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Renew Capital Selects 15 Startups for Embedded Finance Programme
Investment firm Renew Capital has selected 15 African startups to advance in its embedded finance programme, highlighting growing investor interest in technology companies that are expanding access to financial services for small businesses. The selected startups were chosen from more than 500 applicants and represent Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Uganda
Crypto Mining vs Bitcoin Investing: Which Makes More Sense?
Bitcoin has created opportunities for people to earn money in more than one way. Some choose to buy the cryptocurrency and hold it, hoping its value increases over time. Others try to earn Bitcoin by mining it.On paper, both can deliver returns. In practice, they require very different levels of investment and carry different risks.For
VOVE ID Launches Compliance Readiness Programme for African Startups
Identity verification company VOVE ID has launched a compliance readiness programme aimed at helping African and emerging-market startups strengthen their regulatory processes before seeking funding, expanding into new markets or partnering with financial institutions. Applications for the VOVE Compliance Infrastructure Program will open on 20 July and close on 20 August. The initiative targets startups
Kenya Extends Fuel Tax Relief as Global Oil Market Pressures Persist
Kenya has extended its reduced value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products for another three months. The move is intended to shield consumers from continued volatility in global oil markets. Energy and Petroleum Minister Opiyo Wandayi announced that the VAT rate on fuel will remain at 8% until October 14, 2026. The extension keeps in place
TikTok Launches In-App AI Education Feature in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya
TikTok has introduced an in-app AI education feature for users in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. It unveiled the feature during the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, where the company announced a series of new artificial intelligence initiatives. The feature is designed to help users recognise AI generated content, understand how AI tools
Have African Mining Tech Startups Tapped into the Digital Twin Opportunity?
Digital twins have become another widely discussed technology in the mining industry. They create a digital representation of equipment, processing plants or even an entire mine using real-time operational data. That allows operators to monitor performance, predict equipment failures, test production scenarios and identify problems before they interrupt production. The technology is already demonstrating its
Amazon to Launch Satellite Internet in South Africa Through Herotel
Amazon will launch its satellite internet service in South Africa in 2027 after signing an agreement with local internet provider Herotel. The partnership is Amazon's first satellite broadband deal in Africa and comes while rival Starlink is still waiting to enter the South African market. Neither company disclosed the value of the agreement. South Africa
Five Software Testing Strategies Every Startup Should Know
Startups spend a lot of time building products and adding new features, but software testing often receives less attention than it should. That usually changes after launch, when customers begin reporting bugs, transactions fail or an update affects a feature that was working perfectly. For a small business, these problems go beyond technical issues. They
Eni Awards SLB OneSubsea Contract for Baleine Oil and Gas Development
Eni has awarded SLB OneSubsea an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the subsea production system supporting Phase 3 of Côte d'Ivoire's Baleine oil and gas field. The contract, announced on 13 July, covers the development of infrastructure for 13 subsea wells, although the financial value of the award was not disclosed. Supporting Phase
Africa Business Registration for Startups and SMEs: Rwanda
Rwanda has simplified the process of starting a business over the past few years. The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) now manages most company registrations through its online platform, reducing paperwork and shortening processing times. Businesses still need to meet the country's legal and tax requirements before they can begin operating. Whether you're opening a small
No Free Lunch Podcast – Building ROI on AI projects
In this episode of No Free Lunch my discussion with Sihle Letzolo, the Principal Machine Learning Engineer at Olostel AI, focusses on a practical question facing many businesses today: why do so many AI projects fail to deliver clear return on investment? Our discussion highlighted a common frustration across industries – Regular large spending on
Breaking News Today – Wednesday 15 July 2026
African Start-up News Headlines: Business News Today New Financing Guarantee Platform to Boost Intra-African Trade The World Bank Group’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and Deutsche Bank, have announced the launch of a €1 billion ($1.17 billion) guarantee platform to expand trade finance in frontier and emerging markets yesterday. This is MIGA’s first standalone, programmatic
Nigerian Fintech Accrue Launches Stablecoin Banking Platform for African SMEs
Nigeria-based stablecoin fintech Accrue has launched Accrue Business, a banking platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage cross-border payments more efficiently. The platform enables businesses to hold, send and receive stablecoins, collect international payments, pay suppliers across multiple markets and manage payroll through a single platform. The new offering builds on the infrastructure
Purple Group acquires Telescope AI in R177 million deal
Purple Group has agreed to acquire Telescope AI, an Australian fintech that already supplies technology to EasyEquities. The deal is worth up to US$10.75 million (about R177 million). The JSE-listed company and its subsidiary, First World Trader, will each acquire a 50% stake in Telescope AI. They are buying the business from the Pettett Family
Building sustainable digital infrastructure for Africa's future
Africa's digital economy cannot grow without the infrastructure behind it. Every online payment, banking transaction, streamed video and cloud-based service depends on networks that most people never think about. Fibre cables, data centres, mobile towers and reliable electricity keep those services running every day. Demand continues to rise as more businesses move online and consumers
Mozambique Establishes National Drone Programme for Disaster Response
Mozambique has established a permanent national drone capability for disaster preparedness after graduating its first 30 certified drone pilots on 13 July. The programme was financed through a US$967,000 grant from the African Development Bank's Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Trust Fund. Implemented over 15 months from April 2025, the programme trained drone pilots while equipping national
Business School – Mastering Funding Finesse
The One Key Lesson for African Startup Leaders Right Now: Master Funding Finesse In a somewhat chaotic African business environment we find today, the single most important lesson for startup founders and leaders is this: Master “Funding Finesse”. Building your ability to strategically access and combine multiple forms of capital (equity, debt, revenue-based financing, local
Have Africa Startups Become Too Dependent on Venture Capital?
Venture capital has played a major role in Africa's startup ecosystem. It gave founders access to funding that banks were unlikely to provide, allowing young businesses to hire staff, expand into new markets and develop products at a much faster pace. Fintech, e-commerce, health technology and software companies have all benefited from that support. But
How Startups Keep Track of Customers as They Grow
Early stage businesses rarely start with a dedicated CRM. They begin with a spreadsheet. It works well in the early stages. Customer details, follow up dates and sales notes are all stored in one place, making it easy for founders to keep track of conversations. As the business becomes busier, that approach starts to change.
Breaking News Today – Tuesday 14 July 2026
African Start-up News Headlines: Business News Today De Beers to Shut Major South African Diamond Mine Diamond Mining Major De Beers, announced on Monday (July 13) that it will pause production at the Venetia mine, South Africa’s largest diamond mine by value and output share, for a period of two years to cut costs amid