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Daniel Yu Backs African Businesses With Job Creation in Focus
Daniel Yu has spent years building businesses in Africa’s technology sector. Now he is focusing on a different problem: how to get more African businesses to create jobs. Yu, the co-founder of Wasoko, is behind the Africa Jobs Fund, which is targeting $100 million over five years. The fund is focused on two areas that
African small businesses are finding useful ways to put AI to work
There is a lot of noise around AI and what it could mean for African businesses. For a small business owner, much of that noise does not help much. The day to day problems are usually more basic. Customers need answers, payments need to be followed up, stock needs checking and quotes need to go
Askya wants to build ‘tech Dangotes’ starting with 10 African AI startups
Askya Investment Partners is looking for 10 African AI startups to join a six-week programme, with at least $200,000 going into one of the companies. The founders will not have to pay to join the programme or give up equity just to take part. But Askya is not pitching this as another accelerator where founders
China is preparing new traffic rules for a world of self-driving cars
Self-driving cars are getting better at driving themselves. The harder question is what happens when they get something wrong. China is now looking at that problem directly. The country is reviewing changes to its Road Traffic Safety Law that would create specific rules for autonomous vehicles. One of the biggest changes could be who is
South African startup Verascient raises R19.5m to help businesses make better use of AI
Businesses are buying AI tools, but there is a problem that does not get talked about enough.The information those tools need is often sitting everywhere. A customer's details might be in one system. Their payment history could be in another. Someone's email may contain an important decision, while a spreadsheet holds the numbers needed to
FCSL launches app that lets Nigerians practise stock trading before risking real money
Getting someone interested in investing is easy. Getting them to put their money into the market is harder. FCSL Asset Management wants to tackle that problem with InvestEd+, a new mobile app that lets Nigerians learn about the stock market and practise trading before using real money. The app uses live Nigerian Exchange (NGX) market
Starlink has landed in Uganda – and African businesses are the target
Starlink has officially entered Uganda, but the bigger story is not another country being added to its African footprint. It is what the service could mean for businesses operating far away from the major cities. Paratus Uganda has launched Starlink services in the country, giving businesses another way to get online without relying entirely on
Zambia's new power projects could ease pressure on small businesses
Zambia has approved energy projects worth about ZMW18.4 billion ($971.5 million) in proposed investment. The Energy Regulation Board approved 23 licences, 20 construction permits and additions to existing licences across electricity, renewable energy and petroleum. The approvals include 11 utility scale solar projects, as well as fuel stations, renewable energy businesses and petroleum transport operations.
SMEs are hiring before they know what they actually need
For a small business, hiring usually happens when things start getting busy. There are more customers coming in, more work to finish and not enough hours in the day. The owner is doing things that someone else should have taken over a long time ago. So the business starts looking for another employee. That is
MTN’s network spending reveals a growing gap between South Africa and Nigeria
MTN is still spending billions on its South African network, but the latest numbers show that more of its money is going into Nigeria.The group spent R2.64 billion on its South African network in the six months to June, excluding leases. That is down 17.1% from the same period last year. Nigeria received R7.34 billion.
Vale is getting more Nigerians to use its platform for everyday finance
Vale Finance has grown into a much bigger business than the savings and investment platform it started with. The Nigerian fintech says customer placements have grown from ₦100 million in 2022 to more than ₦10 billion in 2026. At the same time, transaction value on the platform has gone from ₦15 billion in 2022 to
Nigeria is putting more advanced AI training into its universities
Nigeria already has a growing number of students using AI tools. The harder part is getting more students to understand what sits behind those tools and giving them the skills to build with the technology themselves. That is what the Africa AI Upskilling Programme (AAUP) is trying to address. The programme launched at the University
Drivva is taking aim at one of Nigeria’s biggest car ownership headaches
Nigeria’s car market is changing, but maintaining a vehicle is still mostly a manual process. When a car develops a problem, most owners still call a mechanic, ask someone for a recommendation or take it to a workshop they have used before. Service records can be just as messy. Owners keep some on paper, others
Spiro’s $100 Million Bet Is on Keeping African Riders Moving
Spiro has raised $100 million in what is being described as Africa’s largest ever investment in electric mobility. The interesting part is not only the size of the investment. It is where Spiro is putting its money.The company is building around electric motorcycles, but more importantly, it is building the infrastructure needed to keep those
Africa is getting more Big Tech investment, but the basics are still holding it back
Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Starlink are putting more money into Africa's digital infrastructure. Subsea cables are reaching more parts of the continent, satellite internet is expanding and cloud companies are adding services for African customers. For businesses that have spent years dealing with unreliable connections, that is useful. There is still a problem underneath
China’s 4.3 million-car recall exposes a problem South Africa’s new cars are adopting
China is recalling about 4.3 million vehicles after finding a problem with electronic door handles that could make it harder for people to get out of a car after an accident. The recall affects vehicles from 11 manufacturers, including Tesla and Xiaomi. The issue comes down to what happens when the car loses electrical power.
AMACO’s $1.5bn Kenya AI project puts the power problem in focus
Africa is talking more about AI data centres, but there is a basic question that comes with every large project: where will the electricity come from? AMACO Energy Group, a Greek multinational, is proposing a $1.5 billion data-centre project in Mombasa, Kenya. Its HERCULES system would combine the data centre with electricity generation and cooling,
Nissan’s Rosslyn plant buyer is also building police robots
Chery is taking over Nissan’s former Rosslyn plant in Pretoria, but the company has another business that has little to do with cars. Its robotics division, AiMoga Robotics, is preparing for a possible stock market listing as it looks for more money to develop its humanoid robots and increase production. Zhang Guibing, who heads AiMoga
These Kenyan startups raised millions before shutting down. What happened?
Kenya's startup market has produced some big funding rounds. It has also produced some expensive failures. Sendy, Copia, Gro Intelligence, KOKO Networks, MarketForce, Lipa Later, iProcure, Kune, Bonto, Mobius Motors and Notify Logistics all raised significant amounts of money before shutting down, entering administration or going through liquidation. Together, the companies raised more than $500
Volkswagen's Kariega plant sets a new production record
Volkswagen's Kariega plant built 17,009 vehicles in July, its highest monthly production figure so far. The plant's previous record was 16,670 vehicles, set in July 2025. The latest figure puts production 339 vehicles above that mark. Most of the July output was made up of Polos. The plant produced 13,490 Polos for the South African