JET Motor Company, a Nigerian auto-manufacturer that designs and builds vehicles for African roads, has announced raising $9m from Canadian-based Africa Development Capital (ADC), among others, to bui…
Damage to undersea cables disrupts the internet for millions of MTN subscribers across West Africa
If you’ve been having challenges connecting to the internet via MTN since Thursday evening, you are not alone. It’s the same for many across West Africa. Here’s what we know so far a…
A quick update on Zzapo Mobile
You may remember Zzapo Mobile and its incredulous offer of a ₦7999 smartphone. It turned out to be too good to be true.…
Techpoint Awards 2020: Nominate your favourite startups, tech communities and companies
Techpoint Awards 2020 will focus on startups, tech communities and tech companies, operating in Nigeria, and active between January 2015 and January 2020. Nominations are now open to the public. But t…
These Nigerian startups shut down in 2019; what we can learn from them
Behind all the glamour, humongous fundraising figures and flamboyant founder personalities is the reality that running a startup is hard. Here’s what we can learn from some startups that had to …
Microsoft wants to make genuine Windows PCs more affordable and accessible to Africans
About 66% of PCs shipped to Africa every year come with pirated software. Considering the risks to business and data privacy, Microsoft has lauched the Windows PC Affordability in Africa Initiative, i…
Building the ‘SF Express of Africa’: GIG Logistics is the African eCommerce giant you don’t hear about enough
Unlike its media-savvy and VC-backed counterparts in Nigeria, GIG Logistics has maintained a relatively low profile in the online space. But it has a bigger impact on the eCommerce industry than you m…
Before you order the ₦7999 Zzapo 720, read this
The Zzapo 720 smartphone, with 64GB storage and 4GB RAM is retailing at ₦7,999 ($22) for a limited time. Too good to be true? Well, our own Muyiwa Matuluko attempted to purchase it, so you don’t…
“We were misquoted; FRSC has never stood against the use of Google Maps” — Spokesperson
Following reports insinuating that the FRSC has placed a blanket ban on using Google Maps while driving, a spokesperson has come out to deny the claims and clarify the agency’s stance on the mat…
Konga founder Sim Shagaya’s earliest company, E-Motion Advertising acquired by Seyi Tinubu’s Loatsad Promomedia
In 2005, barely 7 years before Sim Shagaya founded Konga, he ran an outdoor advertising company called E-Motion Advertising. The company just got acquired by Seyi Tinubu’s Loatsad Promomedia.…
Nigeria’s LifeBank wins $250,000 from a Jack Ma Foundation initiative
LifeBank wins $250,000 from the Jack Ma Foundation (through the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative). The medical logistics startup beat 9 other African startups competing for a share in $1 million tot…
Interswitch is about to become Nigeria’s first billion-dollar tech company, for real this time
Visa is reportedly about to acquire a 20% stake in Interswitch for $200m, effectively making it Nigeria’s first unicorn; i.e. a privately-held company valued at $1 billion or more.…
Where in Africa will Andela get its 700 additional senior developers by 2020?
Techpoint conducted a survey of senior developers hired by Andela from October 2017 till date. The survey gives valuable insights into how Andela might meet its target of recruiting 700 additional sen…
GIGM is expanding its tech-enabled intercity transportation service to Ghana
If you follow GIGM on any of its social media accounts, you may have noticed it replaced ‘Motors’ with ‘Mobility’ in its official name. On the backdrop of this, the company has…
Uber could be venturing into bus transportation in Lagos very soon
Uber is working on a public bus system for Lagos and is already in talks with city transport officials.…
We hosted the largest tech conference in West Africa; we couldn’t have done it without you
On the 1st of June 2019, over 3000 technology enthusiasts, innovators, entrepreneurs and experts convened at the Pistis Conference Centre Lagos, Nigeria to make history. This was no ordinary technolog…
Why Microsoft is committing $100m over 4 years to hiring 500 engineers resident in Africa
Microsoft has officially opened its Africa Development Centre through which it plans to invest $100 million, over the course of 4 years, into recruiting world-class African engineering talent. But wha…
From software reseller to producer: How John Obaro built a multi-million dollar company in SystemSpecs
John Obaro is the founder and CEO of SystemSpecs, the indigenous software company most famous for the Remita e-payment solution which powers Nigeria’s Treasury Single Account policy. He recently…
Bants about Ants: How the ‘Ant Wey’ trendsetter enchanted Nigerian and Ghanaian Twitter
Over the past 48 hours, the “Ant Wey” trend has taken Nigerian and Ghanaian Twitter by storm. To find out how it all started, Techpoint chatted with Amen-Omoregie Osamudiamen, the personal…
Nigerian payments startup, Kudi has raised $5.8m in what appears to be a Series A round
According to a U.S. SEC filing, Kudi, a pioneering conversational online payments startup, has raised $5.8m in a funding round led by the Partech Africa Fund.…