Access to feature, participate and compete in the global marketplace is not the exclusive right of developed and advanced economies of the world. Emerging and recovering countries also have this right. However, due to lack of infrastructure, misinformation and misconception, many African countries and people from less privileged backgrounds have…
Author: AdeO
Platform technology has introduced something new and different to the market. In another wave of positive disruption, these platform-based businesses are not only making a difference to their industries, but they are also more importantly aiming to bring societal change. Warren Myers, CEO, AURA, South Africa’s leading security and medical…
Amazon, the tech giant owned by Jeff Bezos, has denied reports that it is planning to accept Bitcoin payments by the end of the year. Bitcoin’s value soared by nearly 20 per cent after reports emerged suggesting that the ecommerce giant was “ready to roll” on a project to begin…
Lazarus Chakwera, the Malawian President has travelled to the United Kingdom to attend a virtual conference. This move by Chakwera has sparked anger in his home country. On why he travelled to the UK for The Global Education Summit virtual conference, Chakwera, stated that the internet in his country was…
More and more females are becoming entrepreneurs even though men still dominate the entrepreneurship space. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2018-2019 Women’s Report, co-authored by researchers from Babson College and Smith College found that the number of startups by women worldwide still lags that of men. GEM studied the economies in 59 countries, and…
Kibanda TopUp, a B2B platform that connects restaurants to their suppliers, has partnered with Carbon to offer small and medium-sized restaurants access to short-term financing and credit. It is nearly impossible for restaurant owners on the continent to access unsecured working capital loans. This is because traditional lenders do not have…
South African consumers are heading online in greater numbers as the e-commerce shopping experience increasingly offers more choice and convenience than can be found at traditional big-brand, brick-and-mortar retailers, says Mike Farquharson, Managing Director of online courier aggregator Rush. Statista market and consumer data project that 31.6 million South Africans…
The Federal Government has approved the extension of the deadline for National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification to October 31, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline was made following a request by stakeholders to accommodate registration in hard-to-reach remote areas, foreigners and diplomatic missions, diaspora and address…
Autochek, the automotive technology company facilitating auto financing across Africa, has announced a partnership with Appzone Group, the continent’s leading FinTech organization, to provide Nigerians with quick and flexible access to car financing. The partnership will see the Autochek platform integrating with Appzone’s proprietary digital core banking service, BankOne, in…
General Motors has filed a lawsuit against Ford to stop the latter from using the name “BlueCruise” for the hands-free driving feature it announced earlier this year. GM claims the name is too close to Super Cruise, the name of is own hands-free driving technology introduced in 2017, and to…
Facebook and Instagram have been closely integrated since Facebook bought the photo-sharing site in 2012. Unlinking Facebook from your Instagram account keeps your social profiles separate. For example, Facebook friends won’t pop up as follow suggestions on your photo-sharing app feed, and you won’t be able to post to both…
Jeel Platform, an Egyptian edutainment startup, has closed a $1.2 million seed funding round from Kuwaiti and Jordanian angel investors. The company plans to use the seed fund in strengthening its technical capabilities, offering more services and content, and expanding its team Jeel Platform is an edutainment digital platform founded…
Convergence Partners, a private equity investor focused on the technology sector across sub-Saharan Africa, announced the successful first close of its third fund, the Convergence Partners Digital Infrastructure Fund (CPDIF) at US$120 million. The fund is targeting a final size of US$250 million. Now with more than US$400m of capital…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that it would launch its digital currency on October 1. CBN Director, IT Department, Mrs. Rakiya Mohammed, revealed this during a private webinar, explaining that the banking sector regulator had been conducting research towards the launch of digital currencies since 2017. She…
Facebook appears to be spending so much on the security of its CEO- Mark Zuckerberg. According to a recent SEC filing by the social media giant, it spent more than $25 million in 2020 for Zuckerberg’s security. This is $2 million more than Facebook spent on Zuckerberg in 2019. This…
Africa’s Business Heroes the flagship philanthropic programme for the Jack Ma Foundation in Africa, has announced the top 50 finalists for the 2021 Africa’s Business Heroes prize competition. These 50 African entrepreneurs are in the running to win a share of USD 1.5 million in grant funding and will gain invaluable networking…
SmartHotel, a startup that develops software for the hospitality industry, has closed a $1 million pre-series A round from Smok Ventures (an existing investor) with the participation of LT Capital Ventures and Next Road Ventures to expand its services across Africa and Europe. Others in the round include Wiktor Schmidt…
SEC-Licensed Digital Sub-broker and leading digital investment platform, Chaka Technologies, has raised $1.5M in a pre-seed funding round led by Breyer Capital, premier global venture capital and private equity firm focused on catalysing growth in high-impact tech companies like Spotify and Facebook. Other participants in the round are 4DX Ventures,…
Africa Prudential has demonstrated its digital capabilities, with the launch of “Aura by Transcorp Hotels”, an innovative commercial cloud-based product launched in the Nigerian market. “Aura by Transcorp Hotels” is an online platform that curates accommodation, staycations, cuisines and memorable lifestyle experiences. The platform was created for Transcorp Hotels, the hospitality subsidiary of Transcorp. It was launched on Thursday 8th of July…
Akiba Digital, a fintech startup that is lowering the barriers to entry to enable small businesses to unlock financing through their lending partners, has raised over US$1.1 million in pre-seed funding to help it grow its market share. The US$1.1 million pre-seed funding round was co-led by Expert DOJO and…