Author: Staff Writer

While headlines often focus on South Africa’s grid failures and the dominance of Eskom, an emerging layer of innovation is reshaping the country’s energy story—one algorithm at a time. Open Access Energy (OAE), a Cape Town-based startup, is building the behind-the-scenes software infrastructure that could become essential to how power…

In a historic medical milestone, a prostate cancer patient in Angola underwent a robot-assisted prostatectomy while the surgeon — Dr. Vipul Patel — operated from Orlando, Florida, over 7,000 miles away. The procedure, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), marks the first-ever transcontinental robotic telesurgery trial The patient,…

Once seen as a promising backbone for Francophone Africa’s digital payments infrastructure, Bizao’s French parent company has entered court-mandated liquidation, marking a major setback in the continent’s fintech evolution. The Paris-based Bizao SAS, which operated as the holding company for the startup’s African subsidiaries, was officially placed into liquidation on…

In much of Africa, buying a used car is a gamble. Hidden costs, inconsistent vehicle quality, and the absence of trustworthy middlemen have made the experience one of life’s most stressful financial decisions. But a new wave of startups is rewriting that narrative—led by Tokyo-based Peach Cars, which is fast…

As the lines between e-commerce and messaging continue to blur, African software startup Chpter is positioning itself at the center of a new wave in digital retail—social commerce powered by AI and real-time payments. Through a landmark partnership with Flutterwave, one of Africa’s leading payments infrastructure companies, Chpter has now…

In a bold stride toward decentralizing South Africa’s power grid and making clean energy more accessible, solar subscription startup Wetility has secured R500 million (~$27.8 million) in structured financing from investment firm Jaltech. The deal marks one of the most significant moves in the country’s residential solar sector this year—and…

U.S. fintech startup Wave has officially launched operations in Cameroon, setting its sights on the country’s fast-growing digital payments sector. Effective June 11, 2025, Wave is entering the Central African market not alone, but through a strategic partnership with Commercial Bank Cameroon (CBC), one of the country’s established financial institutions.…

On June 19, 2025, France’s government and major investors committed to a landmark €1.35 billion capital raise to strengthen Eutelsat as Europe’s answer to Elon Musk’s Starlink. The investment not only secures Eutelsat’s future but also signals Europe’s strategic push toward space-based digital sovereignty. A Strategic Capital Infusion The French state…

Africa is undergoing a dramatic transformation in its energy landscape. With abundant sunlight and escalating power needs, the continent is turning to large-scale solar to power economic growth, improve energy security, and decrease reliance on fossil fuels. Here’s a ranking of the top 10 solar projects that have been completed…

Zeeh Africa, the only African startup among 30 global finalists of the VivaTech 2025 competition, has emerged winner of two awards – the Fintech/eCommerce category at the 2025 AfricaTech Awards, hosted by VivaTech in partnership with Deloitte and supported by Edouard Mendy and the Impact 2035 Award by OVHcloud, recognizing startups driving…

Some of Nigeria’s largest banks have been directly affected by a new directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that suspends dividend payouts, executive bonuses, and new foreign investments for lenders still operating under regulatory forbearance. In a circular issued on June 13, 2025, the apex bank ordered these…

Starting Wednesday, June 18, 2025, mobile subscribers across Nigeria will begin paying for USSD services directly from their airtime, marking a major policy shift in how telecom-based financial services are billed. The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) confirmed the transition to the End-User Billing (EUB) model in…

The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has officially launched the National Payment Stack (NPS), a major milestone that signals the beginning of a new era in the country’s financial services sector. Unveiled at a ceremony in Lagos, the NPS is designed to replace the long-serving NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP) system…

Millions of South Africans who have long been overlooked by the traditional credit system are finally getting a chance to be seen—thanks to their mobile phones. In a bold collaboration, MTN, its data exchange platform Chenosis, and TransUnion Africa have rolled out a credit scoring solution that uses patterns in…

Visa has appointed Aminata Kane as Senior Vice President and Head of Western and Central Africa, effective September 4, 2025, signaling a major push to strengthen its footprint in a region teeming with digital potential but hampered by financial inclusion challenges. Based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Kane will oversee Visa’s…

Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, is now officially live in Guinea‑Bissau, marking its seventh launch in West Africa and its 23rd country across Africa. The rollout took place on June 18, 2025, following a provisional licence granted in December 2024 and full regulatory approval in April 2025 by Guinea‑Bissau’s National Regulatory Authority for Information…

A wave of protests is engulfing Nairobi and Mombasa after the June 8 death of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Omondi Ojwang, whose body was found in police custody following his arrest for allegedly defaming Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat. Initial police claims of suicide have been contradicted by an independent autopsy revealing clear…

The Trump Organization has announced its bold entry into the U.S. wireless market with Trump Mobile, a phone service and branded device aimed squarely at conservative consumers. Launched on June 16, the venture includes a gold-colored smartphone priced at $499 and a signature monthly plan dubbed the “47 Plan,” priced…

Egyptian fintech startup Octane is accelerating its mission to modernize fleet and mobility payments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a fresh $5.2 million funding round led by Shorooq Partners, Algebra Ventures, and SC Holding. Launched in 2022 by Amr Gamal and Ziad Eladawy, Octane has…

WhatsApp, the globally popular messaging platform, is about to take a bold new step in its evolution — and users will notice it in the Status section. This was announced in a recent post about a major revamp to its Updates tab. The app, used by over 1.5 billion people daily, is…