Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

Kenya has taken a significant step forward in building a responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem with the introduction of the UK-Kenya AI Challenge Fund. This initiative, led by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), aims to promote ethical AI development and strengthen international partnerships. ACTS, a renowned…

Incofin, through its Water Access Acceleration Fund (W2AF), has announced a significant $3 million investment in Spouts International, a prominent East African manufacturer and distributor of ceramic water filters under the Purifaaya brand. This funding is intended to support Spouts’ mission of expanding access to clean water across the region…

WaterEquity, a global asset manager dedicated to advancing water and sanitation solutions through private investment, has successfully raised over $100 million for its latest initiative, the Water & Climate Resilience Fund. This newly established fund is now open for applications and is actively seeking investment-ready infrastructure projects and growth companies…

The Great X-odus is underway. You may have noticed the word “Bluesky” appearing frequently on your social media feeds and wondered what it is all about. Bluesky is an alternative platform to Elon Musk’s X, and in terms of its color and logo, it bears a striking resemblance. I recently…

Maintaining continuous connectivity is invaluable, especially today, as many businesses rely on remote and hybrid work models. As such, the chief priority of every telecommunications service provider (telco) is to ensure their customers’ networks remain operational even during disruptions to normal operations. Zimbabwe is currently grappling with aggressive load shedding,…

MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest mobile network operator, has successfully raised ₦75 billion through its commercial paper issuance program. The funds will be utilized to support daily operations and meet immediate financial obligations. This marks the conclusion of the Series 11 and 12 issuances under MTN Nigeria’s ₦250 billion Commercial…

GitHub and Microsoft have joined forces with Goodwall and Yoma to launch the GenAI for Youth initiative, aimed at empowering young Africans to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI). Goodwall is a skills-based social network where members can learn, develop in-demand skills, and earn rewards and recognition. Yoma, on the other hand,…

Volkswagen Group (VW) and Tesla rival Rivian have announced the formation of a joint venture, with the German automotive giant increasing its investment in the partnership. Initially, VW had pledged $5 billion, but the deal’s value has now risen to $5.8 billion (£4.55 billion). Following the announcement, shares in Rivian,…

On Friday, the social network Bluesky made a clear statement that it has “no intention” of using user content to train generative AI tools. This announcement coincided with the implementation of new terms of service by X, which explicitly state that user text and other information can be analyzed to…

As the competition between Bluesky and Threads intensifies, Meta is introducing a new feature to Threads that will likely be familiar to Bluesky users: custom feeds. The Meta-owned service is beginning to test a feature that allows users to pin topic-based feeds to the home screen of the app. This…

WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging platform, has finally introduced a drafts feature. While it may seem surprising that it took until the end of 2024 to implement a tool that has been available on rival platforms for years, the important thing is that it is now available. The new…

Five years after being acquired by CcHub, iHub has relocated to a modern, two-storey headquarters in Nairobi’s upscale Lavington area. This move underscores the accelerator’s expanding influence within Africa’s tech ecosystem. The new, spacious office in Lavington features an entertainment and media hub designed to provide specialized advisory support for…

Accrue, a fintech platform, has announced that it will discontinue its stock investment offerings by the end of 2024. This decision marks a significant shift in the company’s strategy as it seeks to realign its services to better meet the evolving financial needs of African consumers. In preparation for this…

American software company Salesforce has appointed Sandra Adesuwa Ebere as its Business Development Lead in preparation for expanding its presence in Nigeria. This announcement was made during a media roundtable held today, November 15, 2024. Salesforce, known for its cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, outlined its strategic plans for…

Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel), the state-owned telecom provider, is gearing up to launch mobile financial services by 2025, aiming to challenge the market dominance of MTN and Orange. This strategic move is part of Camtel’s broader effort to enhance financial inclusion and cater to Cameroon’s large unbanked population. Currently, Camtel is…

Five African startups have been awarded cash prizes at the 14th edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP) in Africa and the Middle East. Since its inception in 2011, the OSVP has been a cornerstone of Orange’s strategy to foster the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and promote inclusive…

Carbon, the Nigerian digital bank, is set to resume issuing cards this month after a six-month suspension of its card services. The decision to restart card issuance comes in response to changes in its card delivery system and increasing customer demand, the company announced in a statement. “Our international card…

On Thursday evening, Bluesky announced that over 1 million people had signed up for the platform within the last 24 hours, marking one of the busiest days in the company’s history. This surge in new users pushed the social network’s total user base past the 16 million mark. This announcement…

Bluesky may be gaining traction, but Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram and Threads, wants to emphasize that Threads remains significantly larger. In a post on Thursday, Mosseri highlighted that Threads had achieved “more than 15 million signups in November alone,” seemingly aiming to downplay Bluesky’s milestone of reaching 15…

WOCC Group, a leading pan-African digital infrastructure company, has partnered with e&, a global technology conglomerate, in a strategic alliance dubbed “Africa’s Carriers’ Carrier.” This collaboration aims to expand the hyperscaler ecosystem throughout Africa, enhancing digital connectivity and infrastructure across the continent. Announcement at Africa Tech Festival 2024 The partnership…