Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the global cloud computing leader supporting numerous Nigerian startups and commercial banks, has announced that it will now accept payments in Naira, in addition to seven other local currencies for its European customers. This strategic move is anticipated to significantly reduce cloud costs for many Nigerian…

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the U.K.’s antitrust watchdog, has launched its first official investigation of 2025 under new rules that came into effect this month. The investigation focuses on Google’s dominance in the search market, including its AI search initiatives and its extensive search advertising business. The CMA…

Microsoft has established a new engineering organization designed to accelerate the development of AI infrastructure and software within the company. According to Bloomberg, Jay Parikh, who previously served as Vice President and Global Head of Engineering at Meta, will lead this new division. Parikh will report directly to Microsoft CEO…

Nigeria is poised for a substantial enhancement in its digital infrastructure following the signing of a $2 million grant agreement between the U.S. and Nigerian governments to expand the country’s fibre optic network by 90,000 kilometers. This initiative, funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), highlights the growing…

Tesla surpassed one of Germany’s most esteemed premium car brands, Audi, last year, despite falling short of its own vehicle sales expectations. In 2024, Volkswagen’s Audi sold 1.67 million vehicles, marking a 12% decline from the previous year. The brand faced increasing competition in Europe and China, coupled with weak…

LemFi, a company specializing in cross-border payments, has secured $53 million in new funding to accelerate customer acquisition and expand its presence in additional countries. Since its inception in 2020, LemFi has experienced rapid growth by facilitating money transfers for diaspora communities in North America and, more recently, Europe. These…

Renew Capital has made a strategic investment in Power Financial Wellness, a fintech platform dedicated to equipping workers with the tools necessary for effective financial management. Power Financial Wellness operates in several countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, and India. The company offers a comprehensive financial platform designed to…

Ethiopia is forging ahead with ambitious plans to expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, marking a significant step towards establishing a greener and more sustainable transportation system. The government has announced a comprehensive initiative to deploy additional EV charging stations across the nation, aiming to facilitate the adoption of…

South Africa’s The Awareness Company, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup that specializes in transforming business data into actionable insights for operational efficiency and sustainability, has successfully secured US$1.6 million in seed funding. This capital injection is aimed at enhancing the company’s marketing and sales initiatives, as well as advancing the artificial…

Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, postponed the inaugural launch of its first orbital rocket, New Glenn, early Monday morning due to an unspecified issue with one of the vehicle’s subsystems. While delays are common in spaceflight, this particular postponement raises questions about the timing of the much-anticipated launch. According…

In light of TikTok’s impending shutdown on January 19 due to its ownership issues in the U.S., unless the Supreme Court intervenes, another Chinese app is gaining significant attention. American users are rapidly adopting Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote in English, a Chinese short-form video app. Today, the app surged to…

Global payment services provider Mastercard has announced the opening of a new office in Accra, Ghana, as part of its strategic initiative to enhance digital payments and financial inclusion in West Africa. This move underscores Ghana’s growing influence in the region’s fintech sector and is expected to boost the local…

European-based Integrity360 has announced the acquisition of Nclose, a well-established and highly rated cyber security services company with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. This acquisition is a strategic move in Integrity360’s global expansion efforts. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, this transaction follows the…

Ethiopia has launched its first securities exchange in 50 years, marking a significant milestone in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s efforts to open up the country’s tightly controlled economy to private investment. The Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX) was officially inaugurated on Friday, a move that officials believe will transform the economic…

Applications are now open for the Timbuktoo MineTech Accelerator programme, a groundbreaking initiative by the Timbuktoo MineTech Hub aimed at driving innovation in mining technology, empowering startups, and scaling transformative technologies within the African mining sector. This pioneering programme is managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration…

Zambia’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has imposed sanctions on Standard Chartered Bank for mis-selling bonds linked to Sino-Ocean, a Chinese property developer. The bank is accused of failing to disclose essential information about these bonds, which defaulted in 2023, and including contract clauses that improperly transferred risk to the…

MultiChoice’s video streaming platform, Showmax, is set to make history as Africa’s first streaming service to live-stream a homegrown concert. On January 18, 2025, viewers across 44 African countries will have the exclusive opportunity to watch Grammy-winning Amapiano superstar Tyla perform live from the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, available only…

On Friday, a lawyer representing TikTok presented arguments before the Supreme Court, asserting that a ban on the social network would infringe upon both TikTok’s and Americans’ First Amendment rights. The Supreme Court is currently deliberating whether to overturn or delay a law that could effectively ban TikTok in the…

Samsung made several announcements at CES 2025, unveiling a range of new laptops and TVs. However, as is customary, the company is reserving some of its most significant news for its own event. Samsung will host its first Galaxy Unpacked event of the year on January 22, 2025, at 1…

Grok, the AI assistant originally integrated into the social media platform X, is now available as a standalone app. Similar to its version on X, the Grok app can generate images, summarize text, and answer questions with a conversational tone that xAI, the creator of Grok, describes as “humorous and…