Top 4 Startup Ecosystems in Africa This Year
If you walked around the main co-working spaces of Lagos or Nairobi five years ago, you might have felt the hum of ambition, but you might not have seen the scale that’s visible today. In 2025, something is different. The venture-capital flows are stronger (though still fragile), the number of
Western Union’s stablecoin enters Africa’s $95B remittance market
Western Union, the NYSE-listed remittance company that operates in more than 200 countries, is launching US Dollar Payment Token (USDPT), a dollar-backed stablecoin set to debut on the Solana blockchain, in 2026. CEO Devin McGranahan announced the move on Tuesday during a panel discussion at the Money20/20 fintech conference in Las
Tanzania restricts internet as citizens vote in general election
Tanzania restricts internet access nationwide on Wednesday as citizens vote in the general election, disrupting mobile data and social media platforms across major networks. Live network data from internet observatory NetBlocks shows a sharp drop in national connectivity from early morning, indicating a coordinated restriction on access. The disruption coincided with
Inside Wave’s Journey: Francophone Africa’s First Unicorn
Wave Mobile Money (known as Wave) has rapidly rewritten the rules of mobile payments in West Africa. Launched in Senegal by Americans Drew Durbin and Lincoln Quirk, Wave set out to fix what they saw as a broken system, mobile money run by telecom monopolies charging high fees for cumbersome
Meet Emmanuel Osemudiame, the Doctor Using Tech to Fight Mortality in Nigeria
There’s something powerful about the way Emmanuel Osemudiame tells his story. Maybe it’s the pride in his voice when he mentions that he’s a second-generation health professional, or the way he describes growing up beside his mother’s clinic, one flat for patients, one for family, and a childhood spent seeing
Access to pay $109.6m for Kenya’s NBK in East Africa expansion push
The parent company of Nigeria’s biggest bank by assets, Access Holding to pay $109.6m (₦179.1billion) to acquire National Bank of Kenya (NBK) from KCB Bank Group, according to its financial statements for Q2, 2025. “As part of the completion process, the Group received the completion documents from the Seller (KCB Group)
Today Africa Weekly | October 20 – 26, 2025
You didn’t hear this from me, but… Africa’s tech scene was a bit dramatic last week (October 20 – 26, 2025). On Monday, the 20th, AWS crashed half the internet, while still trying to recover, the news of Moniepoint raising $90 million started flying around. Founders are either firefighting or
Nigeria and South Africa are off the FATF grey list
Nigeria and South Africa are off the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list, marking a win for two of Africa’s biggest economies and potentially unlocking new remittance flows and foreign investment. Bloomberg reported on Friday that the Paris-based watchdog said both countries, alongside Mozambique and Burkina Faso, are no longer subject
Nigerian digital lender Lidya shuts down operations
Nigerian digital lender Lidya shuts down operations despite raising $16.45 million and nearly a decade after launching, Techpoint Africa has learnt. “Despite best efforts to restructure and sustain operations, the Company has encountered severe financial distress and is no longer able to continue in business. As a result, the Company has ceased
Kenya-based mobility startup Spiro raises $100m funding round
Kenya-based mobility startup Spiro raises $100m in funding to boost its mission of providing affordable and accessible mobility to the masses while transforming Africa’s clean energy and urban transport sectors. Spiro is Africa’s largest electric mobility company, operating the continent’s most extensive and fastest growing network of battery-swapping for electric two-wheel
