10 Mistakes African Founders Make in their First Year
Starting a business in Africa is thrilling and brutal. There’s this rush of optimism at the beginning: you’ve got the idea, the drive, maybe even a co-founder or two who believes in the dream. You’re sketching plans in cafés, posting your “coming soon” teaser on LinkedIn, and imagining the press
Affinity Africa hits 100k customer milestone
Ghanaian digital banking startup Affinity Africa has surpassed 100,000 customers, a milestone the company says reflects the “rapid organic growth, powered by word of mouth and customer advocacy”, as more Ghanaians turn to Affinity for “simple, affordable, and inclusive banking”. Formed in 2022 by Tarek Mouganie, and publicly launched last
Today Africa Weekly: Tech news recap | October 6 – 12, 2025
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
How to Build B2B Partnerships in Fragmented African Markets
Doing business in Africa can be exciting, but also tricky. Different laws, currencies, and customer habits make it hard to scale smoothly. What works in Kenya might not work in Ghana. What succeeds in Lagos could fail in Kigali. That’s why B2B partnerships matter so much. No company can do
Bootstrapping Business Growth Through WhatsApp Commerce
Picture this: you have a small e-commerce or service business. Budgets are tight. You don’t have millions to throw at marketing, yet you want to build real, steady growth. What if I told you there’s a channel sitting in the pockets of your customers right now, one that’s personal, immediate,
50 Low-cost Business Ideas with High Profit from Home
The dream of running a successful business no longer starts with renting an office or buying expensive equipment. You can build a profitable business right from home with little more than a laptop, an internet connection, and your creativity. If you’ve ever wondered, “What business can I start with low
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
