Sendy has entered into a new partnership with Google to empower small and medium businesses in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria through the Google Hustle Academy Bootcamp program.

The program seeks to provide MSMEs across the three countries with expert training on business strategy and development, digital marketing, and financial planning. The participants will also have access to key industry leaders and master classes on business to help create opportunities...

MFS Africa, Africa’s digital payments network, announced it has reached an agreement to buy US-based tech company Global Technology Partners (GTP).

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, GTP is the number one processor for prepaid cards in Africa, with over 80 banks – including UBA, Ecobank, BIA, Stanbic, Coris, NSIA and Zenith Bank – using its platform. GTP’s client base covers 34 countries and is fully connected to the Visa, Mastercard, GIM, GIMAC and Verve networks for which it provides the processing...

TotalEnergies in partnership with Ampersand, a Rwandan-based company have launched an electric motorcycle battery swapping and charging stations in Kenya. This initiative is in line with TotalEnergies’ climate ambition of net zero emissions by 2050.

TotalEnergies has actively been on an energy transition journey in Kenya & 141 out of 226 service stations in their network are currently powered by solar. With nearly 400 bikes on the road and 35,000 swaps per month, Ampersand is...

Constant Ventures, a part of the Constant Group, is raising a $100 million venture capital fund to invest across a range of technology startups with a focus on financial inclusion, education and healthcare. Investee companies will initially be located across Nigeria and Ghana, with the fund set to target the wider West Africa region.

Recent advances in digital information technology provide an opportunity to both build and scale solutions to everyday challenges faced by millions of Africans, in particular, the aggregation of fragmented value chains, the formalisation of...

The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) and Microsoft Corp. have announced a new multiyear collaboration that will leverage the Microsoft Cloud to help create the future of digital manufacturing at P&G.

The two companies will co-innovate to accelerate and expand P&G’s digital manufacturing platform and leverage the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to bring products to consumers faster, increase customer satisfaction and improve productivity to reduce costs. “Together with Microsoft, P&G...

Constant Ventures, a part of the Constant Group, is raising a $100 million venture capital fund to invest across a range of technology startups with a focus on financial inclusion, education and healthcare. Investee companies will initially be located across Nigeria and Ghana, with the fund set to target the wider West Africa region.

Recent advances in digital information technology provide an opportunity to both build and scale solutions to everyday challenges faced by millions of Africans, in particular, the aggregation of fragmented value chains, the formalisation of...

The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) and the Smart Africa Alliance (SA) have joined forces to promote common interests towards digital transformation in Africa. 

The partners will engage in joined activities such as enhancing cross-border data flows, focusing on digital empowerment of women, youth and entrepreneurs and supporting the creation of a favourable business environment for innovation-drive enterprises (IDEs) to grow and thrive.  Exchanging knowledge in governance, strategy development, initiatives funding will...

A project team of companies and research institutions announced a research partnership to investigate and advance the feasibility of an electric minibus taxi in South African conditions by testing production vehicles in South Africa in 2023.

As the fuel price hits historic highs, commuters are starting to feel the pinch in increasing transport fares. The typical South African commuter already spends up to 40% of their income on transport and the minibus taxi sector is still struggling...

Orange Egypt and Ericsson announced the completion of Orange Egypt’s mediation consolidation, upgrade, and modernization. Ericsson Mediation is now used as the unified mediation in Orange Egypt and is considered as a central component of its enterprise architecture.

Mediation is a key telecom node as defined in standards, which is in between the data generators, like network or IT nodes and the data consumers which are the downstream operations and business support systems. Ericsson...

Carbon, a credit led Pan-African digital bank released Carbon Zero, a buy now pay later (BNPL) web app which helps customers spread the cost of purchases into interest-free instalments, in-store or online.

Since its inception in late 2021, Carbon Zero has generated ₦2.3 billion in requests from 41,000 customers who have applied for a spending limit. Using proprietary technology Carbon has been developing and improving throughout their 10 years as a credit provider, Carbon’s decision engines can...

The informal sector accounts for about 18 percent of South Africa’s GDP, with over three million workers engaged in the informal economy.

In addition, an estimated 2.9 million migrants reside in South Africa, many of whom struggle to access financial services in order to start small businesses like spaza shops, salons and kiosks. That’s an incredible portion of the population that remains underserved in the financial sector, unable to access or otherwise afford the services needed to grow their...

For the digitally connected consumer who seeks immediacy and convenience, Mastercard’s Digital First program delivers an innovative and secure experience that makes it easier to pay and enjoy the value of the card in ways that personally matter.

Backed by the speed and security of Mastercard’s global network – including the Mastercard Processing platform to enable instant issuance – the Digital First program offers consumers the ease of applying online, instant digital card...

Music streaming app Boomplay has opened its Côte d’Ivoire office to enhance music streaming and help Ivorian artists reach a broader audience within and outside the continent.

With over 70 million monthly active users, 80 million songs and thousands of playlists available on the service, Boomplay remains committed to helping the African music ecosystem unlock its full potential by providing a service that gives music lovers easy access to their favourite songs while activating various promotional strategies and initiatives that are...

"E-NABLE", a new project funded by the European Union, will support key Libyan economic institutions in introducing digital economic governance tools and improving digital services for businesses.

The three-year project (2022 – 2025) aims at promoting an investment-friendly and conducive business environment, strengthening the Libyan private sector and thus contributing to economic growth in Libya. "The launch of the E-NABLE project is a necessity to support Libyan institutions to keep...

Satrix, the provider of index-tracking investment products and exchange traded funds (ETFs) in South Africa, announced the appointment of Fikile Mbhokota as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mbhokota is a seasoned leader in the financial services industry with over 18 years in the industry. Her experience ranges from indexation and active investment management to consulting, operations, research, strategy, fund administration, custody management, executive client account management...

Nigerian fintech startup Indicina announced it has raised $3 million in seed funding round to foster its commitment to the credit value chain. This round was led by Target Global with participation from Greycroft and RV Ventures. Ricardo Schaefer, Partner at Target Global will also join the Board.

Indicina is focused on building API-driven credit infrastructure for Africa. This funding round will accelerate Indicina's expansion into other African markets. It will also enable the startup to reinforce its key product offerings, build more...

PayU, the online payment service provider operating in 50 emerging markets, has announced that it is strengthening its foothold in Africa with expansion into Ghana and a number of strategic product updates: Payflex in South Africa, as well as both Scan to Pay and Pay by USSD in Nigeria.

Across Africa, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services are gaining traction with digitally savvy and unbanked populations looking to leverage the instalment-based payment solution. Launched in 2019, Payflex is considered the first and largest BNPL...

Africa’s technology ecosystem is set for a period of exponential growth, accelerated by strong market fundamentals and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is according to a new report from Endeavor Nigeria, the leading community of high-impact entrepreneurs in Nigeria

The report, titled “The Inflection Point: Africa’s Digital Economy Is Poised To Take Off”, reviewed key events in Africa’s technology ecosystem from the last few years, identified patterns (especially in the context of other...

As smartphones and internet technologies become increasingly accessible in Africa, the continent has become a lucrative market for the eCommerce industry. According to the numbers presented by StockApps.com, the African eCommerce market will reach annual revenue of $46.1 billion by 2025.

Africa is shaping up to be the next hotbed for internet-based businesses. As smartphones and the internet become more prevalent in African countries, the population has started to shift towards online shopping. According to the stats...

Unicaf is an online and blended learning higher education platform that is dedicated to making higher education of international standard accessible, by offering scholarship opportunities to professionals and young school leavers.

What are scholarship opportunities?

A scholarship could be defined as financial aid that relieves the burden of tuition fees and living costs that students and families have to pay to secure a place in secondary and tertiary education. Considering the rising costs of student expenses and debts, we could nowadays describe education...

The Africa Trade Expo (TATE) presents direct access to African buyers whose main aim is to source the latest products, establish partnerships, and conclude import/export deals. TATE is an ongoing virtual trade show for African businesses to network, collaborate, and enter into partnerships with international manufacturers and exporters. Present your new opportunities, network, build relationships and grow your business in African markets...

Future Foods is a virtual meeting place for importers, F&B managers, retail category buyers, owner-operators, agents, and distributors from across Africa’s diverse and booming market to come to conferences, to network, meet exhibitors, source products, new ingredients, retail shelf-ready products, and the latest processing, packaging, and logistics solutions. Future Foods connects attendees exhibitors across the...

Africa Business Communities has spoken with several founders, CEOs and startups in diverse industries in Nigeria about how the global pandemic has affected their business operations. For some, it was a game changer, for others it had little to no effect. And then there were those who saw a positive impact and even improvement in their work...

Hilda Kragha is the current CEO of The African Talent Company (formerly known as ROAM Jobs), leading the jobs brands in four countries including Jobberman Nigeria, Jobberman Nigeria, BrighterMonday Kenya, and BrighterMonday Uganda. Collectively, the boast of more than 4.6 million talents (with more than 2 million in Nigeria) and over 160,000 employers.

Could you tell us about your company?

The African Talent Company (TATC) is a group of pan-African businesses working together to solve the talent gap in Africa with unique, home-grown solutions. We operate fully-fledged career development and recruitment solution companies in...

Biodun Kolade is the Founder of Colad Gray Consulting, an HR Tech service firm bringing a variety of human resources solutions to companies all over Nigeria.

Could you tell us about your company?

Founded on the disruptive idea that every business should have access to efficient, professional and affordable HR services, Colad Gray launched in 2019. Our mission is to optimise human capital for businesses. We desire to empower small and medium-sized enterprises and startups across Africa with bespoke and strategic HR solutions designed to support...

One of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurial startups in sub-Saharan Africa is funding – particularly early-stage financial support – even though the landscape across the region has evolved over the past few years with more funders and capital deployed in this space.

This has been driven primarily by a growing appetite for alternative investments, successful recent exits, e.g., Paystack in Nigeria, and the fact that startup investments have become more accessible. However, this capital increase is not evenly..

The cloud in Africa is undergoing massive transformation and acceleration. There has been a huge uptake in cloud services, especially when it comes to SMEs turning towards hyperscalers. Meanwhile, more prominent organisations and governments have been embracing the private cloud. 

An EY study has highlighted a new wave of investments spreading across Africa centred on companies migrating to the cloud as they look at becoming more efficient while reducing their operational costs. Closer to home, the Kenyan market...

The telecom industry this week recorded a peculiar development – the massive registration of Nigerian SIM card holders. According to the figures, millions have flooded into centers of registration since the Federal Government’s SIM-NIN ban weeks ago. The sector also showed the resilience of industry giant, MTN, and its profitability on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Equally stable is the banking sector. Access Bank is set to acquire a Kenyan bank, United Bank for Africa redeemed a half a billion dollar Eurobond, and Firtsbank formed a strategic partnership to support female entrepreneurs. The Stock...

Africa’s digital economy continues to show massive potential accelerated by strong market fundamentals and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a new report from Endeavor Nigeria, the leading community of high-impact entrepreneurs in Nigeria released this week, the ecosystem is expected to reach $712 billion by 2050.

The revelation came at a time when a number of tech companies in the continent continue to invest in talent. In Kenya, Huawei this week upped the tempo of absorbing more Kenyan technology professionals by kicking off its national...

The recent decision by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to open an office serving the East and Southern African regions is a pointer to the crucial role farmers play in the region play in the East African, continental and global food systems.

In East and Southern Africa, agriculture is the largest sector, employing 65 per cent of the labour force and accounting for over 30 per cent of the region's GDP. Maize, wheat, rice, millet, potatoes and cassava are the main agricultural trade...