Author: Paul Adepoju

Nigeria’s National Council on Information (NCI) has recommended the creation of a Council to regulate the use of social media in Nigeria in spite of global rejection of social media regulation attempts that are viewed at aimed at suppression of freedom of speech. But according to the communique issued at…

Alibaba’s Executive Chairman and Founder, Jack Ma, has announced the launch of a $10 million fund for Africa’s young entrepreneurs. The fund is in partnership the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Speaking at the 2017 YouthConnekt Africa Summit in Kigali Rwanda, Ma said the fund will support…

Creative Media Works, operating as BBM, today launched Event Tickets inside Discover with partner, Ariiyatickets. The service allows Nigerians to browse for local concerts and events, and purchase tickets in advance – all without leaving the messaging app. Ariiyatickets, similar to other Nigerian BBM Discover partners, uses the Interswitch mobile…

Following the exit of Etisalat International from Nigeria, 9Mobile has reportedly gotten the attention of investors from across the world including UK’s Virgin Mobile, South Africa’s Vodacom, and Nigeria’s BUA Group, according to ThisDay report. Already, the consortium of banks has appointed advisers, which include Standard Bank of South Africa and Citibank…

Tech giant Microsoft has revealed that the world’s leading social media platform for professionals, LinkedIn, contributed revenue of $1.1 billion to its earnings during the fourth quarter ending June 30, 2017. It would be recalled that Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion late last year. Commenting on the company’s performance…

Nigerian government through the information and culture minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has established a  $1 million Venture Capital to boost the Creative Industry. This was announced in Lagos at the opening of a two-day Creative Industry Financing Conference. The minister said 20 individuals each investing 50,000 dollars are expected to…

Uber has announced a strategic relationship with Germaine Auto Centre, a Nigerian based auto service and maintenance company. According to the agreement, for a stipulated sum, Uber driver-partners operating in Lagos can have their cars maintained and serviced at a world-class auto facility. This relationship between both companies seeks to…

Music legend, Lionel Richie, has also become a startup investor, joining the league of superstars who are investing in black young startup companies. Richie’s first investment is healthcare startup, Heal. “Because developing a doctor-on-demand service that would allow personalized medical visits, booked through an app on a user’s phone is exactly what…

Nigeria’s BudgIT with the support and guidance of the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption Committee (RLAC), the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC), has launched reportyourself.org, an online platform to offer Nigerians opportunity to report instances of every day bribery…

Orange has launched Orange Content, a new division under the direct supervision of Stéphane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The new division will reinforce the presence and the investment of Orange in the content field. In a statement, Orange said the mission of the new division is to steer the…

Tech giant Google has announced the launch of Gradient Ventures, a new venture fund from Google with technical mentorship for early-stage startups focused on artificial intelligence. Through Gradient, Google said it will provide portfolio companies with capital, resources, and dedicated access to experts and bootcamps in AI. The company will…

Pushing back on yesterday’s announcement by Etisalat Group’s announcement that it is withdrawing its brand completely from Nigeria within the next three weeks, Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd (EMTS) which is trading as Etisalat Nigeria, has announced it still has a valid and subsisting agreement with the Etisalat Group, which…

Seedstars and Enel have announce a partnership to create The Africa Energy Prize. In a statement, Seedstars said partnering with Enel will give it a unique opportunity to reward tech startups striving to tackle the African continent’s energy challenges. Here’s the justification for the announcement. The energy sector of sub-Saharan…

Etisalat has announced it is severing ties with its Nigerian arm by terminating its management agreement, this means that the brand will be phased out of Nigeria, Hatem Dowidar, the chief executive of Etisalat International told Reuters on Monday. Dowidar said all UAE shareholders of Etisalat Nigeria have exited the…

There are strong indications that the price of the Bitcoin could significantly drop. Fortune, quoting  Goldman Sachs analyst Sheba Jafari, reported that Bitcoin, now priced at $2,568 a piece, could fall as low as $1,857. It however added that it would bounce to a much higher valuation between $3,212 to $3,915 suggesting that…

Asia’s richest man and founder of Alibaba Group, Jack Ma, is set to make his first official visit to Africa. On this trip, he will be heading to Kenya and Rwanda on a three-day trip. Ma who is the founder of Alibaba Group, is also a special adviser on youth…

eCommerce giant, Alibaba has led a $700 million Series E funding round for Ofo, a two billion-dollar-valued bike-sharing company. Other investors in this round Hony Capital, CITIC Private Equity, Didi and DST Global. According to report, this is the first time Alibaba has officially thrown its lot into China’s fast-growing bike sharing…

Nokia and Xiaomi announced that they have signed a business collaboration agreement and a multi-year patent agreement, including a cross license to each company’s cellular standard essential patents. Xiaomi also acquired patent assets from Nokia as part of the transaction. “Xiaomi is one of the world’s leading smartphone manufacturers and…

An amicable resolution has been reached by Nigerian banks and Etisalat over the debt owed by the telecoms company, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Making the announcement, Tony Ojobo, the director, Public Affairs, NCC, said a smooth transitional process was currently ongoing on mutually agreed terms and that…

The South African financial technology company that brought card-payment systems to smaller businesses as far back as 2008 has just announced a new integrated payment solution that will benefit franchise store owners, larger independent retailers and franchise owners. Sureswipe is SA’s first independent payment service provider to offer a fully integrated…