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Funding

Four Ghanaian digital commerce ventures receive funding from Catalyst Fund
ByTechTrends October 29, 2021October 29, 2021

The Catalyst Fund Inclusive Digital Commerce Accelerator welcomed four Ghanaian digital commerce companies, OZÉ, Shopa, Swoove, and Tendo, as the second cohort to receive funding and support. The Accelerator, managed by BFA Global in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), focuses on building the resilience of Ghana’s micro and small enterprises (MSEs). The companies selected for the second…

Read More Four Ghanaian digital commerce ventures receive funding from Catalyst Fund
Startups

Villgro Africa, Johnson & Johnson seek startups empowering frontline healthcare workers
ByTechTrends October 29, 2021October 29, 2021

Villgro Africa, in partnership with Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures (JJIV) on behalf of the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, is initiating a call for East African healthcare innovations and startups that strengthen the capacity of frontline healthcare workers while improving access and quality of care. Frontline healthcare workers, which include community health workers, midwives, pharmacists,…

Read More Villgro Africa, Johnson & Johnson seek startups empowering frontline healthcare workers
News/Articles

40 inclusive African businesses chosen for annual SIBC accelerator
ByTechTrends October 29, 2021

Forty inclusive businesses from across Africa have been selected for the Social and Inclusive Business Camp (SIBC), a yearly acceleration programme designed to help the most promising high-impact African entrepreneurs scale up their businesses. The SIBC aims to support entrepreneurs and create long-lasting connections with a wide range of ecosystem stakeholders through innovative training sessions…

Read More 40 inclusive African businesses chosen for annual SIBC accelerator
Funding

SA e-health startup RecoMed raises $1.5m funding for Kenyan expansion
ByTechTrends October 29, 2021October 29, 2021

South African online healthcare marketplace and booking platform RecoMed has raised a US$1.5 million funding round as it prepares to expand to Kenya next year. RecoMed allows patients to easily book appointments with a diverse selection of healthcare practitioners in their area, driving more patient volume to healthcare practices by integrating several patient booking channels into…

Read More SA e-health startup RecoMed raises $1.5m funding for Kenyan expansion
Business

Meet the Investor: Brian Odhiambo, Novastar Ventures
ByTechTrends October 29, 2021

A failed entrepreneur turned pretty successful investor, Brian Odhiambo is West Africa director and part of the leadership team at Novastar Ventures, which manages more than US$200 million across two venture funds, with 22 companies in its portfolio. Odhiambo grew up in Nairobi, and after a childhood spent travelling between boarding school in Kenya and…

Read More Meet the Investor: Brian Odhiambo, Novastar Ventures
Business

Bolt to expand EV option in South Africa
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021November 2, 2021

Estonian on-demand transport firm Bolt is set to roll out electric taxi options in South Africa four months after introducing e-bike food delivery services in the country. Bolt’s plan follows the introduction of a ‘green category’ – which lets riders hail an electric or a hybrid vehicle. This comes as the company expands its services to environmentally…

Read More Bolt to expand EV option in South Africa
Tech and Innovation

More worries for consumers as hackers intensify attacks
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021October 28, 2021

With the hybrid workplace becoming the new norm as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, attempts and spates of attacks on individuals and corporate bodies by hackers have been on the rise. Cyber thieves, a band of premeditated and dangerous criminals, are unleashing a reign of terror of unimaginable proportions on individuals, underscoring the need…

Read More More worries for consumers as hackers intensify attacks
Funding

Climate-focused innovations invited to apply for Africa ClimAccelerator
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021October 28, 2021

African entrepreneurs with promising climate-focused solutions have been invited to apply for Africa ClimAccelerator, which will provide selected companies with funding, expertise and mentorship to help them scale. Partner organisations GrowthAfrica and Carbon Trust are seeking 15 startups to participate in the Africa ClimAccelerator, which is supported by the Climate-KIC International Foundation and funded by GIZ. The pan-African programme aims to enhance the…

Read More Climate-focused innovations invited to apply for Africa ClimAccelerator
Startups

South African API fintech Stitch expands to Nigeria; extends seed round to $6m
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021October 28, 2021

South African API fintech startup Stitch has extended its seed round to US$6 million from the US$4 million announced earlier in the year, and at the same time confirmed its expansion into Nigeria. The Stitch API allows developers to connect apps to financial accounts within minutes, allowing their users to share their transaction histories and balances, confirm…

Read More South African API fintech Stitch expands to Nigeria; extends seed round to $6m
Augmented/Virtual Reality

The Evolution of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021October 28, 2021

In recent years augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have become increasingly popular. Images captured with a camera, frequently a smartphone camera, are enhanced with augmented reality software to add digital shapes to the real-world image. When it comes to virtual reality, the emphasis is on immersion, thus special glasses and headphones are used to…

Read More The Evolution of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Business

Why 30% of SA’s Future Workforce Will Be Independent Contractors
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021October 28, 2021

A recent survey by Outsized found that many business leaders are open to this idea of a ‘blended workforce’ to help them become more agile and efficient. They expect that 15-30% of their future staff will be short-term or project-specific hired hands rather than full-time employees. That backs up research by McKinsey in September 2020…

Read More Why 30% of SA’s Future Workforce Will Be Independent Contractors
News/Articles

47m Nigerians risk losing their lines as FG insists on Oct 31 NIN-SIM linkage deadline
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021October 27, 2021

About 20 million Nigerians are at risk of losing their telecommunication lines as the Federal Government’s October 31st deadline for the linkage of the National Identity Number, NIN, and the Subscriber Identity Module, SIM linkage draws closer. This is even as the FG, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Ministry of Communications and…

Read More 47m Nigerians risk losing their lines as FG insists on Oct 31 NIN-SIM linkage deadline
Events

NITDA Boss, Sterling Bank, The Nest, Others receive Awards at the Nigeria Innovation Summit 2021
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021

The Nigeria Innovation Summit 2021 (Virtual Edition) with the theme: Charting a New Economic Path Through Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, organized by InnovationHub Africa, and held on October 5-6, 2021 was successfully concluded with the participation of delegates and stakeholders across the globe, who connected virtually. The Summit in its 6th year is an annual…

Read More NITDA Boss, Sterling Bank, The Nest, Others receive Awards at the Nigeria Innovation Summit 2021
Tech and Innovation

SEACOM Boosts Its Fibre Network After Acquiring This Kenyan Telecom
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021October 27, 2021

Pan-African telecommunications services provider SEACOM has announced that it has completed the 100% acquisition of Hirani Telecom’s metro fibre network. Hirani Telecom is one of Kenya’s fastest-growing triple-play service providers, and the largest last-mile provider in the region. The network will be incorporated into SEACOM’s existing metro network in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi and…

Read More SEACOM Boosts Its Fibre Network After Acquiring This Kenyan Telecom
Startups

Bboxx, a New Company Touting “Clean, Affordable Solar Energy” Launches in Nigeria
ByTechTrends October 28, 2021October 27, 2021

Bboxx, a future-minded energy utility that claims to be “tackling the global energy poverty crisis,” has officially launched in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and Bboxx’s largest market to date. Bboxx is set to provide much-needed energy solutions to Nigeria’s electricity challenges by expanding access to clean, affordable and reliable Solar Home Systems (SHS). According…

Read More Bboxx, a New Company Touting “Clean, Affordable Solar Energy” Launches in Nigeria
Business

Facebook Shifts Focus on Metaverse Division, to Spend About $10 Billion This Year
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

In the technology industry, the concept of metaverse — a range of virtual experiences — is becoming a buzzword. It generally refers to shared virtual environments that people can access via the internet. Most technology companies, including Facebook, have invested heavily in it. The social media giant says it is planning to invest up to…

Read More Facebook Shifts Focus on Metaverse Division, to Spend About $10 Billion This Year
Business

Jumia launches first Africa e-commerce report . Lagos tops cities with most orders
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

Africa’s leading e-commerce platform, Jumia, has published its first Africa e-commerce report, Jumia Africa e-Commerce Index 2021 with a Nigerian section, which leveraged data from the company’s platform to illustrate the importance of shopping online in a pandemic context. The shift to everyday products during COVID-19, is part of a broader economic transformation led by the continent’s…

Read More Jumia launches first Africa e-commerce report . Lagos tops cities with most orders
Tech and Innovation

Africa must close its science, technology gap to take full advantage of AfCFTA – experts
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

Professor Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the former president of Mauritius and Laureate of the 2007 L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science, delivered a trenchant address at the African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) fifth annual Babacar Ndiaye Lecture on “the importance of science, technology and innovation in the transformation of African economies”. She called on African leaders to close…

Read More Africa must close its science, technology gap to take full advantage of AfCFTA – experts
Tech and Innovation

IPT Africa: shaping the future of African payments with frictionless end-to-end B2B transactions
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021

IPT Africa launched at the recent Africa Fintech festival as it seeks to position itself as the platform for Frictionless African payments, delivering a continent -wide, multi-channel payment platform tailored to the needs of global corporations doing business on the African continent. The AFF was held as a hybrid event in Mauritius from 13-15 October 2021. The event…

Read More IPT Africa: shaping the future of African payments with frictionless end-to-end B2B transactions
News/Articles | World

Elon Musk is now nearly $100 billion richer than Jeff Bezos, and his net worth is on the cusp of hitting $300 billion
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021

Elon Musk may soon become the first person with a net worth of $300 billion. The Tesla CEO and world’s richest man added more than $36 billion to his fortune on Monday after the automaker’s shares spiked 12.7% following the announcement that Hertz is ordering 100,000 vehicles to build out its electric vehicle rental fleet by the…

Read More Elon Musk is now nearly $100 billion richer than Jeff Bezos, and his net worth is on the cusp of hitting $300 billion
Startups

9 Nigerian startups shine at GITEX 2021 Middle East’s biggest tech show
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021

Nigeria has once again exhibited her readiness in showing the world her innovative ideas, as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), under the supervision of Ministry of Communications and Digital, presented nine (9) top Nigerian Innovative Technology-driven Startups that provided solutions to technology problems at the recently concluded 41st edition of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition…

Read More 9 Nigerian startups shine at GITEX 2021 Middle East’s biggest tech show
5G and the Internet of Things

Internet of Things Africa introduces Sigfox to Nigeria, boosts infrastructure with LPWAN
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

Internet of Things (IoT) Africa has signed an agreement with the OG network pioneer and leading IoT service provider, sigfox to bring the service to Nigeria. By the arrangement, this then credits IoT Africa as the official Sigfox Operator (SO) in Nigeria. Launched in 2019, IoT Africa’s mission is and has been to enable and…

Read More Internet of Things Africa introduces Sigfox to Nigeria, boosts infrastructure with LPWAN
Blockchain

How blockchain adoption for payments will aid AfCFTA goals
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

At a time when cross-border trading is high on the agenda with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, the Chief Technical Officer of Digital Encode Limited, Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde, believes that the adoption of blockchain for payments will fast-track the achievement of the trade agreement’s objectives. Highlighting the advantages of the blockchain for…

Read More How blockchain adoption for payments will aid AfCFTA goals
News/Articles

Facebook, Comic Republic unveil online book to tackle fake news
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

Social Media platform, Facebook and Comic Republic have announced the launch of #NoFalseNewsZone online comic book, an educational comic series designed to help people think critically about the messages they see and read online. The series helps readers to identify false news and what they can do to help minimise its spread. The online comic…

Read More Facebook, Comic Republic unveil online book to tackle fake news
Startups

Health tech startup mPharma acquires Vine Pharmacy, enters Uganda
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

mPharma, a Ghanaian health startup, has taken a controlling stake in Uganda’s Vine Pharmacy for an undisclosed amount, marking the firm’s entry into its latest market in Africa. mPharma disclosed to TechCrunch that it has acquired a 55 percent stake previously held by the Abraaj Group, a private equity firm that collapsed after investors, including…

Read More Health tech startup mPharma acquires Vine Pharmacy, enters Uganda
Tech and Innovation | News/Articles

Complaints mount as eNaira app tops 100,000 downloads
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

Less than 48 hours after its official launch by President Muhammadu Buhari, the individual wallet for eNaira has recorded more than 100,000 thousand downloads on Google Playstore alone. Apple’s App Store does not readily show an estimate of downloads. The Nigerian official Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) was initially scheduled for launch on October 1…

Read More Complaints mount as eNaira app tops 100,000 downloads
Business

SA’s Black Friday 2021 – When Is It & What You Can Expect
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

Black Friday is the retail holiday in many countries across the globe. The phenomenon was popularised in the US as a means for retailers to sell enormous quantities of stock at lower prices, and it has proven to be a successful event year after year. In South Africa, the Black Friday phenomenon began fairly recently…

Read More SA’s Black Friday 2021 – When Is It & What You Can Expect
News/Articles

“Severe” Internet Shutdown in Sudan as the Military Violently Seize Power
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021

Local media in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum are reporting that internet services across the region have been interrupted, with many outright stating that the internet is down. This is after reports that Sudan’s military seized power during a coup on Monday, arresting members of a transitional pro-democracy government that itself overthrew the long-ruling autocrat…

Read More “Severe” Internet Shutdown in Sudan as the Military Violently Seize Power
Business

Co-investment fund launched by ABAN, AfriLabs to proceed after successful pilot
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021

The co-investment fund Catalytic Africa, established in 2019 by the African Business Angels Network (ABAN) and AfriLabs, has concluded a successful pilot and will now launch full operations. The partnership between AfriLabs, a pan-African network of technology and innovation centres, and ABAN aims to increase the pool of capital available to promising African growth-stage entrepreneurs, support the startup…

Read More Co-investment fund launched by ABAN, AfriLabs to proceed after successful pilot
Funding

Nigeria’s Autochek raises $13.1m seed funding round for West Africa expansion
ByTechTrends October 27, 2021

Nigerian auto-tech startup Autochek has raised a US$13.1 million seed funding round to bolster its core auto loan processing platform and deepen its footprint in West Africa. Autochek aims to build digital solutions that will enhance and enable a seamless and safe automotive commerce experience across Africa, starting with Nigeria and Ghana. It plans to use…

Read More Nigeria’s Autochek raises $13.1m seed funding round for West Africa expansion

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