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Altech Group and Trine partner to bring clean energy to the DRC

Altech Group and Trine partner to bring clean energy to the DRC

Altech Group, a market leader in the distribution of world-class clean energy products in the Democratic Republic of Congo has raised €5 million in debt funding organized by Trine, a Swedish-based investment platform to finance over 3,000 solar home systems. According to the terms of this partnership, Altech Group

Nigerian Government bans Twitter in the country

Nigerian Government bans Twitter in the country

The Nigerian government has today released a statement banning the activities of popular microblogging and social media platforms, Twitter in the country. According to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ban was due to “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of

Dubai Based Opontia raises $20M in seed round

Dubai Based Opontia raises $20M in seed round

Opontia, the startup has announced it raised $20 million in debt and equity in a seed round. The round was led by Global Founders Capital, Presight Capital, Raed Ventures, and Kingsway Capital. Other notable angel investors in the round include e-commerce across EMEA; they include Tushar Ahluwalia, CEO of Razor

Google launches Programs to support African SMEs

Google launches Programs to support African SMEs

Google has announced the launch of a series of programs titled International Small Business Month aimed at supporting the growth and recovery of SMEs in Africa. The new initiative will roll out several programs this month. Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde, Google’s head of brand and reputation for Africa speaking on the

World Bank approves $200 million to drive digital inclusion in Uganda

World Bank approves $200 million to drive digital inclusion in Uganda

In a bid to increase access to high-speed internet in Uganda, the World Bank has announced the approval of $200 million to the Ugandan government to improve digital efficiency in public service delivery and to strengthen digital inclusion in Uganda. Like most countries in the African continent, Uganda still struggles

Kenya-based startup, Kibanda TopUp, raises $460k pre-seed to digitize its service

Kenya-based startup, Kibanda TopUp, raises $460k pre-seed to digitize its service

Kibanda TopUp, a Kenya-based startup working to digitize the food supply chain for micro, small and medium restaurants in Africa has secured $460k in pre-seed funding to increase its customer base. The round which saw a lot of local investor presence was led by US-based JAM Fund, with participation from

South Africa’s Notam Launch its Drone Service

Artificial Intelligence

South Africa’s Notam Launch its Drone Service

South Africa’s Notam has developed a drone cloud software and artificial intelligence (AI) platform that aims to provide a single source of truth for mining and infrastructure projects. Notam was founded in 2014 as Pragmatic Master, the firm rebranded itself as Notam in 2020. It uses drone data and

Nigerian Agric-tech startup, Thrive Agric receives $1.5 million grant to boost incomes of 50,000 farmers

Nigerian Agric-tech startup, Thrive Agric receives $1.5 million grant to boost incomes of 50,000 farmers

Driven by the desire to boost food security in Nigeria through technology-driven agricultural services, Thrive Agric has launched an ambitious 1-year project to support 50,000 smallholder farmers growing rice, maize, and soybean in Nigeria. This new project will be done through the support of the USAID-funded West Africa Trade

Crowdyvest issues public statement in response to Nigeria's SEC’s Cease and Desist Order

Crowdyvest issues public statement in response to Nigeria's SEC’s Cease and Desist Order

Crowdyvest, a Nigerian fintech company was recently in the news for a Cease and Desist Order issued to it by the Nigerian SEC on its investment product, “the Halal Fund”. The fintech company has released a statement clarifying its position on the issue. In the statement, the fintech company said

Ghana’s Fintech Startup AppsNmobile secures $1M from Oasis Capital

Ghana’s Fintech Startup AppsNmobile secures $1M from Oasis Capital

Ghanaian Fintech startup AppsNmobile has announced it closed a $1 million investment from Oasis Capital. Oasis Capital is a VC firm is backed by International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF), the European Investment Bank (EIB), PROPARCO, Norfund, and Ghanaian investors, with a $50 million fund investing

Oasis Capital invests $1M in Ghanaian Fintech Startup, AppsNmobile

Oasis Capital invests $1M in Ghanaian Fintech Startup, AppsNmobile

Oasis Capital, a US$50 million fund investing equity capital in growing SMEs across Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, has announced the investment of $1million in Ghanaian fintech startup AppsNmobile. AppsNmobile intends to use this new investment to strengthen its position as a dominant player in the payments niche in

Ugandan fintech, Emata, wins Catapult: Inclusion Africa 2021

Ugandan fintech, Emata, wins Catapult: Inclusion Africa 2021

The Catapult: Inclusion Africa 2021 finally came to an impressive close on the 27th of May 2021. At the virtual closing ceremony where a total of 14 startups presented their pitch to a panel of esteemed judges, Emata, the Uganda-based agri-fintech startup was announced as the winner of the Best

African Female-owned Startups can apply for world Banking’s Fintech Innovation Challenge

African Female-owned Startups can apply for world Banking’s Fintech Innovation Challenge

The world Banking’s Fintech Innovation Challenge has announced that African female-owned startups can apply for its startup accelerator challenge. The challenge aims to bridge the gender gap in startup ownership. This tilt has even been further skewed by the global economic shock that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the

Nigerian SEC issues Cease and Desist Order on fintech startup Crowdyvest

Nigerian SEC issues Cease and Desist Order on fintech startup Crowdyvest

The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that cooperative-driven fintech product, Crowdyvest Halal Fund, is an “unregistered entity purporting to operate as a corporative society” and has issued a cease and desist order. This was disclosed in a statement by the commission earlier this week, stating that the

Dream-VC launches a training program for aspiring African investors

Dream-VC launches a training program for aspiring African investors

Dream-VC, a remote Venture Capital Upskilling institute has launched a new fellowship program aimed at providing increased access and opportunities to underrepresented individuals in the African VC space. The free fellowship program by Dream-VC is focused on young African and the diaspora. It also seeks to provide a support system

MTN to get $204m revenue boost as the US plans to lift sanctions on Iran

MTN to get $204m revenue boost as the US plans to lift sanctions on Iran

There are indications that the recent move by the US government to lift its sanctions on the Iranian economy may significantly benefit the MTN Group, the largest telecom operator in Africa. The Telco which has a minority 49% investment shareholding in MTN Irancell has been unable to repatriate any money

Gokada launches Super App, expands ride-hailing service to two Nigerian cities

Gokada launches Super App, expands ride-hailing service to two Nigerian cities

Gokada, the Lagos-based logistics, transportation, and last-mile delivery startup have announced the launch of a ‘Super App’, where customers can access a range of services including food delivery, eCommerce, and ride-hailing services. This launch is coming on the heels of the startup’s recent milestone of US$100 million in

Kenyan Entrepreneurs can apply for Federal Development Ministry Grant worth $122k

Kenyan Entrepreneurs can apply for Federal Development Ministry Grant worth $122k

The Federal Development Ministry (BMZ) has announced that it has launched its startup support program DeveloPPP Ventures, with a $122K grant for Kenyan entrepreneurs. The funding will be distributed by DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH via a matching-funds model. Gerd Müller the Development Minister speaking on the program said

Twitter Introduces Twitter Blue, a $3monthly Subscription Service

Twitter Introduces Twitter Blue, a $3monthly Subscription Service

Twitter has announced the launch of its new subscription package Twitter Blue, a $2.99 monthly subscription. The information was first reported by Chinese researcher Jane Manchun Wong that Twitter’s new subscription service is in the works in May 2021. The information has now been validated by Twitter. In

Egypt’s Gamesbandy secures Seed investment

Egypt’s Gamesbandy secures Seed investment

Gamesbandy, an Egyptian Gaming startup, has announced it secured an undisclosed fund in a seed funding round from Flat6labs Bahrain and Tamkeen. Gamesbandy, a gamer commercial center inside the MENA area, allows users to execute securely, offering trust and legitimacy to buys and deals. Gamesbandy at that point acquires benefits

Egypt-based zVendo secures seven-figure Pre-Series A investment

Egypt-based zVendo secures seven-figure Pre-Series A investment

Egyptian E-commerce SaaS solution provider, zVendo has announced the close of a seven-figure Pre-Series A funding round from Mobica and Gratus Holding. Founded by Sameh Abdel Fattah and Tarek Bakry in 2018, zVendo is an eCommerce platform that enables businesses to sell online via different sales channels. The startup was

Almentor raise $6.5 million Series B round from Partech, Sawari Ventures and Sango Capital

Almentor raise $6.5 million Series B round from Partech, Sawari Ventures and Sango Capital

Almentor, a video-based online learning platform for the Middle East and North Africa, has raised $6.5m in a Series B round led by San Francisco and Paris-based VC firm, Partech from its Africa Fund. The round also saw participation from Sawari Ventures, Fellow Series A investor Egypt Ventures, and

Chipper Cash raises 100million in series C funding, becomes the latest Unicorn in Africa

Chipper Cash raises 100million in series C funding, becomes the latest Unicorn in Africa

Chipper Cash, an African fintech startup that facilitates cross-border payments has raised $100 million in a Series C round. This latest raise brings the start-up’s valuation to between $1 billion to $2 billion, joining billion-dollar companies in Africa like Flutterwave, Jumia, Interswitch, Fawry, etc. Up until last week, the

African Startups can apply for Hardware Garage’s StartHard Competition

Hardware Garage in partnership with the Enugu Technology and Innovation Centre has announced a call for application for the “StartHard” competition, an Innovation pitch inviting hardware Technology entrepreneurs working in Clean Technology, E-mobility, and Agritech. The program is unique as it will support the startups till the “selling stage” of

Nigerian SEC directs investment fintechs to register under new regulations or halt operations

Nigerian SEC directs investment fintechs to register under new regulations or halt operations

Fintech companies in Nigeria have been getting a lot of government attention lately. This might be connected to the rapid development in the fintech space, which has brought the need for regulations to ensure overall compliance with Nigerian laws and optimum growth in the sector. Recently, the Nigerian Securities and