Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

Google has been facing considerable criticism over the potential misuse of its GenAI models, Gemini, for dissemination of misinformation and disinformation. Policymakers are increasingly concerned about the easy misuse of GenAI tools to mislead the public. In a move to address this growing concern, Google is investing funds in developing…

Google announced the release of its new family of lightweight open-weight models, the Gemma series, not long after unveiling its latest Gemini models. The Gemma models, specifically Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B, were reportedly influenced by the Gemini models and may be used for commercial or research purposes. Google has…

d.light, a company that specializes in solar-powered solutions, has successfully secured securitized financing worth $7.4 million (or more than ₦10 billion). This funding will be used to grow its ‘Pay-Go’ personal finance service. Additionally, the funds will be directed toward broadening the accessibility of the company’s solar-powered products to low-income…

Teraco, a prominent African co-location provider that maintains carrier-neutral status, has expressed its intentions to build a utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) energy facility with a capacity of 120-megawatt (MW) in the Free State province of South Africa. This new energy source is intended to power its data centres as South…

The Nigerian government is allegedly preparing to close down cryptocurrency-related websites in the nation, according to an inside source who shared the details with Techpoint Africa. This move comes after Binance, a cryptocurrency platform, ceased peer-to-peer trading on its platform. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) appears to be considering…

Binance, recognized as the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has imposed restrictions on peer-to-peer transactions concerning the USDT/NGN pair, as the naira slumped to unprecedented lows on Tuesday. The exchange executes the role of holding currencies in trust, enabling Nigerians to exchange the naira for USDT, a stablecoin that matches the…

Samsung has announced new updates aimed at enhancing the audio capabilities of its devices, including a Live Translate feature in its Galaxy S24 series. This new feature transforms the phone into a real-time interpreter for phone calls or in-person conversations when paired with the updated Galaxy Buds. This technology allows…

Uber, in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric and autonomous robotics startup Cartken, is introducing a self-driving sidewalk robot delivery service in Japan to provide food for their customers. The service, accessible through the Uber Eats app, is set to start in a specified zone in Tokyo by the end of March,…

Nigeria-based private equity firm, Cardinal Stone Capital, has sold its majority stake in i-Fitness, the country’s leading fitness and gym chain, to another private equity firm, Verod Capital Management. The deal saw Cardinal Stone exit fully from i-Fitness by selling its 65% stake for $12 million. The transaction valued i-Fitness…

The Competition Commission of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has declared that it is examining potential anti-competitive behavior by Airtel Africa and American Tower Corporation (ATC). This investigation was prompted by a partnership agreement signed by the two companies in 2022. As part of its regulatory…

Walmart has confirmed plans to acquire TV manufacturer Vizio for approximately $2.3 billion as part of a strategic move to bolster its advertising business. Walmart explained in a press release that acquiring Vizio and its SmartCast Operating System would allow the retailer to engage with customers through new mediums, such…

OnePlus has revealed its second smartwatch, the OnePlus Watch 2, which the company promises will have a battery life of up to 100 hours on a single charge. This claim surpasses the battery lives of many popular smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 9 (18 hours) and Pixel Watch 2…

The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on two Russian individuals, Artur Sungatov and Ivan Gennadievich Kondratiev, identified as key members of LockBit, a Russian-speaking hacking group. The group has been blamed for international and domestic ransomware attacks. Both individuals were indicted by US prosecutors for their alleged involvement with LockBit.…

Apple has doubled its previous longevity estimate for the iPhone 15’s battery. The tech giant now claims that its latest iPhones can maintain 80 percent of their original battery capacity after 1,000 charging cycles, compared to its previous statement of 500 cycles. This change was announced without the introduction of…

Adobe, the tech giant known for its various software applications, announced that it has rolled out a new AI assistant. Currently in its beta form, this advanced tool will be integrated into Adobe’s Reader and Acrobat applications, with the primary purpose of creating summaries for PDFs and other documents. The…

Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy has initiated ‘Project 774 LG Connectivity,’ a project aiming to provide internet connectivity to all 774 local government secretariats in Nigeria. The project, expected to generate over 300 jobs both directly and indirectly, aims to enhance digital access. The project is a…

Kenya is planning to impose new laws to govern cryptocurrency trading, motivated by concerns that the unregulated nature of digital currencies could potentially facilitate money laundering and create avenues for terrorism financing. A working group is currently formulating a policy document that will lay the groundwork for the legal framework…

Disha, a no-code platform dedicated to assisting creatives with marketing and payment processing, has revealed its plans to temporarily shut down operations effective March 31, 2024. The decision comes as part of the platform’s endeavor to reassess its objectives and investigate new ways to cater to its users. The platform…

OX Delivers, a UK-based transportation service company specialising in e-mobility, has recently secured a grant worth £1.2 million, or approximately $1.5 million, from Energy Catalyst, a programme under Innovate UK. This financial assistance is aimed at supporting the company in the introduction of all-electic trucks, named OX4, in the market…

One year after its first close, Partech has completed the raising of its second Africa-specific fund, named Partech Africa II, at €280 million (over $300 million). This surpasses its initial target of €230 million, making Partech Africa the largest fund dedicated to African startups. Partech Africa’s successful fund closure comes…