Johnstone Kpilaakaa

Swvl halts intra/inter-city rides in Kenya

Swvl has suspended its intra-city and inter-city rides in Kenya citing the global economic downturn.

Zipline’s drone delivery service kicks off in Kaduna, Nigeria

Zipline, a US robotics and drone company has launched its first Nigerian distribution centre in Kaduna State.

Eight notable African tech stories in May 2022

In May 2022, Ethiopia launched its 5G network, Interswitch raised $110 million in investment, and we curated these and other notable stories.

Play-to-Earn gaming adoption to double in Nigeria — Finder’s Report

Play-to-earn (P2E) gaming adoption in Nigeria could hit 33% this year, according to Finder’s NFT Gaming Adoption Report.

BD Insider: Rida and inDriver are not licensed to operate in Lagos

The Lagos state government has instructed Lagos residents to "be wary of unlicensed e-hailing cab operators within the State as they pose security threats to the safety of lives and property.”

Join Olumide Soyombo, Damilola Aderinto, and Maria Rotilu to discuss angel investment

How do you invest during an economic downturn? Will the early-stage investment landscape feel the impact of the crunch?

BD Insider 115: Prediction on Open Banking Guidelines Timeline

In this newsletter, we predict how long till the CBN passes the final guideline for Open Banking in Nigeria. We also report on African deals from the previous week.

Uber records one billion trips in Africa

Uber has completed one billion rides across its African routes, which is over 10 billion kilometres in distance.

After adopting Bitcoin, CAR wants to build a crypto hub

Almost a month after adopting Bitcoin as a legal tender, the Central African Republic, CAR has announced its plan to create a “crypto economic zone”.

How the CBN’s switching license will enable AppZone

With the switching license, AppZone will further expand its transaction switching and processing services currently offered to banks and fintechs through its blockchain-based payment network, ZONE, launched in December 2021.

Vehicle financing in Africa amidst the Russia-Ukraine war

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brings the risk of serious macroeconomic impacts: a slowing of economic growth, even higher inflation, possibly even stagflation, rising unemployment and falling consumer confidence.

Autochek acquires KIFAL Auto to drive its North African expansion

Autochek has acquired KIFAL Auto to drive its expansion into North Africa. The acquisition is arguably the first major expansion of a West Africa-based startup into the region.