Avuxeni,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- ANKA finds new home under New York’s Global Shop
- High Court puts Kenya’s new cybercrime law on hold
- Court smacks down Icasa in MTN market power case
ANKA finds new home under New York’s Global Shop
ANKA, the Ivorian eCommerce startup once known as Afrikrea, has been acquired by New York-based Global Shop for an undisclosed amount. The deal marks a fresh chapter for one of Francophone Africa’s most recognisable tech stories, a platform that helped thousands of African creators sell globally, per TechCabal.
Global Shop’s new boss, Matilda Ceesay, wants to take what ANKA built and make it even more powerful. Her goal is to help African sellers attract more customers, run smoother operations, and showcase their work to a wider audience. With ANKA’s strong infrastructure — covering payments, logistics, and custom storefronts — Global Shop gets a ready-made system for scaling African and diaspora-driven brands globally.
It’s been quite a journey for ANKA. The company started as Afrikrea in 2016, connecting African designers to buyers across 170 countries. At its peak, it recorded over a million monthly visits and processed more than $60 million in sales. In 2023, it rebranded to ANKA and shifted to a software-as-a-service model, offering a platform that allowed African entrepreneurs to sell online, get paid internationally, and ship globally. That pivot paid off: the company hit breakeven and earned $4.1 million in 2024.
But things weren’t always smooth. In May 2024, ANKA shut down its Afrikrea marketplace, blaming inflation, rising costs, and persistent payment challenges. It wasn’t clear if that closure meant the end of ANKA entirely or just a shift in focus. Before then, the company had raised a total of $11 million in pre-Series A funding between 2022 and 2023.
As part of the acquisition, ANKA’s founders — Moulaye Taboure, Luc B. Perussault Diallo, and Kadry Diallo — have exited, leaving day-to-day operations to Ceesay and her team. Still, the existing employees will remain, keeping the platform’s Ivorian roots alive even as leadership moves to New York.
With Global Shop’s global reach and ANKA’s deep ties to Africa’s creative economy, the deal looks like a chance to revive the platform’s original vision, helping African creators find their place on the global stage.
High Court puts Kenya’s new cybercrime law on hold
The High Court in Nairobi has hit pause on parts of Kenya’s new cybercrime law, and that’s a big deal for digital rights and free speech. Justice Lawrence Mugambi on Wednesday temporarily suspended the enforcement of sections of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, following a petition by gospel artist and activist Reuben Kigame and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC).
At the heart of the case are sections that criminalise publishing “false, misleading, or fictitious data.” Sounds straightforward, right? Except it’s not. Critics say it’s vague — too vague — and could easily be used to silence journalists, activists, or just about anyone who posts something the state doesn’t like.
Kigame and the KHRC argue that the amendments threaten freedom of expression, privacy, and access to information. They say it gives authorities too much room to decide what counts as “false” or “misleading,” which could open the door to censorship and intimidation online.
Justice Mugambi agreed there were serious constitutional questions to answer and issued conservatory orders to suspend the law’s implementation, at least until the case is fully heard. That means the government can’t investigate, arrest, or prosecute anyone using those specific sections for now.
The suspended sections fall under the clause dealing with cyber harassment, but digital rights groups say it’s part of a worrying pattern: new tech laws dressed as “protection” tools but used to curb online dissent. They also warn that the amendments could undermine the right to privacy and even anonymous speech, which are both protected under Kenya’s constitution.
For now, the ruling is a small but significant win for free speech advocates in Kenya. The case will proceed to a full hearing, where the court will decide if those contested clauses should be scrapped entirely or if the government can bring them back with clearer, fairer wording.
Court smacks down Icasa in MTN market power case
The Pretoria High Court has dealt a heavy blow to South Africa’s communications regulator, Icasa, after MTN South Africa successfully challenged parts of its 2021 mobile broadband service regulations, per TechTrends.
MTN took Icasa to court over rules that labelled it, along with Vodacom, as having “significant market power” and being “dominant” in several areas, including retail, site access, and roaming markets. That label meant both telcos had to submit detailed reports on their pricing to Icasa.
But the court wasn’t having it. Judge Namhla Siwendu ruled that Icasa’s method of defining market power was “legally flawed,” based on outdated data and irrelevant factors. She didn’t mince words, calling the regulations “unreasonable, unlawful, and invalid” and setting them aside entirely.
The whole saga began with Icasa’s attempt to define the mobile market and impose pro-competition rules where it felt dominance existed. But MTN argued the regulator’s approach was riddled with errors, from how it defined the markets to how it ignored common industry tests and even key parts of the Electronic Communications Act.
MTN said it waited for the court’s ruling before complying with the regulations, and that patience paid off. With the rules now scrapped, both MTN and Vodacom are off the hook for those reporting requirements. And critics, including Telkom and Cell C, say the regulations wouldn’t have made much difference to competition anyway.
Industry experts say it’s unlikely Icasa will appeal, given the depth of the court’s criticism. Regulatory analyst Dominic Cull noted that Icasa ignored input from the Competition Commission while drafting the rules, a move that may have cost it dearly in court.
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Have a superb Thursday!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
