Author: Akin Naphtal

In this interview, Mudiaga Umukoro (MU), Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer of Qore (Africa’s leading Banking-as-a-Service platform provider), discusses Fintech Growth, Digital Banking in Africa, and the groundbreaking initiatives driving Cloud-Native Solutions. Q: How will you describe the growth of Fintech companies and their impact on Nigeria especially as digital transformation continues to drive growth for the ecosystem? Fintech companies have made substantial contributions to Nigeria’s economy. Not only have they enhanced and streamlined operations in the extremely sensitive FSI sector, but they have also introduced numerous innovations that optimize the process of capital and funding for the production and…

Seacom, Africa’s converged ICT services provider, is pleased to announce the appointment of Lucas Malamule Ndala as new Group Chief Financial Officer (GCFO). Ndala’s appointment as GCFO marks a pivotal moment in Seacom’s ongoing journey of growth and innovation. Lucas Malamule Ndala is replacing Richard Schumacher, who previously held the role. With a career spanning over two decades, Ndala brings a wealth of financial expertise and industry insight to the organisation. He has a remarkable track record, having served in various executive roles within the Telkom Group, including CFO, COO, Group Executive for the GCEO Support Office, and board member…

In a world grappling with a perceived global shortage of tech skills and a burgeoning demand for flexible tech contractors, a ground-breaking solution has been launched. Introducing One Degree, the disruptive digital hiring platform that is set to reshape the way businesses connect with skilled tech contractors. Engineered with the modern gig economy, remote work, and radical flexibility trends in mind, One Degree seeks to revolutionise the recruitment process, facilitating seamless connections between businesses and high-quality independent tech contractors. “Today’s fast-paced global IT job market has added tremendous pressure on organisations to quickly and cost-effectively source the right talent. Traditional…

NTU Singapore and Mastercard have launched a new FlexiMasters programme, the NTU-Mastercard FlexiMasters in Cybersecurity & Digital Trust, to strengthen expertise in combating the growing threat of cybercrime. This marks the first milestone of the Mastercard-NTU Joint Lab, an industry-university partnership announced in December last year, aimed at strengthening and growing the cybersecurity ecosystem in the Asia Pacific region. The FlexiMasters programme is tailored specifically for mid-career professionals, allowing them to pursue their educational goals on a part-time basis and tailor their studies around existing work or family commitments. It is the first part-time FlexiMasters programme in cybersecurity within NTU’s…

The Global smartphone market returned to growth in October after more than two years of slump, helped by a recovery in the emerging markets, according to data from Counterpoint Research. The data showed that global monthly smartphone sell-through volumes grew 5%, making October the first month to record year-on-year growth since June 2021, breaking the streak of 27 consecutive months of negative year-on-year growth. The global smartphone sales have been under stress for last two years affected by various issues starting with component shortages, inventory build-up and lengthening of replacement cycles, Counterpoint said in its report. “Following strong growth in…

Crezco, a UK fintech company using open banking to make B2B invoice and bill payments as convenient as B2C card payments, has achieved several major business milestones through securing funding and integrating its technology into global small business platform Xero. Crezco has secured $12m in Series A funding from MMC Ventures and fintech-focused 13books capital to enable further growth. Additionally, its recent agreement with Xero has resulted in the technology partnership being integrated into its bill payment feature which will be launched to UK small businesses at the end of the month. Underpinned by Crezco’s account-to-account payments API, Xero will…

Ghanaian insurtech startup, Brolly, has partnered global ride-hailing company, Bolt, to offer insurance solutions exclusively in Ghana, with Brolly seeking to provide ride-hailing drivers with convenient daily premium payments. Backed by finance and insurance firms, Techstars and Allianz, Brolly, prior to its collaboration with Bolt, had successfully piloted its pay-as-you-go auto insurance solution, allowing drivers the option to pay premiums daily or weekly. This initiative was tested with over 2,000 ride-sharing drivers, setting the stage for Brolly’s partnership with Bolt. Through this collaboration, Bolt drivers in Ghana can now seamlessly access insurance directly within the Bolt driver app, eliminating the…

In its bid to help create a digitalised Africa, Smartphone giant, Huawei, took centre stage at the AfricaCom Conference held in Cape Town, with the company’s Sub-Saharan Africa President, Leo Chen, championing digitisation and decarbonisation for the continent’s sustained growth. Addressing the audience at the conference which ended on 16th November, Chen spoke on the transformative potential of the digital-physical convergence era, asserting that Africa could advance digital economy development by embracing advanced and inclusive connectivity infrastructure. Chen believes that “developing connectivity infrastructure that is more advanced, more future-proof, and more inclusive and accessible is the first and foremost priority…

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has collaborated with DHL Express to conduct a pilot test featuring the ID.Buzz Cargo fleet in South Africa. Over the next six months, four ID.Buzz Cargo units will be stationed at DHL Express Service Centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. These units are earmarked for specialized last-mile delivery services as part of DHL’s local pilot initiative aimed at achieving global zero emissions logistics. This collaboration marks a significant step in realising Volkswagen Group South Africa’s electric vehicle strategy for the Volkswagen brand in the country. “Our partnership with DHL Express on the ID.Buzz Cargo test…

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has disclosed on X, Tuesday night that the Federal Government has launched a portal for the Startup Support and Engagement Portal. According to him, the portal, which is a key requirement of the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act, is meant to drive the identification and aggregation of startups in the country. He tweeted, “We are pleased to announce the launch of the Startup Support and Engagement Portal, https://startup.gov.ng/, a key requirement for the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act. The startup portal will drive the identification and aggregation…