Google has celebrated Nigerian musician Oliver De Coque on his 74th post-humous birthday with a doodle. The Google doodle, illustrated by Nigerian visual artist and illustrator Ohab TBJ, celebrates one of Africa’s most prolific recording artists who is considered one of the prime exemplars of and chief innovators in contemporary Igbo popular…
Author: AdeO
South African healthcare startup, Quro Medical, has secured $1.1 million in seed funding led by Enza Capital and Mohau Equity Partners. This funding round is aimed at helping the startup scale its operations across South Africa and eventually the entire continent. Founded in 2018 by Dr Vuyane Mhlomi and Zikho Pali,…
Ugandan fintech startup targeting semi-formal micro and small businesses, Numida, has raised $2.3 million in seed funding. Investors who took part in the funding include Pan-African payments company MFS Africa, DRK Foundation, Equilibria Capital, Segal Family Foundation, and angel investors. According to the company, the funding will enable them to…
The Co-founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey via a tweet on Monday, announced that the company’s presence in the African continent would be in Ghana. Since the announcement, Nigerians have been questioning why the Jack Dorsey-led company chose Ghana over Nigeria to locate the Twitter headquarters. It is unsurprising that Nigerians…
The HiiL Justice Accelerator Programme, an initiative of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law, has granted a Nigerian non-governmental organisation, Stand To End Rape (STER) a spot on the 2020-21 cohort of its flagship innovation programme. Designed for social justice start-ups across Africa, the MENA region, and Ukraine, the…
The innovative use of technology in delivery of financial services is eliciting a positive impact on businesses and customers’ experience in Nigeria. Aside from providing a cheaper, faster and user friendly financial option for Nigerians, fintech solutions are driving financial inclusion, employment creation. With about 30% population of tech-savvy and…
Ampersand Rwanda Ltd, Africa’s first electric motorcycle company, has just secured a $3.5 million investment from the Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF). The deal is the largest-ever e-mobility investment by a venture capital fund in Sub-Saharan Africa and marks a turning point in global electric transport. Headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, Ampersand…
Tanda, a Kenyan agency banking startup is expanding its operations regionally after securing funding from early-stage African tech investor HAVAÍC, Zedcrest Capital, DFS Lab, Victor Asemota, and three other investors. Tanda has also secured key strategic partnerships with Mastercard and Interswitch which will further accelerate its growth. The company’s expansion comes on…
Alibaba has been slammed with a $2.75 billion fine for reportedly violating anti-monopoly law. Regulators in China said the internet giant had abused its dominant market position for several years. The fine amounts to 4% of Alibaba’s revenue in 2019. Responding to the fine, Alibaba said in a statement that…
The onslaught of Nigerian government regulators on fintech startups is very worrisome considering the fact it is one of the most vibrant sectors driving the economy. Investors from all over the world are taking advantage of digital finance, microcredit needs of Nigerians and the largely unbanked population to invest heavily…
Just a day after the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) warned stock trading and investment platforms like Bamboo, Rise, Trove, and Chaka among others against selling securities of foreign companies listed on Securities Exchanges outside Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has now ordered non-banking institutions in the country…
South Africa’s Naspers internet group said it has sold 2 percent of its stake in Tencent, raising about $14.5bn and reducing its holdings in China’s most valuable company for just the second time in two decades. In 2018, Naspers sold 2 per cent of Tencent for the first time, raising…
Jumia and other e-commerce players within the Nigerian tech ecosystem have inaugurated an e-commerce sectoral group under the banners of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). Meanwhile, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emiefiele had recently stated that the digital economy will further open up the Nigerian economy, drive financial…
Paymob, an Egyptian digital payment startup, has raised a new $15 million Series A round led by Global Ventures. A15 and FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, also participated in the investment. This brings the total money raised by the startup to $18.5 million having secured $3.5 million that came as its…
SeerBit, a Nigerian payment gateway, has announced a partnership with Wix to create, manage and grow an online presence, to empower and scale eCommerce businesses in Africa. SeerBit, a product of Centric Gateway, an innovative Pan-African tech solutions company enabling seamless and secure payments across East and West Africa. This…
Platform Capital recently hosted an exclusive celebratory dinner in honour of MaC Venture’s fund close at $110 million. Platform Capital, an early investor in the fund is pleased with this great feat. This is the largest first fundraised by a majority Black-led team. MaC Venture Capital is a leading Los…
Personal, friends, and family safety are very important. However, what will you when that personal safety is compromised? You will probably call emergency services which might take forever to arrive. Well, there is now a solution for this-MySecureview. MySecureview, a startup founded by Ugo Akanno wants to provide quick emergency…
The logistics and supply chain sector is one of the fastest-growing industries in Nigeria. According to a report by the Logistics and Supply Chain Industry published in 2018, the sector is recording a year-on-year growth. The report showed the Nigerian logistics sector was valued at N250 billion, which represents a…
Algebra Ventures, Egypt’s leading VC firm, announced the launch of its $90 million second fund, dedicated to investing in startups with a focus on Egypt with an allocation for the MEA region. Algebra Ventures is targeting the first closing in Q3 of 2021. Four years into its first $54M fund,…
MFS Africa, a pan-African fintech firm has announced that it now reaches over 320 million mobile money wallets, enabling a range of banks, telcos, money transfer operators, and other financial institutions interoperability at scale in Africa through a single integration point. Based on the 2021 State of the Industry report on Mobile…