Happy New Month…
If you haven’t read the ‘100+ Entrepreneurs in Africa to Watch in 2026‘, you’re missing out on the entrepreneurs making a difference on the continent.
These founders aren’t just building startups. They’re filling structural gaps across sectors, creating jobs, expanding access to essential services, and turning ideas into real economic activity.
Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive. Across Africa, many more founders and startups are building great businesses that didn’t make it in. But if you’re looking for context, direction, and the right stories to help you make sense of 2026, this is a good place to start.
From here, let’s get into what happened last week.
African tech news highlights
Nigeria’s startup mindset in data
So this first one is kind of low-key but telling. According to emerging search data, “how to start a business” shot up dramatically as a top Google query in Nigeria this January, signaling people are not just talking about ideas anymore , they’re trying to build them. This kind of collective curiosity is a window into intent, especially among young founders navigating a tough macro economy.
Creator economy still growing, earnings lagging
Africa’s creator economy is now estimated at roughly $3 billion and could hit nearly $18 billion by 2030, but surprisingly, more than half of creators are still earning less than $100 a month. That tells me there’s global attention but not enough monetization at the ground level yet.
Egyptian fintech expansion
Egypt’s NowPay announced its launch of operations in Saudi Arabia, backed by $20 million in Tas’heel funding, a notable cross-border growth signal for North African fintechs eyeing the Gulf market.
Impact-driven startup in Ghana
Ghanaian impact startup WellsForAll raised $150 000 using blockchain-enabled funding to complete more boreholes, this is that kind of grassroots intersection between tech and real-world problem-solving.
Digital product scaling
There’s also rising interest in platforms helping educators publish and monetise online courses from Tunisia, another sign that edtech markets across Africa are diversifying beyond just student-facing offerings.
Tech product stories
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Owllup, a community-driven platform, just expanded its in-app fintech tools, including a wallet and bill payments, which is more evidence of tech products bending social networks into actual economic rails, not just timelines.
Key funding round (January 25 – 31, 2026)
Valu (Egyptian fintech) – $63.6 million
The financing will primarily support Valu’s expansion of its buy-now-pay-later and consumer credit products, deepen integrations with merchants, and strengthen its lending infrastructure. Part of the capital is also expected to go into risk management systems as the company scales credit access to more underbanked users across Egypt.
WellsForAll (Ghana) – $150,000
The funding will be used to complete 25 stalled borehole projects, with blockchain tools applied to improve transparency around fund use and project delivery. Getting clean water infrastructure finished, verified, and operational in underserved communities.
Trends to watch
1. Sector diversity beyond fintech
Sure, fintech still dominates headlines, but we’re seeing investment and practical tech builds in defence tech, creator platforms with actual payment rails, and impact tech for water access. That signals that founders aren’t just chasing the obvious categories.
2. Monetization is the real challenge
Reports on the creator economy show growth in audience but not in earnings. That means there’s a gap between attention and revenue, and where there’s a gap, there’s opportunity for business models that actually capture value.
3. Cross-border expansion
NowPay’s Saudi launch is worth a second look. Fintechs that start within Africa are increasingly eyeing markets outside the continent, that’s both a growth play and a credibility play.
Conclusion
If this week taught us anything, it’s that African tech isn’t a monolith. Some spaces are booming, others still need better monetization paths, and startups keep pushing into spaces that matter, from defence to teaching tools. All of this means the ecosystem is slowly figuring out its own rhythm, not just following global playbooks.
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