In a move poised to revolutionize Liberia’s technological landscape, the government of Liberia is considering the introduction of Starlink satellite Internet service, developed by SpaceX.
This follows a recent virtual discussion between President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. and Elon Musk, the visionary CEO of SpaceX.
During their conversation, both leaders underscored the transformative potential of advanced technology, particularly in enhancing access to critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and economic development in rural areas of Liberia.
Recognizing the potential impact, President Boakai extended an invitation for Musk and his team to visit Liberia, signifying a commitment to ongoing dialogue and potential collaboration.
Concurrently, Liberia is undergoing significant reforms in its telecommunications sector.
“New regulations are being introduced to support fintech companies, aiming to foster innovation and competition in a market historically dominated by a few major players. These reforms are designed to level the playing field, enabling smaller startups to enter and thrive in the mobile and Internet services arena,” reports indicates.
The regulatory shift is expected to empower Liberian entrepreneurs, particularly those developing mobile financial solutions, by providing fair access to essential telecom resources. This marks a pivotal moment in Liberia’s tech evolution, coinciding with Musk’s interest in expanding Starlink across Africa.
Together, these developments promise a dynamic transformation in Liberia’s tech and telecom landscape, paving the way for broader connectivity and innovative services. The potential introduction of Starlink, alongside progressive regulatory changes, heralds a new era of technological advancement and economic opportunity for Liberia.
As of mid-2024, Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, has actively been expanding its presence across Africa. The service is already live in several African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia, Benin, and Eswatini. Starlink aims to further extend its reach to additional countries by the end of 2024. Upcoming launches are planned for Gambia, Lesotho, Senegal, Tanzania, Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe, among others.
This expansion aligns with Starlink’s goal to provide high-speed, low-latency internet access to underserved regions, particularly in rural areas where traditional broadband services are lacking.
The culture of an organization, the way that things are done, will develop whether there’s intention or not. By defining what it should be, you can influence the behavior. If you don’t define it, it’ll develop organically and you might not like the results.
Culture is “the way we do things around here.” When you join a new team, you will quickly be humbled. Everybody knows everybody, everyone has a circle – or not. They know the bosses’ good and bad times -read, when to ask for favors and when not to. There’s clearly a formula on how business runs, and everybody knows it, except you. The newbie. Always saying hi to those that prefer quiet mornings, inviting to lunch the project manager that eats sandwiches at his desk, or running every step of your project by your supervisor who really prefers to just oversee and give feedback. Or, the opposite- when you meet the micromanager. Most times, teams have held on to their beliefs, rituals and behaviors for far too long, and will immediately sideline anyone who dares question “the way of doing things.”
All these things, added together, really define how teams work. And, ultimately, decide whether a team will build something great, or will jeopardize the productivity of an organization. In this article, we’ll explore the profound impact of startup culture on team dynamics and why getting it right can be the difference between success and failure.
So what then, is Culture, and Why is it so Important?
Culture isn’t just about Ping-Pong tables, free snacks and beer Fridays; it’s the underlying DNA that shapes how a team works together, innovates, and ultimately thrives. A strong culture provides a shared sense of purpose and identity, aligns team members around common goals, and fosters trust, collaboration, and resilience.
With the right culture within an organization, team members feel aligned, valued and empowered to put their best foot forward. This ultimately manifests into productivity, as there is a common and shared sense of purpose. No one is sidelined, there is no deadweight on the team, or walking on eggshells when it’s time to put a point across. And, it’s not just about productivity.
When you think of startups, the thought of challenges and tough days surely must cross your mind. The beauty of a strong and positive culture is that it carries a startup –and really any organization, through the dark days. When the product launch is a flop, or the expected funding didn’t pan out. Delayed salaries and the dreaded PR disasters that are a daily dose for most startups. A trusting, aligned, resilient and optimistic team- all *aspects* cultivated by a positive organizational culture will more often than not be willing and able to endure the tough times without backing out, cutting corners or sabotaging the organization.
Conversely, a toxic or dysfunctional culture can erode morale, hinder productivity, and drive talented team members away, ultimately spelling doom for the startup.
Cultivating a Positive Startup Culture:
Building a positive startup culture requires intentional effort and a commitment from leadership to prioritize values, behaviors, and norms that support the company’s mission and vision. Elements that define a positive culture are many. Today we discuss 3 key elements of a positive startup culture, and how Core values are the foundation on which a culture is built.
1. Aligning with the core values of your organization.
Core values are the foundation on which a culture is built. By definition, core values are “ideals you believe that determine your behavior and decisions.” They do not change with every turn or dynamics of the economy, society or organizational disruption. The point of values and mission in an organization is to define a pathway and create a guide for the team to follow in the process of executing the set goals.
When hiring, it is important to look out for people who align with your core values. If, for instance, your core value as a startup is boldness, it is crucial to be on the lookout for hires that share this core value. This means people who are not afraid of leaping on new ideas, even without full knowledge. People who don’t wait for conditions to align to act. People that are ready to try, fail and then try again.
When your core value is perseverance, team members that don’t back out when the going gets tough, that stay objective as opposed to emotional or panicked in less than favorable circumstances, are your best bet. As a startup, it is crucial to realize that a hire can have the right skills and be the best on the job, but when their core values are misaligned with yours, any attempt to “be on the same page” or “share a culture” will be futile.
Every organization explicitly outlines their mission, vision and values on their websites and walls, but it is just that- words. They do not integrate their values into their daily operations- hiring, crisis management, milestone conversations.
Deciding what values will help you achieve your goals, then integrating them in your day to day running will set a good foundation for a positive culture, even for people that join in later on, or through the dynamics that are bound to happen.
2. Empowerment and Ownership.
An empowered team isn’t just an asset; they’re the heart and soul of a productive workforce. When individuals feel empowered to take ownership of their work, supported to innovate, and encouraged to voice their ideas, they not only thrive personally, they also become catalysts for positive change and contribute to a vibrant and collaborative environment where creativity, productivity and success becomes a collective journey. And that is exactly what the goal of a positive culture should be – To be on a collective journey.
Autonomy is one of the guaranteed ways to empower a team. The degree to which a team or individual has freedom to make their own decisions and take actions independently, without excessive external control or micromanagement is consistent with the level of responsibility and ownership they have towards their work. Autonomy can manifest in various forms, such as setting their own schedules, choosing how to approach tasks, making decisions about resource allocation, and having input into strategic planning and goal-setting –as long as the goal is met. When individuals have a sense of control over their work and are trusted to make decisions, they tend to feel more invested in their jobs and more motivated to perform at their best.
Empowering employees, however, goes beyond simply granting them autonomy; it is about unleashing their full potential to drive innovation, creativity, and productivity.
Implementing your team’s good ideas and giving them credit for it, ensuring employee satisfaction and engagement in brainstorming sessions, promoting and supporting their personal growth and development can create a culture where individuals thrive and contribute to the collective success of the company.
3. Diversity and Inclusion.
If you are a startup founder, I hate to break it to you, diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords that corporates use to sound fancy. They are fundamental principles that drive innovation, creativity, and ultimately, the success of the company. When you talk of a positive organizational culture, diversity and inclusion must be among your to-do.
Diversity by definition is “the presence of a variety of different demographic and cultural characteristics within a group.” Most startup founders will be tempted to include their sister, a cousin, someone that looks like them, or with similar characters in the team. When it’s one or two, that might be okay. But at the very beginning stages of a startup, pulling all or most of your team members from your closest circle is as close to sabotage as you can get. Not only are boundaries shaky and blurred, but whenever a new team member from outside your circle or different from the team joins, they immediately are the outsider.
Diversity includes both visible differences, such as physical appearance, as well as invisible differences, such as cognitive styles, personality traits, and life experiences.
Embracing diversity means recognizing and valuing the unique perspectives, experiences, and contributions that individuals from diverse backgrounds bring to the table. It involves creating an environment where people feel respected, included, and empowered to be their authentic selves, regardless of their differences.
Inclusion on the other hand, means appreciating and empowering all team members to achieve the set goals, regardless of their differences in identity and background. This means actively having inclusive practices like training and education, implementation of ideas from different team members and equity in terms of pay.
Basically, diversity and inclusion are about creating environments where individuals from all backgrounds feel welcomed, respected, and valued, and where their unique perspectives and contributions are recognized and celebrated.
In the pulsating heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where innovation meets opportunity, Africa stands at the forefront of technological advancement. And in the midst of all the exciting changes happening, although not talked about as much, women have fast risen to the call of technology and become bold trailblazers who have broken through barriers, challenged norms, and transformed the tech scene in Africa.
From coding geniuses to visionary entrepreneurs, these pioneers have not only harnessed the power of technology to change lives but have also become beacons of inspiration and hope for generations of women and young girls to come.
In this article, we honor the stories of 5 remarkable African women whose indomitable spirit, ingenuity, and vision have not only transformed the tech industry but have also left an indelible mark on the very essence of African innovation.
Naadiya Moosajee
Founder of Women in Engineering (WomEng), an organization dedicated to nurturing the talents of girls and women in engineering and technology, Moosajee is best known for her commitment to gender parity, spearheading a transformative movement to bridge the gender gap.
In 2014, Forbes recognized her as one of Africa’s Top 20 Young Power Women in Africa, while the Government of China honored her at the BRICS Summit for her outstanding contributions to STEM education for African girls. Passionate about fostering STEM education and gender equality, Moosajee is committed to shaping prosperous and equitable societies in emerging economies.
Alongside Hema Vallabh, she co-founded WomHub, further expanding their impact on the industry.
According to Moosajee, “Engineers design our world and our society, and if we don’t have women at the design table, we exclude 50% of the population.”
Betelhem Dessie
“As a young woman, coding made me feel independent and free, and that’s something I want to give other people.”
At the age of 7, Dessie fell in love with computers. And by the tender age of 20, this visionary Ethiopian technologist had six software programs patented in her name, and was involved in the development of the world-famous Sophia the robot. Dessie founded iCog-Anyone Can Code at the age of 24, an Ethiopian-based social enterprise that offers kids and youth an opportunity at a future through coding.
Through iCog, the futures of over 30,000 youths have been positively impacted, making them more employable and skilled for entrepreneurship.
Maya Horgan Famodu
Maya believes that if you want to support women, you put them in positions to do it themselves. And she lives by her words, having founded Ingressive capital and Ingressive for Good, one a venture capital thatsupports early-stage African tech startups, and the other a nonprofit providing micro-scholarships, technical skills training and talent placement to African tech talents in need, respectively.
Being the youngest Black woman to launch a tech fund, Maya Horgan has been honored by Forbes before in their “Under 30 Technology” list, in 2018.
Mary Mwangi
Mary Mwangi knows too well that being a pioneer, and especially in the tech space, is no bed of roses.
Founder and CEO of Data Integrated, this Kenyan powerhouse is a pioneer in the fintech logistics space in Africa, with her company leveraging on tech to offer financial solutions to African SMEs, with a greater focus on Kenya’s public transport system.
Being a pioneer, the challenges are there, she admits, but insists that “You can do it. You have to get up.”
Charity Wanjiku
Charity Wanjiku describes herself as a shining star and a work-in-progress all at the same time. And a shining star she is indeed, having made patented solar panels and powered the most rural parts of Kenya before solar tiles were a thing. Recognized by both Forbes and the World Economic Forum as a top woman in tech globally, Charity is the founder Strauss Energy Ltd, an off-grid solar energy startup based in Nairobi, Kenya. She lights up the lives of Kenyans in rural areas – Literally.
The uniqueness of Strauss’ solar systems lies in their special meters that can feed unused electricity back to the national grid, generating income for households.
She is passionate about breaking STEM barriers for women and girls, as in her words, “It’s important that girls are at the forefront of this digital age, because nobody will hire you if you do not have tech skills.”
African startup funding has seen a significant fall from the highs of 2021 and 2022, with investments in the startup scene in Africa dropping by around 27% in 2023
Would you start a startup if there was no funding for it? African startup funding has seen a significant fall from the highs of 2021 and 2022, with investments in the startup scene in Africa in terms of funding dropping by around 27% in 2023, according to Disrupt Africa’s African Tech Startups Funding Report. The number of investors during this time, according to the same report fell by half.
Does this inform the direction that startups might take in the future, or is it an indicator that starting a startup might not be a worthy cause in 2024? In the recent live podcast hosted by Founders Factory Africa on the good and bad of funding, experts in the startup ecosystem in Nairobi came together to discuss the importance of choosing the right capital in 2024, and how to navigate the tight belt fastened by investors.
In the panel for the live podcast episode were Rology CFO Jason Musyoka; Bruce Nsereko-Lule, co-founder and general partner at Seedstars; and June Odongo, founder and CEO of Senga Technologies.
One thing from the conversation was clear; in the fight for a win, and with the current lack of sufficient funding, startup founders might feel the need to scramble for every funding opportunity that presents itself, in the process hurting their business and perhaps themselves. Therefore despite these funding challenges, the panelists unanimously agreed that it’s still critical for startups to be reasonable and careful in choosing the investors they approach for funding.
So, what are these critical play points to be addressed in the race for funding, and how to understand good and bad funding?
Shifting investor expectations
In the best way to approach investors in these tight times, the panelists highlighted that times have changed in the ecosystem, and investors are now prioritizing fundamentals and sustainability over pure potential, advising that founders should be aware of investors’ shifting priorities and adapt their fundraising strategies accordingly. This requires founders to have a clear roadmap with achievable milestones (pilot, funding rounds) and contingency plans.
“As investors, we’re looking for a plan but you also need to model in variation,” says Nsero- Luke. “Aim to go with the plan but let’s model it if we need to spend a little bit more, for example.”
Additionally, investors are emphasizing due diligence and seeking ventures with strong fundamentals and realistic growth plans, moving away from solely chasing high-growth potential. That makes it important that they do everything they can to impress in the due diligence process.
“From an investor perspective, it’s important that you do your due diligence very well whilst you’re investing in a company so that, when you’re putting in the money, you don’t get unexpected surprises,” he adds.
Choosing the right investor
Even within this shifting environment, the panelists agree that it’s still important for startup founders to be discerning in the investors they approach for funding. More particularly, they say, founders must consider whether choosing local investors makes more sense than international ones. While international investors might have deeper pockets, local investors often have a greater contextual understanding of local environments and may therefore be better positioned to guide founders to success.
“The beauty about local investors is that we understand context,” says Musyoka. “And not just context but we also have networks. There are doors that the senior-level executives and CEOs that they introduce you to can open for you or businesses that they can enable for you that they can enable for that you wouldn’t be able to open for yourself.”
Another strategic considerations when choosing which investors to approach is your business goals. Founders should define their business goals (lifestyle vs. scaling) and align their investment strategy accordingly, potentially utilizing local angel investors and then seeking international capital for further growth.
Even with these considerations in mind, it’s still important that founders pay attention to the investment offers in front of them. “If you’ve got two competing term sheets in front of you, always go for the one that offers the least dilution,” says Musyoka, who has a unique perspective as an investor turned operator. “It gives you flexibility and allows you to operate in your known business framework.” That may mean accepting a smaller investment but, Musyoka believes that this isn’t always a bad thing.
“A small amount is not necessarily bad for you,” he says. “You just have to recalibrate and work with what you have.”
According to Odongo, getting to the right investor also means knowing when to pause, when to move and when to stop, as Senga has had to do a couple of times over the past few years.
“At one point, we were going to raise money when we had validated our idea and it was growing well. Then we got a lot of competition that was emulating some of what we were doing and they were raising tones of money, so I decided not to raise because it was clear to me that things were not going to turn out well. So we retreated and pivoted to a new niche.”
Planning for an exit (or not)
In the long run, more and more startups taking this approach may also change how we think about exits on the continent.
“Exit opportunities exist in Africa,” says Nsereko-Lule. “We have local exchanges, we have big corporations, etc. The effective exit opportunities exist here, but the types of companies that local players want to buy are very different to the ones internationals want to buy.”
“As we contextualize venture capital to the local market, it will help,” he adds. “Then we can build businesses where founders have the necessary skill sets and build businesses capable of achieving exits on the continent.”
In conclusion, depending on how a founder goes about it, funding can be one of two; a blessing or a bad thing for a startup. Even with the funding drought that the African startup system is facing, it is important for a startup to be wisely selective with choosing the right investor, lest they risk losing their soul and business in the fight.
Sun King has secured an $80 million loan facility to scale access to off-grid solar energy in Nigeria and enable households and small businesses to adopt clean, reliable solar power without prohibitive upfront costs.
By combining public and private capital, the IFC and Stanbic IBTC Bank facility allows Sun King to extend local currency loans through its pay-as-you-go model while mitigating foreign exchange risks. This approach enables customers to pay in small instalments, which improves affordability and capital efficiency, particularly for low-income and rural consumers.
“Off-grid solar provides the fastest and most scalable pathway to universal electrification across Africa. This investment exemplifies the kind of bold, all-hands-on-deck approach required to deliver reliable, affordable energy to millions at the pace Mission 300 calls for. With structured financing tailored to local needs, we can dismantle affordability barriers and scale up the proven impact of off-grid solar solutions. We commend IFC and Standard Bank for their leadership in advancing sustainable energy access.” said Anish Thakkar, Co-Founder, Sun King.
Sun King, an off-grid solar provider, designs, distributes, and finances solar systems across over 40 countries. With a network of more than 29,500 agents across Africa, the company has sold over 27 million solar products. Sun King sells a range of cost-effective solar products, from solar home systems that offer multi-room lighting and phone charging to powerful rooftop solar systems that provide power equity with the grid.
Via flexible pay-as-you-go payment options, customers repay the cost of solar systems over 12 to 24 months through daily, weekly, or monthly instalments. Customers can pay as little as $0.21 a day via mobile money or cash. This model lowers the financial barrier to clean energy and broadens access among underserved communities. To date, Sun King has extended $1.2 billion in loans to its customers across Africa.
In Nigeria, where nearly 40% of the population lacks access to electricity, demand for affordable solar solutions is growing rapidly. The facility will support Sun King’s expansion in the country, especially in hard-to-reach communities.
“Millions of Nigerians still live without reliable access to electricity, which limits opportunity and undermines resilience,” said Dahlia Khalifa, IFC Regional Director for Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa. “This investment enables scalable local-currency solutions that empower households and businesses with clean, affordable solar power. Beyond energy access, it supports rural employment, boosts productivity, and brings us closer to our shared goal of inclusive, sustainable development.”
The investment aligns with Nigeria’s Country Partnership Framework with the World Bank Group and contributes to Mission 300, a joint initiative with the African Development Bank launched in 2025 to expand electricity access across Africa.
IFC’s financing package includes a $25 million senior concessional loan from the Canada-IFC Africa Renewable Energy Program, which helps spur private sector financing for climate change solutions, especially innovative and early-stage projects in emerging markets.
In parallel, the Nigerian government and the World Bank are launching the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) program, which will help reduce costs for off-grid solar users through results-based subsidies — complementing this private-sector-led effort.
The facility falls under Sun King’s Sustainable Financing Framework, which has received a ‘Very Good’ Sustainable Quality Score from Moody’s, recognising its strong contribution to sustainability and climate goals.
“At Stanbic IBTC, we are proud to strengthen our partnership with Sun King through this transformative $80 million facility, which will empower millions of Nigerians with access to clean, reliable, and affordable solar energy who would otherwise struggle to access power. This collaboration underscores our commitment to fostering innovative solutions that address critical energy challenges in Nigeria while driving economic growth and improving the quality of life for underserved communities. By enabling households and small businesses to access solar power through flexible financing options, we are helping to build a more inclusive and sustainable future for Nigeria.”— Oladele Sotubo, CE of Stanbic Bank IBTC Capital Ltd
BBOXX, a UK-based off-grid solar solutions provider with operations across Africa, is facing a winding-up petition filed by a German investment firm, 5th Dimension Investment GmbH. The petition, filed on April 3, 2025, is scheduled to be heard at the High Court of Justice (Companies Court) in London on May 21, 2025.
According to court filings, the petition seeks to wind up BBOXX Ltd under the Insolvency Act 1986, citing financial claims yet to be disclosed publicly. The matter will be heard before the Business and Property Courts of England & Wales at the Rolls Building in Fetter Lane, London.
The petition was lodged by 5th Dimension Investment GmbH, a Berlin-based investment company headquartered at Hardenbergstraße 27, Berlin. Legal representation for the petitioner is being handled by Child & Child Law Limited, a London-based law firm.
Any parties—creditors, stakeholders, or interested members of the public—wishing to support or oppose the petition must notify the petitioner’s solicitors by 4:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025, in accordance with Rule 7.14 of the UK Insolvency Rules.
Bboxx announced this decision at the UK-Rwanda Business Forum in Kigali, underscoring its commitment to Africa to serve by training nearly 1000 more Rwandans in the next 5 years and investing USD$100 million in the country.
According to Mansoor Hamayun, CEO and Co-Founder of Bboxx, “In our journey to revolutionise access to essential products and services across Africa, it’s only fitting that we position ourselves at the heart of the continent. This move to Kigali not only brings us closer to the communities we serve but also cements our commitment to be an Africa-first, data-driven super platform, transforming lives and unlocking potential at an unprecedented scale.”
Then in July 2024, Mansoor Hamayun, announced resignation from the firm after reaching over 5 million people and creating over 3,500 jobs. In 2015, he was recognized as a Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer, and a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a global network of young business leaders.
Anthony Osijo was announced as the new Chief Executive Officer effective 23rd July 2024 to help Bboxx consolidate its gains and scale further into more products and regions with its renewable energy and finance products for the masses.
A Blow to the Off-Grid Energy Sector?
Founded in 2010, BBOXX has played a pivotal role in deploying pay-as-you-go solar home systems across Africa and Asia. The company has raised millions in equity and debt financing from global investors to expand access to clean energy, especially in rural and underserved areas.
This development casts uncertainty over the future of BBOXX’s operations and its extensive footprint in countries like Rwanda, Kenya, Togo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has partnered with governments and utilities to power off-grid communities.
African Startup Ecosystem Under Pressure
The petition comes amid a broader trend of financial strain within Africa’s tech ecosystem. Over the past year, several prominent startups have shut down or entered restructuring. Kenya-based B2B commerce startup MarketForce ceased operations in several markets after failing to secure follow-on funding. Buy-now-pay-later platform Lipa Later has also faced financial turbulence, leading to layoffs and halted regional expansion. Others like logistics firm Sendy, Egypt’s mobility startup SWVL, and Nigeria’s e-commerce venture 54gene have also scaled back or shut down due to unsustainable burn rates and investor pullback.
These closures reflect the growing difficulty of maintaining growth-stage operations on the continent in the absence of strong revenue models and amid dwindling venture capital inflows.
What’s Next?
If the court grants the winding-up order, a liquidator will be appointed to assess BBOXX’s assets and liabilities, and potentially dissolve the company. This could significantly affect employees, suppliers, partner governments, and financiers with active interests in BBOXX’s renewable energy initiatives.
TechMoran will continue to follow the case closely and provide updates as they develop.
Bolt customers can now sync their flight details when scheduling a ride to pick them up from the airport with Flight Tracking. If a customer’s flight is delayed or cancelled, Bolt will automatically adjust their Scheduled Ride’s pick-up time or cancel the trip at no extra cost.
Customers need to tap the ‘Schedule’ button on their home screen next to the destination search and enter the pick-up location (arrival airport) and destination from there as usual to start scheduling their ride. They can choose ‘Add flight details’ and select the flight’s landing date, flight number, airline, or departure city and choose the specific flight. To inform the time their trip is updated to if their flight is delayed, customers will also need to choose how many minutes after landing they’d like to be picked up. From there, Bolt will automatically apply any updates in cases of delayed or cancelled flights.
Dimmy Kanyankole, General Manager Kenya and Tanzania said: “Today, Bolt is one of 30+ airports’ official ride-hailing partners across the world, including Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This means Bolt customers can travel directly from Arrivals more easily than ever, without needing to find a separate pick-up point. With Flight Tracking for Scheduled Rides, our private and Bolt Business customers can now sync their flight details when scheduling a ride to pick them up from the airport. If their flight is delayed or cancelled, we’ll automatically adjust their Scheduled Ride’s pick-up time or cancel the trip at no extra cost. That means they can spend as little time at the airport as possible with guaranteed rides on arrival, even at off-peak or busy hours.”
It’s the latest upgrade to Bolt’s Scheduled Rides service since the booking window was extended to 90 days last year. Bolt offers a variety of new Scheduled Rides categories to schedule globally and personalise these based on local market needs.
As airports are the most popular destination for Bolt trips, the platform has introduced a number of new and upgraded features that better support customers’ airport experience online and off. Easy-to-follow in-app directions with photos help customers get from their location in the airport to the Bolt pick-up area, and with airport branding, Bolt aims to make it even easier for customers to spot pick-up areas. Pick-up codes available at Kotoka Airport help limit waiting time for airport pick-ups by matching a customer’s trip with the next available driver partner in the airport’s ride-hailing queue.
BURN, a clean cookstove manufacturer, distributor, and carbon project developer, has received a USD 5 million investment from EDFI Management Company (EDFI MC) through the EU Funded Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI).
This investment will allow over 100,000 Kenyan households to transition to clean, electric cooking—reducing household energy costs and eliminating an estimated 1.4M tons of CO₂ emissions over the product lifetime through BURN’s IoT-enabled ECOA Induction Cooker (ECOA IDC).
Across Africa, over 600 million people have access to the grid but do not use it, they instead spend US$12 per week on charcoal, wood, or LPG. A key barrier to accessing electric cooking is the high upfront cost. ElectriFI will help BURN by scaling up the distribution of its IoT-enabled ECOA Induction stove, allowing households to reduce their fuel bills by 40% to 60% while generating high-integrity carbon credits.
The ECOA IDC is equipped with innovative Pay As You Cook (PAYC) technology, integrated directly with mobile money payment systems and the ECOA Mobile App. This allows users to pay small amounts via their mobile phones, achieving full ownership within a year. This flexible financing approach makes electric cooking accessible for low-income households.
The ElectriFI investment aligns with the European Union’s ambition to promote clean energy access, support local manufacturing, and foster climate resilience. It exemplifies how targeted, catalytic financing can mobilize broader investment and empower private businesses to drive sustainable impact at scale.
Peter Scott, Founder and CEO of BURN, said,“Kenya’s electricity grid is over 90% renewable—yet more than 15 million households still cook with polluting fuels. This investment helps close that gap. With over 40,000 ECOA induction cookers already in homes across East and West Africa, we’re proving that electric cooking—designed and built in Africa—can be the future of clean, affordable energy access at scale.”
This investment aligns with the European Union’s ambition to promote clean energy access, support local manufacturing, and foster climate resilience. It exemplifies how targeted, catalytic financing can mobilise broader investment and empower private businesses to drive sustainable impact at scale.
Rodrigo Madrazo, CEO of EDFI Management Company, said: “Access to clean and affordable cooking solutions is essential for sustainable development. Through ElectriFI, we are proud to support BURN’s pioneering work that not only improves household health and reduces environmental degradation but also strengthens local economies by creating manufacturing and distribution jobs across the value chain. Our investment underscores our commitment to driving private sector-led impact and accelerating the green transition in emerging markets.”
To date, BURN has distributed over 5 million clean cookstoves across Africa, transforming the lives of ~25 million+ people and preventing ~26 million tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.
Career 180, Egypt’s EdTech platforms, has announced a new Six-Figure investment from Den VC, reinforcing its position as a frontrunner in career development and education technology. The investment from Den VC will fuel the company’s expansion into Oman, Malta and Saudi Arabia, where it will focus on scaling its LMS product, localising its course content into Arabic for greater reach, and expanding market presence. Career 180 aims to qualify over 1 million individuals and plans to hire 50,000 new beneficiaries, specifically targeting those not currently employed, building on the success of those already hired through the platform.
“Building Career 180 has been more than just a business for me; it’s been a mission. I truly believe that every young person deserves to find their path and succeed, no matter where they start. With the support of our amazing partners and the recent investment, we’re ready to take our work to new places. Expanding into Saudi Arabia and other regions means we can do even more to help young people shape their careers and become the next generation of confident, empowered professionals. It’s not just about growing a company; it’s about creating lasting impact.” Said Shrouk Alaa, Co-founder, Career 180
As part of its regional growth, Career 180 is expanding to the Saudi market with the support of VMS, a venture studio that empowers entrepreneurs and global startups to scale in the MENA region. With VMS’s local expertise and network, Career 180 is set to deepen its impact in Saudi Arabia, with a strong focus on youth employment and talent development.
Career 180 has earned recognition as one of the top EdTech startups by HolonIQ in 2022, 2023, and 2024. and has collaborated with organisations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), GIZ, Coca-Cola HBC Egypt, and Plan International. Its founder, Shrouk Alaa El Din, was named among the Top 50 Female Entrepreneurs in Africa by the IFC and the Embassy of the Netherlands, highlighting the company’s commitment to gender inclusion and youth empowerment.
“At VMS, we believe startups need more than just funding to succeed—they need local guidance, supportive networks, and specialised services that help them quickly adapt to new markets. Through our soft-landing services, we work side-by-side with startups to accelerate their entry into the Saudi market and overcome operational and commercial challenges.” Said Moataz Abuonq, CEO, VMS
With fresh capital and strategic partners, Career 180 is poised for its next chapter, continuing to transform career development across the EMEA region through innovation, localisation, and meaningful partnerships.
NCBA Bank, through its Commercial and SME Banking division, proudly sponsored the Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Conference 2025—an initiative by Nation Media Group in partnership with the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation.
Held under the theme Sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation Management Solutions, the conference brought together key stakeholders, including Cabinet Secretary Eng. Eric Mugaa and Geoffrey Odundo, GMD & CEO of Nation Media Group.
This platform allowed us to spotlight the NCBA Water Loan, developed in partnership with Water.org, a global NGO offering technical support to players in the water ecosystem.
“At NCBA, we prioritize seamless access to funding for players in the Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation ecosystem in line with our Ksh 30 billion commitment to sustainability financing,” said Robert Kiboti, Director of Commercial and SME Banking. “Our nationwide branch network is supported by trained relationship managers working alongside consultants and engineers through Water.org to deliver practical water solutions that advance SDG 6—Clean Water and Sanitation for All.”
NCBA offers leasing products through Asset Finance for necessary equipment, with conditional approval of credit within 15 seconds and a formal offer letter within 48 hours. We couple this with strong Customer Value Propositions for SMEs, which include professional advice and education. Visit any NCBA Branch to learn more about how we support SMEs in building a better, more sustainable tomorrow.
BioLite, a New York and Nairobi-based renewable energy firm for cooking, charging, and lighting products has acquired solar energy distributor Baobab+ from Baobab Group.
BioLite has been Baobab+’s primary supplier and strategic partner in off-grid solar products for the past six years. With BioLite becoming the majority shareholder, Baobab+ is now poised to champion renewable energy across the African continent.
According to Jonathan Cedar, CEO of BioLite, “Building on a 6-year close partnership, BioLite is extremely excited to become the new shareholder of Baobab+. This partnership has been in alignment with BioLite’s mission to “Empower people and protect the planet through access to renewable energy”, and we hope to continue on this mission together with Baobab+. We believe that, by tying BioLite and Baobab+ together, we can achieve both tighter operational efficiencies as well as greater investor confidence, enabling a financially stable growth platform for the future of both businesses.”
The transaction aligns with Baobab Group’s strategic focus on its core business: providing financial services to small businesses and underserved communities throughout the African continent. The transaction is also expected to strengthen Baobab+ and enhance its performance.
BioLite will closely support the Baobab+ operating team to scale the operations, drive profitability, and deliver impact in these key markets. BioLite, founded in 2009 and headquartered in New York and Nairobi, is a social enterprise dedicated to renewable energy solutions.
BioLite has already positively impacted over 14.6 million lives worldwide by offering safe, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions. The new shareholders, BioLite and Norfund, have appointed Kolawole Osinowo as CEO of the Baobab+ Group. Since 2021, he has successfully led the transformation of Baobab+ Nigeria into a Solar PAYGO Centre of Excellence.
Operating in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Madagascar, Baobab+ is a provider of off-grid renewable energy solutions. As the company approaches its 10th anniversary, Baobab+ has equipped more than 425,000 households with solar energy, improving the quality of life for over 2.5 million people.
Baobab+ also promotes digital inclusion and has equipped over 263,000 customers across its markets with smartphones and other digital devices, primarily through pay-as-you-go financing plans.
Philip Sigwart, CEO of Baobab Group, commented, “We are proud to have supported Baobab+’s impressive journey over the past decade, enabling it to serve more than 425,000 households across its markets in Africa. Baobab+ has consistently provided high-quality renewable energy solutions, empowering both households and entrepreneurs. Our decision to divest is strategically aligned with our vision, enabling Baobab+ to enter its next growth phase while allowing us to concentrate fully on our mission of delivering financial services to small businesses and underserved communities across Africa.
In a landmark deal that signals rising investor confidence in Kenya’s tourism sector, Africa Travel Investments Ltd, a European-based tourism investment firm backed by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has acquired 100% of Pollman’s Tours and Safaris Ltd, Kenya’s oldest and most iconic tour company.
Pollman’s Tours and Safaris, established in the 1950s, is a pioneer in East Africa’s safari industry. With a track record spanning more than 70 years, Pollman’s has become synonymous with high-quality safari experiences, attracting travelers from across the globe. The company has received multiple accolades, including being named Kenya’s Leading Destination Management Company at the World Travel Awards.
The acquiring entity, Africa Travel Investments Ltd, is actively building a pan-African tourism portfolio. The firm’s backing by Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest man and the founder of the Dangote Group, underscores the significance of the acquisition. Dangote is globally recognized for his investments in manufacturing, infrastructure, and agriculture, and his net worth is currently estimated at over US$23.8 billion.
“This acquisition represents a strategic entry into the East African tourism market,” said a spokesperson for Africa Travel Investments. “Pollman’s is a storied brand with a heritage of excellence, and we are excited to build on that legacy.”
With this acquisition, Africa Travel Investments is expected to bolster Kenya’s tourism appeal by introducing new investments, enhancing service offerings, and expanding regional tourism networks.
The deal reflects a broader trend of global investors targeting East Africa’s booming tourism industry — a sector poised for substantial growth following a post-pandemic recovery and increased international arrivals.
Tendo a Ghanian startup connecting wholesalers to independent resellers to can earn by adding profit margins to listed products and selling them through their social networks has raised funding from Renew Capital to allow anyone with a social media account become an online reseller in just a few clicks.
By cutting out the usual headaches like finding suppliers, managing stock or paying upfront for inventory, Tendo clears the roadblocks so anyone can start selling and earning in no time.
Tendo gives resellers across Africa access to thousands of products at wholesale prices, allowing them to set their own profit margins and directly promote listings on social platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp. When a customer places an order, Tendo handles the financial transaction and delivery and sends the reseller their profit.
“Our mission is to create opportunities for individuals to build businesses with minimal risk,” said Felix Manford, co-founder and CEO of Tendo. “By providing a seamless platform that takes care of inventory and delivery, we empower anyone to start earning online from home.”
With thousands of products already listed and a growing network of resellers, Tendo is creating economic opportunities for everyday Africans while helping wholesalers expand their reach.
“Tendo is transforming the way people approach entrepreneurship,” said Nicholas Clerk, investment ecosystem development manager at Renew Capital. “Their platform removes traditional barriers to entry, enabling individuals to earn income and build businesses using just their smartphones.”
With Renew Capital’s investment, Tendo plans to expand its platform, onboard more resellers and empower individuals across Africa to earn and grow a business using the power of their smartphone.
Renew Capital is an Africa-focused impact investment firm that backs innovative companies with high-growth potential. Renew Capital manages investments made on behalf of the Renew Capital Angels, a global network of angel investors, foundations and family offices who seek financial returns and sustainable social impact. For the latest on investing in Africa, subscribe and follow us at our social links below.
Support to Renew Capital portfolio companies is provided in partnership with Global Affairs Canada and Norad.
Kenya’s decisive action against Worldcoin—a biometric cryptocurrency initiative co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman—has become a pivotal moment in the nation’s digital rights landscape. The controversy surrounding Worldcoin’s collection of biometric data has ignited a broader conversation about data privacy, informed consent, and the ethical deployment of emerging technologies in Kenya and beyond.
Worldcoin entered the Kenyan market in 2022, offering citizens approximately KES 7,000 (around USD 55) in exchange for iris scans, which were used to create unique digital identities and distribute cryptocurrency tokens. The initiative attracted over 350,000 Kenyans, many from economically vulnerable communities, raising concerns about the validity of consent obtained under financial inducement.
In August 2023, Kenya’s Ministry of Interior suspended Worldcoin’s operations, citing potential risks to public safety and data privacy. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) and the Communications Authority of Kenya highlighted issues including the lack of clarity on data security, storage of sensitive biometric data, and inadequate information on cybersecurity safeguards.
Legal Proceedings and Global Scrutiny
The ODPC, along with organizations like ICJ Kenya and the Katiba Institute, filed petitions alleging that Worldcoin violated Kenyan data protection laws by collecting and processing biometric data without conducting a mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) or securing informed consent from users. The High Court of Kenya issued a conservatory order in January 2024, directing Worldcoin and its affiliates to preserve all personal and sensitive data collected from Kenyans between April 2022 and August 2023.
Internationally, Worldcoin’s practices have attracted scrutiny. Countries like Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, and South Korea have raised concerns or taken action against the project due to similar privacy issues. For instance, Germany ordered the deletion of non-compliant data in December 2024, and South Korea fined Worldcoin for transferring sensitive data without proper consent.
A Watershed Moment for Data Protection
The Worldcoin case underscores the urgent need for robust data protection frameworks in Kenya. As digital technology continues to evolve, safeguarding the privacy and rights of citizens remains a pressing concern. The situation has highlighted the challenges in enforcement and the need for regulatory bodies to have the necessary resources and authority to oversee compliance effectively.
Moreover, the transfer of sensitive biometric data to jurisdictions outside Kenya, without clear legal frameworks or safeguards, poses significant risks. Such practices can undermine national data sovereignty and expose individuals to potential misuse of their personal information. Establishing clear policies and international agreements is essential to protect citizens’ data in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape.
Looking Ahead
As the High Court of Kenya is expected to deliver its judgment on the Worldcoin matter, the outcome will have significant implications for data privacy enforcement in Kenya and could set a precedent for how emerging technologies handle sensitive personal information.
This case serves as a critical test of how Kenya safeguards fundamental human rights in the digital age. It highlights the imperative of integrating ethical considerations, robust regulatory frameworks, and public education into the development and deployment of emerging technologies. By addressing these areas, Kenya can strengthen its data protection landscape and ensure that technological innovation serves the public good.
Kenyan authorities have intensified their scrutiny of Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency and digital identity project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, over concerns related to the collection and handling of biometric data. This follows a series of legal actions and investigations aimed at safeguarding citizens’ data privacy rights.
What is Worldcoin?
Worldcoin’s initiative involves collecting users’ iris scans through a device known as the “Orb” to create unique digital identities, offering cryptocurrency tokens in exchange. In Kenya, over 350,000 individuals participated, each receiving approximately 7,000 Kenyan shillings (around $55) for their biometric data.
A Turning Point for Digital Rights in Kenya
The Worldcoin saga in Kenya serves as a pivotal moment in the nation’s journey toward robust data protection and ethical technological advancement.
1. Informed Consent and Economic Vulnerability
The exchange of biometric data for financial incentives, such as the approximate $55 offered by Worldcoin, raises critical questions about the validity of consent obtained under economic duress. In contexts where financial hardship is prevalent, such incentives may compromise individuals’ ability to make fully informed and voluntary decisions regarding their personal data. This scenario underscores the need for stringent safeguards to ensure that consent is not only informed but also free from undue influence.
2. Regulatory Oversight and Enforcement
Kenya’s Data Protection Act of 2019 provides a comprehensive framework for data privacy. However, the Worldcoin case highlights challenges in enforcement and the need for regulatory bodies to have the necessary resources and authority to oversee compliance effectively. The situation calls for a reevaluation of regulatory mechanisms to ensure they are equipped to handle the complexities introduced by emerging technologies.
3. Cross-Border Data Transfers
The transfer of sensitive biometric data to jurisdictions outside Kenya, without clear legal frameworks or safeguards, poses significant risks. Such practices can undermine national data sovereignty and expose individuals to potential misuse of their personal information. Establishing clear policies and international agreements is essential to protect citizens’ data in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape.
4. Ethical Considerations in Technological Innovation
The deployment of technologies like Worldcoin’s iris-scanning Orb must be guided by ethical considerations that prioritize human rights and dignity. Innovations should not outpace the ethical frameworks that govern them, especially when they involve the collection of immutable personal identifiers. Ensuring that technological advancements align with societal values is crucial for sustainable and equitable progress.
5. Public Awareness and Digital Literacy
The Worldcoin incident underscores the importance of public education on data privacy and digital rights. Empowering citizens with knowledge about how their data is collected, used, and protected enables them to make informed choices and hold organizations accountable. Investing in digital literacy programs is a proactive step toward fostering a culture of informed consent and data stewardship.
In conclusion, the challenges presented by the Worldcoin initiative in Kenya offer valuable lessons for policymakers, technologists, and civil society. They highlight the imperative of integrating ethical considerations, robust regulatory frameworks, and public education into the development and deployment of emerging technologies. By addressing these areas, Kenya can strengthen its data protection landscape and ensure that technological innovation serves the public good.
iSUPPLY, Egypt’s digital platform for pharmaceutical and medical supply distribution, has secured $3 million to scale its operations and expand access to medical supplies across Egypt.
Bokra, the MENA region’s goal-driven digital investment platform led the $3 million Sharia-compliant financing in a revenue-based revolving financing model to fuel iSUPPLY’s expansion by enhancing its supply chain operations and improving service in underserved communities.
According to Ibrahim Emam, Co-founder and CEO of iSUPPLY, commented: “We’re proud to partner with Bokra to accelerate our mission. Access to flexible, non-dilutive financing enables us to grow responsibly and stay laser-focused on what matters most, making access to medicine faster, more reliable, and powered by data.”
With this financing, iSUPPLY will scale its operations, deepening its digital footprint across Egypt’s pharmaceutical ecosystem. Leveraging artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, the platform streamlines procurement and optimises inventory, helping resolve long-standing inefficiencies in the healthcare supply chain.
This partnership represents a shared commitment to innovation and impact, bringing together fintech and healthtech to advance a smarter, more equitable future for healthcare distribution in Egypt and beyond. It demonstrates the viability of revenue-based financing as a model for empowering SMEs and high-growth ventures across strategic sectors.
This financing marks the next chapter in Bokra’s strategy to expand its portfolio of Sharia-compliant, asset-backed offerings, following the successful EGP 3 billion sukuk issuance for Aman. It reflects our ongoing commitment to bridging ethical finance with real-world impact, empowering investors to achieve their goals through products rooted in purpose, performance, and inclusivity.
“This partnership reflects Bokra’s mission to unlock high-impact, Sharia-compliant investment opportunities that generate meaningful economic and social value. By extending a revenue-based revolving financing to iSUPPLY, we’re supporting a data-driven healthcare disruptor to scale responsibly while offering our investors access to a real economy product that delivers purpose-driven returns. It’s a clear example of how ethical finance can fuel growth in essential sectors and drive sustainable, long-term outcomes,” said Ayman ElSawy, Founder and CEO of Bokra.
Stripe has announced new products designed to help businesses harness AI and stablecoins to accelerate their growth at its annual user event, Sessions.
Stripe launched the world’s first AI foundation model for payments and unveiled a major expansion of its money management capabilities, including stablecoin-powered accounts.
“There are not one, but two, gale-force tailwinds, well off the Beaufort scale, dramatically reshaping the economic landscape around us: AI and stablecoins,” said Patrick Collison, Stripe cofounder and CEO. “Our job is to pull these technologies forward so businesses on Stripe can benefit from them right away.”
Stripe which already uses specialized AI models for specific tasks such as preventing fraud, increasing authorization rates, or personalizing the checkout experience for individual buyers, has built the world’s first AI foundation model for payments trained on tens of billions of transactions.
The model captures hundreds of subtle signals about each payment that specialized models can’t. It will be deployed across Stripe’s payments suite to unlock additional performance improvements that were not previously possible.
Stripe serves the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies, including half of the Fortune 100 and 78% of the Forbes AI 50. Last year, businesses on Stripe processed $1.4 trillion in total payment volume—up 38% from 2023 and equivalent to around 1.3% of global GDP.
Reinventing global money management with stablecoins
Stripe launched Stablecoin Financial Accounts, new money management capabilities powered by stablecoins accessible to businesses in 101 countries just three months after it completed its acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge.
These will allow firms to hold a balance in stablecoins, receive funds on both crypto and fiat rails (like ACH and SEPA), and send stablecoins almost anywhere in the world. Stripe will start by supporting two dollar-denominated stablecoins—USDC and Bridge’s USDB—and plans to add others over time.
Over the past year, stablecoin transaction volumes have surged over 50%. Because stablecoins make it dramatically faster and cheaper to move money internationally, and Bridge partnered with Visa to make stablecoin balances as easy to spend as fiat currency.
Fintechs like Ramp, Squads, and Airtm will be able to issue Visa cards linked to stablecoin wallets in dozens of countries. When a cardholder makes a purchase, Bridge deducts the funds from their stablecoin balance and converts them into fiat, enabling the merchant to get paid in their local currency as they would with any other transaction. These stablecoin cards can be used at any of the 150 million merchants around the world that accept Visa today.
Curtailing the FX tax on global trade
Alongside Stablecoin Financial Accounts, Stripe also announced the ability for businesses to hold and manage balances in multiple currencies—starting with USD, EUR, and GBP—in their existing Stripe account. A business will be able to store money in the currency in which it’s received, convert between currencies, and create virtual and physical cards for each currency.
Among other benefits, this new multicurrency feature will help multinational companies avoid the unnecessary FX fees they often incur moving money between countries. For example, a US-based retailer with stores in London will now be able to accept payments from British customers in GBP; hold a GBP balance in their Stripe account (alongside a separate USD balance from sales to American customers); issue cards so UK employees can buy things in GBP; and pay UK-based suppliers in GBP—all without incurring any FX fees.
These multicurrency balances will first be available for businesses in the US and the UK, before rolling out to the Eurozone later this year.
“We’re building programmable financial services to make money as easy to manipulate and manage with code as data is,” said Will Gaybrick, Stripe’s president of product and business. “Across dozens of new launches we unveiled today, we’re putting AI and stablecoins to accelerate our users’ growth.”
Deepening partnerships with the world’s largest companies
Stripe announced that NVIDIA is now using Stripe Billing to power subscriptions for its cloud gaming service, GeForce Now. It typically takes many months for a business to complete a large migration, but NVIDIA migrated their entire subscriber base to Stripe Billing in just six weeks, making it the fastest-ever migration to Stripe Billing.
Large companies often need to process payments with multiple providers, which can be challenging: there’s no unified view and no easy way to compare performance to ensure they’re routing payments in the best way possible. To solve this, Stripe launched Orchestration, which helps businesses set up, manage, and optimize performance across multiple payment providers—all from the Stripe Dashboard.
“For enterprises with complex payments architecture, orchestration is essential. Being able to manage and optimize performance across payment providers in one place gives businesses a level of control and visibility that could unlock meaningful performance gains,” said Jordan McKee, head of fintech research at S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Upgrading the entire Stripe platform with 60+ launches
In addition to applying AI and stablecoins to accelerate its users’ growth, Stripe continued to expand and enhance its suite of payments, revenue, and embedded finance tools.
AqlanX, a UAE-based artificial intelligence firm has raised $10 million to accelerate its mission to localize and expand the proven enterprise automation capabilities of DoxAI across the Middle East.
The funding was from Lakeba Group through their venture DoxAI, facilitated through connections fostered by the UAE’s NextGen FDI initiative
According to the H.E. Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade: “This collaboration between AqlanX, Lakeba, and DoxAI demonstrates the power of the NextGen FDI program to catalyse strategic, cross-sector partnerships. It underscores our commitment to fostering an ecosystem that nurtures innovation and collaboration in priority sectors like artificial intelligence.”
As part of UAE-Made, Arabic-first AI technologies, AqlanX focuses on automating business processes, enhancing operational efficiency, and transforming enterprise document management for large organizations. The company’s roadmap is tightly aligned with the UAE’s innovation and digital economy strategy, positioning the nation as a hub for AI and innovation-driven ventures.
With its foundation backed by the expertise and intellectual property of DoxAI, and strategic capital from Lakeba Ventures, AqlanX is positioned to become a regional leader in enterprise AI.
“With Lakeba and DoxAI behind us, AqlanX is equipped to deliver Arabic-first AI that is not only world-class, but also born in, and for, the UAE. We are building an innovation hub that reflects the ambitions of this region and empowers its enterprises to lead globally,” said Demetrio Russo, Founder and CEO of AqlanX.
AqlanX, DoxAI and Lakeba have also formed a strategic partnership with the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) to establish an AI Centre of Excellence. This initiative will cultivate homegrown AI talent, research, and innovation directly in the UAE.
Giuseppe Porcelli, Executive Chairman of Lakeba and DoxAI, said: “This investment is more than capital—it’s a commitment to a shared vision. AqlanX represents the next frontier of enterprise AI in the Middle East, and we are proud to bring our experience, technology, and strategic resources to support its growth.”
The NextGen FDI initiative, launched in 2022, is a core component of the UAE’s strategy to promote investment into future-focused sectors, solidify its position as a global hub for innovation, and accelerate the diversification of the national economy. AqlanX joins a cohort of more than 100 companies operating in sectors such as renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and robotics.
Nawy, Egypt’s proptech startup has raised $52 million in Series A equity funding to scale its operations, enhance its technology stack, and accelerate regional expansion.
The round was led by Partech, with participation from e& Capital, March Capital Investments (MCI), Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV), Endeavor Catalyst, Development Partners International (DPI) Venture Capital via the Nclude Fund, VentureSouq (VSQ), Outliers, HOF Capital, and Plug and Play and MENA’s leading alternative investment firm, Shorooq.
According to Mostafa El-Beltagy, Co-Founder and CEO of Nawy, “This investment is a major leap forward—fueling our expansion, accelerating the transformation of our products using AI, and starting our mission to reinvent how real estate works across MENA and beyond.”
In addition, Nawy secured $23 million in debt financing from some of Egypt’s largest banks and financial institutions, dedicated exclusively to fueling the company’s rapidly growing mortgage offering.
Founded in Egypt in 2019 by Mostafa El-Beltagy, Abdel-Azim Osman, Ahmed Rafea, Mohamed Abou Ghanima, and Aly Rafea, Nawy transforms how people buy, sell, invest, finance, and manage properties. Nawy’s expanding product portfolio includes Nawy Now (“Move Now, Pay Later” mortgage financing), Nawy Shares (fractional ownership), Nawy Unlocked (property finishing, asset management, and rental monetization), and Nawy Partners (empowering brokerages with exclusive tools, tech-driven sales enablement, and enhanced commissions).
In 2024, the firm closed 2024 with more than $1.4 billion Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and a monthly user base exceeding one million. Over the past four years, Nawy’s revenue in U.S. dollar terms has grown more than 50-fold, even as the Egyptian pound lost 69% of its value.
In just four years, the firm has not only scaled massively, it has consistently outperformed the market, setting a new benchmark for growth in real estate.By scaling fast and adapting even faster, the company turned volatility into momentum and built one of the most resilient growth stories in MENA proptech.
Nawy began as a listings platform but has now grown into a full-stack ecosystem reshaping how real estate works in the region running Nawy Now – a licensed mortgage solution offering faster approvals and “Move Now, Pay Later” flexibility; Nawy Shares, Egypt’s first off-plan fractional ownership product, opening up premium real estate investment to a broader audience; Nawy Unlocked helping owners refurbish, monetize, and rent out idle or unfinished units after it acquired ROA, a home finishing and asset management platform. It also runs Nawy Partners, a B2B platform enabling 3,000+ brokerages to close deals smarter with full visibility on the market’s live inventory, direct access to developers, tech-driven sales tools, better commissions & flexible payouts.
With its Series A investment, Nawy is scaling its vision to reshape the real estate experience across Egypt, the wider MENA region, and beyond, using technology to bring transparency, accessibility, and efficiency to an industry long overdue for change.
The new capital will be used to expanding on the new verticals in Egypt, enter new MENA markets and reinvent and grow the Nawy products with an AI first approach.
“We’re excited to support Nawy as they build the foundation for a modern, tech-driven real estate experience,” said Tidjane Deme, General Partner at Partech. “Their team has deep market insights, coupled with ambitious regional expansion plans and exceptional execution, positioning them as the clear proptech champion in Africa and the Middle East.”
This round marks more than just a funding milestone, it signals the rise of a new real estate infrastructure built for today’s buyer, broker, and developer. Nawy is leading the charge to digitize the industry, unlock liquidity, and bring trust, speed, and transparency to a historically fragmented sector.
When John Gachora assumed leadership as Group Managing Director (GMD) and CEO of NCBA Bank Group, he brought more than decades of banking experience. Gachora brought his commitment to integrity, authenticity, and ethical leadership.
Born in 1968 in Gatamaiyu Village, Kenya, Gachora was the 8th of 13 kids in a tea-farming family. He went to Kamahindu Primary then to Alliance High School, where his academic excellence earned him a spot in a U.S. exchange program at Brooks School in Massachusetts.
Gachora began his professional journey on Wall Street as Vice President at Credit Suisse, where he was involved in developing financial models for collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). He later joined Bank of America Securities as Managing Director and Group Head of Investment Banking, becoming the first Kenyan to hold such a position on Wall Street.
In 2009, he returned to Africa to lead Absa Capital’s African operations, focusing on expanding the bank’s footprint across the continent. His leadership was instrumental in formulating strategies for growth in various African markets. In 2013, Gachora was appointed Group Managing Director and CEO of NIC Bank Group. He played a pivotal role in the 2019 merger that created NCBA Group, now one of Kenya’s largest banks by assets.
Under his watch, NCBA has transformed into one of East Africa’s most respected banking groups, not only by growing its digital and retail footprint, but by instilling a culture of trust, transparency, and people-first decision-making. Gachora’s leadership isn’t just a corporate success story — it’s a masterclass in values-driven transformation.
Grounded in Integrity
“Integrity is not optional. It is the bedrock of lasting impact,” says John Gachora. This mindset has shaped how NCBA does business at every level. As Chairman of the Kenya Bankers Association, he has led calls for greater transparency, stronger ethics, and responsible lending across the sector.
During the 2019 merger of NIC Bank and Commercial Bank of Africa, he ensured customers and staff were informed, involved, and supported throughout the transition. Transparent communication built confidence in the new NCBA brand and helped it navigate one of the region’s most complex banking integrations smoothly.
Building Trust in a Digital Age
Despite leading one of Kenya’s most digitally advanced banks, home to the country’s highest-rated banking app and M-Shwari digital loans, John Gachora has consistently cautioned that trust remains central. “We have not reached a point where people fully trust nonphysical interactions,” he said in an interview. That’s why NCBA continues to invest in physical branches as spaces of reassurance and trust-building.
Since the merger, the bank has opened 26 new branches, particularly designed to serve SMEs and high-touch customers. Relationship managers are trained not just to sell, but to solve — delivering the kind of personal support that digital tools can’t always provide.
Recently, he was instrumental in the acquisition of AIG Insurance in a move to further strengthening its position in the financial services industry.
“We are building not just a workforce, but a team of trust ambassadors,” Gachora said during the launch. It’s a long-term investment in the people who shape NCBA’s frontline experience — and by extension, its reputation.
Ethical Leadership in Crisis
NCBA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was another defining chapter. While many banks retrenched and tightened credit, Gachora’s NCBA restructured over KSh 80 billion in loans and set aside KSh 18 billion in provisions to support customers through the uncertainty.
This was not just crisis management — it was ethical leadership in action. NCBA’s decision to stand by its clients sent a powerful message: the bank is here for the long haul, not just the profit cycle.
Authenticity as a Strategic Asset
Known by many as “The Storytelling CEO,” Gachora shares his humble roots, personal setbacks, and global journey as a way of connecting with people inside and outside the bank. This rare authenticity has made NCBA’s leadership more relatable and accessible, especially to younger employees and customers seeking more than just transactional relationships with their banks.
Authentic storytelling has also become part of NCBA’s brand narrative — making it feel like a community partner rather than a distant financial institution.
Values as Drivers of Growth
John Gachora’s leadership at NCBA proves that values are not abstract ideals but powerful drivers of growth, resilience, and loyalty. From fostering transparent communication and ethical decisions to balancing technology with human relationships, his approach offers a model for what 21st-century banking leadership should look like.
In a financial world that often prizes short-term gains, Gachora stands apart. His legacy is still unfolding, but one thing is clear: NCBA’s rise is not just a result of good strategy — it’s a result of great values.
Infrastructure is no longer just a backend concern—it’s a strategic driver of success for online businesses. From hosting and cloud services to security protocols and scalability features, infrastructure choices influence everything from user experience to long-term growth potential. As consumer expectations rise and competition intensifies, businesses that invest wisely in their digital foundations gain a decisive edge.
One of the most immediate and tangible effects of infrastructure is performance. Website visitors expect pages to load in under two seconds, and research shows that delays beyond this threshold can lead to significant drop-offs in engagement and sales. This makes fast, reliable hosting essential.
High-performance infrastructure reduces latency, minimizes downtime, and enhances the overall user experience. Optimized hosting environments for eCommerce platforms like Magento can drastically improve load times and transaction processing, leading to higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
Scalability: Growing Without Limits
As businesses expand, so do their technological requirements. Whether it’s a sudden surge in web traffic due to a seasonal promotion or a long-term upward trend in user demand, infrastructure must be able to scale efficiently.
Cloud-based solutions have emerged as the preferred choice for modern online businesses. They provide on-demand resources that can be adjusted in real-time, allowing companies to scale up (or down) without incurring the high costs or downtime associated with traditional servers.
Security and Compliance: Building Trust
Infrastructure security is paramount in an era where data breaches and cyber threats are a constant concern. Consumers are increasingly cautious about who they trust with their personal information, and regulatory bodies are enforcing stricter data protection laws like GDPR and CCPA.
The right infrastructure includes features such as firewalls, SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and automated backups. For platform-specific needs, partnering with a Magento hosting provider can ensure your environment is configured with security best practices tailored to that platform.
Sustainability: A Growing Priority
Sustainability is becoming a core value for both businesses and consumers. Infrastructure providers that utilize renewable energy sources or offset their carbon footprints are more appealing to environmentally conscious brands. This shift toward green hosting is ethically commendable and offers marketing advantages in a world where customers value transparency and responsibility.
Support and Specialized Expertise
Not all hosting providers are created equal. Generic hosting services may offer affordability, but they often lack the deep technical knowledge required to support complex platforms like Magento. Businesses benefit significantly from working with providers offering specialized expertise, round-the-clock support, and tools designed for their tech stack.
Cost of Ownership: Balancing Price and Value
While the initial cost is always a factor, savvy business leaders consider the total cost of ownership. This includes not just hosting fees but also the hidden costs of downtime, slow performance, and poor support. Investing in robust, scalable, and secure infrastructure may come with a higher upfront cost but delivers greater value over time.
Infrastructure as a Competitive Advantage
Infrastructure choices have evolved into a critical aspect of business strategy. Whether you’re launching a startup or scaling an enterprise operation, the platforms and providers you choose will directly impact your ability to perform, compete, and grow. With these strategies, online businesses can future-proof their operations and gain a sustainable competitive edge.
Safaricom has announced a total revenue to KES 388.7 billion ($3 billion) for the financial year ended 31st March 2025, with net income also accelerating by 10.8% to hit KES 69.8 billion.
A 11.2% growth due to sustained innovation across the TechCo’s product portfolio, expansion into Ethiopia, and continued support to communities.
“We have delivered excellent group performance with double digit growth on both top and bottom line. This strong set of results reflect the dedication of our teams, the loyalty of our customers, and the strength of our strategy,” said Dr. Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom PLC CEO.
The group Earnings Before Interest and Taxes also reported an impressively growth at 29.5% to Kes104.1 billion, with Ethiopia contributing almost 10% to the group’s revenue. Safaricom Ethiopia has more than doubled the customer base to 8.8 million with over 3,141 sites in operation. A total of 2.4 million customers are actively using M-PESA services in Ethiopia, transacting over KES 20.6 billion over the year in review.
In Kenya, service revenue grew by 10.5% to KES 364.3 billion. M-PESA, which turned 18 last year, grew 15.2% YoY to KES 161.1 billion, contributing 44.2% of Kenya’s service revenue. Kenya’s connectivity business also grew by 6.5% to KES 185.2 billion, contributing 50.8% of service revenue. This was driven by mobile data revenue which grew by 15.2 % to KES 72.9 billion as a result of increased 4G uptake, while voice revenue bucked global trends to grow by 1.6% to KES 80.8 billion.
Ghanaian fintech company Zeepay has raised $18 million in a senior secured debt facility to strengthen its working capital and enhance remittance liquidity as it expands operations across Africa and the Caribbean.
The funding round was arranged by Verdant Capital IMAP, a South Africa-based investment banking advisory firm, marking another significant milestone in Zeepay’s efforts to scale its digital financial services platform across emerging markets.
Founded in 2014, Zeepay is a leading player in the digital remittance space, focusing on connecting mobile money wallets, bank accounts, ATMs, and cards to international money transfer operators (IMTOs). The company operates in over 20 countries, offering instant settlement of inbound remittances directly into mobile wallets.
The newly secured facility will serve as float financing support, allowing Zeepay to meet the liquidity requirements that come with managing real-time mobile money and international remittance flows. This is especially crucial in regions where mobile wallets are the primary means of accessing financial services.
A standout feature of this deal is its shared-collateral structure, where assets pledged by multiple lenders are pooled under the management of a neutral security trustee. To enhance transparency and mitigate risk, an independent monitoring agent evaluates the collateral’s value on a daily basis—ensuring real-time accuracy and trust for all parties involved.
“This structure simplifies investor participation as we execute our growth plans,” said Andrew Takyi-Appiah, Founder and CEO of Zeepay. “It also allows us to confidently scale operations while ensuring secure, real-time settlements for our growing user base.”
The raise comes at a time when remittance flows into Africa are surging, and mobile money adoption continues to accelerate. Zeepay’s infrastructure has proven critical in reducing transaction costs and increasing financial inclusion across underserved communities.
With this facility in place, Zeepay is well-positioned to further entrench itself as a leading digital payment and remittance enabler in Africa’s rapidly evolving fintech ecosystem.
Nigerian health-tech startup Platos Health has raised $1.4 million in pre-seed funding to scale its AI-driven preventive health platform, Platos Monitor, aiming to make proactive healthcare more accessible across Nigeria and beyond.
The funding round was led by Google for Startups, with participation from Invest International and angel investors associated with Google, Tesla, and Unicredit.
Founded in 2020 by Joseph Fakayode, Platos Health is tackling Nigeria’s alarming burden of chronic diseases. The country, with over 200 million people, has fewer than 500 cardiologists—creating an urgent need for scalable health solutions.
Platos’ flagship solution, the Platos Body Monitor, is a medical-grade device capable of tracking 49 critical health metrics including body fat, BMI, hydration levels, visceral fat, and heart rate. The device syncs with the Platos Monitor software, available on Android, iOS, and web platforms, and also integrates seamlessly with Apple Health and Google Health Connect.
With over 300 pharmacies across Nigeria already stocking the device, the new funding will accelerate its nationwide distribution and further develop the AI-powered platform. The company’s vision is to provide individuals with at-home, real-time health monitoring and personalized health recommendations, enabling early detection and prevention of chronic diseases.
“Our mission is to make preventive healthcare the default option, not a luxury,” said Joseph Fakayode. “By combining medical-grade devices with AI, we’re empowering users with insights that can transform their health journeys.”
Platos Health’s innovative approach comes at a time when African health systems are under pressure, and its data-driven, tech-enabled model offers a scalable solution. This investment not only validates the startup’s impact but also signals growing investor confidence in Africa’s health-tech space.
Ethio Telecom has launched Zemen GEBEYA, a digital marketplace designed to connect product and service providers with consumers nationwide building on its telebirr digital payment system.
Zemen GEBEYA aims to give merchants and comsumers a platform for their goods and services over the telcos digital infrastructure, including fast internet connectivity, reliable cloud services, a modular data center, and the expansion of its
According to Frehiwot Tamiru, CEO of Ethio telecom, “It is with great pleasure that we announce the official launch of Zemen GEBEYA, a digital marketplace designed to elevate our country’s commerce system to a higher level and serve as an inclusive platform,” she said. “This marks a new chapter for our country, laying the foundation for delivering innovation and inclusive growth to all citizens.”
Ethio telecom says the platform is particularly focused on empowering Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by expanding market opportunities and allowing them to fully leverage the benefits of the digital economy.
The telco says that Zemen GEBEYA will contribute to job creation, economic empowerment, financial inclusion, support for local production, and acceleration of digital transformation in Ethiopia. By streamlining transactions and minimizing intermediaries, it aims to improve efficiency, transparency, and productivity across supply chains.
Zemen GEBEYA is offered to users as a mini-app within the Telebirr SuperApp and includes a merchant portal and mobile application, a consumer mobile application, a logistics management system, a dispatcher mobile app and system administration portal
At launch, over 42 businesses and logistics service providers have already commenced their services on the platform.
Frehiwot emphasized the role of enabling conditions that have supported this launch: “The proliferation of young technology users, urbanization, growing consumer demand, the increasing number of smartphone and digital ID users, and the government’s e-commerce strategy have all created a conducive environment for the implementation of nationwide digital commerce.”
Airtel Kenya, has launched a Spam Alert Service to all its subscribers at no cost to offer real-time alerts for suspected spam SMS messages.
The Spam Alert Service, announced in March, requires no additional application downloads and is automatically activated for all Airtel customers both with smartphones and feature phones.
According to Airtel Kenya Managing Director, Ashish Malhotra: “The AI spam alert service is the first of its kind in the Kenyan market and it fosters our dedication towards groundbreaking solutions aimed at better customer experience. With the new AI-powered spam alert, we are enabling our customers to be more vigilant to fraud attempts on their phones and to have a better experience of our services.”
Spam in this context refers to unsolicited SMS messages to phones, often from fraudsters and scammers. The messages are usually socially engineered and potentially lead to harvesting of data, spreading malware and swindling of money from unsuspecting mobile users. Furthermore, the spam messages are also characterised of unsolicited promotional marketing messages which are oftentimes annoying.
With Kenya’s mobile phone penetration on the increase, spam messages have become a widespread issue, targeting an expanding demography of unsuspecting individuals. Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans often receive unsolicited nagging promotional SMS or calls. Further, they also receive duping messages and calls from con artists who have mastered the art of stealing from unsuspecting individuals. In these communications, users are asked to click on links and provide personal information which could end up leading to them being defrauded. Currently, customers have to rely on third party software to flag spam messages.
Without reading specific SMS messages, the AI analyses in real time over 250 parameters, including the sender’s usage patterns such as SMS frequency and geographical spread of targets. The Airtel AI Spam Alert Service filters all SMS through a proprietary dual-layer protection: one layer at the network level and the other at the IT systems level, processing over 18 million messages, each in 2 milliseconds.
Additionally, the software alerts customers of malicious weblinks received via SMS and maintains a centralized database of blacklisted URLs to warn users against accidentally clicking on suspicious links.
To report fraud, Airtel customers should dial the USSD code *100# and select option 3, Report Fraud.
Sophos is warning of rising risks of data theft in the smart car sector at the recent Shanghai Motor Show held in China to celebrate electric cars and onboard intelligence.
Of the 90 million vehicles (cars, trucks, and buses) produced worldwide in 2024, 31.3 million were produced in China, i.e. 34% of the global total, according to an Inovev report. France is also following this trend, with many consumers now opting for cars from Chinese brands such as BYD, Xpeng, Beiking and Hongqi.
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, is drawing users’ attention to how their personal data could be used for malicious purposes. Indeed, it is inadvisable to synchronize one’s phone or any other device with a vehicle, whether their own or even more so in the case of a rental car, as the car could use its internet connectivity to make a copy of contacts and other sensitive data and upload to the Internet, long before one has the ability of deleting it when returning the rental car, for example.
A modern vehicle is packed with computers, lidars, various radios, and external cameras. What’s more, it is also equipped with aerial updating capabilities that could very well be repurposed as a surveillance platform.
According to Nate Drier, Technical Lead, Red Team, Sophos: “As with any technology, given the opportunity, necessity, intent, and capability, in-vehicle technology can be misused. Car manufacturers can track the movements of modern vehicles in real time, and this is likely to be even truer for electric vehicles. Yet this information could be used to build rich maps of an environment encompassing both the physical and electromagnetic environment (by searching for Wi-Fi networks, the positions of cell phone towers, etc.).”
Sophos, therefore, recommends being aware and checking what manufacturers are collecting on vehicles, and what they can do using over-the-air update capabilities.
Competitive gaming, if you didn’t know any better, you’d probably think that it’s about two or more people just going at it. While you would be half right, competitive gaming is so much more, and it is literally shaping the future of gambling.
In this article, we will review just how competitive gaming is influencing the wagering niche. If that sounds interesting, wait till you get to the end of the article. Let’s dive straight into it.
Data Analytics and Predictive Modelling
Two decades ago, this title would have had absolutely no meaning to someone betting on a horse race. However, modern-day gambling heavily relies on data analytics. Why, you may wonder? Well, these insights can sort of predict what is going to happen.
Take a soccer game, for instance. If you are to wager on Arsenal beating Huddersfield, all you’d have to do in order to one-up the next punter is review how the old games ended. After all those who fail to learn their history….So the next time, be sure to incorporate this small tactic into your betting arsenal.
Emergence of Fantasy Sports
Besides hoping on a sports betting Zambia site like Betway to wager on who the next AFCONN winner will be, you could go a mile further and bet on who might score the most goals or give the most assists.
There are now apps like fantasy football that allow you to build your dream team and even compete with your friends. Since you won’t want to be at the bottom of the food chain, then you’ll probably assemble the best squad and just like that, that competitive urge spikes.
Cross-Promotion with Traditional Sportsbooks
This is arguably one of the biggest contributing factors in promoting competitive gambling. Cross-promotion attempts to fuse different markets, especially the ones with a traditional undertone. Take esports betting, for instance.
Up until a few years ago, this was far from coming into the light. However, with the rise of games like League of Legends and Dota 2 into the picture, it has definitely firmed a grip in the wagering market.
Why this works like a charm lies deeper than just connecting bettors with emerging markets. It also gives punters a new avenue to exercise their competitive instinct.
Rise of Skin Betting
If you haven’t bet on skins before, you may probably be lost. Skin betting, just like esports, is a new emerging avenue where punters can see how competitive it gets. Skins don’t refer to actual skins rather in-game materials that hold real-life value.
When playing games like Counter-Strike 2, you’ll see players betting on stuff like even a character’s outfit. This goes ahead to show you that it is no longer about winning or losing, but you can bet on so much more.
Conclusion
Competitive gambling is the new traditional betting. With new betting avenues emerging on Betway, all the more reason for punters to want to topple each other when betting. From the rise of esports and skin betting to the role data analytics and predictive modelling play, it can only go upward.
Nairobi is a place of many activities in Kenya. It is a county in Kenya, designated county 047, and also happens to be the Largest City in Kenya. If you are a resident of the city, perhaps you have ever wondered what the postal codes for Nairobi are. The City itself is known for its 00100 GPO postal code, but the city has quite a number of Constancy and small towns, each with their own respective postal code numbers.
Introduced in the 1990s, the Nairobi postal codes are managed by the Postal Corporation of Kenya, popularly known as Posta Kenya. While some people refer to postal codes in Nairobi as Zip codes, they all play an essential role not just in sorting and delivering mail but also in other services, i.e., logistical, and so on.
What Is Nairobi’s Postal Code?
Like other counties in Kenya, Nairobi County also has its own unique postal code system. The postal codes in Nairobi were established in 1998 under Posta Kenya’s oversight to replace colonial-era addressing methods and meet the demands of a growing capital. The official postal code for Nairobi County is 00100 for the General post offices, popularly known as Nairobi GPO, which also happens to be the postal headquarters for all Post offices in Kenya.
The Postal Corporation of Kenya provides that all postal codes in the country are 5-digit numbers, where each digit plays a significant role. For example, the 00100 code here, the first two digits 00 designate Nairobi’s central postal region, while the last three 100 pinpoint the General Post Office itself.
Complete List of Nairobi Postal Codes by Area
Knowing the Nairobi GPO code is not enough to grasp all the postal numbers for Nairobi County; the postal code in Nairobi is tied to how the county is split administratively. The City has 17 sub-counties comprising several wards and smaller towns, each with its own postal code. If you need to understand all Nairobi constituencies and their postal codes, you can check the Nairobi Postal Code directory website to get all the details.
Below is a list of all the Major Postal codes for smaller towns within Nairobi County:
A password is often the only thing preventing a cybercriminal from gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data stored on a secure network. Consequently, cybercriminals deploy a wide range of schemes designed to obtain passwords from system users.
Phishing scams have become one of the most popular cyberattacks aimed at obtaining passwords. These scams attempt to convince targets that the attacker is a legitimate user — IT support personnel, a representative from a well-known company, or an executive at the user’s company, for example — who can be trusted with their password. If the targeted user falls for the scam, the system has been breached.
Phishing has grown in popularity in recent years, primarily due to the rise of artificial intelligence. Cyberattackers armed with the power of AI can make phishing scams more effective by increasing their authenticity, complexity, and persuasiveness.
“Generative AI makes it much easier for cyber attackers to develop phishing campaigns,” says Marcelo Barros, Director of Global Operations for Hacker Rangers. “The power AI provides to create deepfakes also empowers new variations of phishing, such as vishing attacks that use AI to generate voice calls mimicking a boss or other person in authority.”
Clients around the world trust Barros and his team at Hacker Rangers to provide cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions aimed at preventing phishing and other common attacks from succeeding. The Hacker Rangers platform is built upon an innovative approach to cybersecurity training that leverages gamification to make cyber awareness fun and engaging for employees. With Hacker Rangers, companies can enhance in-house cybersecurity programs with training exercises that keep employees up to date on the latest cybersecurity threats and the most effective ways to neutralize them.
As Barros explains, today’s organizations must pay attention to the rise in phishing attacks and take steps to improve their security. “Nine out of ten organizations report that they fell prey to phishing attacks in 2023,” Barros recently said in Cyber Defense Magazine, “with nearly seven out of ten employees saying they contributed to the attacks’ success by knowingly taking risky actions such as handing over credentials to untrustworthy sources.”
On the attack: AI increases the authenticity of phishing attacks
While phishing scams may seem very simple, they have proven to be very effective because they circumvent a system’s cybersecurity control frameworks. These scams trick users into handing over their passwords by playing on their fears or mimicking the normal messages they receive throughout their workday.
“One of the primary reasons phishing is effective is its focus on deep-rooted human emotions,” Barros says. “Rather than seeking to overcome cyber defenses with computing power or zero-day exploits, it overcomes them by exploiting empathy, fear, and greed.”
For example, a phishing scam might involve messages that inform a company’s employees it’s time to update their passwords and follow instructions that lead to the attacker gaining access and control of their passwords. Employees may easily fall for this, as password resets are a common occurrence.
In years past, the weakness of phishing scams was that they often had flaws that a careful user could spot, such as typos, poor grammar, or inconsistencies in formatting. Training provided to users on identifying phishing messages usually focused on these types of issues as telltale signs that a cyberattacker was targeting them.
Today, however, AI has given cyberattackers the power to create messages that are error-free and easy to fall for. Additionally, AI can be used to gather and include details that make messages feel remarkably legitimate.
For example, a scammer can use AI to scan through a person’s social media accounts and identify their writing style, then develop phishing messages that appear to be coming from that person. Similarly, cyberattackers can use AI to learn about their targets on social media and other public platforms, allowing them to develop personalized messages that appear more authentic.
On the defense: AI can be used to uncover next-level phishing
One option for addressing next-level phishing attacks is to use artificial intelligence to bolster defenses. If AI can be trained to identify the telltale signs of phishing, it can support employees’ defense efforts by pointing out suspicious messages. To ensure that AI-powered systems are kept up to date on phishing schemes, companies should empower employees to contribute to the intelligence the organization gathers about the phishing attacks it faces.
“An organization’s best defense against phishing will be employees who are trained on the threat,” Barros says. “The training should provide a general understanding of how phishing works, how to identify it, and how to report it when it’s suspected. As employees add to an organization’s understanding of the threat it’s facing, they enhance its overall ability to keep systems secure.”
Artificial intelligence has significantly increased the risk of phishing attacks by making them harder to detect, meaning targets must increase their vigilance in response. Taking the time to carefully scrutinize every message and address even the slightest suspicion is critical to keeping today’s cyber attacks from succeeding.
OpenAI has agreed to acquire Windsurf, an AI-powered coding assistant formerly known as Codeium, for approximately $3 billion.
This acquisition marks OpenAI’s biggest deal to date and is expected to enhance ChatGPT’s coding capabilities, as OpenAI continues to improve its models amid increasing competition in the AI-driven software development sector.
Windsurf, founded in 2021 by MIT alumni Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen, offers an IDE-agnostic AI coding assistant that integrates into multiple development environments, including VS Code, JetBrains, Jupyter, and Neovim. The platform emphasizes enterprise-grade data privacy, deployment flexibility, and extensibility, appealing to organizations seeking reliable alternatives to cloud-bound assistants.
The acquisition is seen as a strategic move to strengthen OpenAI’s competitive position in AI-assisted code generation, an area currently led by GitHub Copilot. OpenAI’s interest in Windsurf is likely driven by both its technical maturity and strategic fit, as the company brings in about $40 million in annualized recurring revenue and was last valued at $1.25 billion after a funding round led by General Catalyst.
This move reflects a growing trend of consolidation in the AI space, as major AI developers seek to secure strategic applications and technologies built on their foundational models. If completed, the acquisition could attract scrutiny from antitrust regulators, considering OpenAI’s rapidly expanding influence in the field.
C-One Ventures Platform (C-One) has acquired the licences, technology and select assets of Bankly -a licensed microfinance bank and fintech firm across Nigeria.
The deal is subject to regulatory approvals including from the Central Bank of Nigeria. The acquisition will see Bankly integrated into C-One operations and scaling it even further.
“We believe financial services should be simple, affordable and accessible to everyone,” said a representative of C-One. “Bringing Bankly into our ecosystem allows for a combination of community networks with our powerful digital infrastructure to expand access to finance for underserved communities and drive real economic participation.”
Founded in 2018, Bankly provides its users access to savings, payments, and credit solutions and was recently under pressure due to liquidity constraints and operational lapses leading to disrupted customer services and downtime. The acquisition will see C-One restore Bankly services and continuity with Bankly’s Co-founder, Tomilola Majekodunmi, as an advisor.
“We are immensely proud of the impact we have made over the years. Bankly was built to serve people who were left out of the formal financial system and with C-One’s backing, we have an opportunity to build on this foundation, address recent challenges, and expand our reach to even more communities,” said Majekodunmi.
Founded in 2018 by Tomilola Adejana and Fredrick Adams, Bankly started as an airtime voucher recharge platform before evolving into a savings, payments, group contributions, and credit access platform over 50,000 agents and over 2 million customers leading it to acquire a Microfinance Bank license.
In March 2024, Bankly secured $2 million in seed funding to help it take its services to more unbanked masses in Nigeria using its model. Joining C-One Ventures portfolio will help it grow its services and even reach more users as C-One, an investment firm, has the funds to drive loans, savings and customer withdrawals.
C-One also runs Fulcrum, a fintech platform financing suppliers in Nigeria, GetPayed, a payment and banking solutions firm, and Gomoney, a Nigerian digital.
IFC and TLG Capital have announced the first close of a new private credit fund, TLG Africa Growth Impact Fund II (AGIF II), with $75 million raised to support small and medium sized enterprises in Africa—and to protect jobs at those businesses.
IFC, through its Distressed Asset Recovery Program (DARP), committed $20 million.Swedfund invested $15 million in TLG Africa Growth Impact Fund II (TLG II). Other backers include Norfund, Bpifrance, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). South Africa’s Aluma Capital invested $5 Million in TLG Africa Growth Impact Fund II.
“Today, one in four SME loans in Africa is under stress,” said Isha Doshi, Co-Founder of TLG Capital. “And yet, the entrepreneurial spirit is unshaken. AGIF II is our answer to that call for partnership. It’s about capital that understands context—financing that’s flexible, strategic, and backed by advisory horsepower from McKinsey, BDO, ESS, and Ndarama Works. TLG AGIF II brings together both capital and capacity building.”
The fund will provide financing in partnership with African banks to support up to 20 SMEs that face stress with their existing loan options. This financing offers them a local capital lifeline to weather macro shocks or other challenges they are facing, helping them emerge stronger. The fund will support businesses across vital sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and telecoms.
“This initiative incorporates a strong mobilization component that aims to leverage private sector funding to enhance the growth of financially stressed but sustainable SMEs,” said Aliou Maiga, IFC’s Financial Institutions Group (FIG) Director for Africa.
UK Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Mr. Jonny Baxter added: “A strong manufacturing sector is key to driving economic growth and industrialization in Nigeria and across Africa. By supporting TLG Capital, we’re fostering greater capital flows into Nigeria, which in turn supports job creation, generates wealth and secures a prosperous future. TLG Capital is one of the key partners we are working with to improve foreign direct investments that support manufacturing in Nigeria, which will have a lasting positive impact on both our economies.”
IFC’s DARP focuses on the acquisition and resolution of distressed assets, the refinancing and roll-over risk of viable entities, and the restructuring of SMEs. Since it was established in 2007, DARP has committed $9.2 billion globally, including the mobilization of $6 billion. This has enabled banks to offload over $46 billion of non-performing loans, while helping over 21 million debtors resolve their obligations.
TechTrends Media, a Nairobi-based technology and innovation platform, has launched The Green Shift, its latest podcast, hosted by Nixon Kanali, famously known for TechTrends technology site.
The podcast will explore how sustainability and technology are shaping Africa’s future and will feature in-depth conversations with sustainability leaders, climate tech entrepreneurs, policymakers, and innovators tackling environmental and social challenges.
Covering topics like clean energy, green finance, circular economy practices, and climate-smart agriculture, the show seeks to amplify African-driven solutions for a more sustainable world.
“As we evolve into a media agency, The Green Shift reflects our commitment to producing content that raises awareness and drives action,” said Nixon Kanali, Host and Founder of TechTrends Media. “This show complements our TechTrends Podcast, which continues to spotlight African innovation, startups, and the latest in technology.”
This new podcast complements TechTrends Media’s sustainability-focused publication, ECONEWS (econews.co.ke), further solidifying the company’s commitment to impactful storytelling.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major streaming platforms, The Green Shift debuts on May 15, 2025.
The launch of The Green Shift aligns with TechTrends Media’s transition into a full-service media and content agency, offering branded storytelling, podcast production, digital PR, and strategic content development for partners in the tech and sustainability space. Together, The Green Shift and The TechTrends Podcast strengthen TechTrends Media’s mission-driven storytelling, inspiring audiences worldwide.
Money Fellows, Egypt’s fintech digital platform, has raised $13 million to enhance and upgrade the company’s digital platform, especially as its user base expands to over 8.5 million users and it continues to collaborate with more than 350 local and regional partners.
This new round of investment is co-led by Al Mada Ventures (AMV) and DPI Venture Capital via the Nclude Fund, with notable contributions from Partech, and CommerzVentures, and brings the total amount invested in the company to over $60 million USD since its inception.
According to Ahmed Wadi, Founder and CEO of Money Fellows, “This investment is a testament to the potential we have to further our mission of empowering individuals, especially in underserved regions, to save, invest, and access credit in a cost-effective and impactful way.”
Founded in 2017 by Ahmed Wadi, Money Fellows has quickly established itself as a leader in the Fintech space. With this new funding, the company is poised to expand its operations into new markets, including North Africa, with a focus on Morocco, a key market for digital financial services. This growth is expected to be bolstered by major upcoming events such as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will significantly boost digital finance adoption across the region.
The new investment aims all of which are dedicated to driving innovation across emerging markets. This investment is set to support the company’s expansion into new markets and drive a major shift in traditional methods of saving, borrowing, and investing by digitizing these services and delivering them in a modern, secure way. The goal is to advance financial inclusion and enable millions of individuals to access innovative and efficient financial services.
Money Fellows is a digital platform that modernizes Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs), a practice deeply rooted in African financial culture. With its easy-to-use mobile app, Money Fellows allows users to join savings circles, invest, and access credit in a secure, transparent, and efficient manner. To date, the platform has facilitated over $50 million in investments and supports 250,000 subscribers across multiple African countries.
“ROSCA’s (Rotating Savings and Credit Association) are very old financial arangements, with roots going back hundreds, if not thousands of years.” said Omar Laalej, Managing Director at AMV. “AMV was impressed by the modernized version of this business that Money Fellows was able to build, positively impacting thousands of families in Egypt. We are excited to partner up with the team as they expand their horizon and capabilities.
“DPI believes that the future of financial services in Africa lies in innovation, and Money Fellows is leading the way by modernizing traditional savings systems,” said Mohamed Aladdin, General Partner at DPI Venture Capital. “We are excited to partner with such a visionary company on a mission to enable seamless access to financial management tools to consumers in Egypt, and look forward to seeing them expand their impact across the Middle East and Africa.”
