Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

Amazon Web Services has completed its first operational solar project in South Africa. A 10 MW photovoltaic project developed by Cape Town-based solar company SOLA Group has started generating clean energy for the local unit of an Amazon subsidiary three months ahead of schedule. The plant has been described as “the first operational…

Last month, we confirmed that Samsung wants to announce the Galaxy S21 FE in January at CES 2022. More precise availability details have now emerged, so if you’ve been waiting for this elusive smartphone to go on sale, this is when you should be able to buy it. Samsung will unveil…

South Africa’s Vodacom Group Ltd said on Wednesday it will acquire a controlling stake in Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications SAE from London-listed parent company Vodafone Group PLC, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. Vodacom would buy a 55% stake in the Egyptian arm of Vodafone Group Plc for $2.74 billion, which is around R41.31…

Stars From All Nations (SFAN), an education company that unlocks the potential of the youth has announced that applications for its ReadyforWork career accelerator. ReadyforWork is an immersive digital career accelerator that uses AI and Machine Learning to equip entry-level job seekers with employment skills and help talent managers make data-driven…

Elon Musk has lost $50 billion so far this week after Tesla Inc. shares plunged for the second day in a row. It’s the biggest two-day decline in the history of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and the biggest one-day fall after Jeff Bezos’s $36 billion plunge following his divorce from MacKenzie Scott…

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, briefly hit a market cap of $2 trillion for the first time, fueled by a rebound in spending on digital ads and growth in its cloud business. The tech behemoth’s market cap is currently at a comfortable $1.98 trillion, but crept over the $2 trillion mark midday…

Two cryptocurrencies have hit new milestones. Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $68,530.34 early Tuesday, according to CoinMarketCap. That’s just a few weeks after it hit a previous high of nearly $67,000 before sliding as much as 12%. Meanwhile, Ethereum also hit a record — rising to $4,837.59, according to CoinMarketCap.…

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has embarked on a network expansion programme that will see the country’s largest mobile network operator add 130 new sites as it upgrades its existing base stations and expand its coverage across the country in response to increased demand. Mr. Kezito Makuni, Econet’s Chief Operating Officer said:…

South Africa-based tech startup AfriNova Digital, a year after launching its online digital payments service digiToken, has rebranded it as a reimagined product called mojaPay. With payments services still primarily targeted at people and businesses in the townships and rural areas, this app is aimed at bringing more convenience and inclusion…

Global eCommerce platform Amazon has launched an online platform that offers free cybersecurity awareness training to business owners and individuals across the world. With a strong focus on educating its employees about cybersecurity measures, the eCommerce giant has opened its educational online platform to the world. As the internet has become…

The Africa Tech Festival, a prestigious awards ceremony that recognizes and awards innovations and innovators who are encouraging transformation, inclusivity, and digital democracy across Africa, has announced its shortlist of awardees for 2021. The chosen winners will be announced during a virtual conference taking place later this month. In addition,…

In a bid to support the viability of South African social entrepreneurs, financial service provider First National Bank (FNB) has partnered with Fetola, an SME growth specialist company, to launch the Social Entrepreneurship Impact Lab (SEIL) programme for the second year. Fifty local entrepreneurs addressing pressing social, environmental, and economic issues in…

South African fintech startup whose primary focus is sharing technical and actionable financial information with end-users, FinMeUp, has secured an undisclosed amount in funding from ZAQ Ventures (Venture Studio), a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in startups. This funding has been secured from an angel round. According to reports,…

Cape Town-based online advertising tech startup Adbot has secured R7-million ($500 000) in capital raise from Enygma Ventures, an investment funding dedicated to supporting female entrepreneurs and women founders in Southern and Eastern Africa. Lelemba Phiri, operating partner of Engyma ventures provides insight into why they decided to fund Adbot. “Adbot’s offering…

South Africa-based fintech startup, SOLMate, has launched its newly branded SOLMate prepaid debit cards to round out its service offering that includes an electronic wallet app and virtual card. The company is a duly appointed juristic representative of registered financial services provider PAL LIFE CC and the cards – virtual and physical –…

Facebook’s profits topped $9 billion during its most recent financial quarter, clearing investor predictions even as the company faces an onslaught of negative publicity over a major release of whistleblower documents. The company said it’s adding $50 billion to its stock buyback program, helping lift the shares about 2% in extended…

South African student accommodation marketplace DigsConnect has received funding for its #1000digs initiative to house higher education students. The company received funding from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. It’s headquartered in Texas in the US, the foundation is a non-profit organisation that aims to assist children living in urban…

Apple’s new operating system for Macs, MacOS Monterey has finally arrived. The Monterey OS comes alongside upgrades to Apple’s MacBook line, including multiple new M1 chips and a new generation of AirPods. Monterey adds several of the new features found in iOS 15, like spatial audio in FaceTime and Apple’s Focus feature. Here are some of our favorite features from…

Online payments processor Stripe has entered a strategic partnership with “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) company Klarna, a leading global retail bank, payments, and shopping service, allowing retailers easily to add an option for customers to pay in instalments. The tie-up comes amid growing competition in the BNPL market, which…

Tesla “TechnoKing” and CEO Elon Musk has surpassed Amazon’s Jeff Bezos by a long shot as the world’s wealthiest billionaire. Musk’s net worth, including his Tesla stock holdings, now stands at $281 billion after Hertz Global Holdings Inc. placed an order for 100,000 Teslas. Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a…