- The National Identification Number (NIN) is an essential identification system in Nigeria. It serves as a unique identifier for citizens and residents. Here's how to check your NIN with USSD.
- With only 4% of Africa’s plastic waste recycled, and efforts to reduce plastic waste in the continent seeming like a distant dream, this Ethiopian startup is on a mission to change that by converting plastic waste into affordable, environmentally-friendly construction materials.
- After the unification of USSD by most network providers in Nigeria, there has been a scramble to keep up with other USSD codes. Here, we reacquaint you with the code and the simple steps to check your BVN.
- This year’s technology pioneers comprise startups from 31 markets, with the US and China leading the way with 29 and 12 startups respectively, with African having seven representatives in total. Dove Air, which uses advanced UAM (Urban Air Mobility) technology for aid delivery and maritime…
- The Central Bank of Somalia has launched a Quick Response Code (QR code) standard—the SOMQR— to facilitate cashless payment across the country. This comes a month after Kenya launched its own standard QR Code.
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- Safaricom Ethiopia’s CEO, Anwar Soussa, is leaving the company. Anwar joined Safaricom in August 2021, and his exit from the company will take effect at the end of July, ending a 2-year run.
- Shuttlers is expanding its fleet with private cars to meet carpooling demand. Digitising carpooling has proven to be hard, but Shuttlers's popularity with the office-going crowd may be the secret sauce.
- WhatsApp Beta offers users the opportunity to test out new WhatsApp features and enhancements before they are released to the general public. See how to join the program if you'd like that access.
- There's e-commerce 3.0, where we're gradually moving online. Some mom-and-pop shops will move online, with different players facilitating this transition through digitisation.
- At one stage, VCs were investing in companies that seemed to be carbon copies of big companies elsewhere—an “African eBay”, an “African Uber”. Then later, they realised you can’t always transplant these concepts.
- South Africa produces the most software developers annually among the “big 4” tech hubs on the continent. Despite the technical talent, South Africa is dwarfed by countries like Nigeria and Kenya in producing scalable and investable startups.
- The steadily increasing rates of South Africa’s internet, smartphone, and crypto adoption rates are a double-edged sword as, despite fostering digital inclusivity, also present an even larger pool of possible victims for bad actors.
- Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) will now offer customers contactless payments using Android smartphones or Garmin wearables. The product is a first in Kenya, as other similar contactless solutions are not based on smart devices but a card such as those offered by Absa and Standard Chartered.
- 25 new African startups are joining the fray at Google's Black Founders Fund (BFF). With recipients from 8 African countries including Nigeria and Kenya, these startups will receive up to $150,000 cash each.
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- Pesapal believes that its provision of financial services falls within the scope outlined in the first schedule to the VAT Act, and should be exempt from VAT.
- Nigeria’s financial regulator, the SEC, banned the wrong Binance last week. How was the entity registered without any connection with the global crypto company?
- You may or may not know, but WhatsApp has now joined the likes of Slack as it now allows users to edit their chats, fixing typos, mistakes, or adding missing information. See how the new feature works and how to get it here.
- Now in its third year, Google is giving African startups equity-free money to help them thrive and expand. Although fewer startups made the list, more women-led businesses did
- The drivers are right to be worried. As meetings get postponed and ride-hailing companies stonewall the union, the general sense is that any sort of progress will be slow. Ultimately, the decision on another strike will be made soon.
- Prioritising innovation entails nurturing a vibrant startup ecosystem, facilitating access to funding and partnerships, and amplifying the visibility of startups in international media.
- While the buses offer more amenities such as access to charging ports, better legroom and free Wi-Fi, passengers pay the same fare as diesel-powered buses.
- Airtel has launched its 5G network in four states in Nigeria—Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, and Rivers states. The launch comes nine months after MTN became the first telecom to launch 5G in the country, and five months after MAFAB's launch.
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- Glade, a Techstars-backed fintech startup, was the victim of a breach that led to the loss of $214,000. Glade’s hack is the latest in the series of hacks that Nigerian financial service providers have suffered in the past year.
- For (especially digitally-enabled) businesses, confronting the reality of Africa’s position does not mean drowning in economic despair. It may mean being pragmatic enough to vote with your feet, if necessary.
- Telkom currently has an offer from investment consortium AfriFund, led by former Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko and, its international partner, Axian Telecoms of Madagascar, in the form of R46 a share for a 35% stake in the company.
- Heritage Bank has denied all reports of insider fraud carried out by the bank's IT head surfaced last week. As sources say the perpetrator carted away $83 million, the bank is calling the claim a "fictitious narrative".
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- Before now, many startups reported revenues using Nigeria’s official exchange rate of $1/₦462. It means that while $1 million in revenue two months ago was around ₦462 million, today it is ₦656 million. That increase (₦196 per dollar) is significant for startups that gain revenue in Naira.
- Meta is challenging a Kenyan court ruling that says it is the employer of the 184 content moderators who are claiming toxic work environments and discrimination. Sama, its content partner, is stuck in the middle.
- Users of Flip, a B2C crypto platform by Fluidcoins, have been unable to access their funds for months. Fluidcoins's acquirer, Blockfinex, says it's working towards a resolution and also planning to shut down Flip to prioritise Fluidcoins' B2B potential.
- Heritage Bank told TechCabal that reports that a staff diverted N49 billion are "wrong and defamatory." Despite the denial, customers say they're still having trouble accessing their funds via the bank's app.
- If you have previously received the SRD grant but find yourself in a position where you have a reason to reapply, this article will guide you through the SASSA SRD reapplication process in South Africa.
- Adbot is a South African adtech startup that uses artificial intelligence to enable small businesses to efficiently run their online advertising campaigns.
- My Startup in 60 Seconds is an exciting video series by TechCabal where founders share the unique problems they’re solving and why, all in less than a minute.
- After applying for the SRD Grant R350, you want to know payment dates associated with it. This article highlights time ranges you can expect you payment.
- The Kenyan government has allocated $110 million for the ICT industry. However, nearly half of that amount will be used to develop Konza, a green city outside Nairobi.
- if your SRD application has been rejected or you believe you're eligible but have been excluded, you have the right to file an appeal. Here we'll provide a step-by-step guide on navigating the process of filing an SRD appeal in South Africa.
- E-commerce in Africa is no longer just an idea, it is a reality that is growing at breakneck speed. With more entrepreneurs entering this space, there is bound to be a plethora of opportunities that will spiral into further development of this sector.
- President Ruto’s Hustlers Fund has hustled its way into Kenya’s 2023/2024 budget. The Kenyan government announced its allocation of Ksh.10 billion ($72 million) to the Hustlers Fund to support entrepreneurial efforts.
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- To ensure your online presence is running smoothly, synthetic monitoring is an indispensable tool. New Relic, a leading application performance monitoring (APM) platform, offers powerful features for monitoring and analyzing web applications. Read more here.
- Nigeria’s inflation rate hit a staggering high of 22.41% in May 2023, up by 4.7% recorded in May in the previous year. Inflation bit the hardest on Food, with an inflation rate of 24.82%.
- Seni Sulyman and Kayode Oyewole, two experienced operators in the African tech ecosystem, have partnered to launch Talstack, a B2B SaaS learning platform. Seni Sulyman’s experience in the global tech ecosystem has seen him work for different organisations like Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Bellhop,…
