Abantu AI, a Kenyan firm, has developed a deep learning engine for natural language processing (NLP) that can translate between major international languages and indigenous African languages. Abantu AI was founded in September by James Mwaniki, who is also the CEO of MoVAS, a company that provides micro-lending services to telecom companies in Africa and…
Elon Musk revealed on Friday that the Twitter transaction is currently on hold due to the quantity of spam and fraudulent accounts on the platform. The latest development comes just over a week after Musk said last month that he would buy the microblogging site for $44 billion. As a result of his acquisition, Musk…
TopUp Mama, a Kenyan startup that connects African eateries with supplies, banking services, and business management tools, has raised US$1.7 million in venture capital to help it expand. TopUp Mama is a one-stop-shop for restaurants in Kenya and Nigeria that provides them with all of the essential supplies, short-term finance, and tools to manage their…
As more individuals gain access to the internet for the first time, mobile penetration in Africa is rising to around 46%. As a result, the market opportunity for startups, particularly fintechs and e-commerce, has expanded, as they aim to develop various solutions to suit the financial needs of the general public. However, in order to…
As the globe settles into this technological era, it becomes evident that digital banking is the way of the future. Fintechs are continuing to dismantle the traditional banking system, and future-oriented financial businesses are following suit. To stay alive, traditional banks have realized the significance of implementing digital banking technologies into their financial services. Although…
MARA, a Pan-African cryptocurrency exchange, has raised $23 million in funding from Coinbase Ventures, Alameda Research (FTX), Distributed Global, TQ Ventures, DIGITAL, Nexo, Huobi Ventures, Day One Ventures, Infinite Capital, DAO Jones (an investment DAO backed by Mike Shinoda, Steve Aoki, and Disclosure), and nearly 100 other crypto investors and angels, including Amit Bhatia and…
For aspiring and professional developers in Africa, Google has announced 30,000 Android and Google Cloud training scholarships. The goal of the program is to boost the number of developers on the continent. “Software development opportunities in Africa are at an all-time high. For over ten years, Google has supported African developers through community and training…
Kaltani, a Nigerian clean-tech plastic waste recycling company, has received initial capital of $4 million to extend its recycling operations across the country. Engineer Obi Charles Nnanna founded Kaltani in Nigeria to address Africa’s growing plastic waste challenge by promoting the circular economy and recycling best practices. The firm employs 100 people throughout its collection…
United Bank of Africa (UBA) Kenya has teamed with Pan-African payments business Cellulant to build a payments gateway to help Kenyans adopt cashless payments faster. Cellulant is accelerating the fight for financial inclusion and economic wellbeing in Kenya and throughout the African continent through strategic partnerships. The digital solution will allow firms to consolidate payments…
Jambo, a Congo-based Web 3 super app firm, has raised $30 million in a series investment round headed by Paradigm. The web 3 mega app startup Jambo, which is Paradigm’s first investment in Africa, combines education, communal access to play-to-earn games for lower entry hurdles, and access to a curated network of Web 3 applications….
Paymob, an Egyptian fintech firm, received $50 million in funding from PayPal Ventures, Kora Capital, and Clay Point. Additional investors included Helios Digital Ventures, British International Investment (formerly the CDC Group), Nclude, and three Egyptian banks. Paymob is a digital payments platform for emerging markets that enables small and large enterprises to take payments both…
Africa GreenCo (GreenCo), a Zambian firm, has received $15.5 million in funding from InfraCo Africa, the Danish Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU), and the European Union’s Electrification Financing Initiative (EDFI ElectriFi). GreenCo Power Services, based in Lusaka, was established in 2020 with IFU and InfraCo Africa’s support (through its sister company, PIDG Technical Assistance)….
Sendy, a logistics startup based in Nairobi, has been selected one of the World Economic Forum’s “Technology Pioneers” for 2022. The World Economic Forum has identified the 100 most promising Technology Pioneers of 2022, companies that are addressing issues such as sustainability, climate change, healthcare, and other areas. These are early-stage to growth-stage enterprises from…
Through its non-profit initiative, the African Centre for Translational Genetics (ACTG), 54gene, the health technology company advancing African genomics research for improved global health outcomes, has completed its first consortium-led publication on over 100,000 Nigerians, as commissioned in 2020 at its launch. The Non-Communicable Diseases Genetic Heritage Study (NCD-GHS) consortium has published an article entitled…
Adeola Ajayi, the savings manager at Nomba, speaks in this interview on recent developments in the financial sector and shares his experience leading one of the largest fintech companies in the country. Adeola Ajayi is an emerging leader in Nigeria’s fintech sector. He has won a number of accolades, including the coveted Migration Entrepreneurship Prize…
Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a pan-African technology company, stated on Monday that it has signed a definitive agreement to buy Telrad, an Israeli technology firm. Networking, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, data centers, information technology, geoinformatics, and education are among the company’s cutting-edge technology solutions. “Telrad’s advanced patented technology in areas such as cyber security, data centers, and…
HAVAC, a South African venture capital firm, has announced the third and final closing of the HAVAC Universum Core African Fund, a US$20 million fund that will invest in early-stage technology startups in South, East, and West Africa. The HAVAC Universum Core African Fund is the company’s second pan-African investment fund, with a third and…
GoMetro, a South African logistics startup, has secured $1 million in a seed extension round to accelerate its growth, enhance its sales team, and aggressively expand into the South African, UK, and US markets. The investment round also included Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, Tritech Global, 4Decades Capital, and E Squared Investments. GoMetro is a…
“As a product designer, you’re bound to hit creative roadblocks and face executive hurdles, turning what should be an exciting process into a daunting challenge that stalls your design potential.” – Precious Nnamani Today, we spotlight Precious Nnamani’s journey from a budding designer to a seasoned professional who has successfully navigated the complexities of the…
Kenya Power, a power corporation, aspires to become one of Kenya’s largest internet service providers. The startup intends to package internet and electricity for business users. This will follow pilot tests with more powerful users. Kenya Power will have 8.59 million customers by December 2021, according to data, including small businesses and huge industrial clients….
AAIC Investment Pte. Ltd. (AAIC Investment), a Japanese investment corporation established in Singapore, is pleased to announce the First Closing of its second fund, Africa Innovation & Healthcare Fund VCC –AHF2, in March 2022. AHF 2 will begin investing and accepting subscriptions once it has reached its target of USD 150 million. The AHF2 was…
Elev8 education, a global leader in digital skilling and transformative education, has joined the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Training Partner program. Elev8 will deliver cloud computing skills training developed and maintained by AWS to enterprises and learners in Nigeria and Rwanda as part of this program. Many businesses have advanced their digital transformation plans this…
On May 4, 2022, Kidato Inc. CEO/Founder Sam Gichuru announced on Twitter that they are collaborating with Nailab on a kidatoschool children’s campus in Lavington, Kabarsiran Avenue. The campus will house the office and provide room for bi-weekly physical and social activities. “For their experiments, our tiny scientists now have chemistry, biology, and physics labs.”…
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is now taking submissions for the first round of its Idea Lab incubator, a new program that expands the scope of the ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) hardware accelerator platform. ASME, a not-for-profit professional organization founded in 1880, facilitates collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines…
Kwaba, a Nigerian fintech firm that helps low and middle-income earners divide their annual rent into manageable monthly installments, has received pre-seed capital to help it expand across Nigeria and Africa. Kwaba, which was founded by Obinna Molokwu in January 2020 and is aimed at Nigerians wishing to pay rent in a modern method that…
2021 was a truly transformative year for the mobile app industry. In light of multiple lockdowns as well as wholesale privacy changes affecting user acquisition on iOS, consumer habits and user behavior patterns have undergone immense change and impressive growth. But how have these challenges affected the app marketing ecosystem? Mobile app trends 2022 provides…
Orodata Science sets another significant milestone with the launch of its vaccine tracker, “Orodata Covid19 Vaccine Tracker” driven towards achieving equitable economic recovery by improving access to data. COVID-19 precipitated a global economic crisis, and even as wealthier nations are bouncing back, it is creating a great divergence between them and the rest of the world….
WhatsApp, the messaging app with over 3500 emojis, has introduced a new emoji ‘fast’ option. All users can benefit from this change, which allows them to respond to single messages with these new emojis. “Reactions on WhatsApp start today,” said Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO, in a Facebook post. He also mentioned the possibility of…
Liquid Home Zimbabwe is the new brand identity of ZOL, Zimbabwe’s premier Internet Service Provider. This redesign symbolizes the natural growth of the well-loved house brand and its much-awaited integration with the parent brand – Liquid Intelligent Technologies , a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies. As part of the rebrand, Liquid Home Zimbabwe will ensure that…
The FT x Cardano Blockchain Challenge is looking for companies who are working on Cardano or are interested in using the Cardano blockchain technology and ecosystem, and will provide selected companies with access to a bootcamp and accelerator program. The FT x Cardano Blockchain Challenge is a collaboration between Cardano’s Project Catalyst, a community and…