Bolt plans rider NIN verification by Q4 2025

Bunâ,

Victoria from Techpoint here,

Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

• Bolt plans rider NIN verification by Q4 2025
• This new platform wants to be LinkedIn for afrobeats
• LemFi expands to Egypt, tapping $20B remittance market

Bolt plans rider NIN verification by Q4 2025

Nigerians using ride-hailing platforms like Bolt might soon need to verify their identity with their National Identification Number (NIN), and it could roll out as early as Q4 2025, per Technext. Bolt’s Senior Public Policy Manager, Weyinmi Aghadiuno, revealed this during a safety-focused media parley in Lagos, stressing that talks are already underway with regulators and the drivers’ union to make this a cross-industry standard.

Rider verification has long been a demand from drivers, who say it would drastically improve safety. After several tragic incidents, including the 2023 killings of three e-hailing drivers in Abuja and Port Harcourt, drivers, under the AUATON union, pushed hard for the government to mandate identity checks for riders. Bolt says it has been listening.

“This is something we’ve been pushing for, not just on our own, but with the union,” Aghadiuno said. “We’re actively discussing with the Lagos State Government and the Ministry of Transport, and passengers will start hearing more about it later this year.”

Lagos, as always, is the test ground. But Bolt hopes the policy spreads to other states quickly. The idea is simple: if every ride-hailing platform requires riders to verify their NIN, it becomes harder for bad actors to game the system and safer for everyone involved.

This isn’t the first time Bolt has floated NIN verification. In 2023, the company teased a 2024 rollout, but paused plans over fears it would scare users away if competitors didn’t follow suit. “We can’t be the only ones asking for it,” said Country Manager Osi Oguah. “If we do it alone, people just move to another app.”

But with government support and more public awareness, Bolt believes this time it will stick. The company says a unified approach could finally shift the safety conversation and restore trust, not just in Lagos, but across Nigeria’s ride-hailing industry.

This new platform wants to be LinkedIn for afrobeats

When Abdullah Adeoye Ayola Abubakre packed up his career as a pharmaceutical scientist in Canada and headed back to Nigeria, people probably thought he was making a risky move. But for him, it was clear. The real formula he wanted to crack wasn’t in a lab but in Africa’s chaotic, exciting, and mostly untapped creative space.

As a music artist himself, Ayola had struggled to find the right people to work with, from video directors to stylists to background vocalists. Every connection felt like a puzzle piece you had to chase through endless referrals and DM chains. That’s what led to the birth of ConnectAfrobeats, a platform built to make talent discovery and collaboration in Africa’s booming music industry less complicated and more accessible.

Launched fully in April 2025, ConnectAfrobeats is kind of like LinkedIn but for the Afrobeats universe. Whether you’re an A&R scout, music producer, event planner, or just trying to get your first songwriting gig, the platform gives you a space to showcase your work, pitch to collaborators, and find gigs or partners without begging mutuals.

Abubakre isn’t wrong when he says the African music industry still runs on “who knows who.” And for indigenous artists, especially the ones without industry connections, it’s a mess of DMs, phone numbers, and promises. “It’s tiring. It slows down real creativity,” he says.

The numbers back it up. Afrobeats streams grew 550% on Spotify alone between 2017 and 2023, and Nigerian music consumption jumped by 146% in just one year. But while the demand has exploded globally, local artists still struggle with the backend — assembling a team, getting noticed, and accessing the tools they need to grow.

Platforms like ConnectAfrobeats could change the game. They don’t just make music collaboration easier, they help decentralise access to opportunity. Whether you’re a dancer, a makeup artist, a manager, or a lighting guy, the door is now open. Curious to see how it works or want in on the platform? Go check out Delight’s full piece for the full scoop.

LemFi expands to Egypt, tapping $20B remittance market

LemFi just made a bold move, and it might pay off big. The Nigerian-founded remittance startup has added Egypt to its growing list of countries, officially switching on low-cost transfers to one of Africa’s largest remittance markets. With Egyptians abroad sending home over $20.6 billion in 2024, LemFi’s expansion taps directly into a high-stakes money flow.

This marks LemFi’s 31st destination and its third North African market, after Morocco and Tunisia. And it’s not just about geography, it’s about scale. Egypt is now the startup’s biggest bet yet as it aims to be the go-to financial platform for the African diaspora.

Founded in 2020 by Ridwan Olalere and Rian Cochran, LemFi has built its brand on fee-free, instant money transfers for Africans abroad. But the move into Egypt, where traditional bank transfers can take days and cost up to 7%, shows it’s ready to compete at a much higher level. LemFi promises real-time delivery, no fees, and FX rates that don’t bleed users dry.

“We’ve seen how important Egypt is for global remittances,” said Philip Daniel, LemFi’s head of global expansion. “We’re here to offer faster, cheaper options, especially for everyday senders in places like the UK and Canada.” LemFi’s integration with Egypt’s InstaPay network makes those same-minute settlements possible.

All of this comes off the back of a serious growth streak: a $33M Series A in 2023, a $53M Series B in 2025, and the acquisition of UK card issuer Pillar, which now gives LemFi room to expand into multicurrency wallets and credit products. Egypt could be one of the first places to see those features in action.

With this North African expansion complete, LemFi is eyeing Francophone West Africa next. But for now, all eyes are on Egypt, a market so lucrative that even capturing a small slice could move the needle for the fast-growing startup.

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Have a fun weekend!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.