Search Results for: MEST AFRICA
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News
Mauritian Startup Black Swan Wins the MEST Africa Challenge 2025
Black Swan, a Mauritius-based FinTech startup, has emerged as the winner of the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2025. The announcement…
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Startups
Three Kenyan Startups Among 20 Semi-Finalists in MEST Africa Challenge 2025
Three Kenyan startups, Logistify AI, Farmsky Ventures, and Investa Farm, have been named among the 20 semi-finalists in the MEST Africa…
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Startups
How to Apply for the MEST Africa Challenge 2025
The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa) recently opened applications for the 7th edition of the MEST Africa Challenge…
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Startups
Winner of the MEST Africa 2023 Challenge Announced
MEST Africa, the Pan-African tech entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator, has announced Koa Academy as the grand prize…
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News
MEST Africa Opens Applications for its Startup Pitch Competition
MEST Africa has opened applications for its 2023 Challenge Startup Pitch Competition for African startups. This year, the program is…
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New Appointments
Mest Africa picks Stanbic Bank Ghana’s Head of Engineering as its Portfolio Advisor
MEST Africa has announced the appointment of Eric Nsarkoh as a Portfolio Advisor, focused on technology product development. Eric joins…
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News
MEST Africa Opens Applications for its 2024 Training Program
After announcing five African tech startups that made it to the grand finale of the 2022 Africa Challenge pitch competition,…
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News
MEST Africa Challenge 2022 top 5 finalists announced
MEST Africa has announced the five African tech startups that have made it to the grand finale of the 2022…
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News
Hisa among 7 Kenyan tech startups selected for MEST Africa Challenge 2022
Kenyan fintech Hisa Inc is among the 36 African startups selected for the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge. The mobile investment…
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News
MEST Africa is investing a combined $700k in seven startups from its 2020 graduating cohort
Pan-African incubator, MEST Africa will invest a combined $700,000 in seven early-stage startups from its 2020 graduating cohort. The selected…
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Startups
MEST Africa is investing $100,000 in each of these 11 startups from its 2019 graduating cohort
MEST Africa is investing US$1,1m in eleven early-stage startups from its 2019 graduating cohort. This is the largest single investment…
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Startups
Kenya is hosting the fourth annual MEST Africa Summit in June
MEST Africa is bringing its fourth annual MEST Africa Summit to Nairobi. The Pan-African entrepreneurial training program, seed fund and…
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Startups
List of 50 tech startups selected for the second annual MEST Africa Challenge
MEST Africa has announced the 50 startups that have been selected to take part in the second annual MEST Africa…
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Startups
MEST opens applications for its $50 MEST Africa startup Challenge
MEST Africa has opened applications for its second annual MEST Africa Challenge, a Pan-African pitch competition for tech scale-ups based…
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News
The Africa We Build Summit Targets Mobilising Domestic Capital for Industrial Transformation
For the first time, Africa’s most powerful infrastructure financiers, fund managers, investors and industry leaders will convene in Nairobi, with…
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BUSINESS
Africa Must Deepen Its Domestic Financial Markets to Achieve the SDGs
Africa’s journey towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) hinges on developing effective domestic financial markets that provide affordable finance. …
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News
MEST unveils its fourth African tech hub in Nairobi
The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) has unveiled its fourth incubator and tech hub in Nairobi. The pan-African entrepreneurial…
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News
East African Animation Earns Global Recognition at Annecy’s Biggest Market
East Africa’s animation industry delivered its strongest showing yet at the world’s largest animation market this year, with studios from…
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News
Google Puts New AI Infrastructure and Startup Funding at the Centre of Africa Summit
Google has expanded its long-term technology strategy on the continent with a series of infrastructure, artificial intelligence and startup investments…
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News
Why Revolut Chose South Africa for Its First African Expansion
In March, British fintech giant Revolut applied for a U.S. national banking charter as part of an ambitious plan to…
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BUSINESS
World Bank Warns of Stalling Recovery as Inflation Set to Climb Across Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic recovery is losing momentum, with the World Bank projecting growth will hold at 4.1 percent in 2026,…
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News
African Banks Lean Into Digital Transformation as Margins Tighten
Africa’s banking sector is heading into the second half of 2026 in a state industry analysts describe as cautiously optimistic:…
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News
Why Kenya Keeps Appearing in Africa’s Corporate Expansion Plans
More than Sh400 billion in announced acquisitions by South African firms has focused attention on a question increasingly shaping boardroom…
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News
SpaceX Finds a New Audience as African Trading Platforms Broaden Their Reach
Less than a week after SpaceX completed what has been described as the largest initial public offering in market history,…
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News
The Money Behind Africa’s Music Success Is Still Slipping Through the Crack
Nigeria and Kenya are producing some of Africa’s most visible music success stories, yet both countries continue to lose substantial…
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News
Spiro Wants More of Its Electric Motorcycles Built in Africa
Spiro’s plan to manufacture most of its electric vehicle components in Africa marks an important shift in the continent’s emerging…
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News
Starlink’s Speed Advantage Is Starting to Pressure Africa’s Broadband Providers
Starlink broadband speeds in Africa are now outperforming most terrestrial internet providers across the continent, according to new data from…
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News
African Private Capital Funds Are Still Finding Their Biggest Backers Abroad
The effort to finance Africa’s growth is increasingly becoming a debate about where capital comes from rather than whether capital…
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News
Africa Faces $1.3 Trillion Annual Financing Gap, But the Funds Exist, Says AfDB
Africa faces an annual development financing gap exceeding $1.3 trillion needed to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the…
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Featured
Could an African Team Win the World Cup for the First Time Ever?
Could an African team possibly win World Cup 2026 this summer? The bookmakers don’t think so – the traditional giants…
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News
AFC Turns to Kenya as East Africa’s Financing Model Starts to Change
The Africa Finance Corporation is widening its role in Kenya beyond infrastructure lending as it builds new channels for African…
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News
Governments Are Turning Africa’s Mobile Money Networks Into Tax Infrastructure
The next test for African fintech may not come from competition or funding conditions. It may come from treasury departments.…
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BUSINESS
AfDB: Africa’s Economy to Grow 4.2% in 2026 Despite Global Headwinds
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has released its African Economic Outlook 2026, projecting continental GDP growth of 4.2% for…
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News
West Africa’s First Hyperscale-Ready Data Centre Opens in Lagos
Kasi Cloud Datacenters has commissioned West Africa’s first hyperscale-ready, AI-capable data centre campus in Lekki, Lagos, marking a significant milestone…
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News
Five Kenyan Universities Set to Join East Africa’s First EU Academic Corridor
Five of Kenya’s leading universities are expected to sign partnership agreements this week with a Romanian EU-accredited institution, establishing what…
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BUSINESS
African Women Are Building Businesses Through WhatsApp
Across Kenya and Nigeria, many small businesses no longer begin with a website, a storefront, or even a marketplace listing.…
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News
Stablecoins Are Starting to Fix the Part of African Payments Most Users Never See
Settlement delays, foreign exchange bottlenecks and the rising cost of moving money across borders dominated discussions at the Kenya Blockchain…
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News
Africa Turns to Electric Vehicles as Fuel Pressure Builds
African countries accelerated electric vehicle purchases in 2025 as pressure from global fuel markets pushed governments and transport operators to…
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News
Africa’s AI Ambitions Are Starting to Look Like an Infrastructure Strategy
African governments are beginning to frame artificial intelligence, connectivity and digital infrastructure less as isolated technology sectors and more as…
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News
Africa Forward Summit Puts Focus on Kenya’s EV Infrastructure Push
Kenyan electric mobility companies are using the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi to pursue investor partnerships tied to charging…
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News
Western Firms Want Africa’s Digital Growth but Struggle to Fund the Risk
Plans for a major data center development in Kenya backed by Microsoft and Abu Dhabi-based G42 have effectively fallen away…
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News
East Africa Pushes for a Unified Digital Network as Telecom Gaps Persist
Regional governments across East Africa are widening efforts to connect their digital infrastructure, lower telecom costs and reduce dependence on…
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News
Digital Policy Harmonisation Surfaces at Connected Africa Summit
At a moment when Africa’s digital infrastructure can already handle mass-scale transactions, attention is turning to a different constraint: policy…
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News
Airtel Commits $1B to Nxtra, Widening Its Data Center Play From India to Africa
Airtel has confirmed a $1 billion data center investment into its subsidiary Nxtra Data, with participation from Alpha Wave Global,…
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News
Algiers Declaration Puts African Telecommunications Sovereignty at the Centre of Connectivity Plans
African ICT ministers have adopted the Algiers Declaration on African Telecommunications Sovereignty (2026–2030) at the Global Africa Tech Summit held…
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News
Airtel Reaches 650 Million Subscribers Across India and Africa
Bharti Airtel has reported that its global customer base has surpassed 650 million users, reinforcing its position as one of…
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BUSINESS
Equity Named Africa’s Strongest Banking Brand and Kenya’s Most Valuable Brand
Equity has extended its lead in the brand stakes, emerging as Africa’s strongest banking brand and Kenya’s most valuable brand…
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News
Southern Africa Starts Lowering Mobile Roaming Costs Under SADC One Network Area
In the past, crossing a border in Southern Africa meant an immediate jolt to a mobile phone bill. A short…
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TRENDING
The 2026 Middle East Regional Conflict Freezes a Critical Segment of the 2Africa Cable
The 2Africa submarine cable, the largest subsea internet network ever attempted, has run into the realities of maritime conflict. Construction…
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News
Across Africa, Carbon Credits Are Turning Into a State Asset
A carbon credit once moved through the voluntary market with little government presence. A project developer secured land, issued credits…
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BUSINESS
Pesalink–PAPSS Link Targets Africa’s Payment Bottleneck
Cross-border payments in Africa still move with the drag of another era. A trader in Nairobi wiring money to Lagos…
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News
A New Global Index Places Kenya Near the Top of Africa’s Innovation Economy, Though the Foundations Still Look Uneven
A new ranking has placed Kenya among the most innovation-ready economies on the continent, trailing only South Africa. On paper,…
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News
The Global Music Business Talks Scale, but the Real Pressure Is Coming From Africa’s Streaming Habits
Five years into Spotify in Africa, the numbers read like a cultural census. Nigeria alone has produced 25 million user-generated…
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News
Nairobi Hosts the Connected Africa Summit 2026 as Governments Wrestle With Data Borders and Digital Trust
In late April, the Connected Africa Summit will convene in Nairobi with an ambition that sounds straightforward and proves anything…
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News
African Startup Funding in 2025 Hit $3.9B as Local Investors Take Control
African startup funding reached $3.9 billion across more than 500 deals in 2025. On its face, that figure restores a…
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News
Africa’s Creative Boom Is Real. Whether It Becomes Industry Is Another Story
The argument gaining ground in policy circles is not about culture alone. It is about labour, ownership, and who captures…
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TRENDING
Africa Built Digital Payments. Crossing Borders Still Feels Hard
The conversation around African payments often begins with ambition. Integration, digital finance, continental trade. Yet the practical experience remains stubbornly…
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News
Fragmented Regulation Keeps African Money Moving Slowly
The conversation around intra-African trade often begins with scale. A continent of more than 50 countries, a combined market measured…
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News
African Startups Adjust to the Discipline That Comes With Japanese Investment
Japanese involvement in African business followed familiar routes. Trading houses moved commodities, financed logistics, and built long commercial relationships that…
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News
Cross Border Income Grows Across Africa as Banking Struggles to Keep PaceBanking Reality
By mid-afternoon at the Moniepoint Stage in Nairobi, the room had settled into a familiar rhythm. Founders talking infrastructure, investors…
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News
African Founders Once Chased Equity at Any Cost, Now the Bank Is Calling First
A few years ago, African tech founders learned to talk in valuation multiples and future exits. Lately, the language has…
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COLUMNS
Mark Mwaniki | Why 2026 Could Be a Breakout Year for Digital Trade in East Africa
For more than a decade, East Africa has been viewed as a region of unrealised potential, a future hub for…
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TRENDING
Kenya’s US health deal hits a court wall, and Africa is paying attention
When Kenya signed a $2.5 billion health cooperation agreement with Washington this month, officials framed it as a vote of…
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News
African finance leaders push for intra-continental investment reform at Nairobi conference
Top finance and policy leaders from across the continent have issued a collective call for accelerated cross-border investment frameworks and…
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TRENDING
Interview | How AI and digital sovereignty are redefining African trade with Webb Fontaine’s Ludovic Thanay
As the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) gains momentum, the continent stands at a pivotal juncture. The vision of…
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News
Viktoria Ventures Honoured for Advancing Angel Investing Across Africa
Viktoria Ventures, a Nairobi-based angel investment and startup support organization, has been crowned “Angel Network of the Year 2025” at…
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COLUMNS
Evid Sibi | The Future Of Public Service Delivery In Africa: Positioning AI As A Core State Capability
Over the past decade, Kenya has demonstrated the governance impact of large-scale digital transformation,expanding digital public services from 10 to…
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TRENDING
As Axian Takes Over Wananchi, the Balance of Power in East Africa’s Internet Market Begins to Tilt
Axian Telecom Fibre, known regionally as Yas, has completed the acquisition of a 99.63 percent stake in Wananchi Group, marking…
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News
Medusa Cable Reaches Tunisia, Marking First African Landing in Major Europe-Africa Network
The Medusa submarine cable has reached African shores for the first time, landing in the Tunisian port city of Bizerte…
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News
MTN MoMo’s Expansion Tests the Limits of Africa’s Mobile Money Map
MTN’s mobile money operation has shifted from a domestic add-on to a continental engine. Its footprint now links markets where…
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News
Africa’s Parallel Payment Revolutions: Why Local Stablecoin Systems and Bank Settlement Rails Are Racing to Replace the Dollar
Africa is attempting something few regions have dared to do in public view — unwind its dependence on the U.S.…
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News
Africa Raises the Stakes in the AI Power Race as Botswana and Nigeria Build Green Data Fortresses for Hyperscalers
The competition to host Africa’s next wave of digital infrastructure is no longer just about fibre networks or cloud licenses.…
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News
Cassava and Accenture Are Building Sovereign AI in Africa — but Who Will Really Control the Continent’s Data Future?
Cassava Technologies has cast its lot with Accenture in a partnership that promises to deliver “sovereign AI” across Africa. The…
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News
Africa’s Next Financial Leap: Why Local-Currency Stablecoins Could Redefine Sovereignty, Remittances, and Digital Payments
Africa’s leap into mobile money was a surprise — and a missed opportunity for many legacy banks. As Safaricom’s M-Pesa…
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News
East African Community Pushes for Cheaper Roaming and Seamless Cross-Border Connectivity
For years, travelers within the East African Community (EAC) have carried a quiet dread in their pockets: the moment a…
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BUSINESS
Absa and Visa Renew Partnership to Accelerate Digital Payment Innovation Across Africa
Absa Group and Visa have renewed their strategic partnership to accelerate digital payment innovation and financial inclusion across Africa. The…
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News
Trump’s GENIUS Act Could Reshape Africa’s Use of Dollar-Backed Stablecoins
President Donald Trump has signed the GENIUS Act, America’s first federal law to regulate stablecoins—digital currencies pegged to the U.S.…
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News
How Stablecoin Adoption in Africa Is Redefining Cross-Border Payments and Financial Access
A quiet revolution is unfolding across Africa — one digital dollar at a time. Stablecoins, long overshadowed by Bitcoin and…
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News
Tech Growth in Africa: What the Latest Economic Data Doesn’t Reveal
The latest report on Global Economic Prospects states that, while a modest economic rebound is expected in 2025, GDP growth…
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News
BYD Expands in South Africa as EV Sales Surge Across the Continent
Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is charging ahead with a bold expansion strategy in South Africa. Less than two years…
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News
AfCRA Launch in 2025: How Africa’s New Credit Agency Plans to Challenge Fitch & Moody’s
The launch of the AfCRA in 2025 is expected to become one of the greatest financial developments for the continent…
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News
How the African Development Bank’s Evolution Could Shape Africa’s Digital Future
Later this month, a new president will be selected by the board of governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB).…
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News
Ghana-Based Energy Startup Kofa Raises $8.1m to Expand Across East and West Africa
Ghanaian energy tech company Kofa has raised $8.1 million in a pre-Series A round to expand its battery-swapping network across…
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News
High US Tariffs Drive Demand for Refurbished Tech in South Africa
As escalating U.S. tariffs on technology imports send shockwaves through global supply chains, South Africa’s IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) and…
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News
Can Netflix Dominate Africa? The Rise of Local Originals & Streaming Trends
Netflix’s dedication to telling African stories has become entrenched, with a diverse range of original local and transnational content resonating…
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Startups
Trump’s Return to Power: How His Policies Are Reshaping Africa’s Tech Industry
With Donald Trump back as president, change is already affecting global industries with ripples; Africa’s fast-growing technology sector feels the…
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BUSINESS
African financial markets report widespread progress
According to a recent survey by Absa Group, Africa’s financial markets have expanded at the fastest pace since 2017 due…
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News
EFT Corporation and Visa partner to bolster fintech growth in Africa
EFT Corporation (EFTCorp) and Visa have announced a five-year partnership to transform Africa’s digital payments landscape. This collaboration seeks to…
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BUSINESS
Investment bank predicts Africa’s remittance market will reach $500bn by 2025
Remittances comprise a significant portion of African Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with the total value of remittances across the continent…
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BUSINESS
KRA Commissioner General Asks African Countries To Modernise Tax Collections
KRA Commissioner General Humphrey Wattanga on Wednesday urged African countries to modernise tax administrations despite facing challenges such as informality,…
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Interviews
[Interview] Digital Public Infrastructure and its potential for Africa
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) might be a new term in Africa, but the workaround its foundational elements—such as digital identity,…
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Featured
Portable Playgrounds: Navigating Mobile Casinos in Africa
The online gambling scene is really taking off in Africa, and it’s projected to hit $1.85 billion in revenue by…
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News
Nairobi Gate opens first special economic zone in East Africa with gazetted customs control area
Nairobi Gate Industrial Park has launched the first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with a gazetted customs control area in East…
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News
MFS Africa partners with Madagascar’s MVola for international money transfers
Pan-African digital payments network, MFS Africa, has partnered with Mvola, Madagascar’s leading mobile money provider, to facilitate inbound international money…
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News
MultiChoice, Rapyd and General Catalyst to launch new integrated payment platform for Africa
MultiChoice Group, Rapyd and General Catalyst on Monday announced a joint venture aimed at developing an integrated payment platform for…
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News
Africa Data Centres extends edge cloud capability through Unitellas partnership at Lagos facility
Africa Data Centres has announced that enterprise cloud services provider Unitellas will be bringing Zadara’s global federated edge service to its…
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News
Fintech firm MFS Africa granted payments licenses to operate in Uganda
Financial services provider MFS Africa has been granted licenses to operate in Uganda as a PSP (Payment Service Provider), PSO…
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News
We-Fi Announces $15 million Funding for Women Digital Inclusion in Africa
The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) has announced a $15 million funding to the African Development Back’s Africa Digital Inclusion…
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BUSINESS
Women Leading Transformation in Africa, says Zuri Foundation CEO Norah Muthoni
Women are now taking the lead in the transformation of Africa as the continent makes tremendous progress driving gender parity. Speaking…
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Startups
Canadian fintech startup Periculum launches in Nigeria to build credit assessment infrastructure for Africa
Canadian fintech startup and credit assessment company Periculum, has launched in Nigeria to tackle the challenge of domestic credit to…
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News
MARILYN MOODLEY: Machine learning can solve some of Africa’s biggest challenges
From better healthcare access to improved food security, machine learning could tackle a wide range of challenges in developing countries.…
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