Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

Vodacom has released its interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2020, revealing strong growth across its local operations. This included its fibre division, with Vodacom accelerating its fibre roll-out over the past six months to more than double its total number of homes and businesses it had…

According to the International Energy Agency’s Renewables 2020 report, renewable energy capacity is expected to increase by 4% this year globally. Energy capacity is the maximum power output for a given electricity source when it’s running at full capacity. The report, released on Tuesday, is an update to the IEA’s May forecast,…

South African pay TV company Multichoice has paid R1.3 billion – and may still pay another R500 million more – for a 20% stake in Nigerian sports-bet company BetKing. The BetKing 20% acquisition was disclosed this week by Multichoice CEO, Calvo Mawela, during a news briefing to discuss MultiChoice’s new deals. It…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) fintech startup, FinChatBot, is South African leader and expert in developing Conversational AI Solutions for the Financial Services Industry has just secured $1.6-million from Saviu Ventures, a French investment holding company that focuses on African startups; Mauritius-based Compass Venture Capital and leading South African venture capital firm Kalon Venture Partners. The funding…

According to Olivia Rusch’s 2019 study on Female Entrepreneurship, “only 9% of South African women are involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity,” this is a statistic that new kid on the private equity funding block, Khula Lula has set their sights on changing. South Africa’s first solely black-woman-owned private equity fund…

Riding on the warm reception its flagship products continue to receive among Kenyan customers, smartphone manufacturer realme has launched realme C12 and realme 7i in a virtual event characterized by pomp and colour. RELATED READING: KENYA’S SMARTPHONE INDUSTRY LEAPS FORWARD WITH THE LAUNCH OF REALME C11 AND REALME 6 Heralding…

Mastercard has partnered with Payment24, an international fuel payment fintech based in South Africa, to offer a payment solution that will help fleet management companies streamline payments, create efficiencies and prevent fraud. Payment24’s innovative platform uses Mastercard’s payment technology, enabling drivers to quickly and seamlessly make fuel payments anywhere Mastercard…

Orange Egypt, the provider of integrated telecommunications services, announced an exclusive partnership with Deezer, the global audio streaming service. For the first time, Orange customers in Egypt will have the opportunity to sign up for Deezer Premium with unlimited access to music and podcasts. The companies have also teamed up…

DStv has launched its Explora Ultra decoder with new features, including built-in access to Netflix and other popular streaming apps. According to DStv, the decoder will be available at participating retail stores from next week for a recommended retail price of R2,499 for the standalone device. It will cost a…

Quoting Michele Obama, “…there is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” A new digital female-driven mentorship platform that aims to support and empower women in business in Africa has launched. Bureau Veritas, a company that specialises in testing, inspection, and certification, has partnered with TWAA, a global women…

Despite Covid-19 impact on businesses and the just released financial results for the half year ended 30th September, 2020 which saw net profit decrease by 6.0%, Safaricom has announced plans to provide 100% 4G network coverage across the country by end of this year 2020 as part of its growth strategy focused…

Applications for the 2020 Orange Prize for Social Entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East closed on 5 June 2020. Now Orange, one of the world’s leading telecommunications carriers has recently announced the winners of the Orange Africa and the Middle East Social Entrepreneur Prize. The prize was split into three categories…

Johannesburg-based fintech company, Paycode, that provides biometric digital identity and low-cost access to basic financial services in rural areas was recently awarded recognition in the 2020 Inclusive Fintech Awards, now it has recently been selected as one of ten startups to take part in the renowned Mastercard Start Path programme. RELATED READING: SA’S…

Turaco, a Kenya-based micro-insurtech startup has secured $2-million in series seed equity investment from Novastar Ventures, Mercy Corps Ventures, Musha Ventures, GAN Ventures, Zephyr Acron, and several angel investors. The investment will be utilised to further grow Turaco and to upscale its operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the startup aims…

Prime Bank, a leading Kenyan private bank, has partnered with London-based fintech SimbaPay, to launch an instant international money transfer service via the bank’s digital platform PrimeMobi. Through SimbaPay, Prime Bank customers will now be able to instantly and securely send money directly to bank accounts or mobile wallets across 15…

Last month we reported that Telkom was going to launch its own video-on-demand (VoD) service named TelkomONE, which will focus on local content, now Telkom has partnered with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to launch TelkomON, and Telkom will house the public broadcaster’s free-to-air radio and TV channels. RELATED…

Apple has launched its new 13-inch MacBook Pro, which it said is up to 3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class. The new Apple MacBook Pro uses Apple’s brand-new M1 chip, which it said ensures the MacBook Pro offers 2.8x faster performance than before. It also will…

Apple has unveiled a new iteration of its Mac Mini desktop computer, which it said delivers “staggering performance” in an ultra-compact design. Alongside a new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, the 2020 Mac Mini is one of the first Apple systems to feature the company’s own M1 System-on-Chip (SoC), which…

During Apple’s “One More Thing” event on Tuesday 10 November, Apple launched a range of new MacBook laptops which are powered by its own M1 Silicon processor. RELATED READING: APPLE ANNOUNCES “ONE MORE THING” EVENT FOR 10 NOVEMBER The first Mac device to ship with this new chipset is the…

Econet Group, a leading telecoms and technology group in Africa, has teamed up with X’s Project Taara to expand and enhance affordable, high speed connectivity to communities across Sub-Saharan Africa using a revolutionary new optical wireless technology developed by Taara. This is the first roll-out of Taara’s technology in Africa. Taara is…