Though there were initially expectations that the nascency of the African tech ecosystem may mean it spared too much damage, the expanding extent of the continent’s “startup graveyard” implies that is not the case. Venture capital financing has fallen dramatically globally in 2023. According to PitchBook data, venture capital funding nearly halved globally in the…
In an effort to address humanitarian issues, the GSMA and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) have announced the creation of the newest GSMA Innovation Fund. Since 2017, the GSMA has given approximately GBP5 million (US$6.3 million) to startups, SMEs, and social enterprises through the GSMA Innovation Fund. The GSMA Humanitarian Innovation Fund…
The second cohort of GrindstoneX’s growth engineering program, which it co-manages with Naspers Labs, comprises ten female entrepreneurs. Grindstone was co-founded in 2014 by Knife Capital and Thinkroom with the intention of assisting fast-growing, innovation-driven businesses in expanding their businesses. However, the youth development program Naspers Labs is run by the global consumer internet corporation…
Nigeria Technology Awards (NiTA) has awarded Oluwasekemi Akinbo as the Most Exceptional Tech Products Marketing Personality of the Year 2023. The award recognized her outstanding contributions as a product marketing leader in the tech industry. As the Product Marketing Lead at KrediBank, a bank specialising in providing digital financial services in Nigeria and Africa. She…
As the final few weeks of 2023 unfold, it is time to examine some of the data and analytics trends that will likely have a significant impact on local businesses and the data industry, in the months to come. “Over the past year, we can see how trends like data democratisation, the emphasis on AI,…
Every ward will have 1,450 digital hubs built by the government, according to President William’s announcement. Speaking at the Youth Conekt Africa summit, the president announced that he planned to sign legislation by the end of next week for the establishment of hubs. These hubs would provide youths with training and facilitate their connection to…
Google Year in Search is an annual analysis by Google that reveals a compilation of the most popular search queries and topics throughout the year. It typically includes categories such as top searches, trending searches, people, news, movies, TV shows, and more. Moyo Lawal, Peter Obi, Mohbad, iPhone 15, and Nigerian Elections 2023 were among the…
Application for the 12-week high-touch RIoT Accelerator Program is open to African Internet of Things (IoT) entrepreneurs. Through the RIoT Accelerator Programme, innovators can study, partner, and launch their products by engaging with an industry consortium of over 90 firms spanning the IoT technology stack. This enhances the effectiveness of traditional business development tools. Numerous…
Through a partnership with MDCS Skills Academy, WIOCC Group, an open-access digital infrastructure company, is assisting poor learners—particularly female jobless unemployment and disabled learners in impoverished areas of South Africa—in gaining important ICT skills that will help increase their employability. This vital alliance aims to reach the most underprivileged by setting up a mobile ICT…
An investment syndicate and mentor-led angel community have been established by the pan-African Startupbootcamp AfriTech accelerator to link businesses with financiers and operational mentors. Startupweek Launched in 2017 as the first pan-African startup accelerator supported by many corporations, AfriTech launched the Africa Startup Initiative Programme (ASIP) in March 2021 to assist the next generation of…
The #Coding4Mandela competition took place online on Tuesday, December 5, the tenth anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s death. Prior to the competition, the Leva Foundation produced a report in which it stated that students were required to practice using the RANGERS coding app. There are interactive tasks on the app. The programmers had to tell an…
Applications for the FINCA Ventures Prize, which will give prizes of up to US$70,000 to initiatives addressing global poverty, are being accepted from African social entrepreneurs. FINCA Ventures is the impact investing arm of FINCA International, a non-profit microfinance organization that has been fighting poverty for over 40 years. It supports early-stage businesses in Latin…
Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, today released two reports about the use of AI in cybercrime. The first report—“The Dark Side of AI: Large-Scale Scam Campaigns Made Possible by Generative AI”—demonstrates how, in the future, scammers could leverage technology like ChatGPT to conduct fraud on a massive scale…
The fintech sector is pioneering the financial inclusion revolution and driving economic growth in Africa. During the second quarter of 2023, African FinTech companies collectively raised $189m in funding with Nigeria dominating the continent’s FinTech ecosystem with a 42% share of deals. Innovative startups now offer solutions to teeming users who readily embrace them. Among…
Nigerian design has long been shaped by the country’s rich artistic traditions and crafts. From vibrant textiles to intricate bronze, wood, and ivory carvings, Nigerian artisans have crafted functional objects that display a flare for ornamentation, pattern, and detail. Elaborately crafted terracotta and bronze sculptures, as well as ornate iron weapons, were the product of…
Leading supplier of Web3 payment infrastructure, Fuse Network, has unveiled its innovative Web3 Business Grant Program, providing $10 million to help support international companies. The project seeks to provide infrastructure and necessary funding in order to facilitate Web3 payment system access and enable enterprises worldwide. Fuse Network’s $10 million grant program is a calculated step…
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the government have partnered to organize a training program for over 7,000 female tech innovators in Nigeria. This was revealed during the Female Tech Founders Training program launch at the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Abuja by the Director-General of NITDA, who was represented…
Digify Africa and Meta have partnered to provide an online training program designed to increase the level of digital literacy among Kenyan youth. DigifyPro, the company’s digital marketing skills course, is intended to help them accomplish this. The platform aims to give young people the digital competencies and skills they need to launch and advance…
The most recent iteration of Grindstone Africa, a well-known accelerator program that fosters high-growth entrepreneurship worldwide, has chosen seven South African and one Lesotho firm for inclusion. Founded in 2013, Grindstone is a well-known company that helps high-growth, innovative firms thrive. Knife Capital and Thinkroom Limited co-own the company. The most recent iteration is the…
The Tanzania Business Angel Investors Accelerator (TAA) training program has been developed by Serengeti Business Angels Network (SBAN), Ennovate Ventures, and UNCDF Tanzania with the goal of promoting tech investment and startup growth in Tanzania. Ennovate Ventures is a venture-building focused micro-fund that invests in early-stage startups in Tanzania and East Africa, while SBAN is…
Nigeria and 28 other countries signed the landmark Bletchley Declaration on November 1, which was a turning point in international attempts to control the responsible development and application of artificial intelligence (AI). This historic accord shows that governments have a common understanding of the enormous opportunities and serious hazards that artificial intelligence (AI) poses to…
· Digital innovation is driving acceleration of decarbonization strategies worldwide in everything from bioplastics to new sources of energy. · With a delegation supporting the business agenda of COP28, AVEVA will advocate for the role that industrial digital intelligence can play in speeding up decarbonization and driving circularity AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation…
Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, a leading contributor to the Nigerian economy, announces the inaugural edition of the Women in TGI Webinar Series, aimed at fostering gender inclusion within the conglomerate and beyond. This initiative, spearheaded by the Women in TGI Committee, is designed to empower and promote inclusivity for women in the workplace, reflecting TGI’s…
Babajide Sanwoolu, Executive Governor of Lagos State is set to host policymakers, technology and creative ecosystem leaders, startups, venture capital firms, tech and creative talents at the fifth edition of the Art of Technology – AOT Lagos, to create policies that will drive the development of a smarter Lagos. The governor will play host to over ten…
Communication scholars and media industry experts have called for change in the mass communication curriculum to adequately equip communication graduates with knowledge and skills critical for functioning in the contemporary media workspace and for driving national development. The call was made at the inauguration of executives and lecture of the Association of Communication Scholars and…
The second round of ten female entrepreneurs to benefit from GrindstoneX’s growth engineering program—which is being conducted in collaboration with Naspers Labs—has been announced. According to Disrupt Africa, in 2022, the Grindstone Accelerator in South Africa and Naspers Labs collaborated to introduce GrindstoneX, a new accelerator program exclusively for women entrepreneurs, with the goal of…
Applications are now being accepted for HealthTech Hub Africa (HTHA), a hybrid pan-African e-health accelerator program. The initiative gives business owners a platform to create enduring companies with a big health effect. HealthTech Hub Africa (HTHA) is a hybrid pan-African health tech accelerator with a physical co-working space in Kigali, Rwanda. The Patrick J. McGovern…
The African Agri-tech Scale-Up Programme, which aims to support agri-focused and agri-adjacent companies in scaling throughout the continent more swiftly, is currently accepting applications. In order to support early-stage African agri-tech enterprises, Endeavor, AfricaGrow, and FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, partnered to create the African Agri-tech Scale-Up Programme. Through Endeavor’s extensive worldwide network of…
Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, announced the inauguration of the Startup Support and Engagement Portal. The portal is a feature of the Nigeria Startup Act aimed at bringing together businesses, investors, and support organizations such as accelerators, incubators, and innovation hubs. “The launch of the portal will allow us [to]…
Aduna Capital, a Nigerian venture capital firm, announced the creation of a $20 million fund today. The fund would invest 55.5% of its cash in Northern Nigeria businesses, with the remainder spread across the country and Africa. According to General Partner Surayyah Ahmad, the fund’s goal is to have 50% female participation in the firms…