Author: Staff Writer

Ghana’s Nokwary Technologies beat nine other competitors to win first prize of $10,000 in the just concluded Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2020. The first and second runner up spots were taken by Ukheshe Payment and Solutions Growth Factor Technologies, winning $7,000 and US$5,000 respectively. Nokwary is a fintech that uses Artificial…

Public notaries are all those government institutions through which the records and certifications of all types of legal activity (contracts) are carried out, all with the main objective of preventing fraud within a given society. Within this cluster of legal activities, the following stand out: sworn statements, stamps and signatures…

Helios Towers, one of the telecommunications infrastructure company operating in Africa, has agreed to acquire over 1,200 sites from Free Senegal – the second largest mobile operator in Senegal backed by a consortium of investors including NJJ, the founder of the Iliad S.A. group Xavier Niel’s private holding company, Teyliom…

Apple has just crossed the $2 trillion market capitalisation mark today when its shares climbed 1.2 percent to $467.78 in morning trading. , This makes it the first US company to achieve this feat but the 2nd one globally after Saudi Aramco. Saudi Aramco achieved this feat in December 2019…

Ikeja Electric, Nigeria’s largest power distribution company has unveiled a WhatsApp messaging solution, which offers real-time customers complaints resolution and 24-hour customer support service. The IE WhatsApp Chatbot works like regular WhatsApp platform and enables seamless two-way communication between customer and the DisCo through the chat interface. Ikeja Electric, while explaining the…

Uber Connect has launched in Cairo. Egypt. This is the first market in the region for Uber to launch Connect. Uber Connect is an easy, same-day, no-contact delivery solution that allows people to send items whether it’s a care package for a loved one, a gift for a friend’s birthday,…

Nigeria’s leading multi-merchant rewards company ThankUcash is pleased to announce that serial investor Brandon L Drew has joined the company as an investor and advisor. Drew is the co-founder and General Partner at Saas Growth Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture fund. He specializes in operational efficiency, building and scaling of…

Both short- and long-term disability insurance are designed to protect a portion of your income if you’re in a situation where you can’t work because of an illness or injury. These types of policies are typically associated with your job, or perhaps your membership in an organization. However, there are…

Tech giant Oracle is the latest in the race to buy TikTok operations in the US after the ultimatum given to ByteDance by the Trump administration. Microsoft and Twitter are some of the other companies that we know that have announced their intentions to vie for the company which must…

HYBR Group has released a new research report “Assessing the next innovation ecosystem normal: an African perspective beyond hubs” – which focuses on the challenges and opportunities posed by Covid-19 in Africa. The global public health pandemic, coupled with a looming economic crisis, are rapidly reshaping the innovation and investment…

Facebook launched Avatars in Africa to give people new ways to express themselves online. Avatars are digital personas that enable people to engage across Facebook and Messenger in a more personal and dynamic way.  You can use your personalised avatar to share a range of emotions and expressions via a…

Egyptian payment startup, Paymob, has announced its partnership with Holyo, a German-based provider for global branded payments to facilitate payments for millions of gamers in Egypt. The global gaming market size in 2020 is expected to reach $159 billion in revenues with an increase of 9.3% over the preceding year;…

Kenyan HR startup, WorkPay, has raised $2.1 million seed funding led by Kepple Africa Ventures with participation from Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Musha Ventures, P1 Ventures, and other angel investors. The company said that the seed funding will be used to scale its software tools and expand its clientele network…

President Donald Trump has issued a new executive order to Bytedance for TikTok’s operations in the US. ByteDance now has 90 days to either sell or spin off its TikTok business in the US. In the order, Trump also says that there is “credible evidence” that ByteDance “might take action…

Cassava Fintech International (CFI) and the Liquid Telecom Group (LTG) have announced the launch of Sasai Wi-Fi Finder, a potential game-changer in driving digital and financial inclusion in Africa. The service, which will be offered across the continent, was announced today, and is set to be rolled at thousands of…

Facebook has started merging Instagram and Messenger chats according to a report from TheVerge. On Friday, it was reported that some people noticed an update screen popped up in Instagram’s mobile app with the message “There’s a New Way to Message on Instagram” with a list of features including a…

Individuals and Businesses can now create, host and earn money from their online events on Facebook. The announcement for this feature was made via a blog post some days ago by Fidji Simo Vice President, Head of Facebook App. According to Fidji in the post; “With social distancing mandates still…

WhatsApp rival, Telegram, has launched Video calls as part of the activities marking seven years of operation. Brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov started Telegram in 2013 and has since grown into a platform with over 400 million users. In October 2013, Telegram had 100,000 daily active users. On 24 March 2014, Telegram announced that it…

With the objective of ensuring that all Nigerians and people residing in Nigeria have access to financial services, the Central Bank of Nigeria has put in place appropriate structures to ensure that everyone can have access to basic financial services in the country. One of such structures is the Mobile…

Finnish phone maker, HMD Global, announced that it has raised $230 million from some strategic investors including Google, Qualcomm and Nokia. According to the company, “The investment will further fuel HMD Global’s strategic vision in four key areas: Firstly, it will accelerate the company’s mission to make 5G smartphones accessible…