WhatsApp is reportedly implementing new privacy safeguards to make it more difficult for people to learn about your last seen status and online presence on the platform. The update is not yet available to all users, but it is said to be available to some on Android and iOS. It would allow you to remain…
East African neighbors Kenya and Tanzania, as well as Namibia and Egypt, are also strong performers. According to the African Development Bank’s 2021 Electricity Regulatory Index, Uganda’s electricity sector is the best regulated in Africa for the fourth year in a row. East African neighbors Kenya and Tanzania, as well as Namibia and Egypt, are…
Volvo, the Swedish automaker, announced on Friday that hackers had stolen research and development data from its systems in a cyberattack. The company, which is owned by China’s Geely, stated that it “has become aware that one of its file repositories has been illegally accessed by a third party.” “So far, investigations confirm that a…
Cairo Angels, an Egypt-focused angel investor network, has announced the first close of the Cairo Angels Syndicate Fund (CASF), a Delaware-based angel fund that will invest between $100,000 and $250,000 in Middle Eastern and African startups. Cairo Angels was Egypt’s first formal network of angel investors when it launched, and it has since become one…
Katapult, based in Norway, has opened an impact accelerator in Mauritius, focusing on regenerative food and agri-tech for regional and international startups looking to enter African markets. The Katapult Accelerator, based in Norway, has invested in a number of African startups and launched spin-offs such as Katapult Ocean and a climate-focused program. Katapult has developed…
Until recently, organizing a wedding or a sightseeing trip with family and friends in many African cities required the organizer to juggle multiple mobile apps. An app like WhatsApp would be required for announcements and logistics, while fundraising activities could take place on a money platform like M-pesa and rides to different venues could be…
As the internet makes it easier to become our own boss, society is witnessing a seismic shift: entrepreneurship is becoming more viable for more people in more forms. People want a stake in their work, whether they are freelancers or small-business owners, now more than ever. As a result, the self-starter qualities that we see…
Prince Clem Akanade Agba, Nigeria’s minister of state for budget and national planning, has called for the establishment of a new regulatory body to oversee the regulation of crypto activities in the country. The minister stated this at the recently held Crypto Coinference, which was organized by the tech media organization Technext. According to him,…
A critical vulnerability in a widely used software tool — one that was quickly exploited in the online game Minecraft — is quickly emerging as a major threat to organizations worldwide. “Right now, the internet is on fire, “Crowdstrike’s senior vice president of intelligence, Adam Meyers, concurred. “People are scrambling to patch, and all kinds…
While some people believe that gold, jewelry, art, wine, or antiques are good long-term investments, a new study challenges that notion and presents a unique and more profitable alternative: Lego sets. Economists from Russia’s Higher School of Economics discovered that the market prices of retired Lego sets sold on the secondary market increase by at…
Wabi, an electronic commerce ecosystem, has launched Wabi2b in Nigeria to digitize traditional trade channels and empower women. Wabi2b, the company’s B2B arm, is a marketplace that allows all FMCG wholesalers and distributors to sell their products directly to retailers and traditional stores. According to a McKinsey report titled “Africa’s Growing Giant: Nigeria’s New Retail…
E-commerce in Africa is rapidly expanding, and its potential remains enormous as more people gain access to the internet. According to the 2021 GSMA mobile economy report, 303 million people, or about 28 percent of the population, are connected to the mobile internet in Sub-Saharan Africa, and this figure is expected to rise to 40…
Sympl, an Egyptian “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) startup, has raised a seed round of $6 million to support its nationwide expansion and reach the country’s 49 million bank card holders. Sympl, founded by Yasmine Henna, Mohamed El-Feky, and Karim Tawfik, launched its checkout platform in October through an exclusive partnership with leading Apple reseller…
Nokia, in collaboration with UN Women, has launched a financial independence training program for survivors of gender-based violence in South Africa. The announcement is timed to coincide with the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence this year (GBV). The six-week training program will be led by Nokia volunteers in collaboration with UN…
Cyberattacks on businesses around the world have increased by 29% this year. This growing threat in Africa is being driven by an increase in internet users, which creates a larger pool of targets for criminals, as we’ve seen in Kenya. In January, the country’s connected population nearly reached 22 million, a figure that is likely…
African central banks are looking to learn from Nigeria’s turbulent but historic launch of the continent’s first state-backed digital currency, eNaira. Tanzania announced last week that it intends to launch its own digital currency in order to reduce transaction costs and increase citizen participation in the formal financial system. In September, the South African central…
Flow, a South African prop-tech startup that allows real estate agents and developers to seamlessly advertise properties on social media, has announced its expansion into Australia, following strong growth in its home market. Flow, founded in 2019 by Daniel Levy and Gil Sperling, goes directly to the source of the world’s largest social platforms –…
SendChamp, a Nigerian startup, has raised $100,000 in funding to bridge the communications gap for African businesses, with the round’s close marking the public launch of the startup’s offering. SendChamp, which was founded by Goodness Kayode and Damilola Olotu and has been in stealth mode for the last eight months, aims to improve customer relations…
Meta today released its ‘2021 Africa Year in Review,’ an infographic that highlights some of the company’s significant investments and initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa this year, with a focus on driving innovation, connecting communities, assisting businesses in growing, and supporting the tech and creator ecosystem. The infographic highlights key Meta achievements and milestones across the…
HorizonPay, a fast-growing fintech company specializing in digital payment solutions commemorates two years of success and growth, recognising key staff members who have been instrumental in driving business transformation and positioning of the company as a key player in the Nigerian fintech industry. The milestone event which held in Lagos, Nigeria was a momentous occasion…
Meta, formerly Facebook, has launched “Year in Review” features for both Facebook and Instagram. Users can share their personalized “Year Together” card on Facebook, which highlights the friends, feelings, places, and people who meant the most to them in 2021. The new in-feed experience takes a look back at people’s years on the platform and…
Entersekt, a South African fintech that has developed technology that protects millions of financial services customers worldwide, has received funding from US-based private equity firm Accel-KKR to accelerate its roadmap and fuel expansion into new markets. Entersekt, a global payment security company headquartered in Cape Town, is a global authentication market innovator, with recent market…
Despite the continent’s technologically savvy population, financial exclusion remains a problem. However, the challenge of regulatory influence and industry acclimatisation came with the launch of fintech startups. In 2018, a financial expert and tech investor thought it was difficult for fintech startups to integrate with banks — a necessary partnership for the former to successfully…
CinetPay, an Ivory Coast-based startup that provides a digital finance platform that allows merchants in Francophone Africa to accept and make payments seamlessly, has raised a US$2.4 million seed funding round from 4DX Ventures and Flutterwave to expand its sales and marketing efforts across nine markets in West and Central Africa. CinetPay has processed over…
According to Orange Cyberdefense, Europe’s largest managed security services provider, there has been a 13% increase in cyberattacks on enterprises over the last year, with a rise in ransomware incidents and, for the first time, a noticeable wave of attacks against mobile devices. The Security Navigator 2022 provides a detailed analysis of more than 50…
Africa is the world’s most censored region, with ten countries shutting down social media this year. According to cybersecurity firm Surfshark, social media censorship cases worldwide decreased by 35% this year, from 29 in 2020 to 19 in 2021. Despite a significant decrease in cases, internet outages impacted approximately a quarter of a billion people….
Alphabet’s Google announced on Wednesday that it will give an additional bonus to its employees worldwide this year, postponing its return-to-office plan. A company spokesperson told Reuters that Google will give all employees, including the company’s extended workforce and interns, a one-time cash bonus of $1,600 or equivalent value in their country this month. The…
Minly, an Egyptian media and entertainment startup, has announced the acquisition of Oulo, a Dubai-based celebrity shoutout platform focusing on the Levant region, as part of its MENA expansion. Minly, which was co-founded last year by Mohamed El-Shinnawy, Tarek Hosny, Bassel El-Toukhy, Tarek ElGanainy, and Ahmed Abass, allows users to purchase personalised video messages and…
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has approved a legislative reform that will allow the central bank to supervise digital lenders and rein in lenders who violate customer privacy. In a statement, President Uhuru Kenyatta said he had signed the Central Bank of Kenya (Amendment) Bill into law. “The amended Central Bank Act, 2021, empowers the Central…
Autocheck Africa, the leading auto tech platform, has added a brand new cars section to its website and mobile app. Customers can now access digital financing solutions for brand new cars and trucks with repayment terms of up to 60 months and the lowest interest rates in the market from regional partners such as Ecobank…