Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

At the ongoing 24th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Fund, a $1 billion initiative aimed at supporting African startups. The initiative, revealed by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, the Secretary-General of the…

OnDjoss, a startup based in Cameroon which has created an instant messaging app featuring a mobile money transfer function between operators, is planning to expand following considerable initial success. Established in March 2022, OnDjoss launched its payment feature in August and quickly received 300,000 downloads, facilitating thousands of dollars in…

The second round of applications for the EdTech Fellowship Programme has been opened by Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) and the Mastercard Foundation in Nigeria. This initiative, a US$15 million edtech accelerator, was launched in Kenya and Nigeria in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation in February 2023. In 2023, the fellowship supported…

The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is now accepting applications for its yearly tech entrepreneurship training initiative. MEST, established in Ghana in 2008 by entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, is a pan-African programme that offers software and entrepreneurship training, seed funding, and incubation to launch technology startups across Africa. Based in…

Fez Delivery, a startup from Nigeria that focuses on logistics, has introduced Fez Safe Lockers, a system of automated lockers aiming to transform Nigeria’s last-mile delivery landscape. Fez Delivery, established in 2018, has developed a last-mile delivery platform connecting businesses with markets. The startup secured seed funding last year and…

Google has once again announced layoffs, with 100 employees from its video-sharing platform, YouTube, set to lose their jobs. This follows last week’s dismissal of over 1,000 workers spanning various divisions, such as engineering, services, and voice-activated product Google Assistant. A Google spokesperson said in a provided statement; As we’ve…

Notion, after acquiring the calendar startup Cron, unveiled a new calendar app called Notion Calendar on Wednesday. The app is equipped with features designed to appeal to “tens of millions” of existing Notion users thanks to its tight, platform-wide integration. The app features an integrated scheduler and effortlessly combines content…

Samsung unveiled its latest Galaxy S24 series on Wednesday, ahead of schedule, emphasizing its new artificial intelligence capabilities as the firm anticipates a big start to 2024. The S24 series comprises three models: the S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra, with prices starting from $800. Samsung introduced these new devices at…

Norwegian technology firm, Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems (PCS), is venturing into more opportunities in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. To lead this initiative, the company has hired Frank Walter as its Sales Director. Walter will manage and guide the sales team operating across EMEA which includes regions…

Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), a leading African corporate and investment bank, has invested in climate tech start-up KOKO as part of its carbon business growth project aimed at promoting green energy and forest conservation throughout Africa. KOKO, a climate tech firm operating in emerging markets, is a pioneer in the…

Open RAN technology firm, Parallel Wireless, has partnered with Network-as-a-Service provider, Hotspot Network Ltd, with the aim of providing network coverage to previously unconnected rural areas in Nigeria. The collaboration aims to connect rural communities to essential services such as health, education, and finance, thereby enhancing their living standards. As…

Dimension Data in Ghana is set to undergo a change in ownership and name, following a management buyout led by Yvette Adounvo Atekpe, the firm’s CEO for the past 16 years. Previously wholly owned by Japan’s NTT Group, the IT infrastructure and services company operates in the Middle East and…

Exclusive Networks Africa, a specialist in cyber security for digital infrastructure, has entered into a distribution partnership with Proofpoint, a provider of cyber security and compliance solutions. The agreement enables Exclusive Networks Africa to promote, sell, and support Proofpoint’s full range of security and compliance solutions across several key regions,…

The Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy in Nigeria has launched the National Broadband Alliance for Nigeria (NBAN). The alliance aims to promote collaboration in the development and implementation of broadband, positioning Nigeria at the forefront of the global digital economy. Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Nigerian Minister of Communications,…

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has provided a loan of €55 million to Togocom, a Togolese mobile operator and a subsidiary of AXIAN Telecom. This move is aimed at expanding quality mobile connectivity and aiding the digital transformation of the country. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will provide a loan…

Tech research firm, The Big Deal, highlights 2023 as a distinctive year for African entrepreneurs, as investments diversified across the principal tech markets of Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. Previously, Nigeria received the largest segment of startup investments, but in 2023, Kenya outstripped the West African nation, bagging the…

In November last year, Microsoft unveiled AI-powered Office features to businesses. Now it is making it available to consumers also via Copilot Pro. Today the tech giant unveiled Copilot Pro as a $20 premium subscription service and expanded its Copilot for Microsoft 365 offerings for all-sized businesses as part of…

The year 2023 was remarkable for Apple’s iPhone. It bid goodbye to its long-established lightning port and reportedly surpassed Samsung in global smartphone shipments. Preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker showed that Apple dispatched 234.6 million units in 2023, claiming 20.1 percent of…

For the first time, the globe’s most subscribed YouTuber, MrBeast, has shared a complete video on X – a platform he previously felt would not prove worthwhile irrespective of a “billion views”. Up until now, his content had solely been accessible to his 231 million subscribers on YouTube. In a…

TymeBank announced that it had attained its first profitable month in December 2023, less than five years after its inception in February 2019. This feat makes it the first digital bank in South Africa and the continent to break even. In a media statement, the bank stated that it has…