Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

PalmPay, a pan-African fintech operating in three countries, has appointed Femi Hanson as the new head of marketing and public relations for its Nigerian subsidiary. Hanson brings with him five years of fintech marketing experience, having previously led the marketing teams at OPay and Moni, two prominent Nigerian fintech companies.…

Media group MultiChoice has announced the resignation of Marc Jury, the Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice South Africa (MCSA) and Showmax. Jury will officially leave the group on 31 March 2025. Jury has been with MultiChoice for a decade, during which he has held several key leadership positions, including head…

PepsiCo South Africa, the owner of Lay’s and Simba, has announced a significant expansion of its Isando factory in Gauteng with the addition of a state-of-the-art potato chip production line. This expansion represents a R746 million investment aimed at enhancing production capabilities and meeting the increasing demand for snack foods…

Instagram has enhanced its Direct Messaging (DM) features with several new updates, announced on Monday. Among the new features is the ability to share your live location with friends, which can be particularly useful for coordinating meetups at concerts or other crowded events. Additionally, users can now assign nicknames in…

Kenyan energy startup Hydrobox has successfully secured US$9 million in debt funding to support the development of eight small hydro projects across four mini-grids in Kenya. This initiative aims to provide reliable and affordable electricity to over 10,000 people and local businesses. Hydrobox specializes in building, owning, and operating mini-grids…

Visa has announced the selection of 19 African startups to participate in the third cohort of its Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program. These startups, representing 21 countries and covering diverse sectors such as embedded finance, SME lending, and digital banking, exemplify the continent’s thriving fintech ecosystem. A notable highlight of…

Nineteen innovators from across the African continent have been selected by AfriLabs and the African Union (AU) to participate in the second edition of the AU Digital and Innovation Fellowship Programme. This initiative aims to harness technology and innovation to drive socio-economic development throughout Africa. The AU Digital and Innovation…

Open Access Energy (OAE), a South African software company specializing in optimizing energy transactions, has partnered with PEC Utility Management as its metering partner. This collaboration ensures a reliable national metering footprint and supports accurate billing for wheeling clients across South Africa. Founded in 2021, Open Access Energy has developed…

Pan-African hubs network AfriLabs and Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) have joined forces to launch an innovation lab aimed at helping young innovators and startups across Nigeria commercialize groundbreaking technologies and foster sustainable economic growth. AfriLabs is a network organization dedicated to driving innovation and entrepreneurship…

South African ed-tech incubator, Injini, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, has announced the opening of applications for the 2025 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship. This fellowship is designed to support startups based in South Africa that are focused on enhancing education through innovative solutions. Injini, established in 2017, is a…

Six South African startups have been selected to participate in the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa: Black Founders programme. These startups will gain access to ZAR1 million (US$50,000) in non-dilutive funding and up to ZAR3.6 million (US$200,000) in Google Cloud credits. Google recently announced the eighth cohort of its Google…

Shyft Power Solutions, a pioneering Nigerian company specializing in digital energy solutions, has been acquired by SteamaCo, a UK-based leader in energy revenue management. This strategic acquisition aims to revolutionize Africa’s energy sector and has also brought in new funding to support its initiatives. Shyft Power Solutions is renowned for…

Telkom has decided to halt the sale of its wholesale and network division, Openserve, indicating a significant reassessment of its asset management strategy. This decision to retain Openserve, rather than divesting it for immediate financial gain, suggests that Telkom is now focusing on long-term growth opportunities within its core network…

MultiChoice is set to finalize the sale of a 60% stake in its insurance business, NMS Insurance Services (NMSIS), to insurer Sanlam by the end of November. In a joint statement issued today, the companies announced that all conditions precedent to the transaction have been fulfilled, including approvals from the…

Telecommunications company Telkom has reported a 1.9% increase in revenue, reaching R21.3 billion, with notable growth in mobile service revenue by 10% and fibre data service revenue by 15.5%. Telkom announced its interim financial results for the six months ending 30 September. Subsidiaries BCX and Openserve also posted strong results…

Ten promising startups have been selected to compete in the African final of the Latitude59 competition. The winner of this regional final will earn the opportunity to pitch at the main event in Tallinn, Estonia, vying for a prize pool of €1 million (US$1.1 million). The 12th edition of Latitude59,…

Egyptian supply chain technology startup Qara has successfully raised $2.6 million in a funding round aimed at supporting its expansion into Saudi Arabia. Qara offers producers a comprehensive digital platform that ensures product authentication and full traceability to the end consumer. This platform also enables businesses to connect with their…

Orange Egypt is making significant strides in Africa’s startup landscape with a substantial investment of $52.7 million aimed at fostering a youth-centric technological revolution. This investment follows closely after the telecom giant inked an agreement with the Egyptian government to initiate the second phase of its 5G licensing rollout. To…

During the quarter ending September 30, MTN Group made significant strides in its localisation initiatives. As Africa’s largest telecom services provider, the company has been expanding its local shareholder base across several of its operational companies, with notable progress in Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda. Headquartered in Johannesburg, the telecom giant…

MTN Nigeria has announced the appointment of Yahaya Ibrahim as its new Chief Technical Officer (CTO) and Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective Monday, October 14, 2024. Yahaya Ibrahim, who has been with MTN since 2002, has been instrumental in deploying Nigeria’s first 4G and 5G networks, establishing…