SMEs are crucial to economic growth, stability, DG NITDA reiterates Written by Yinka Okeowo Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are predominantly the backbone of economic growth in any country and have accounted for the successes of most businesses globally, with ICT being a major driving force for enhancing efficiency. This was reiterated by no other than Mallam…
Konga co-CEO speaks on e-Commerce in Africa at Global Conference Written by Yinka Okeowo Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, co-CEO of Nigeria’s leading e-commerce giant, Konga Group and Founder, Yudala.com, has been solely selected to speak on a global conversation on e-commerce in Africa. The session holds today, Friday, August 27, 2021 by 5pm. Specifically, the conference which…
Egypt’s EYouth targets international growth after impacting 750k young learners Written By TOM JACKSON Egyptian ed-tech startup EYouth, which provides online interactive educational programmes for individuals aged between 18 and 35, is targeting international growth after seeing more than 750,000 people complete its courses so far. Founded in 2016 and taken online in 2018, EYouth designs and…
NCC ready to implement Govt’s decision on 5G deployment – Danbatta Written By Yinka Okeowo Following the statement by Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim?? Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, revealing the Federal Government’s position on the deployment of 5G networks in Nigeria, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said…
Here’s why Xiaomi is getting rid of Mi branding for its upcoming products Written by HARISH JONNALAGADDA For the last seven years, Xiaomi has released products in two distinct product lines: Mi and Redmi. The Mi-branded phones were reserved for the mid-tier and high-end categories, while Redmi devices accounted for the budget segment. This strategy…
Egyptian car parts marketplace Odiggo raises $2.2m expansion funding Written By TOM JACKSON Egyptian startup Odiggo, a digital marketplace for automotive spare parts, has closed a US$2.2 million funding round to help it continue to expand into new markets. Founded in 2018 by Ahmed Omar and Ahmed Nasser, Odiggo links customers with vendors in order to purchase…
Facebook Bringing Voice and Video Calls Back to the Main App Written by DAVE LECLAIR Facebook has splintered chat away from the main Facebook app to move people over to its Messenger app. However, the company is looking to bring people back to the primary Facebook app by adding voice and video calls. Bloomberg is reporting that…
The Federal Government of Nigeria, on Monday, unveiled indigenous health social innovations which when developed, would contribute positively in improving healthcare delivery in the country. The unveiling was done by the Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, in Abuja. The innovations were made possible through the Social Innovations in Health (SIHI) Nigeria Hub, a…
Ethiopia hints on launching social networking platforms, rules out Facebook, others from country Writen by Joan Aimuengheuwa Ethiopia has embarked on the development of its own social networking platform in opposition to Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Zoom. Shumete Gizaw, director-general of the Information Network Security Agency (INSA), Ethiopia, accused Facebook of widely spreading a wrong…
African fintech OPay valued at $2B in SoftBank Vision Fund 2-led $400M funding Written by Tage Kene-Okafor Chinese-backed and Africa-focused fintech company OPay raised $400 million in new financing led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Bloomberg reported Monday, valuing the company at $2 billion. The round, which marks the fund’s first investment in an African startup, drew…
Google has apparently been paying phone manufacturers not to install third-party app stores. Written by Tyler Lee Google’s Android operating system is seen as being more “open” compared to Apple’s iOS platform. Users can install apps from outside the Play Store, and if they wanted, they could even download and install third-party app stores like…
Crypto-currency adoption in Africa: The ups and downs Challenges include a lack of reliable internet and a lack of financial literacy. Written by Eugene Yiga Africa is booming in terms of cryptocurrency adoption, according to the 2020 Geography of Cryptocurrency Report by Chainalysis – a blockchain analysis company that provides data, software, services, and research…
South African e-health VitruvianMD raises 8-figure ZAR funding round Written By TOM JACKSON South African e-health startup VitruvianMD has raised an eight-figure ZAR – so at least ZAR10 million (US$659,000) – funding round in order to scale its tech and launch more pilots. Founded last year, VitruvianMD combines biomedical engineering and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver…
Meet Wale Abba, who designed Interswitch’s Quickteller and several Nigerian banking apps Written By Oluwanifemi Kolawole Nigerian fintech unicorn, Interswitch, has, for the past 19 years, led the way when it comes to digitising payments in Nigeria — where it provides most of the country’s digital banking infrastructure — and other African countries. Interestingly, an…
SA fintech startup Revio set for continental expansion as it powers SaaS businesses Written By TOM JACKSON South African fintech startup Revio, a subscription billing and payments platform that powers software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses, is planning an expansion into other African markets soon. Co-founded in 2019 by venture builder The Delta and a private investor, Revio is a SaaS company…
Wiiqare App disrupts health care services in eastern DR Congo’s Goma Written By Africanews In the Democratic Republic of Congo, access to quality healthcare is expensive and tedious. But Bienvenue Zigabe has managed to create an application to facilitate quick access to medical services. “Wiiqare” helps patients pay for treatment and drugs using their savings…
Zoom is coming to your living room. Why not take your video calls on the biggest screen in your house? Written By Anthony Spadafora After launching Zoom for Home last year, Zoom has been working with its hardware partners to develop solutions to ensure that users have the best video conferencing experience wherever they find themselves working. As organizations are…
Malware attacks in Africa are increasing, reaching 85 million in only 6 months Malware is rife across Africa with various countries exhibiting strong growth in all malware types in the first half of 2021 when compared to the same period last year, Kaspersky research has highlighted. Written By Yinka Okeowo This is a 5% increase in the…
An innovative game is helping Ugandan women to combat online violence Written By Amy Fallon Rocking a sharp fuchsia pink blazer with high cut trousers and a flower behind one ear, Goitse, a Botswanan college student living in Rwanda, is described as an “ardent feminist” who loves a “soft life.” When she hears about a…
Founders of tech startups based in Egypt and Nigeria have been accepted into the global Endeavor network, gaining access to various support services to help their companies scale. Written by TOM JACKSON The Endeavor initiative works to catalyze long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs worldwide, and has accepted a host…
How Nigeria’s Nguvu Health provides on-demand therapy sessions to Africans Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian startup Nguvu Health is providing on-demand online therapy sessions to Africans anywhere in the world via their smartphones. Founded in March 2020, Nguvu Health utilises Android and iOS apps to connect users with licensed therapists via in-app messaging or video call, in…
Senegal-born factory worker is Europe’s first TikTok megastar Written By Alexander Onukwue The latest TikTok star to reach 100 million followers is not a musician, actor, or athlete. It’s a 21-year-old former factory worker living in Italy on a Senegalese passport. Khaby Lame has crafted a comedic brand that has resonated around the world by putting…
Wazo Challenge East Africa is open for applications for tech entrepreneurs across Eastern Africa Hindsight Ventures, Africa focussed vertical of Startup Réseau, has announced Wazo Challenge East Africa as its latest program catering to tech entrepreneurs in the region. The India-headquartered emerging markets focussed startup accelerator has been ramping its program operations in East Africa…
WhatsApp has started the new experience with seven backgrounds to choose from. WhatsApp on Tuesday introduced Payments Backgrounds in India to upgrade the experience of money transfers on its platform. The new feature is aimed to deliver a personalised payments experience to WhatsApp users. It lets you select a relevant background when you are sending…
Facebook’s undersea Internet cable is coming to South-East Nigeria and 3 other African countries The 2Africa project, championed by social media giant, Facebook, and seven other companies — China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC — is adding four new branches to its 37,000km undersea Internet cable. The new branches…
The 2Africa consortium, comprised of China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, STC, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC, has announced the addition of four new branches to the 2Africa cable. The branches will extend 2Africa’s connectivity to Seychelles, the Comoros Islands, and Angola, and bring a new landing to south-east Nigeria. The new branches join…
Innovation Summit Organisers unveil agenda for 7th Nigeria Innovation Summit InnovationHub Africa has announced the top agenda for Nigeria Innovation Summit (NIS) 2021. The Summit in the past six years has attracted over 5,000 delegates, 100 speakers and panellists, 50 tertiary institutions and research centres and 25 government ministries and agencies, delegates from 27 states…
Instagram rolls out more anti-abuse features Instagram today is rolling out a set of new features aimed at helping people protect their accounts from abuse, including offensive and unwanted comments and messages. The company will introduce tools for filtering abusive direct message (DM) requests as well as a way for users to limit other people from…
Lamide has joined the KTN Global Alliance Africa as Country Lead (Nigeria). This is a six-year pioneer project co-funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Innovate UK which aims to promote job creation, inclusive growth and poverty reduction through knowledge sharing, skills building and opportunities to support businesses and innovations that…
Moove raises $23M to create flexible options for drivers to own cars in Africa Africa is home to more than a billion people where a majority have limited or no access to vehicle financing. In fact, the continent has the lowest per capita vehicle ownership in the world. For instance, in Nigeria, owning a car…