Author: Akin Naphtal

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami said technology-led with effective service delivery which puts citizens in the picture, is the key idea underlying public sector reforms in the country. Professor Pantami made this disclosure today Thursday while delivering his keynote address titled Emerging Technologies, Partnerships and Collaborations on Citizens-Centred Technology Governance at the 11th African day International Conference on collaborations on citizens-centred technology conference, organised by the Republic of Slovenia. Professor Pantami in his virtual address informed participants that “citizens-centred governance involves new ways of enabling citizens to prosper. It aims at providing an…

The recently launched Boris Bison Youth Empowerment Business Incubator (‘BB Incubator’) in Douala, Cameroon, together with pan-African video game publishing company Ludique Works and Finnish tech learning accelerator network Start North have announced an MoU to introduce their technologically advanced learning environments or ‘5G Mokki Tech Spaces’ across Africa. The new partnership comes just weeks after Boris Bison Youth Empowerment Business Incubator’s opening ceremony in Douala, during which Cameroon’s Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts Bassilekin III Achille offered founder and CEO Boris Ngala his congratulations and personal support. According to a statement released to the…

Elon Musk, Tesla owner, has expressed the readiness of Starlink, his internet service company, to operate in Africa as the network provider looked to expand beyond the United States and European market. Musk sent Starlink representatives to Nigeria in May last year to meet with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on the launch of the network in the country. The meeting was to prepare the ground for the entry of Starlink in the Nigerian market to provide competition for MTN Nigeria, Airtel Africa, 9mobile, and Globacom, the four networks currently operating in the nation’s telecommunication industry. In a post on…

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has been appointed as a member of the Presidential Council on Digital Economy and E-government. This was revealed in a statement by Ibrahim Addra, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor. According to Addra, the appointment notice is contained in a letter signed by Isa Pantami, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy on Tuesday. He explained that the letter indicated the council was part of the effort to implement the National Digital Economy Policy (NDEPS) and the Nigerian E-government Master Plan (NEGMP) The CPS added that the minister described Nasarawa State as critical to the…

Egyptian e-health startup Doxx has raised a US$1.5 million seed funding round to continue building out its fully integrated digital healthcare platform, which connects medical professionals and institutional healthcare providers to support a patient’s medical journey. Founded in 2021, Doxx has developed a medical record compilation service, bringing together a network of 2,600 doctors, 52 pharmacies and 26 medical labs. Doxx allows users to book physical and virtual appointments, and track their consultations while choosing the best medical care through recommendations based on their medical history. The startup’s US$1.5 million seed round, which comes from Openner and Elevate Healthcare, will…

Merchants and consumers from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa now have another option to make payments worldwide through a Mastercard virtual payment solution powered by Africa focused Fintech firm OPay. Chinese-backed OPay is considered to be among the continent’s biggest payments start-ups. It has now joined forces with global payments company, Mastercard in a development the two companies say will “open up e-commerce to millions of people” across Africa. According to a statement released jointly by the companies, the new partnership enables OPay wallet holders to utilise the new Mastercard virtual payment solution to shop at well-known…

Towards promoting tech innovative talent for an enhanced digital economy, the government of Uganda has entered into a MoU with Huawei to provide adequate skills, training and certification courses such as 5G, AI, cloud, security, data communications and others that are required by employers to Uganda Institute of Communication Technology (UICT) students and ICT officers. Uganda’s Minister of ICT and National Guidance Chris Baryomunsi.Uganda’s Minister of ICT and National Guidance Chris Baryomunsi. Uganda’s Minister of ICT and National Guidance Dr Chris Baryomunsi launched what is described as a talent cultivation partnership MOU between his Ministry and Huawei. According to the…

Kenya’s Bamba, a mobile-first enterprise software for micro-merchants in Africa, has secured US$3.2m in seed funding to scale its app and build out its team. Founded in 2022 by serial entrepreneur and investor Bastian Gotter, Bamba provides a mobile application allowing small businesses to easily manage their customers and stock levels, get paid, payout, and takeout cash advances against their future cash flow. The startup’s US$3.2 million seed round was led by VC firm 468 Capital, with participation from Presight Ventures, Jigsaw VC, and high profile angels Mato Peric, Leonard Stiegeler, Laurin Hainy and Thomas Stafford. The company is currently…

South African agri-tech startup Nile, which enables buyers to purchase directly from Africa’s leading food producers through its marketplace, has raised a ZAR83 million (US$5.1 million) equity funding round led by Naspers Foundry. Nile was founded in 2020 to provide farmers with digital solutions that can address various pain points inherent to food trading – including price transparency, quality verification, speed of payments, the traceability of the produce and food waste. The startup’s end-to-end process connects farmers to commercial retailers of fresh produce both in South Africa and across the continent. The B2B platform facilitates transactions and safeguards payments on…

Oracle plans to establish a new branch of Oracle Labs, Oracle’s advanced research arm, at Casanearshore Park in Casablanca to house up to 100 researchers. Researchers at the new facility will use Oracle’s cloud, AI, and machine learning technologies to tackle the most pressing challenges facing business, science and the public sector. According to Oracle, the team will collaborate with Morocco’s technology sector to support the identification, exploration, and transfer of new technologies that can advance Oracle’s customer’s businesses worldwide. This effort will include expanding intern and graduate recruitment programs, undertaking joint research with local universities and working with the…