Africa Data Centres, a subsidiary of the Pan-African Cassava Technologies Group, is thrilled to announce the construction of a second data center in Cape Town, South Africa. The new 20MW facility, which will span 15,000 square meters across eight data halls, will be located on the outskirts of Cape Town’s city center. According to Tesh…
DXwand, an Egyptian firm that specializes in conversational artificial intelligence (AI), has raised $1 million in a pre-series A financing. The funding round was led by Shanghai-based Huashan Capital. Mohsen Abulleil and Ahmed Bakeer, both angel investors, participated in the round. SOSV, a VC firm based in the United States that was one of the…
15 June 2022 Microsoft hosted a virtual roundtable panel discussion about digital transformation in agriculture for food security in Africa. The roundtable explored how accelerating digital transformation in agriculture is leading to agritech developments that have a tangible positive impact on food security in Africa. With agriculture sustaining up to 70% of Africa’s livelihoods, Microsoft is…
Vework, an Egypt-based petcare platform that connects pet parents with pet care service providers in a timely and convenient manner at home, has raised a bridge round with several Saudi Arabian investors and Alexandria Angel Network members, as well as receiving financial support from Nestlé Purina and conducting a POC (proof of concept) together. The…
In the world’s population today, Africa holds the ranking of the second largest and second most populous continent, with nearly 1.4 billion people living in it and accounts for a good 18% of the world’s human population. Where others would fix their eyes on the outrageous figures, the fintech industry could focus on the horn…
The 1000 learners in the first cohort of Power Learn Project’s flagship program – “One Million Developers for Africa” Scholarship Program (#1MillionDevs4Africa) to teach 1 million young people and empower them with ICT employable skills – have been announced. The cohort was chosen via a thorough screening and panel selection procedure, which was preceded by…
Telegram is launching a Premium edition, which was previously only a rumor. Telegram Premium is now available, and it’s free! Many rumors about the impending launch of a premium version of Telegram emerged a few weeks ago, but they have now been confirmed. There’s no need to uninstall this software; if you don’t like the…
The Cairo Angels Syndicate Fund (CASF), a micro venture capital fund based in Cairo that invests in early-stage firms in the Middle East and Africa, has announced an investment in CredPal, a Nigerian FinTech firm. CredPal will use the CASF money to extend its services across Africa, with an emphasis on key areas such as…
Toyota Tsusho and CFAO Group’s Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) funds, in collaboration with Bond’innov, have established the Digital Transformation Challenge, which is available to growth-stage businesses in Africa that offer innovative services in the transportation and health sectors. Mobility54 and Health54, two Toyota Tsusho and CFAO Group CVC funds, are giving investments ranging from EUR100,000…
ABUJA; JUNE 11, 2022: Nigerian Software Testing Qualifications Board (NGSTQB), a member board of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB), has announced the date and theme for its first Webinar. NGSTQB invites stakeholders in the Nigerian software ecosystem to a one-day Webinar under the theme: ‘The Role of Software Testing in Nigeria’s Digital Economy. Register here to participate….
Buyers may now try on their future shoes from the comfort of their own homes, thanks to Amazon. The e-commerce titan is releasing its Virtual Try-On for Shoe function in order to make online fashion purchases easier for its customers. Thanks to an engaging mobile experience, customers can try on and check a pair of…
ADVA, an Egypt-based fintech, has raised an undisclosed “six-digit figure” Seed round from Sawari Ventures in order to extend its product offering and financial services breadth. ADVA is a consumer finance platform founded by Rania Gaafar in 2020 that allows clients to pay for a variety of services and products in installments. “ADVA is unusual…
In this year’s annual Kenya E-Commerce Summit and Awards, sponsored by Finserve Africa, Airduka, a Kenyan online marketplace, knocked out other contenders to earn the overall title of E-Commerce Startup of the Year. The company was nominated alongside almost 200 other businesses in 30 different categories. According to research, more than half of Kenyan consumers…
Uber and other ride-hailing services are revolutionizing the way we get around. With only a few taps on a smartphone, you can be on your way in no time, satisfying the modern consumer’s desire for on-demand, accessible, and convenient services. According to recent research by Genesis Analytics and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), data…
MFS Africa has agreed to buy Global Technology Partners for $34 million in cash (GTP). GTP is Africa’s top prepaid card processor, with UBA, Ecobank, BIA, Stanbic, Coris, NSIA, and Zenith Bank among the over 80 banks that use their platform. GTP’s client base is spread over 34 countries, and the company is fully integrated…
Leadership comes with a lot of responsibilities and sometimes sacrifice. As a result-oriented leader, you must be always willing to take responsibility for everything that happens within your department. Since I started leading a team of over twenty (20) developers at my current employment, I can tell for sure that there are a couple of…
TikTok, a video streaming platform, has added new features to assist users to control their screen time, including a new and easily available in-app dashboard tool that shows users the social app’s usage statistics. This isn’t the first time the social media platform has attempted to boost its members’ digital well-being by assisting them with…
Chari, a Moroccan B2B e-commerce and finance firm, said today that it has purchased a 100% share in Diago, an Ivorian app that connects local stores with FMCG makers and importers. AF Legal and RBB International firms, representing Chari, and Houda Law Firm, representing the Ivorian startup, handled the all-stock transaction. This transaction comes just…
GOMYCODE, a Tunisian edtech business, has raised $8 million in a series A round of funding. AfricInvest, through its Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF), and Proparco, a French-based development financing institution, co-led the deal, with existing investor Wamda Capital joining as a follow-on. After raising a seed of $850,000 in October 2020, this new round…
Kenya’s information and communication technology ministry has released a coding curriculum for school children. The newest trend in schools is coding. In other parts of the world, it is taught at a lower level, and Kenya appears to be following suit. To that end, we’ve heard that Kenyan children will soon be able to take…
Franc, a South African financial app, has secured ZAR8 million (US$522,000) in a seed extension round and unveiled a B2B solution that allows partner organizations to quickly and easily deploy savings and investment products. Franc was founded in 2017 by Sebastian Patel and Thomas Brennan, who were upset by the complexity and high barrier to…
Virridy, a company dedicated to enhancing natural resource management through technology, has raised $5.5 million in Series A funding to speed the development and deployment of its satellite-connected sensors for water, energy, and agricultural resource management. Existing investors FHI 360, Cleo Capital, Reverent Rock, Save Earth, and VertueLab also participated in the round, which was…
Bosch’s venture arm just unveiled its fifth fund, claiming it’s looking for firms that have the “potential to improve quality of life while conserving natural resources.” The new $295 million fund increases the stakes from Bosch VC’s previous fund by $53 million, but the German firm’s global focus on deep tech remains largely unchanged. That…
According to new research released by Endeavor Nigeria, the country’s premier network of high-impact entrepreneurs, Africa’s digital ecosystem is poised for exponential growth, fueled by strong market fundamentals and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. “The Inflection Point: Africa’s Digital Economy Is Poised To Take Off,” a report by Endeavor, reviewed key events in Africa’s…
As part of UNCDF’s Digital Futures project, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) announced today that it is collaborating with IBM to bridge the digital skills gap by providing digital learning to children and women. IBM’s SkillsBuild project, which provides digital and workforce skills training to students and job seekers, will aid in the implementation…
Centum Investment Company Plc has agreed to sell its entire equity stake in Sidian Bank Limited (‘Sidian’) to Access Bank Plc for KES4.3 billion. Centum owns 83.4 percent of Sidian’s issued shares, both directly and indirectly through Bakki Holdco Limited, its wholly-owned subsidiary. Sidian is planned to be merged with Access Bank’s Kenyan unit in…
The 13 startups from East and West Africa selected to participate in the Scaleup Accelerator Programme have been revealed by GreenHouse Capital and Microsoft. Microsoft and GreenHouse Labs teamed up earlier this year to develop a pre-Series A accelerator program for entrepreneurs aiming to expand into new markets. The six-week program attempts to connect startups…
Talently, an edtech startup, has raised $3 million in seed funding from 500 Startups Latam, Alaya Capital, Salkantay Ventures, Newtype Ventures, Potencia Ventures, Latin Leap, and others. Talently is a firm that develops tech talent and links it with global organizations through an online job marketplace. Since the epidemic began, the company has grown 50…
(8 June 2022, Johannesburg) The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation, and the SAB Foundation have announced a partnership to promote social entrepreneurship development in South Africa. The SAB Foundation describes social entrepreneurship as business solutions to social problems. The partnership will see TIA and SAB Foundation co-investing…
The British Council and Microsoft have established an e-learning program to help young entrepreneurs shape their futures and take control of their livelihoods. #BossupInAfrica, a program for young people aged 18 to 25, was created in 2021 to assist them scale up their talents. The curriculum is divided into three modules, each featuring a variety…