The energy around technology and innovation feels charged again. Global investors are circling, local founders are scaling, and public institutions are experimenting with new ways to fund growth.
Last week (October 6 – 12, 2025) points to a continent that isn’t just catching up but steadily rewriting the script, where AI meets social good, infrastructure meets inclusion, and creative industries begin to speak the language of data.
You can sense it: the digital economy is widening, deepening, and, in some ways, growing up.
African tech news highlights
PayPal commits US$100 million to boost digital growth in the Middle East and Africa
PayPal has pledged a US$100 million investment across the Middle East and Africa to boost digital innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive growth.
The funds will go into startups, acquisitions, and technology initiatives that help local businesses scale and expand into global markets.
This builds on PayPal Ventures’ existing investments in regional players like Tabby, Paymob, and Stitch, strengthening the company’s long-term presence in the region.
South Africa draws over 100 proposals for $500m foreign funding plan
South Africa’s National Treasury has received more than 100 global proposals for its $500 million foreign currency financing initiative launched to diversify funding beyond Eurobonds.
The submissions include bilateral loans, private placements, and ESG-linked instruments, reflecting strong investor appetite. Officials say the target will be easily met, with Eurobonds remaining part of the country’s broader funding strategy.
AI Evidence Alliance for Social Impact launches to advance responsible AI in Africa and Asia
The AI Evidence Alliance for Social Impact (AEASI), a GBP2.75 million (US$3.7 million) initiative, has been launched to promote evidence-based use of AI for social good across Africa and Asia.
Formed by Community Jameel in partnership with J-PAL, FCDO, IDRC, and IDinsight, it’s part of a broader US$7.5 million collaboration with Google.org to support AI impact research.
Announced at the AI for Africa Conference in Cape Town, AEASI will unite researchers, policymakers, and innovators to study AI’s social effects and scale effective, locally driven solutions.
Malaika Evaluate launches data platform for Africa’s creative sector
South African startup Malaika Evaluate, developed by Andani.Africa, has launched a data management platform built to help creative organisations manage, analyse, and learn from their data.
The tool streamlines monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, easing the administrative load for arts organisations while improving data quality and impact measurement.
By merging technology with the creative economy, Malaika aims to give Africa’s cultural sector the reliable data it needs to grow sustainably.
Key funding rounds (October 6 – 12, 2025)
Rulesbase raises $2.1m pre-seed round
- Sector: AI for Financial Services (customer service automation, compliance, back-office operations)
- Lead investor(s): Bowery Capital, with Y Combinator, Commerce Ventures, Transpose Platform VC, and angel investors
- Why it matters: Automates complex customer support and compliance tasks in financial services, freeing teams from manual workflows and boosting efficiency.
Founded in 2024 by Gideon Ebose and Chidi Williams, the Lagos-based Rulesbase has developed Coworker — an AI agent designed for back-office operations in financial institutions.
Mawingu raises $20m Series C round
- Sector: Internet Infrastructure & Connectivity (rural broadband, digital inclusion)
- Lead investor(s): Pembani Remgro Infrastructure Managers, with participation from existing backers focused on African infrastructure
- Why it matters: Expands affordable rural internet access, bridging Kenya’s digital divide and advancing financial inclusion across underserved communities.
Kenyan rural internet provider Mawingu has raised $20 million in Series C funding to extend its WiFi network and bring affordable connectivity to more remote areas. Founded with a mission to connect communities left behind by traditional ISPs, the company blends commercial viability with deep social impact.
Tagaddod raised $26.3m Series A
- Sector: Renewable Feedstocks & Sustainable Energy
- Lead investor(s): The Arab Energy Fund (TAEF), with participation from FMO, VKAV, and A15
- Why it matters: Strengthens global sustainable supply chains by scaling renewable, traceable feedstocks for biofuels and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Cairo-based Tagaddod, co-founded by Nour El Assal, has secured $26.3 million in Series A funding to accelerate its expansion across Africa, Asia, and Europe. The startup operates a proprietary, tech-driven platform that collects and traces renewable waste-based feedstocks—from households, restaurants, and food manufacturers—to supply the fast-growing biofuels and SAF industries.
Sabika raised six-figure strategic investment
- Sector: Sharia-compliant digital investment (gold & silver)
- Lead investor(s): M-Empire Angels
- Why it matters: Strengthens ethical wealth-building infrastructure in Egypt and the Gulf, using technology to modernize gold and silver investments.
Cairo-based Sabika, founded in 2022 by Ibrahim Anwar and Mohammed Darwish, is a digital platform that lets users invest securely in gold and silver through Sharia-compliant, asset-backed products.
Trends to watch
- Fintech and trade finance remain front and center: From Egypt to Cameroon, capital is still flowing into firms that reduce friction in payments, payroll, and cross-border trade. That’s practical investor behaviour—solve a quantifiable pain and you’ll get checks.
- Connectivity and infrastructure draw bigger checks: ISP and last-mile plays like Mawingu are getting growth capital. Investors still care about durable infrastructure that underpins other digital services.
- AI adoption spreads from agents to creatives: Smaller AI raises (customer-service AI, automation) and global product launches (Sora 2) show both supply and demand for AI tooling. Expect more startups packaging AI for vertical problems (customer support, HR, content).
- Events and dealflow cluster in Q4: Conferences in Lagos and elsewhere in October are concentrating founder-investor meetings. Q4 momentum can turn into Q1 execution, a good time for founders to sharpen GTM and investor decks.
- Investor interest is regional, not just local: We’re seeing capital and syndicates that cross borders (pan-African VCs and international backers), which helps larger rounds and follow-on funding. That trend favors startups that can demonstrate cross-border product-market fit.
Taken together, these developments sketch a continent in motion, where ideas, partnerships, and capital are starting to align more deliberately.
The momentum is visible not just in funding rounds or flashy announcements, but in the quieter, structural shifts underneath: better data, smarter policies, stronger connectivity.
Africa’s digital future isn’t something waiting to happen; it’s already unfolding, one bold experiment at a time.
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