Blessed Frank

Exploring Africa's Tech Frontier | Unearthing Startup Gold 💰 | Decoding Crypto & Web3 | Your Guide to Emerging Markets #TechJournalist

Andela

How Tech Startups are Tackling Youth Unemployment in Africa

Africa, with a population of over 1.4 billion people, has some of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Despite its rapid growth, the continent has struggled for decades with high unemployment rates. According to the World Bank report, the sub-Saharan African unemployment rate is 7.9%, with some countries reporting

Google

Google Invites Applications from African & European Startups for its 3rd Cohort of Black Founders Fund

Google has today invited applications from African and European startups for the third cohort of the Black Founders Fund, worth $4 million in its quest for digital transformation and support to black-founded startups. Speaking on the cohort, Folarin Aiyegbusi, Head of Startup Ecosystem, Google Sub Saharan Africa said “Startups are

Creating Change

MultiChoice Shortlists 11 African Startups to Pitch for International Funding

The MultiChoice Africa Accelerator Program has shortlisted 11 promising African startups to pitch for international funding in its quest to boost the growth of startups across the continent. The program, which is a brainchild of the MultiChoice Group, in partnership with Dubai-based business incubator Companies, Creating Change (C3), technical partner,

Cellulant

Cellulant Appoints Ibrahim Gbolahan as GM to Lead its Growth in Nigeria 

Cellulant, a leading Pan-African fintech startup, has appointed Ibrahim Gbolahan Aminu as General Manager for Cellulant in Nigeria to manage and oversee day-to-day operations as the company expands coverage for Tingg, Cellulant’s Digital Payments platform, across Nigeria. Announcing the appointment, Sike Bamisebi, Cellulant’s Group Chief Business Officer said,

Startup Layoff

A Quick Checkup on African Startups, as Tech Layoffs in 2023 Hits 50% of 2022 Total

2022 was nothing close to a glorious 2021 for the global tech startup ecosystem, funding for the year dipped by 35%  YoY from the 2021 record, contracting by 19% quarter over quarter (QoQ) in Q4’22 to reach $65.9 billion, nearing pre-Covid funding levels. This brought total venture funding

EVs

Roam, Earthshot Finalist Partners with Hitachi to Provide Transport Electrification across Africa

‍Roam, a finalist for the Earthshot Prize and a leading designer and developer of electric vehicles has formed a strategic partnership with Hitachi Europe Ltd. (Hitachi), a technology leader that enables sustainable mobility in cities, to make electric transportation available in Africa. The partnership will focus on electrification in Kenya,

HR Startup

Workpay, Kenya’s HR Start Raises $2.7M to Expand into More 40 African Markets

Workpay, a Kenya-based HR startup, has successfully raised $2.7 million in a pre-Series A funding round participated in by Launch Africa, Saviu Ventures, Acadian Ventures, Proparco, Fondation Botnar, Kara Ventures, Axian, P1 Ventures, and Norrsken. to expand its services across 40 African countries. This latest funding round comes after

Konza Techno City

What Makes a City Smart – Is Nairobi a Smart City?

As the world’s population continues to migrate towards urban centers, the concept of a “smart city” has gained traction as a means of using technology and data to improve the quality of life for urban residents, increase sustainability, and promote economic growth. While there is no single definition of

Bolt

What to Expect as Bolt Plans to Invest $530M in Africa in the Next 2 Yrs

Bolt, a leading tech mobility company that offers ride-hailing services across  7 African countries since its launch in South Africa in 2016, has recently announced plans to invest $530 million in Africa over the next 2 years. This will be used to expand their services and create employment opportunities for

Qiribu

How Uganda’s Qiribu is Extending Earned Wages Access Product to East Africans

Qiribu, a Ugandan fintech startup, has been making waves in the financial sector of East Africa by providing a unique earned wage access product that allows salaried employees to access a portion of their earned wages before payday. The startup has plans to expand into Kenya and Rwanda in the

construction technology startup

Jumba Raises $4.5M Seed Round to Close Housing Gap in Kenya

Jumba’s $4.5 million seed funding round represents a significant milestone for the Kenyan-based construction technology startup. The funding will enable Jumba to scale its operations in Kenya to meet the growing demand for construction materials and tackle the country’s housing deficit estimated to be at 80%. With

Lagos

What Makes a City Smart - Can Lagos Be Called a Smart City?

Since the dawn of human civilization, cities have been the epicenters of economic, social, and cultural activity. The emergence of advanced technologies from the fourth industrial revolution has made its presence felt across all sectors in recent years. The term “smart city” has become a buzzword in urban planning and

e-commerce

Reviewing the Kenyan E-Commerce Sector

The e-commerce Sector is growing rapidly in Kenya, with user penetration exceeding the regional average and revenues expected to grow at a 16.4% annual rate by 2025. E-commerce generated the most digital revenue in Kenya in 2020, with $1.1 billion and a 76.1 percent share. Within the

Blockfinex

Nigerian Startups Welcome First Acquisition in 2023 as Dubai-Based Blockfinex "Acquihires" Fluidcoins

Fluidcoins, a Nigerian crypto payment gateway startup, has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by Blockfinex, a Dubai-based, Barbados- and Seychelles-registered crypto exchange company. Meanwhile, the Fluidcoins founding team will continue to work on the product, making this an “acquihire.” According to TechCabal, and confirmed by Danny Oyekan, the founder

identity verification

Smile Identity Raises $20M Series B to Scale and Expand into More Regions in Africa

Smile Identity, a startup that provides identity verification and KYC compliance for African faces and identities, has raised $20 million in a Series B funding round for further expansion and other roadmap activities. The startup received funding from Silicon Valley investor, Costanoa Ventures, Africa-focused venture capital firm, Norrsken22 with Lexi

African Payments

How Long Can the African Fintech Sector Maintain its Prized Crown?

The African fintech sector has been the dominant force in the continent’s tech startup space for years. It has grown rapidly, transforming the financial landscape and increasing access to financial services for millions of Africans to access financial services that were previously unavailable or out of reach. However, the

Kenyan e-mobility start-up

Nigeria's Treepz Receives $1.2M to Take its Tech Mobility Services to Kenya

Treepz, a Nigerian mobility tech startup, has announced its expansion into Kenya, making it the startup’s fourth country in which it operates. The expansion into East Africa comes just over a year after launching in Ghana and Uganda. With the launch of Treepz Kenya, the firm aims to provide

Clean Tech

African-Focus Cleantech Startup, Qotto Gets $8M to Expand

Qotto, a French-based, African-focus cleantech startup, has raised $8 million in Series A funding to expand its operations in Burkina Faso, Benin, and enter into Côte d’Ivoire. The funding was led by IBL Group, with The Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (FEI-OGEF), Cordaid, and its existing investors participating in the

East Africa

Deep Diving Into the Tanzanian Tech Startup Ecosystem

The Tanzanian tech startup ecosystem has undergone tremendous growth and development over the past decade. In the early days, the startup scene was small, with only a few entrepreneurs taking advantage of the opportunities presented by technology. However, over the years, the number of startups and investment in the sector

Ethiopia

Spotlighting the Tech Startups Activities in Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s tech startup ecosystem is growing rapidly and showing promise, making it an attractive destination for tech startups. The country has seen a significant increase in the number of tech startups, venture capitalists, and accelerator programs in recent years. With a large and young population, growing connectivity, and favorable

Bamboo

Bamboo Gets Digital Broker License from Nigeria’s Securities & Exchange Commission

Bamboo Systems Technology Limited, an African leading online brokerage startup, has secured a digital sub-broker license from Nigeria’s Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to operate in the Nigerian capital market and to offer Nigerian securities on its platform. Also, the license provides oversight of the relationship between Bamboo and

Expansion

Flutterwave Moves One Step Closer to Connecting Africa to a Seamless Payment System as it Expands into North Africa

Flutterwave, a pan-African payments technology firm, announced its entry into North Africa yesterday with the acquisition of payment licenses in Egypt. These licenses, the Payment Services Provider and Payments Facilitator licenses, will allow the African leading fintech startup to operate in the country as a recognized payment service provider and

Digital Payments

Leveraging the Naira Scarcity to Scale the eCommerce Sector in Nigeria

Since the Covid-19 surge resulted in the lockdown of cities across the world in 2020, the eCommerce sector has witnessed a surge in activities and exponential growth. Here in Africa, the sector has witnessed a bull run in the past six years, generating over $37 billion in revenue in 2022

Partech

Partech Creates Record as it Closes $263M in its Africa-focused Fund, Partech Africa II

Partech, a global venture capital firm, announced today the first close of Partech Africa II at $263 million, a significant milestone for the African tech ecosystem. This fund, the largest Africa-focused fund to date, will bring much-needed capital to the continent and aid in the growth of startups in a

Asset Recovery Agency

Flutterwave Gets Image Makeover as Kenyan Government Withdraws Financial Impropriety Case

Flutterwave, Africa’s most valuable tech startup and tech unicorn has recently had charges of financial impropriety dropped by a Kenyan high court. This was revealed in a Kenyan High Court document obtained by Bloomberg and confirmed by Robert Gitau, a lawyer for Flutterwave. The charges, which included card fraud