Today Africa Weekly | November 3 – November 9, 2025

November 10, 2025

Today Africa Weekly | November 3 – November 9, 2025

Yes, I’m writing this on Monday, around 5 am. Because Africa’s tech space never sleeps, apparently.

You’re sipping your morning coffee, and somewhere in Lagos, a founder is trying to convince investors that yes, that “crazy idea” might just be the next big thing. Meanwhile, in Nairobi, a VC is refreshing spreadsheets, wondering which startup will break out next.

Let’s dive into what happened between November 3 – November 9, 2025.

African tech news highlights

Nigeria’s Africhange partners Griffin to provide GBP bank accounts for UK users

Nigeria-founded fintech Africhange has partnered with UK-based bank Griffin to offer GBP bank and savings accounts to its users. The move enables Africans in the UK to receive payments, hold balances, and transfer funds seamlessly within the Africhange platform. CEO David Ajala says the partnership marks a shift from simple remittances to becoming a full financial partner for the African diaspora.

Nigerian startup SwarmZero to help users build no-code AI agents

Nigerian startup SwarmZero has launched a no-code platform that lets anyone design and deploy AI agents without technical skills. The tool enables users across roles, from recruiters to analysts, to turn their expertise into shareable, functional AI agents. SwarmZero also features a marketplace where creators can list their agents for others to discover and use.

Cross‑border fintech and creator economy get a nudge

Raenest (formerly Geegpay) announced a “zero deposit fees” campaign for USD, GBP and EUR accounts, starting November 3. It’s aimed at freelancers, creators, and remote workers receiving global payments. This is notable because it signals fintech platforms in Africa going beyond just remittances, thinking “global income, global work” rather than just “local payment.”

Blockchain infrastructure built in Nigeria

Polytope Labs and its co‑founders (Seun Lanlege and David Salami) are building a blockchain “bridge” (Hyperbridge) to enable seamless crypto asset transfer across chains, valuing the solution at around US$200 million. This is more niche than your everyday app, but it’s interesting because it shows African founders building deep tech in a global context, not just “African version of X.”

Read Last Week’s Edition Here

Key funding rounds (November 3 – November 9, 2025)

First Circle Capital secures $6m from IFC

Sector: Venture Capital & Fintech (early-stage investing, financial inclusion)
Lead investor(s): International Finance Corporation (IFC), with additional backing from We-Fi, DGGF, FSD Africa, and others
Why it matters: Strengthens funding for Africa’s emerging fintech ecosystem, especially startups led by women and operating across multiple markets.

First Circle Capital has raised $6 million to scale its investments in early-stage fintech startups across the continent. With offices in Uganda and Morocco, the firm is targeting a $30 million fund to back companies solving key financial inclusion challenges. The fund has already invested in 15 startups across eight African countries, 30% of which are women-led, and plans to expand its portfolio to 24 companies.

Ventures Platform announces first close of $64m Pan-African Fund II

Sector: Venture Capital & Startup Investment (early-stage, market-creating innovation)
Lead investor(s): Standard Bank, IFC, BII, Proparco (with FISEA), AfricaGrow, and other global institutional investors
Why it matters: Strengthens seed and Series A funding across Africa, supporting startups tackling infrastructure and access gaps in fintech, health, agriculture, and AI.

Pan-African VC firm Ventures Platform has closed the first $64 million of its $75 million Pan-African Fund II, aimed at deepening its investments across the continent. The fund will back startups solving structural challenges in sectors like fintech, e-health, agri-tech, and AI, while expanding into Francophone and North Africa.

Novastar Ventures secures $40m from Green Climate Fund

Sector: Climate Innovation & Venture Capital (early and growth-stage startups)
Lead investor(s): Green Climate Fund (GCF), alongside BII, SMBC, and MOL
Why it matters: Strengthens Africa’s climate innovation ecosystem by de-risking early investments and attracting private capital to scalable, planet-positive ventures.

Africa-focused VC firm Novastar Ventures has received a $40 million equity commitment from the Green Climate Fund for its new Africa People & Planet Fund III, targeting a total fund size of $200 million. With offices in Nairobi and Lagos, Novastar plans to invest in early and growth-stage startups developing climate solutions across Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Egypt.

Farm to Feed closes $1.5m seed round

Sector: Agri-tech & Food Systems (food loss reduction, climate-resilient agriculture)
Lead investor(s): Delta40 Venture Studio, with participation from DRK Foundation, Catalyst Fund, Holocene, Marula Square, 54Co, Levare Ventures, Mercy Corps Ventures, and DEG’s DeveloPPP Ventures programme
Why it matters: Strengthens Africa’s food system by creating markets for surplus and imperfect produce, supporting farmers, reducing waste, and promoting climate-positive agriculture

Kenyan agri-tech startup Farm to Feed has raised $1.5 million in seed funding to scale its B2B platform that connects surplus produce with new uses. The funding will expand operations in Kenya and regional markets, enhance its digital platform, and grow semi-processed product lines to unlock higher-value markets for African farmers.

Sawa Energy raises €2.5m to expand solar in East Africa

Sector: Renewable Energy (solar PV & energy storage for commercial and industrial clients)
Lead investor(s): ElectriFI, the EU-funded Electrification Financing Initiative
Why it matters: Supports the shift from diesel generators to clean, affordable energy in Uganda and Rwanda, lowering emissions and energy costs for businesses.

Ugandan renewable energy company Sawa Energy has secured €2.5 million (US$2.9 million) in equity investment from ElectriFI to scale solar PV and energy storage solutions for commercial and industrial clients. The investment will help the company expand in Uganda and Rwanda, attracting further institutional funding to accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Synnefa secures $300k grant to scale IoT solar dryers

Sector: Agri-tech & Smart Farming (post-harvest loss reduction, water efficiency)
Lead investor(s): World Resources Institute’s P4G initiative, in partnership with Solidaridad
Why it matters: Helps smallholder farmers cut crop drying time from weeks to days, reduce food waste, and boost productivity.

Kenyan agri-tech startup Synnefa has received a $300,000 grant to deploy IoT-enabled solar dryers across the country. The grant will support 800 farmers in Makueni County, while the startup plans to raise $2 million by 2026 to expand its impact to 150,000 farmers across East Africa.

Enzi Mobility secures $2M funding and blockchain support

Sector: Electric Mobility & Clean Transport (e-motorbikes, battery-swapping infrastructure)
Lead investor(s): Kula, a blockchain-enabled impact investment firm
Why it matters: Advances affordable and sustainable urban mobility in East Africa while giving riders and communities a stake in company governance.

Kenyan electric vehicle startup Enzi Mobility has secured US$2 million in equity funding and US$1.5 million in blockchain technology support from Kula. The partnership will also introduce dual digital tokens to give riders, staff, and communities voting power and rewards, aligning economic participation with Enzi’s mission to expand clean, affordable transport solutions.

WildyNess raises undisclosed pre-seed funding

Sector: Sustainable Travel & Community-Based Tourism
Lead investor(s): Bridging Angels network, African Diaspora Network
Why it matters: Expands authentic and impactful travel experiences across North Africa while supporting local micro-businesses and boosting regional tourism visibility.

Tunisian startup WildyNess has closed a strategic pre-seed funding round to scale its sustainable travel marketplace across North Africa. With over US$300,000 in organic sales since 2022, the funding will support expansion into Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, and enhance its technology platform.

Trends to watch

Fundraising: Instead of stories exclusively about “Startup X raises US$10 m”, we’ve got stories of VCs themselves raising US$40 m, US$64 m, etc. That suggests the ecosystem is maturing (or at least gearing up for more deployments).
Pan‑Africa investing momentum: Many deals and fund stories are not country‑specific but across Africa. That indicates investors are thinking continental rather than just local.
Beyond fintech: Yes, fintech remains prominent, but we’re seeing tech for the creator economy, sales management SaaS, sustainable travel marketplaces, and supply‑chain for SMEs. That’s good, it means diversification.
Grant/fund support for climate/impact is alive: The Novastar + Green Climate Fund story reminds us that tech + impact (particularly around Africa’s structural challenges) remains relevant.
Smaller seed/grants still matter: Not every story is about US$10m+ rounds. The grant to Synnefa, pre‑seed for WildyNess: these show that the smaller early‑stage layer is still active.

Conclusion

This week reminded us that Africa’s tech ecosystem is shifting gears. It’s not just about one standout startup raising US$ xx m; it’s about funds being raised, new sectors bubbling, and infrastructure thinking entering the mainstream. For those building, investing or watching, now’s a time to prepare for scale, not just survival.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back next week with more.

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