Today Africa Weekly | October 13 – 19, 2025

October 20, 2025

Today Africa Weekly | October 13 – 19, 2025

Last week (October 13 – 19, 2025) was one of those weeks that remind you just how fast things shift in the African tech ecosystem.

Startups are raising again, slowly, but with intent.

Morocco and East Africa saw the biggest movement, while smaller rounds in Egypt and Central Africa quietly hinted at what’s next.

The conversations, too, are changing.

More founders are talking about sustainability, licensing, and how to stay alive long enough to matter. There’s a cautious optimism in the air, a sense that after two years of resets, the continent’s tech scene is finding its rhythm again.

African tech news highlights

IFC backs Catalyst Fund with $6m

IFC plans to invest up to $6 million in Catalyst Fund, a VC firm raising $40 million to back early-stage climate-tech startups across Africa. Catalyst Fund focuses on startups building solutions that strengthen climate resilience for vulnerable communities through fintech, sustainable livelihoods, and climate-smart services. The move highlights IFC’s commitment to boosting climate innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa’s emerging markets.

Read Last Week’s Edition Here

Wetility launches subscription model

South Africa’s Wetility has introduced One Bill, a new subscription model that merges grid and solar electricity into a single, simplified payment to make solar adoption easier. The company, which secured a ZAR500 million (US$27.8 million) partnership with Jaltech in June, aims to deliver clean and affordable power to over one million homes and businesses.

Gigbanc launches Global Talent Fellowship

Nigerian fintech startup Gigbanc has launched the Gigbanc Global Talent Fellowship, a 12-week mentor-led programme aimed at turning Africa’s brightest talents into globally competitive professionals. The fellowship blends mentorship, real-world projects, and community support to help participants earn over US$3,000 per month within 90 days. CEO Paul Omoregie says the initiative serves as a bridge connecting Africa’s talent with global opportunities and expert guidance.

Gozem, NSIA Bank Togo launch new low-cost mobile money solution

Francophone Africa’s “super app” Gozem has launched Gozem Money in Togo, in partnership with NSIA Bank Togo, expanding its ecosystem beyond transport and e-commerce. The new mobile money service offers withdrawal fees up to five times lower than market rates and full interoperability with all operators in the country. Gozem says the initiative aims to drive financial inclusion by providing affordable, simple, and secure digital transactions for users and merchants.

Key funding rounds (October 13 – 19, 2025)

Kuunda raises $7.5m pre-Series A round

Sector: Fintech (embedded lending, digital financial inclusion)
Lead investor(s): Portugal Gateway Fund, joined by Seedstars Africa Ventures, 4Di Capital, Accion Ventures, Nedbank, and E4E Africa
Why it matters: Expands access to working capital for small businesses and mobile money agents across Africa, strengthening financial inclusion in emerging markets.

Founded in 2018, the company partners with banks, mobile money operators, and POS networks to offer data-driven overdraft and working-capital solutions. Kuunda has already enabled over 10 million users to access credit and facilitated more than $3 billion in loans through its banking partners, fueling growth for agents, merchants, and MSMEs across the continent.

POZI raises $755k in landmark funding round

Sector: Mobility & Fleet Management (AI-driven telematics, logistics optimization)
Lead investor(s): Saviu Ventures, with participation from Emsy Capital and Chazai Wamba
Why it matters: Marks Gabon’s first foreign VC-backed tech deal, signaling growing investor confidence in Central Africa’s startup ecosystem.

Founded in 2020 in Libreville, the company already manages over 2,500 connected vehicles and plans to expand into Ivory Coast as part of its goal to connect 35,000 vehicles across 10 African countries by 2030.

Chari raises $12m Series A round

Sector: B2B E-commerce & Fintech (merchant super app, digital payments)
Lead investor(s): SPE Capital and Orange Ventures, joined by Verod-Kepple, Global Founders Capital, and others
Why it matters: Marks Morocco’s largest-ever Series A round, positioning Chari to digitize thousands of small retailers and expand financial inclusion through its new payment institution license.

Founded in 2020 by Ismael and Sophia Belkhayat, Chari enables shop owners to order and receive stock digitally, already serving over 20,000 businesses across Morocco, Tunisia, and Ivory Coast. With its newly granted payment institution license from Bank Al-Maghrib, Chari plans to offer digital payments, money transfers, and other banking services, transforming local grocery stores into financial service hubs for their communities.

Nanovate raises $1m pre-seed round

Sector: Artificial Intelligence (Arabic language AI, automation, voice & chat solutions)
Lead investor(s): Group of angel investors, with participation from MINT Incubator and Raya FutureTECH Accelerator
Why it matters: Positions Arabic AI at the forefront of global innovation, creating localized tech that understands and serves 22 dialects across MENA.

Founded in January 2025 by Nancy Madbouly and Ahmed Gamal, the company builds advanced AI voice and chat agents, automation systems, and business tools designed for the Arabic-speaking world. With this new funding, Nanovate plans to grow in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, enhance its AI ecosystem, and deepen integrations with CRMs and ERPs—part of its mission to make Arabic AI a global force.

Trends to watch

Embedded finance remains the leading theme: Chari and Kuunda underline a continuing investor preference for companies that embed credit, payments, or liquidity into existing merchant or platform flows rather than consumer-credit plays.
Regional diversity in deals is improving: Raises in Gabon and Tanzania (and continued activity in Morocco, Egypt, Kenya) suggest capital is stretching beyond Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, albeit in measured amounts. That’s good for ecosystem resilience.
Pragmatic AI investments: Smaller AI deals focused on local language and vertical automation (such as Nanovate) are being funded, which is a healthier pattern than speculative, generalist AI plays. Investors appear to prefer applied, market-facing AI at present.
Regulation and licences are value drivers: Chari’s payment licence is not just regulatory box-checking; it materially changes its business model and product roadmap. Expect more startups to chase licences or build around regulated rails.

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