COMESA bets on new payment system to reduce dollar reliance
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), a 21-country regional trade bloc representing over 640 million people, has launched a new digital payments platform that could make it easier and cheaper for African businesses to trade directly in local currencies instead of the US dollar. The system, known
50 Low-cost Business Ideas from Home (that anyone can start)
Let’s be honest, the idea of starting a business from home has never been more attractive than it is today. With remote work becoming mainstream and digital tools easier (and cheaper) than ever, millions of people are discovering they don’t need huge capital to build something meaningful. Whether you’re a
How to Build Scalable Distribution Channels in Africa
In Africa, a good product alone doesn’t win the market; distribution does. Across the continent, thousands of small and large businesses struggle not because demand is lacking, but because they can’t get their products efficiently to the people who need them. A promising business might stall in expansion, not because
How to Get Your First 100 Customers without Spending Big
Every startup, creator, and small business begins the same way, with a dream and zero customers. You’ve built something you believe in, a product, a service, a course, or even a community, but the challenge now is turning that belief into sales. You share posts on social media, tell a
How Tigist Kebede is Transforming Ethiopia’s Film Industry with habeshaview
In a world where global streaming platforms dominate our screens, one Ethiopian platform has quietly been rewriting the script, telling Africa’s stories through its own lens. At the heart of this journey is Tigist Kebede, co-founder/operations director of Habeshaview, whose story is as inspiring as the films her platform promotes.
Safaricom fires 113 employees over fraud
Kenya’s largest telco by subscribers and revenue, Safaricom, fires 113 employees over fraud, up from 95 in 2023, suggesting a rise in internal misconduct. The figure, revealed in Safaricom’s 2024 Sustainability Report released on Wednesday, highlights how fraud—from within and outside the company—continues to pose a significant threat to a business that
Moniepoint bets $7.39 million on London expansion in UK remittance push
Moniepoint bets $7.39 million on London expansion in UK remittance push, and so far, it has spent nearly half. This London remittance bet has cost $3.77 million since February 2024, according to UK regulatory filings. Between February and December 2024, the fintech spent $1.26 million—reported as a loss—on administrative and infrastructure expenses,
Inside Flutterwave’s Journey: From Bright Idea to an African Unicorn
In 2016, a small group of Nigerian technologists and entrepreneurs set out to solve what felt like an invisible but deeply frustrating problem – “African businesses could not move money easily”. Not within the continent, not across it, and certainly not beyond it. For a continent with talent and trade
M-KOPA turns its first-ever profit as revenue surges 66% to $416m
After over a decade of investment and expansion across Africa, M-KOPA turns its first-ever profit as revenue surges 66% to $416m. The Nairobi-based asset-financing startup reported a profit of KES 1.2 billion ($9.2 million) in 2024, bouncing from a loss of KES 3.2 billion ($24.7 million) the previous year, according
Blueprint for Building a Pan-African Edtech Business
Across Africa, classrooms are changing — not just in how students learn, but where and who teaches them. Edtech startups are breaking barriers that once kept millions from quality education. Yet, building an edtech business that truly scales across Africa, not just within one country, is a different challenge altogether.
