Apple has reported a massive quarter, achieving record-breaking results driven by a surge in iPhone sales and a surprising recovery in the Chinese market. The company’s total revenue reached $143.8 billion, a 16% increase year-over-year, marking its fastest growth since 2021. Earnings Per Share (EPS) hit $2.84, up 19% and…
Author: Smart Megwai
Smart Megwai
Smart is a technology journalist covering innovation, digital culture, and the business of emerging tech. His reporting for Innovation Village explores how technology shapes everyday life in Africa and beyond.
OpenAI plans to retire several older AI models, including the popular GPT-4o, starting on February 13, 2026. This change will help the company focus on its new GPT-5 system. While these older models will still be available to developers via the API, they will no longer appear in the ChatGPT…
Congratulations to the new Kuda “National Microfinance Bank”. It has officially “levelled up” its banking license from a local (unit) license to a National Microfinance Bank license. In Nigeria, there are over 720 licensed Microfinance Banks, but only 9 (including the newly upgraded ones) hold a National License. By making…
Behind the $200 million Stripe acquisition stood a CTO who changed the image of a tech executive. Ezra Olubi paired an unapologetic personal style with the skills that made Paystack a global success. However, by the end of 2025, his technical achievements were clouded by controversy. A public relations crisis…
Andela has acquired Woven, a technical assessment platform based in Indianapolis, to focus on specialised talent rather than “generic software engineers.” This acquisition is important for Andela’s mission. They believe that by 2026, writing code will be simple, but engineering with AI will be more valuable. The financial details of…
For the past ten years, African merchants have faced serious challenges, not from competitors or inflation, but from the long wait for international payments. The “T+3” system means they must wait 3 days for transactions to settle. For example, if you are an importer in Nigeria wanting to pay a…
Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, has launched a new satellite network called “TeraWave” to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. While SpaceX’s Starlink is popular among consumers, TeraWave aims to support the main structure of the global internet. TeraWave, announced on January 21, 2026, is not for home use; you…
Kuda has launched instant digital accounts for NGOs and religious groups in Nigeria. This change removes a major roadblock in the non-profit sector: the lengthy, complex process of opening a bank account. According to a review of the Kuda Business App Store version history, the feature specifically allowing “NGOs and…
Nigerian chef Hilda Baci has been recognised as a three-time Guinness World Record holder for the largest serving of rice. This announcement from Guinness World Records (GWR) came as a surprise to her. What started as a goal to celebrate Nigeria’s popular Jollof rice has turned into a remarkable achievement,…
Chipper has achieved an important milestone: its first-ever quarter of positive Free Cash Flow. For a typical Silicon Valley startup, this might seem ordinary. However, for an African fintech operating in seven countries with unstable currencies, it’s a remarkable survival story given the tough economic conditions of the past three…
International Breweries Plc (IBPLC) is pleased to announce that Nicholas Kade will be the new Managing Director, effective March 1, 2026. This change in leadership shows that the company has overcome previous challenges and is ready to grow strongly. The key news is that Carlos Coutino, who led the company…
Ten years ago, two friends in a Lagos apartment set out to fix the troubled state of African commerce. Yesterday, only one of them, Shola Akinlade, announced a major change for their company, Paystack. As Paystack turns 10, it has launched a new parent company called The Stack Group (TSG).…
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has recently granted licenses to six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to operate in Nigeria as of January 2026. This move marks Nigeria as Africa’s main area for satellite internet competition. Among the new players, Amazon Kuiper stands out. This change ends Starlink’s hold on…
WhatsApp is launching a new feature that allows users to join the Beta Program directly from the app’s settings. This means you won’t need to check the Google Play Store anymore to find out if there’s a Beta program available. This feature is accessible to anyone granted access by Meta.…
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has launched a new process to address a major issue: providing internet access to villages without the need for fibre-optic cables. They have released a Consultation Paper about Satellite Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity. The aim is clear: to help the 23.3 million Nigerians who currently lack…
Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telecommunications company, has appointed Sylvia Anampiu as the new Director of Fixed Business. This decision, made on January 16, 2026, comes as the company plans a major strategy shift: offering home internet in smaller, more affordable packages. Anampiu will lead a division that Safaricom considers crucial to…
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a major increase in the minimum capital requirements for Capital Market Operators (CMOs). This change aims to strengthen the Nigerian capital market against economic downturns and operational risks. The new regulatory framework, announced in a public notice, raises the financial entry barrier…
As the Confederation of African Football (CAF) prepares for the final match between Morocco and Senegal on Sunday, it announced that the TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 has broken all previous records for commercial revenue. Today, CAF reported that competition revenues have increased by 90% compared to the 2023 edition. This shows…
The Jerry Eze Foundation, one of Nigeria’s leading social impact organisations, announced a major private-sector initiative. In 2026, the foundation will launch a $300,000 (around ₦450 million) grant program to support 100 young Nigerian entrepreneurs with equity-free funds. This initiative focuses on investing in people rather than just giving donations.…
Wikipedia has announced partnerships with several big tech companies, including Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, marking a major step up in the non-profit’s ability to monetise tech firms’ reliance on its content. This announcement, released on Thursday, coincides with a monumental milestone: the internet’s encyclopedia is officially 25 years old today…