Author: James Musoba

As the gaming industry continues to grow and evolve, so too does the technology behind gaming peripherals, particularly gaming mice. With advancements in hardware, software, and user experience, the future of gaming mice promises to be exciting and filled with possibilities. This article explores emerging trends and innovations that are set to shape the next generation of gaming mice, enhancing performance, customization, and overall gaming experiences. 1. Artificial Intelligence: Smarter Gaming Mice One of the most significant trends in technology is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). Gaming mice are poised to leverage AI to provide smarter and more adaptive…

M-KOPA, a Kenyan fintech has surpassed 5 million customers across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa with its affordable smartphones and embedded financial services for African adults. According to the World Bank, 75% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa remain financially excluded. To date, M-KOPA has supported its customer base with more than US $1.5 billion in financing. Starting with smartphone access, customers gain entry to the digital economy with an affordable daily repayment model, which fits their daily income and cash flow and makes it easier to manage. By leveraging rich payments data and proprietary AI-driven analytics, M-KOPA builds…

Kofa, a Ghanaian company re-engineering energy access through clean and portable battery solutions, and PASH Global, an impact investor, have expanded Kofa’s battery swapping network in Ghana backed by a £2.35 million commitment from Shell Foundation through its Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform. Shell and TEA are committing an additional £1.4 million to support Kofa’s e-bike asset financing, research on the impact of Kofa’s multi-use battery technology, and operating expenses to promote clean energy access by providing cleaner backup power solutions that displace petrol generators, reducing fumes and noise pollution in urban areas. The expanded battery network will also reduce…

OPPO Kenya yesterday opened a new store at the Sarit Centre and launched the OPPO A3 and OPPO A3x, under the OPPO A3 Series. The new A3 series models are designed for all-around durability and everyday use, featuring a Military-Grade Shock Resistance. Additionally, the series equipped with a 5,100mAh battery and 45W SUPERVOOCTM Flash Charge, ensuring ideal performance for work, play for at least four years. OPPO A3 is available in three colour finishes – Starlight White, Sparkle Black, and Starry Purple – while the OPPO A3x comes in the Nebula Red and Ocean Blue. Both the Sparkle Black…

In the digital age, businesses are increasingly reliant on electronic devices to drive productivity and innovation. However, the rapid pace of technological advancements means that computers & other electric or battery-powered devices can quickly become outdated, leading to an accumulation of electronic waste (e-waste). As a responsible business, it’s crucial to implement an electronics waste program to manage this growing challenge. Partnering with a reliable e-waste management company like R2 Recycling ensures that your obsolete material is handled efficiently and securely, safeguarding both the environment and any sensitive information stored on computing devices. Why Businesses Need an Electronic Waste Program…

Safaricom has invested Sh104.8 billion in a healthcare partnership under the Ministry of Health in Kenya to digitize the nation’s healthcare sector. Set to take over ten years, the integrated Healthcare Information Technology System (IHTS) is being developed in partnership with Apeiro Limited and Konvergenz Network Solutions Limited, under the guidance of the Ministry of Health starting in February 2025. According to Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa, “We see technology as a tool for empowerment and transformation. This initiative represents a significant step in advancing our ambitions as a purpose-led technology company.” IHTS will include the implementation of a Health Information…

Safaricom has answered Starlink satellite service with the launch of new home and business internet speeds, with a new 1000mbps platinum package for businesses at KSh 20,000 per month, TechMoran reports. Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said in the statement, “The needs of our Enterprise customers are changing each day with the growing need to use technology. The enhanced fibre for business plans will allow our enterprise customers to have a worry-free experience with the provision of back up data.” The firm now has a 15Mbps, 30 Mbps, 80Mbps, 500Mbps and the 1000mbps plan beating Starlink which hits between 150Mbps and…

Goodwell Investments, an impact investor financing inclusive growth in emerging markets, is pleased to announce its investment in the Agent Banking Company of Uganda, Ltd (ABC), a technology-focused financial services firm with a mission to “improve lives by facilitating access to quality and affordable financial services”.  Goodwell invested in ABC through uMunthu II, its EUR 150 million fund providing venture capital to impact-driven companies throughout Africa. The funding will enable ABC to pursue ambitious goals for growth, including expanding its client base, increasing agent coverage, and deploying new services. While the investment in ABC marks Goodwell’s entry into Uganda, in…

IBM and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched new interactive models to analyze complex energy issues through IBM’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology and UNDP’s knowledge and global leadership in sustainable development. The scientists used UNDP’s global GeoHub platform and IBM watsonx AI and data platform to easily upload, visualize and analyze datasets, combining time-oriented and geographic data with satellite imagery. According to Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM Vice President and Chief Impact Officer, “By making innovative models freely accessible to the public, we aim to empower leaders, organizations and community members alike with the insights to make impactful energy decisions…

Latitude59, Estonia’s startup and tech event, is seeking the boldest early-stage startups from Kenya and across Africa to compete for a prize pool of non-equity funding of one million euros. Now in its 12th edition, Latitude59 held in Tallinn, Estonia in May, attracted over 3,500 attendees, including more than 900 startup representatives and nearly 600 investors. The event featured 195 speakers, 40% of whom were women. In total, participants came from 65 countries worldwide. One African startup will receive an invitation to participate at the semi-finals of Latitude59 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia.According to Latitude59’s CEO Liisi Org, “Last year’s strong…

Wananchi Group, which owns the Zuku brand across Africa, is set to be acquired by Mauritius’ based Axian Telecom for undisclosed sum. Axian is set to buy 99.63 per cent of Wananchi Group according to filings at the Comesa Competition Commission. Axian, owned by Hassanein Hiridjee of Madagascar operates Tigo and Zantel in Tanzania and other operations in Uganda, DR Congo, Mauritius, Madagascar and Comoros. Wananchi will be required to its stake in satellite communications firm iSat Africa Limited. iSat Africa Ltd FZC, iSat Africa’s holding company is incorporated in the United Arab Emirates with subsidiaries in Kenya and Zambia.…

ASUS Zenbook S 16 is this year’s best PC in the market going with its key specs compared with competitors in the same price range. The Asus Zenbook S 16 is the first ultrathin 16-inch new-era ASUS AI PC, with a new Ceraluminum™ 1.1 cm chassis. The ultra-slim Zenbook design comes in a high-tech ceramic in a range of nature-inspired colors and is powered by the latest AMD Ryzen™ AI processor and comes in Zumaia Gray and Scandinavian White colours. Key Specs of the UM5606WA Processor and Performance Asus’ Zenbook S 16 is the company’s first model with AMD’s flagship…

Safaricom and Mastercard have signed a partnership to accelerate the adoption of payment acceptance and cross-border remittance services in Kenya. This collaboration is set to benefit over 636,000 merchants using M-PESA, Safaricom’s leading mobile money service. Kenya’s payment acceptance market continues to grow, with mobile wallet payments driven by M-PESA showing a 12.7% CAGR between 2020 and 2024. Leveraging M-PESA’s extensive merchant network and Mastercard’s global payment infrastructure, this partnership will make more seamless, secure, and scalable payment solutions available to merchants, enabling them to serve customers across global markets. The partnership will also boost remittance services, streamlining cross-border transactions…

LabLabee, the Algerian platform for hands-on training in telecom networks of the future, has secured $3.4 million to provide affordable hands-on training to empower professionals in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. This round was led by Reach Capital and supported by Classera, along with existing investors Brighteye Ventures and e& capital. Notable business angels such as Cedric Sellin (Investor & Advisor in Tech) and Mohammed Husamaddin (VP of Business Development at Naseej) also joined the funding round. According to Esteban Sosnik, General Partner and Co-Founder at Reach Capital, “New technologies like 5G, IoT and cloud computing are transforming how telecommunication…

Happy Pay raises $1.8 million pre-seed round and secures inaugural debt facility as it accelerates its mission of bringing the cost of consumer credit to zero for South Africans. Happy Pay, South Africa’s only independent BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) provider, now with 150,000 active users, announced today that it has raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding. The funding round was led by a group of prominent South African venture capital investors, including co-lead investors E4E Africa and 4Di Capital, with participation from DotExe Ventures, Launch Africa, Equitable Ventures, Felix Strategic Investment, U.S.-based Gaingels, and local angels. In addition, Fin…

Uncap has launched Unconventional Capital, a €30 million fund dedicated to providing non-dilutive, revenue-based financing to early-stage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Africa. This new fund is a significant step forward in Uncap’s mission to support high-potential businesses driving economic growth in critical sectors such as agriculture, trade, logistics, climate resilience, and financial inclusion. Unconventional Capital will collaborate with key partners, including SAIS, an ag-tech initiative funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH), as well as O-Farms, a circular agriculture program run by Bopinc…

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries and redefining how we approach investing. For those new to the investment world, understanding how to leverage the AI revolution can open up new opportunities for growth and financial success. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview for beginners looking to capitalize on the AI boom, offering insights into the technology, its impact on investing, and strategies for smart investment in this evolving field. Understanding Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence encompasses a range of technologies designed to simulate human intelligence and decision-making processes. At its core, AI includes concepts such…

M-KOPA, a Nairobi-based fintech firm has been slapped with a Ksh 885.87 million fine in taxes by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) after it assessed M-KOPA’s tax obligations, including withholding tax and Pay As You Earn (PAYE), from 2017 to 2019. According to the tax tribunal, M-Kopa is based in Kenya as its effective management operations are based in Kenya, not the United Kingdom where it also registered. Founded in 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya, M-Kopa started as an under $20 pay-as-you-go solar systems firm to its present Pay Later and financial services firm providing micro-loans, electronics and house appliances on…

Gozem, Togo’s Super App, is set to launch Gozem Money, its new Mobile Money service in partnership with NSIA Banque to expand its offerings and strengthen its ecosystem with innovative fintech products, while providing users with a seamless experience in an integrated and secure environment. Starting from the fourth quarter of 2024, Gozem customers in Togo will be able to use the Gozem wallet for various financial transactions, including paying bills, making purchases both within and outside the Gozem ecosystem, transferring money to other users, and efficiently managing their personal finances. For Jean-Martial Moulaud, COO and Group Director of Gozem,…

Transsion Holdings, the parent firm of TECNO, Infinix and Itel smartphone brands in Africa has announced that its CFO, Xia Yonghui, was detained on the evening of September 6, 2024, by the local authorities in Dandong City’s Zhen’an District in China. Xiao Yonghui has been working at Transsion since January 2014. He used to work in Jiangxi Qingjiang Chemical Plant and Ningbo Bird Co., Ltd. Transsion Holdings, with over 40% market share of Africa’s smartphone market said the CFO, who has been at the company for a decade, was detained as part of a broader investigation into the company’s corporate…

Mawingu, a rural-focused Internet Service Provider (ISP), has announced the expansion of its network to Mandera county, bringing the number of counties to 30 that the ISP has connected to its network across the country. According to Mawingu’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Farouk RAMJI, “Mawingu marks yet another milestone towards our long-term vision of making meaningful connectivity accessible to more Kenyans at very competitive price points, comparative to other service providers, by building sustainable, flexible infrastructure in underserved regions.” Mawingu has also enhanced its network coverage in Garissa County with an investment in fibre delivery infrastructure. The ISP will be…

Soramitsu and the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) have entered into a strategic partnership for the promotion of blockchain technology research, capacity building and application in Nigeria. Soramitsu is an award-winning global technology company delivering blockchain-based solutions for enterprises, universities, and governments. Utilising blockchain technology, Soramitsu developed the Bakong CBDC along with the National Bank of Cambodia, a CBDC Proof-of-Concept with the Bank of the Lao PDR and with the Central Bank of Solomon Islands, a closed-loop payment system for the University of Aizu in Japan, an identity verification system prototype for Bank Central Asia in Indonesia.…

Kyocera Corporation has established a $100 million corporate venture capital (CVC) fund, the Kyocera Venture Fund-I LP (KVF-I), which will invest mainly in start-ups in the U.S. and EMEA to strengthen Kyocera’s system for creating new businesses. Today’s KVF-I $60 million, joins Kyocera Venture Innovation Fund-I(KVIF-I), $40 million fund which Kyocera announced in March 2024 as a CVC fund investing mainly in Japan and Asia. Together, the two funds expand Kyocera’s global venture capital funding portfolio to approximately U.S. $100 million.　 The fund will be opearting for 10 years and will invest between $200K-$2 million for less than 20% seed…

TYRESE HASPIL, 25, has been sentenced to 40 years-to-life in state prison for the brutal 2020 murder of his former boss, 33-year-old tech Gokada CEO Fahim Saleh, after stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his company, Gokada. Haspil is also required to pay full restitution back to Gokada after he was convicted on June 24, 2024 by a New York State Supreme Court jury on one count of Murder in the First Degree, two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, one count of Burglary in the Second Degree, among other charges. Gokada is a mobility startup based in…

Visa has awarded Safaricom Plc., a payment facilitator certificate in a move expected to empower Safaricom’s merchant ecosystem by diversifying payment acceptance modes through the introduction of card payments that support all card networks via Visa’s CyberSource Payment Gateway. This initiative is part of the continuing multi-year partnership, which began with the successful launch of the M-PESA GlobalPay Virtual Visa Card in June 2022. By leveraging Visa’s advanced payment technologies, Safaricom merchants will have access to and offer a broader range of payment options, enhancing their ability to serve customers efficiently and securely. “We are thrilled to present the Payment…

GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition 2024 has named Moroccan Fatima El Khou, founder and Head of Research and Innovation at Jafife, and Ghanaian Dr Iddi Mohammed Faried, co-founder and CEO of Kodu Technology as winners of this year’s competition. The grand prize winners each received USD $50,000 to scale their businesses. Jafife aims to revolutionize agri-food supply chain in Morocco with digitalized solar-powered technology that transforms crops and seafood into long-lasting dried food products while Ghana’s Kodu Technology transforms banana and plantain fibers into eco-friendly sanitary pads for women, addressing health and hygiene challenges. According to Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Chairman of…

NBA Africa has announced the 10 startup companies from seven African countries selected to pitch their products to a panel of international industry leaders at a Demo Day at the NBA headquarters in New York City on September 25 2024. The 10 are part of “Triple-Double: NBA Africa Startup Accelerator,” which the league launched in April 2024 to support Africa’s technology ecosystem and the next generation of African entrepreneurs. Out of the 10, NBA will select four winning startups to be awarded financial support and mentorship. The four prize-winning startups will be announced at Demo Day. “We have been inspired…

Prodigy Finance, a global higher education finance company, has launched a $30 million Blended Finance programme in collaboration with The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited and Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies to maximise the provision of international education loans, combining a grant from Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies and senior financing from Standard Bank. According to the firm, for every $1 of capital donated by the philanthropies, $4 of capital will be provided to students by banks. This efficient method supports significantly more students than traditional scholarships, aiming for substantial social impact while delivering financial returns to the bank.…

FSDAi Nyala Facility BV, a facility set up by FSD Africa Investments to invest in emerging local capital providers is injecting US$1 million into Africa-based specialist VC fund First Circle Capital. Run by former entrepreneurs and fintech executives Selma Ribica and Agnes Aistleitner Kisuule, First Circle invests in early -stage fintechs in focused on insurance, financial infrastructure and climate tech and fintech Software as a Service (SAAS), Reg Tech and Alternative Lending Model firms. The team has built a portfolio of 13 investments so far in these areas, across 7 African markets. Announcing FSDAi Nyala Facility’s investment, FSDAi’s Chief Investment…

Talk360, the international calling app that connects with reliable and affordable calls to any landline or mobile phone, has raised $1.4 million to drive the company’s goal of connecting seven million people by 2025 while strengthening its journey towards long-term profitability. The Pre-Series A funding round was led by Talk360’s long-standing investor, Havaic at a $30 million+ valuation. Havaic contributed $1 million while the additional $400,000 from other investors to localise into more African languages and set up more local and global partnerships with remittance companies, retailers, and brands. In 2022, Talk360 raised $7 million through two seed funding rounds,…