- In February, Nigeria and South Africa were grey listed by theFinancial Action Task Force (FATF). Now to try get back into the FATF's good books, South Africa is revamping its financial services regulations.
- After failing in their bid to merge with Telkom, it appears that Rain have decided to penetrate the mobile voice market through their own efforts. With their success in 5G, Rain has the track record to show that they can bring the fight to the incumbents.
- In April, The Economist unveiled its annual publication, The World Ahead 2023, in Lagos, Nigeria. This year's edition includes a section on West Africa.
- In 2021, Access Bank also acquired a majority stake in BankABC of Botswana, offsetting the most active day in the history of the country’s bourse, the Botswana Stock Exchange. (Image source: Access Bank)
- Yesterday, Ecobank Kenya unveiled the Fingo app, a service which—as it claims—will boost financial inclusion among the youth in Kenya and across Africa.
More in #TCDaily.
- Nomba started as an AI chatbot in 2017 and this week, it announced a $30 million series B funding. Here's how the startup went from an AI chatbot to a $150m valued business
- Kenyan-based restaurant procurement management startup, TopUp Mama rebranded to Caantin. The startup says the new name reflects the company's vision to serve suppliers and restaurants in Africa
- If you are an Airtel user in Kenya, it is important to know how to buy airtime using M-Pesa. See the simple step-by-step process of how to buy Airtel airtime via M-Pesa.
- Pan-African mobility startup Treepz has pivoted into becoming a car-sharing marketplace that allows car owners to put their vehicles up for rent. According to the startup, this pivot is a more affordable and sustainable option for mobility in Africa.
- South Africa has redesigned the Rand. The new look, revealed yesterday, has new tech-enabled features like colour-changing ink to reduce counterfeiting. Introduced into circulation today, they also have inclusive features for visually-impaired users.
- You may need to transfer airtime from your airtime balance to another MTN user. Or you may be in a situation where you need airtime but can't recharge or buy from anywhere. Read how to transfer or request airtime on MTN in South Africa.
- AI is the future, but that doesn't mean that people are left out. This edition of #EnteringTech🚀 features five careers in artificial intelligence you can consider.
- The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has announced the Kenya Quick Response Code Standard 2023, also shortened as KE-QR Code Standard 2023. The service seeks to boost digital payments, which are offered by multiple financial institutions in the country. These companies usually have in-house payments…
- Zenith Bank, Nigeria’s biggest bank by market capitalization, is experiencing a total infrastructure downtime after a fire at the company’s primary data center. The downtime affects Zenith Bank’s services, leaving millions of customers in the lurch. At one of the bank’s branches, a security…
- Louis Manu, the co-founder & chief commercial officer of Wi-flix, stated that the move forms part of the company's audacious ambition to become the leading content provider for the African continent and the diaspora.
- Phone calls & data bundles are going to get more expensive for Nigerians. The government is imposing a 5% excise duty on the telecom industry, despite communication minister Isa Pantami's previous announcement that he had convinced the government not to.
- Former co-CEOs and co-founders, Alastair Sussock and Maxime Dieudonné seem to be stepping back from day-to-day operations at the company they founded 8 years ago.
- Nigerian VC firms are waking up to the reality that working together can help them improve their processes. New reports indicate that they're now open to sharing information to check rogue founders.
- NovFeed has developed a biotechnological platform that relies on a fermentation process in which microorganisms produce a nutritious, high-protein feed from organic waste.
- Nigerian telecom operators have requested exclusion from the new NITDA bill the legislature is toying with. Per the association, telecoms believe that the NITDA bill should not concern them as they are already regulated by the NCC.
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- African cities are one of the planet’s examples of dynamic human organisation happening in the middle of a digital revolution. What will make them smart? Or smarter?
- Nafisa took a loan of ₦5000 from PalmPay to repay ₦6200 after fourteen days. In the end, the true cost of the loan was ₦12400 and a ton of anxiety. Her heart still skips whenever she receives a call from an unsaved number.
- In this interview, Noel Tshiani(@NoelTshiani) discusses with Patrice Binwa Aganze, founder of Naledi Services, about the startup environment in Goma, the 3rd most populous city in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- In a world where speed and convenience are key, communication platform as a service (CPaaS) is helping businesses stay ahead of the game by providing them with real-time communication tools and services.
- In April 2023, African startups raised $129.8 million across 23 fully disclosed* deals. Compared to April 2022, this is a 68% decline. It is, however, a significant increase from March 2023 when the total amount raised was $66 million. Here's April's roundup.
- Last year, @Tech4DevHQ's Women Techsters Fellowship graduated 847 women from 15 African countries after accepting 1,398 participants from 14,782 applications. This year, the organisation is going a step further by extending its footprint into 22 African countries.
- The Supreme Court of Kenya has approved the use of DMS, a software that allows Kenyan authorities monitor data from mobile devices in order to ban counterfeit ones. Many are concerned that the spyware will be misused.
More in #TCDaily by @timiodueso.
- The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is a Kenyan government agency tasked with providing affordable and accessible medical insurance coverage to Kenyans. One of the most convenient ways to pay NHIF contributions is through M-Pesa. Read how here:
- As a UTME candidate, your name on the JAMB matriculation list confirms the validity of your admission, protects candidates from fraudulent institutions, and is a prerequisite for NYSC mobilization. Read how to check your name:
- GTCO says the bank, and company as a whole, experienced more fraud attempts compared to 2021: an increase of 84.27% to 27,725 cases. Additionally, the amounts associated with these fraud cases increased from ₦1.2 billion to ₦6.4 billion.
- The project will see the implementation of regional training and capacity-building programs focusing on cross-border e-payment and e-commerce for governments, private sectors, and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). These programs are expected to reach 600 participants, with 60% being women…
- ChatGPT’s entry into the field of mainstream technology is shining an even brighter spotlight on AI, with many people and businesses looking to adopt this popular tool and other specialist AI programmes.
- Meta is losing several battles in Kenya.
Yesterday, a Kenyan court judged against Meta in a lawsuit where two Ethiopians accused the social media giant of failing to moderate inciteful messages on its platform.
More in #TCDaily by @timiodueso.
- Lending among family and friends is integral to the Nigerian financial landscape, particularly in the informal sector where access to formal financial services is limited. Fig. 1: The rate of access to financial services in 2020. In Nigeria, more than 1 in 2 Nigerian adults are financially…
- Last week, we reported the most recent fallout between Uber, Bolt and the Nigerian ride-hailing union-AUATWON. The fallout centres on Uber and Bolt challenging the legality of the newly formed AUATWON. This reporter interviewed drivers of Bolt and Uber, and they spoke about their understanding of…
- You may or may not know, but you can now pay for your Apple Music subscription with airtime. And this package comes with 6 months of free unlimited Apple Music streaming on iPhone and Android. Read more here:
- How do young people think about work-life balance and work ethic? This edition of #EnteringTech🚀 collates a few thoughts from young professionals who work hard, play even harder, and pursue personal dreams relentlessly. Story by @timiodueso.
- Tech Nation is no longer shutting down. It's now founder a buyer, FF Group, a three-pronged company that comprises the Founders Forum, Founders Factory (an accelerator), and Firstminute Capital (an investment arm).
More in #TCDaily.
- GTCO has released its full-year financial statements for 2022. The report demonstrates the company’s continued focus on expanding its non-banking offerings including plans to compete with retail investment fintechs like Risevest and Trove.
