Salute,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Kenya’s Koko Networks files for administration
- How everyday cooking took Jaskaro to Lagos
- MTN MoMo Zambia goes global
Kenya’s Koko Networks files for administration
Koko Networks, the startup that helped 1.5 million Kenyan households move from charcoal to cleaner bioethanol cooking fuel, has filed for administration. The shutdown came abruptly. Employees were getting positive updates one week, then emails telling them not to come to work the next.
What makes this collapse striking is that Koko wasn’t struggling operationally. It had over 3,000 fuel ATMs across Kenya and a model that worked on the ground. Families bought fuel cheaply, filled reusable bottles at corner shops, and used subsidised stoves. Carbon credits covered the gap between market prices and what customers paid.
Those credits were the real engine of the business. By switching households away from charcoal, Koko generated certified emissions reductions, sold as carbon credits into international compliance markets. These credits were worth about $20 each, far more than voluntary market credits, and were key to sustaining the subsidies.
But there was a catch. To sell those credits internationally under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, Koko needed a Letter of Authorization from the Kenyan government. Despite an investment framework signed in 2024, the government denied the authorisation. According to sources, the issue wasn’t performance, but disagreements over who should control and benefit from carbon credit revenues.
With no path forward, Koko shut everything down. Around 700 staff across multiple countries will lose their jobs, and 1.5 million households may return to charcoal or kerosene. Koko’s story has now become a cautionary tale of how climate innovation can fail, not because the model is broken, but because policy and power get in the way.
How everyday cooking took Jaskaro to Lagos
Who turns cooking in a compound and carrying food in a basin into a ticket to Lagos and brand deals? Stanley Oghenekaro did. From fixing radios as a secondary school student to running a barbing salon in Delta State, and now building a solid following online, Jaskaro’s story is a reminder that everyday life can be premium content if you tell it right.
Victoria Fakiya – Senior Writer
Techpoint Digest
Stop struggling to find your tech career path
Discover in-demand tech skills and build a standout portfolio in this FREE 5-day email course
Long before social media, Stanley was already drawn to technology and creativity. He grew up tinkering with radios, repairing electronics, and cooking meals for friends back in secondary school. Cooking wasn’t new to him; sharing it was. What people now watch on their screens is what he had always done — real food, real routines, and real Nigerian living — just without a camera back then.
Content creation only came later, while he was running his barbing salon. On slow days, instead of scrolling endlessly, he started posting his life online. He wasn’t selling luxury or aesthetics, just the reality of an average Nigerian man. After a failed start on Facebook and copyright issues shutting down his account, TikTok became his reset button. One unplanned video, him confidently walking to eat with food in a basin, changed everything.
He started with a basic Redmi phone, upgraded gradually, added lights, learned CapCut, and built a small team along the way. No scripts, no acting, just life as it happens. While TikTok gave him visibility, Facebook and X became the real game changers, offering better engagement and appreciation for his lifestyle content.
Then came Lagos. What started as a comment under a post turned into his first-ever flight, a furnished apartment, a car, and paid cooking gigs. That was the moment it clicked: content had taken him further than he imagined. For more on how Jaskaro turned everyday living into influence, check out Delight’s latest on After Hours.
MTN MoMo Zambia goes global
Sending money from Zambia just got a lot more global. MTN Mobile Money Zambia has rolled out a new service that lets customers send money straight from their MoMo wallets to international bank accounts in the EU, the UK, and Canada, no middlemen, no physical bank visits.
The telco says this makes MoMo the first mobile money provider in Zambia to offer direct wallet-to-bank international transfers into these markets. Users can send funds using standard banking details like SWIFT, IBAN, Sort Codes, and Routing Numbers, either through the MoMo app or via USSD.
What this means, in simple terms, is that MoMo is no longer just for local or regional transfers. It pushes MTN MoMo Zambia deeper into global remittances, expanding beyond earlier corridors such as South Africa and India, and positioning the service as a serious alternative to banks for cross-border payments.
This matters because more Zambians are paying for things abroad, including school fees, medical bills, business transactions, trade payments, and family support. Traditionally, that meant queues at banks or relying on informal money transfer channels that are often expensive, slow, and risky. MTN says this service cuts out those pain points.
That said, the real test will be adoption, pricing transparency, and reliability. While MTN claims transfers can cost as little as K5 (about $0.25), users will be watching closely for hidden fees, exchange rate margins, and transaction limits. Still, the launch reflects a broader trend across Africa, where mobile money operators are steadily moving into territory long dominated by banks.
In case you missed it
- This startup is building the digital infrastructure to preserve and monetise Africa’s fine art
What I’m watching
- 10 Things That Change When You Start Walking Daily
- 6 Financial Rules for Greater Happiness with Dave Ramsey
Opportunities
- Credpal is hiring for several roles. Apply here.
- Want to learn how to secure your first $50,000 cheque? Attend the Nestuge event happening on January 30, 2026. Apply here.
- Lagos Business School is recruiting a Programme Officer (Delivery and Coordination). Submit a cover letter and your CV here.
- Kuda Technologies is looking for a Head of Product (Credit). Apply here.
- MTN Nigeria is hiring a Specialist – International Remittance (Product Manager). Apply here.
- Moniepoint is hiring for several roles. Apply here.
- Bamboo is hiring a quality assurance manager. Apply here.
- Paystack MFB is hiring for a few roles. Apply here.
- Attend your first tech event in January! Tech Revolution Conference, a two-day event to discuss everything tech, takes place at Landmark Event Centre, Lagos on January 30 and 31, 2026. Get your tickets here.
- Don’t miss the Cavista Technologies Hackathon happening between February 21 and 22. Register your team and go home with cash prizes here.
- Kuda is recruiting a Head of Product (Credit). Apply here.
- Jumia is looking for a Senior Key Account Manager. Apply here.
- MTN is hiring a Specialist, International Remittance (Product Manager). Apply here.
- Don’t Miss the Africa Business Convention (ABC) 2026. It’s Africa’s #1 Business Conference & Investment Expo. It’s between February 3 and 4. Book your seat today here.
- Moniepoint is hiring for over 100 roles. Apply here.
- We’re hosting a debate on AI in daily life. Join us to share your insights and perspectives.
- Techpoint Africa is creating a video series where people discuss and debate policies and current events. If you enjoy thoughtful conversations, fill out this form. Apply here.
- Are you building a startup can feel isolating, but with Equity Merchants CommunityConnect? You can network with fellow founders, experts, and investors, gaining valuable insights and exclusive resources to help you grow your business. Click here to join.
- Help us make Techpoint better for you! Your feedback shapes what comes next (your responses may potentially save my job. A bit dramatic, but still). It will only take 30 seconds to tell us what works and what doesn’t. Fill it here.
- To pitch your startup or product to a live audience, check out this link.
- Have any fresh products you’d like us to start selling? Check out this link here.
- Follow Techpoint Africa’s WhatsApp channel to stay on top of the latest trends and news in the African tech space here.
Have a productive week!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
