Five Nigerian states have drastically dropped or waived right of way charges for fibre connections. Nigerian telcos and ISPs discuss the implications for these states and Nigeria’s National Broadband …
Burundi shuts down social media amidst tense presidential elections
In keeping with recent actions by some African governments, the East African nation of Burundi has reportedly blocked access to WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Yahoo as election tensions rise.…
These African countries have various forms of Internet censorship
The Internet is regarded by the UN as a basic human right, but several Africans on the Internet are closely monitored and sometimes arrested. We take a look at African countries with various forms of …
With the pandemic, African governments have an excuse to censor the Internet
From Internet shutdowns to the monitoring of Internet activity and subsequent arrests for comments on social media, the fight against the pandemic in Africa seems to be making digital rights violation…
Facebook to build $1 billion undersea Internet cable for faster Internet in Africa
Global social media giant, Facebook in partnership with major telecom companies, is building a 37,000-kilometer undersea internet cable to bring faster connection to Africa, Europe, and the Middle Eas…
How Voyance wants to tackle the menace of fintech fraud in Nigeria
Voyance, a Nigerian data science company, has launched Sigma to help fintechs tackle the constant problem of fraud. We have a chat with its co-founder, Abdul, and a fintech founder to weigh the merits…
How the pandemic will disrupt banking and fintechs in Nigeria
The rise of fintech firms in recent years has disrupted Nigeria’s financial sector. However, the outbreak of the pandemic has highlighted a number of challenges that only the most innovative will surm…
Ugandan regulator to place commercial motorcycles under e-hailing companies
The Ugandan government is proposing strict regulations for regular bodaboda and taxi operators in the city, a move that will see them operate under the likes of SafeBoda, Uber, and Bolt. What effect c…
African startups are under threat, and governments need to save them
Current studies show that startups will fuel a post-pandemic economic upturn, but with recent lay-offs and a predicted drop in VC funding, African startups are set for an uphill battle and need the ba…
Q1 2020 report: For MTN Nigeria, voice revenue remains king over data
MTN Nigeria maintained its usual dominant position at the top of Nigeria’s telecom market in 2020, but here’s how global disruptions and domestic policies affected its major revenue streams in Q…
COVID-19 could reduce remittance costs to Sub-Saharan Africa
Though remittances in Africa have been on the increase, as a result of the pandemic, sub-Saharan Africa is set to lose $9 billion in remittances in 2020. But could other factors yield positive results…
Video conferencing battle intensifies, as Google offers free access to Google Meet
Starting from May 2020, Google’s premium video conferencing feature, Google Meet, will now be available for all users with a Google account. A move that turns up the heat on the likes of Zoom and Skyp…
The impact of COVID-19 and government policies on African startups
While the pandemic has affected several startups globally, the effects vary for different types of businesses. We take a look at startups that are most affected, and the impact of policies for African…
What you need to know as Jumia expands to South Africa
After exiting a few countries towards the end of last year, and with its fashion line temporarily suspending deliveries due to the lockdown, Jumia expands its e-commerce operations to keep operations …
Amazon launches its first AWS data centres in Africa: How ready is the African market?
With the aim of providing faster connectivity, American tech giants, Amazon, opens its data centres in Capetown, South Africa, to compete in the continent’s growing cloud market.…
6 amazing African innovations against COVID-19: A cure from physics?
The outbreak of the pandemic in Africa has spurred some interesting innovations in the fight against its spread. From rapid diagnosis to a possible cure, here are some interesting developments from ar…
Nigeria’s cashless vision 2020: A look at the journey so far
In 2013, CBN released a cashless vision for the year 2020, and as electronic transactions hit ₦31.2 trillion in Q1 2020, we take a look at the journey so far, and what could be done to aid Nigeria’s c…
3 financial measures that could cushion Nigeria’s lockdown extension
Nigeria’s lockdown of major states has brought about substantial financial uncertainty, and with individuals and businesses set to weather the storm for two or more weeks, we look at some measures tha…
Kenya blocks rogue digital lenders from blacklisting borrowers
After temporarily suspending negative blacklisting of borrowers due to the pandemic, Kenya’s Apex bank turns up the heat on unregulated money lending apps, with a new policy that stops them from black…
Lockdown aid: Why payments via BVN might not be feasible in Nigeria
Nigeria’s lockdown extension and fears of financial hardship, has birthed the #payusviaBVN trend, but a critical look at the country’s financial system reveals that BVN payments might not be as straig…