Have you ever bought a phone that looks good on paper but fails in real life? Like, the spec sheet says 120Hz, but your screen still lags when you’re doomscrolling on Instagram? Or the battery says 5200mAh, but you’re still walking around with a power bank like it’s your second…
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.
Who decided that glass makes a phone “premium”? That person should be responsible for all the cracked backs, emergency cases, and ₦70k repairs. If you drop your phone and the back shatters, nobody is admiring the aesthetics. Instead, you’re frustrated and embarrassed, immediately searching Google for “where to fix a…
In a year where fuel prices swing like mood swings, rent keeps rising, and everyone’s still hustling for better data plans, you’d think buying a new phone would require a loan or a miracle. But every once in a while, a device lands that reminds us you don’t need to…
There was a time when building a food business meant saving for rent, scouting prime locations, printing menus, and praying for foot traffic. In 2025? Most thriving food vendors don’t own a storefront. They run cloud kitchens out of shared apartments, cook with air fryers and electric pots, and reach…
By now, everyone is familiar with the routine: a new phone is released, the specifications become more impressive, the cameras get flashier, and the marketing becomes increasingly desperate. However, in Nigeria, the key question isn’t “How many megapixels does it have?” Instead, it’s “How long will it last without NEPA?”…
Your smartphone knows a lot about you —it tracks where you go, what you eat, who you talk to, what keeps you awake at night, and what wakes you up in the morning. Often, someone else is monitoring this information as well. From shady applications to insecure Wi-Fi networks and…
By the time you think of formatting your phone, three things have likely happened: But here’s what shouldn’t happen: losing important items such as work documents, photos, app data, notes, or your team’s PDF files. Whether you’re using an iPhone, Samsung, Tecno, or Google Pixel, formatting your device is no…
Every parent—or older sibling, auntie, uncle, or guardian—has had this thought at some point: “Should I really be handing a child a screen?” It’s a fair question. Screens can distract, overwhelm, or even dull a child’s natural curiosity when used carelessly. But here’s the other side of that coin: when…
₦1.2 million vs ₦500k isn’t just about specs—it’s about class, priorities, and the psychology of owning a phone in a country where your device says as much about you as your degree. In Nigeria, phones aren’t just phones—they’re status statements. Your phone can get you through airport security faster, earn…
Tablets are no longer a luxury in 2025. They have transformed into notebooks, classrooms, and playgrounds—and at times, they are the only thing keeping a child entertained while you take a moment to breathe. Giving your child a tablet isn’t spoiling them; it’s preparing them for the future. Digital literacy…
Let’s not sugarcoat it—phones are expensive now. ₦200,000 used to buy you the latest big-brand smartphone a few years ago. These days? It barely gets you into the mid-range club. But if that’s your budget in 2025, you still have options, and two brands are constantly circling each other in…
For years, telecom companies in Nigeria have mainly focused on selling airtime. While they have built the infrastructure for Nigeria’s internet services, most people still see them as just providers of recharge cards. However, this is changing. Airtel Nigeria’s recent launch of the SmartCash Payment Service Bank (PSB) illustrates this…
There is no shortage of laptop recommendations available on the internet. However, for the average Nigerian student in 2025, dealing with inconsistent power supply, tight budgets, and rising school fees makes many of those lists feel unrealistic. Spending ₦700,000 on a “budget” laptop is simply not practical. This guide is…
For years, WhatsApp was the last ad-free sanctuary in Meta’s group of apps. There were no sponsored posts, ads or suggested content—just your contacts, conversations, and peace. But that era is ending, quietly but significantly. Yesterday, Meta confirmed what many of us sensed was inevitable: WhatsApp will begin rolling out…
A new type of competition has emerged that doesn’t sleep, eat, or spend hours editing. Amazon just launched a generative AI tool that allows sellers to create “photorealistic video ads” with just one click. It offers six ready-made video options complete with clean transitions, attractive lighting, and appealing background scores.…
You don’t need to be a hacker or a digital nomad with multiple passports to be concerned about internet privacy. Sometimes, it’s as simple as sending a client invoice from a café, uploading a Shopify update from a coworking space, or watching a YouTube tutorial in an airport lounge before…
Not every term sheet is worth the sleepless nights it buys you. Founders across Africa are starting to learn this the hard way — and then refusing to learn it twice. They’re passing on funding that comes with hidden strings. They’re walking away from “advisors” who confuse control with value.…
It’s a funny thing — in most pitch meetings, “scale” is the sexiest word in the room. But for African founders, it’s also the most misunderstood. Because when an investor says “How fast can you scale?”, what they often mean is: “How fast can you replicate this across borders like…
If you’re building a startup in 2025, here’s the uncomfortable truth: AI is already doing the work your next intern or junior hire was supposed to do. We’re not talking about someday in the future. This is happening now. From writing cold emails to processing payroll, drafting pitch decks, managing…
If you’ve been watching the fintech space closely, you’ll notice something interesting: Nigerian startups aren’t just expanding — they’re migrating. But not to Silicon Valley or London. East Africa is calling. And Nigerian fintechs are answering. Just this June, Moniepoint — one of Nigeria’s most successful fintech giants — acquired…