Joel Nwankwo

Writer, TECHist and Data analyst.

African Start-ups Take the Lead in the Milken-Motsepe Agritech Competition

African start-ups take the spotlight as they emerged as the winners in this year’s Milken-Motsepe agritech competition. This is the flagship of the agritech competition held by The Patrice Motsepe Foundation and the US-based Milken Institute. The alliance between these two organizations is geared towards the use of advanced

Agritech

Food Crisis and Biotech to the Rescue

Food insecurity and chronic hunger are major recurring problems that exist in developing countries. Several approaches, including biotechnology, have been explored to cope with emerging issues of climate change and natural disasters that handicap poorly funded farmers. The countries in Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, and Malawi, are the

Vodacom rolls out 5G services in Mozambique

The internet service is better when it is faster. With the roll-out of the 5G network across the globe, most African countries have taken the initiative to improve their digital services. Mozambique has now become part of these countries through Vodacom’s 5G launch. The multinational company, Vodacom, has upgraded

MTN Launches Skills Academy to Close Digital Skills Gap in Zambia

In an effort to close the digital skills gap in Africa, MTN Group has introduced its flagship MTN Skills Academy in Zambia. The MTN Skills Academy is a free, online learning platform that was first unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Kigali. The pan-African telecom is aggressively promoting the

Zimbabwe Plans to Stabilize Currency Volatility Using a Gold-Backed Digital Currency

The central bank of Zimbabwe, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), has announced its plan to introduce a gold-backed digital currency. This initiative is a response to the current currency volatility in the country. The digital gold token will enable the Zimbabwean dollar to hold its value irrespective of foreign

Maholla Consumer Rewards App Secures $1.5m Seed Fund

Talk about a reward for your purchase, talk about Maholla. The South African consumer rewards app makes its users giggle every time they make a purchase. Maholla recently acquired $1.5 million in seed capital to support the development of its data platform and retail-agnostic rewards system. This is a

Analyzing the SAB Foundation R88m Impact Fund Launch

The SAB Foundation has launched an R88 million Impact Fund in collaboration with LEAD Impact Capital and the National Treasury’s Jobs Fund. This grant is intended to provide accessible finance to qualifying entrepreneurs who have completed SAB Foundation initiatives in South Africa. The Impact Fund bridges the gap in

What's Next for Mobile Money in Africa?

Fintechs arose due to the banking system’s low penetration and insufficient banking infrastructure. African countries have historically been hampered by a low level of financial inclusion. However, as mobile phone and telecom services expanded in the region, mobile money services emerged, adding to the answers to Africa’s financial

Analyzing I’M IN Ideation Incubator Launch for Black Women Techpreneurs in Gauteng

The I’M IN entrepreneurial programme has announced the launch of its Ideation Incubator, a three-month programme dedicated towards female students with innovative technology start-up ideas. With support from J.P.Morgan, the program’s objectives include giving eligible female students a R50,000 equity-free investment as well as assistance

Can we Blame SVB’s Collapse for Luno’s Singapore Exit?

Luno, a South African-founded cryptocurrency exchange, is leaving Singapore. The company said in a statement, “We regret to inform you that from June 20, 2023, Luno services will no longer be available in Singapore.” Luno revealed earlier this year that it would be cutting its global workforce by 35%. It

BambaLearn App Launches to Provide Edtech Solutions to Underserved Regions

Afrika Tikkun Bambanani (ATB) has launched its edtech solution, the BambaLearn App. The app is an innovative solution aimed at transforming early childhood education in rural and underserved communities.  It will include an online assessment center to track student and teacher progress, as well as a data-free online screening tool

Capitec to Invest $77m in Digital Services

Capitec has revealed it will invest $77 million (R1.4 billion) in key projects, including digital services, as the bank looks to transition its consumers to cashless transactions. This was revealed this week when the bank reported its financial results. Capitec’s headline earnings increased by 15% to R9.7

Bank Zero to Provide Card Machines through Innovative Partnership with iKhokha

Bank Zero, a digital-only bank, has announced a partnership with local fintech firm iKhokha. The Durban-based technology firm, founded in 2012 by Ramsay Daly, Clive Putman, and Matt Putman, will provide business customers with a card machine solution that links with Bank Zero’s zero-fee bank account. iKhokha, well known

Aions Creative Technology Secures $3.8m from Telkom’s FutureMakers

Telkom’s FutureMakers program has partnered with venture capital firm Aions Creative Technology to support South African start-ups. The partnership will see Aions received $3.8 million (R58 million) from Telkom FutureMakers after a competitive peaching procedure. The latest funding reflects the FutureMaker’s commitment to growing and working with

Propelling AI in Africa (Research and Development)

AI, like previous technologies, is revolutionizing our world, society, and industry. Because of the concept of machine learning, such breakthroughs are now conceivable. As a result of this advancement, there is a great deal of diversity in the use of AI, and as a result, sectors such as medicine, agriculture,

Analyzing Cape Town’s Plans to End Load Shedding in the City Through Solar PV and Solar Battery Project

One of South Africa’s largest cities, Cape Town, announced on Monday that it will pursue the solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) project to end load shedding in the city. The project, which will protect the city from a full stage of load shedding, will cost

YuLife Launches its Group Life Insurance Service in South Africa

YuLife, a tech-driven financial services provider with the goal of inspiring life, has announced its South African launch. Guardrisk Life, South Africa’s largest life cell captive insurer and market leader in bespoke risk solutions, underwrites YuLife South Africa policies. Herman Schoeman, CEO of Guardrisk Life, expressed excitement over the

Cassava Technologies To Invest $250M In South African Economy

Cassava Technologies, owned by Strive Masiyiwa, has planned to invest $25 million (R4.5 billion) in South Africa through its business segments Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres, and Distributed Power Africa. The declaration was made at the recently finished 5th South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) in support of South

Digital Skill

Mamonaheng Koenane is Daring to Upskill Basotho through Impact School

Given the current state of technology and how quickly the world is changing, it is imperative that all young people have the necessary digital skills in order to compete for jobs in the future. The issue of a lack of tech talent in Africa does exist, though. By 2030, 230

SVB Collapse and the Rising Cost of Capital for African Startups

Before the events that led to the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), African startups could spend above the region’s torrid economic landscape. This way they could cover the increasing cost of operations and employment. There has been a strange upheaval in the global talent market. Over 150,

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Why Melon Mobile Can Expand Connectivity in South Africa

Saving South Africa’s Nascent Agritech Sector (VCs)

Globally and in African markets, several fresh, promising solutions to safeguard and enhance the world’s food supply are beginning to gain popularity. Technology has made it possible to address Africa’s ongoing reliance on food imports and food insecurity in more resource- and cost-effective ways. A $55 million Series

Series A funding Might get Tougher. Brace Yourselves

It has already been established that several African startups struggle to survive, and most of them eventually fail. The failure rate of African startups was 54.20% between 2010 and 2018, according to a recent report from Wee Tracker and GreenTec Capital Africa Foundation on “The Better Africa Report.” Ethiopia

Mukuru Launches Drive-thru Service in Zimbabwe

In order to provide access to financial services for individuals in Zimbabwe, Mukuru, a leading Southern African fintech company, has introduced a first-of-its-kind drive-thru facility in Chisipite, Harare. It is based at one of 10 locations for local and global money transfers that have been established throughout the area. With

Apis Partners Leads $31M Series A Funding for Peach Payments

A $31 million investment in Peach Payments, a quickly expanding supplier of digital payment services with operations in South Africa, Kenya, and Mauritius, has been proposed by UK-based asset manager Apis Partners LLP’s private equity fund, Apis Growth Fund II. Peach Payments will use the investment to broaden its