Johnstone Kpilaakaa

What the leadership changes at Microsoft Africa means

Microsoft has appointed Lillian Barnard to lead its African operations as part of its efforts to accelerate digital transformation on the continent.

Nigeria is scouting tech startups that will pitch at GITEX Africa

In collaboration with the Dubai World Trade Centre, NITDA has commenced the selection of eight Nigerian startups that will pitch at GITEX Global events this year.

Lagos wants to use 12,000 electric buses for mass transit by 2030

The Lagos state government has partnered with Oando and EV manufacturer, Yutong to put 12,000 electric buses on Lagos roads by 2030. The first set of the buses have been delivered.

Nomba, an African fintech raises $30 million pre-series B

Nomba (formerly Kudi) has secured $30 million pre-Series B to expand its payment solutions for African businesses.

BD Insider 160: Report excludes Chipper, Andela and Flutterwave from the list of African unicorns

We examined CV VC's claim on the current state of African unicorns, the latest on SEC Regulatory Incubation program for Nigerian fintechs and the poor but expensive network in Cameroon.

Inside Nollywood’s first game app—Aki and Pawpaw Epic Run

"Say hello to the first Nollywood game app," Charles Okpaleke, the CEO of CEO Play Network Africa, tweeted on Thursday.

Raise gets Carta’s backing to build Africa’s equity management platform

Carta, an equity management platform that was last privately valued at $7.4 billion has backed Raise in an undisclosed deal. It is the US-based companies first African investment.

Hover transitions to an open source community

Due to its inability to raise additional funding, Hover—the parent company of Stax, says instead of shutting down, it is transitioning from a "full-time team to an open source community".

Smile Identity acquires Appruve, to expand its ID verification offering across Africa

Leading KYC compliance and ID verification platform, Smile Identity has acquired Inclusive Innovations, the parent company of Appruve, a Ghana-based ID verification provider, in an undisclosed deal.

Starlink didn’t apply for licence in South Africa, Comms Minister says

The South African government has disclosed that Starlink has not applied for operating licence in the country. Opposition party says its due to unfavourable regulations.

BD Insider 159: Internet shuts down in Sudan as crises escalates

BD Insider 159 examines the internet shutdown in Sudan, Gluwa's $35 million investment in African crypto exchanges and the ongoing restructuring at Kuda Bank.

African techies in the 2023 Forbes 30 under 30 class

Out of the 30 young Africans recognised by Forbes Africa 30 under 30 class, 11 are tech professionals from Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda and Mauritius.