Africa4Future held its annual call for projects, which welcomed 212 applications from start-ups in 28 countries across Africa. This year’s cohort includes 10 start-ups originating from Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Tanzania, all of which will have the opportunity to further develop their ideas in preparation for…
Author: AdeO
With regular work schedules disrupted, many people may be re-evaluating their career options. If you weren’t altogether keen on your job in the first place, trying to now work from home and possibly deal with radically altered business conditions is not going to improve job satisfaction. It’s usually during holidays…
Jumia and Mastercard have announced a partnership to incentivize the use of cashless payment platforms as people look for safer ways to pay in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this initiative, consumers who purchase essential products using their Mastercard on the Jumia platform will receive up to a…
The Scaling Digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups (SAIS) is looking for innovative start-ups that are about to scale rapidly and apply digital solutions to the agriculture and food sector which enable their users to improve their income. SAIS is a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)…
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has awarded selected three winners for the Nigeria Covid-19 innovation challenge. The three winners of the NITDA Covid-19 innovation challenge are Algorizmi-N1,000,000; Smart Chamber N750,000; and Myclinic.ng. The three startups got N1 million, N750,000, and N500,000 respectively. However, Covid Tracker came 4th while COViRR…
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has launched applications for the 2020 Innovation Challenges. The ITU Innovation challenges bring together policy-makers, ecosystem builders, innovators, and resource partners to co-create ideas and projects that nurture an inclusive digital world. The ITU Innovation Challenges 1.) The Digital Change-maker Challenge covers a wide range…
uKheshe, a South African SMME digital banking firm, has been selected to join Mastercard Start Path, an exclusive startup engagement programme for later-stage scaling startups Focused on financial inclusion, Ukheshe’s technology platform helps banks and telcos aim to provide affordable digital banking and payment services (BaaS). With client acquisition, onboarding,…
Instabug, an in-app feedback and bug reporting software company, has raised US$5 million in a Series A round. The investment round was led by Accel Partners with the participation of angel investors including Amr Awadallah, co-founder of Cloudera, and Jim Payne, founder and CEO of MoPub. Founded in Egypt by…
Bolt, the ride-hailing firm has expanded into logistics with the launch of Bolt Business Delivery service in Lagos and Abuja. The service works by connecting businesses with couriers on the Bolt platform and allows vendors to place orders online to deliver products to their customers affordably within the same day…
Apple Music has launched a month-long campaign to promote and showcase the best playlists, artists, and albums across Africa. The Africa Month campaign seeks to celebrate Africa’s top artists and compositions. This follows the expansion of Apple Music into an additional 52 new countries around the world, bringing the total number of countries…
East Africa Fruits Co., a Tanzanian company addressing food distribution challenges to improve efficiencies in the farm-to-market sector, announced today that it closed Series A equity funding totaling $2.05 million. The fundraising round was led by Goodwell Investments with participation from FINCA Ventures and elea. This investor capital accelerates East Africa Fruits’ ability…
The Jaiz Bank COVID-19 Innovation Challenge is now open for application. The Jaiz Bank COVID-19 Innovation Challenge is aimed at encouraging scientists, engineers, developers, inventors, and social entrepreneurs to ideate, experiment, and build products/solutions to help address the Covid-19 crisis in the country. The COVID-19 Innovation Challenge is open to…
Access Bank Plc has debunked reports that it would sack 75 percent of its employees and close over 300 branches. The bank denied this in a statement signed by Mr Sunday Ekwochi, its Company Secretary, posted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) website. Access Bank said the closure of a…
WhatsApp has unveiled a chatbot to connect the messaging app’s millions of users with more than 80 fact-checking organizations across the globe. It comes as an effort to battle misinformation being spread about the coronavirus. The chatbot was recently launched by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies’ International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN),…
Jumia donated 100,000 CE certified face masks to the Federal Ministry of Health to support the government in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The donations were received by the Director, Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire at the…
Farmcrowdy, Nigeria’s digital agriculture platform has ventured into the e-commerce space with the launch of Farmcrowdy Foods, a one-stop digital marketplace that allows consumers to purchase fresh farm produce from Farmcrowdy’s network of farmers and have it delivered to them. “Our aim is to ensure that consumers obtain their products…
Your small business’s online presence includes so many different elements: a website, social media profiles, and even video. Every company’s presence may look a bit different. But developing that presence takes time and careful planning. If you’re trying to create a successful online presence for your SME, read these tips…
The MEST Africa Challenge 2020 application deadline has been extended to May 13th. “We realize that the MEST Africa Challenge and funding opportunities for African tech startups are now more important than ever,” says Jorn Lyseggen, CEO of MEST. “MEST is committed to supporting the African tech ecosystem through these difficult…
Remita, a Nigeria-based Africa-focused financial technology brand, has partnered with Cellulant, a pan-African fintech and agritech leader, to provide easy-to-use, secure, and convenient payment service options for individuals and businesses in every part of Nigeria. The partnership would boost the ability of the unbanked and underbanked population across the country…
Flutterwave, the African fintech startup is set to take on Jumia and Konga as it has launched Flutterwave Store, a platform for African merchants to create digital shops to sell online. Flutterwave Store, unlike other mainstream eCommerce businesses, will have no inventory or warehouse requirements. The service will start in 15 African countries…