
The 9th edition of the Africa Fintech Summit has been scheduled for April 12th. At the Walter E. Washington Convention Centre, the location of the US-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022, regulators, policymakers, financial and technology industry executives, fintech startups, top innovators, investors, and government representatives from around the world will assemble. The Africa Fintech…
According to The East African, African investors may have experienced the lowest percentage of cryptocurrency investment fraud, which totaled $5.9 billion last year globally. Yet, many investors on the continent fell victim to investment and giveaway scams, indicating the danger of a strong desire to join in the mania. According to a survey by blockchain…
Azur Innovation Fund has invested $960,000 (MAD10 million) in the Moroccan EdTech startup KOOLSKOOLS. The Fund is a public-private seed fund that intends to give innovative entrepreneurs in Morocco equity and quasi-equity financing. KOOLSKOOLS, a joint educational venture founded in 2020 by Mariam Zrii and Nouredine Amrani, addresses pedagogical issues through the digitalization of numerous…
In the fast-paced world of growth marketing, where customer acquisition often takes center stage, the true difficulty lies not just in bringing users through the door but in keeping them in contact long enough to drive sustainable business growth. Adaugo Ezeala, a senior growth marketer with five years of experience, understands these roadblocks intimately. Over…
…Spotlight on Dayo Paul Samuel Dayo Paul Samuel has built a solid reputation as a transformative Senior Product Manager with the rare ability to navigate the challenges that high-growth organizations face. His career is a case study in resilience, foresight, and the art of balancing competing priorities while driving sustainable product innovation. This spotlight on…
As software development changes, microservices has become the bedrock for developing scalable and resilient systems. As an industry leader with over 5 years’ experience in software development, I built and integrated advanced software solutions. I have utilised methods of attaining fault tolerance and high availability in microservice architectures. Resilience in microservices architecture means system ability…
Google announced today that applications for the third cohort of the Black Founders Fund for Startups are now open in Africa and Europe, in keeping with the company’s commitment to digital transformation and support for black-founded startups. Google has committed $4 million this year to support eligible black-founded startups. Startups based in Africa with a…
Technological progression plays a crucial role in fostering economic growth. A lack of access to technology can hinder local economies, particularly in developing countries such as Kenya and other African nations. Access to technology can be a game changer for businesses in less urban areas, providing a range of benefits that can help them thrive…
Snap announced on Monday that it is testing a chatbot feature based on OpenAI’s GPT technology for some users of its photo messaging app Snapchat. The My AI feature will use the most recent version of OpenAI’s GPT technology, which has been customized for Snapchat. The AI chatbot will first be available to Snapchat+ subscribers…
Nobody is immune to the generative AI wave, and everyone wants to be a part of it. Meta is the most recent company to begin testing AI-powered tools for its products. Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company is creating “a new top-level product group” to integrate generative AI into its billions of users’ services. Zuckerberg…
CS ICT and Digital Economy Eliud Owalo has established the first regional Jitume Laboratories in the counties of Uasin Gishu and Bungoma. The Jitume program is a government initiative that aims to provide young people in Kenya with digital skills, e-services, and online opportunities. Several ministries, including the Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy,…
Dr. Jaishree Naidoo was in charge of pediatric radiology at a South African hospital in 2014 when she had an epiphany after reading about the use of AI recognition patterns in distinguishing animals in a news story. Naidoo was already familiar with pattern recognition as a radiologist with 20 years of experience, and she could…
The French-African Foundation has launched a call for applications for its 2023 Young Leaders programme around the theme “Unleash the energy”. The French-African Foundation, founded in 2019, works to develop generations of committed leaders in both France and Africa. Every year, it issues a call for applications in all African countries and in France in…
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Nordic Development Fund (NDF), and the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa have all contributed $47 million to the AfricaGoGreen Fund (AGGF) (SEFA) The funding will allow AGGF to fund more climate-friendly projects in Africa, such as the purchase of high-efficiency appliances and industrial equipment,…
The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) has ordered all banks in the country to suspend “all crypto-related activity until a regulatory framework is in place.” In a letter to managing directors and CEOs of financial institutions, the NBR’s acting governor, Soraya Hakuziyaremye, defended the organization’s activities. Customers are left without the “guarantees and safeguards associated…
MSI, a global leader in gaming, content creation, business & productivity, and AIoT solutions with operations in over 120 countries, has partnered with Egypt’s fintech ‘Fawry’ to help businesses and consumers make payments. In collaboration with ABC Shop, ‘MSI’ aims to provide exclusively discounted business laptops for SMEs and startups with facilitated installment plans via…
The first Africa Digital Finance Summit is scheduled to take place in South Africa from May 24 to May 26 at the Sandston convention center. “The Future of Finance in Africa: Our pathway to a new Africa” is the theme of the three-day conference. The Summit will include a thought-leadership conference with participation from governments,…
Start Path Small Business, a new four-month initiative from Mastercard, will bring companies and entrepreneurs together to create and expand solutions that support simple, secure digital experiences for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). Startups are currently applying to the program to build cutting-edge accounting software, e-commerce solutions, lending platforms, payment technology, digital banking, and other…
African-based agritech firms can now submit an application to the GROW Impact Accelerator. The GROW Impact Accelerator, which is supported by AgFunder, is giving new foodtech and agtech companies a big boost as they work to address some of the most serious sustainability concerns facing the world. The accelerator program aims to speed up the…
Officials have confirmed that Starlink, the satellite-based internet company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has begun operating in Rwanda. According to prior reports, the Ministry of ICT and Innovation announced that the high-speed internet service would formally start in the nation on February 22. According to information received by The New Times, the business will…