Sata srī akāla,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Maroc Telecom profit grows despite flat revenue
- Google backs African AI with $37M investment
- Ghana sets sights on crypto licences by September
Maroc Telecom profit grows despite flat revenue
Maroc Telecom reported a modest 0.5% increase in H1 2025 profits, reaching 2.59 billion dirhams (~$330 million), even though its total revenue fell 1.2% to 18 billion dirhams (~$2.3 billion). This shows resilience in profitability amid tougher market conditions.
In Morocco, revenue slid by 3.4%, but its African arm, Moov Africa, which operates in Benin, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Togo, helped offset losses with a 1.2% growth in revenue from its operations across 10 countries. The operator now serves over 80 million customers, up 2.3% from last year.
Maroc Telecom and competitor Inwi formed joint ventures in March to build out 5G and fibre networks, committing 4.4 billion dirhams (~$560 million) over three years. This is part of a broader infrastructure upgrade, supporting both fixed internet and mobile services.
Back in 2024, Maroc Telecom posted a 0.4% drop in full-year profit to 6.14 billion dirhams (~$616 million), while consolidated revenues grew 1.2% to 36.7 billion dirhams (~$4.6 billion). So, the H1 result marks improvement in profit trajectory.
Morocco’s telecom landscape is heating up, there’s increasing competition from Inwi and Orange, plus major regulatory fines. Notably, Maroc Telecom recently paid around 6.4 billion dirhams (~$640 million) after losing an antitrust appeal linked to its practices.
Despite a revenue slump at home, strong African growth and heavy investments in fibre and 5G hint that Maroc Telecom is betting on connectivity future. But with competition ramping up and regulatory scrutiny high, execution will be key.
Google backs African AI with $37M investment
Google is doubling down on AI in Africa with a $37 million push to drive local innovation, tackle food insecurity, and bring African languages online. It’s one of the tech giant’s biggest regional AI investments yet, and it’s not just about big data; it’s about real-life impact for farmers, creators, and communities.
A big chunk of that money — $25 million — is going to the AI Collaborative for Food Security, an initiative aimed at helping researchers and nonprofits build tools that can predict crop failures, guide farming decisions, and respond to climate threats. Think of it as AI meeting agriculture to protect millions of smallholder farmers from economic shocks.
But Google’s not stopping at food. Another $3 million is going to the Masakhane Research Foundation, a community of researchers working on AI tools that understand and speak Africa’s many languages. The grant will fund datasets, translation models, and speech recognition tools. Think stuff that’s essential for local tech access, but still missing for most African languages.
To anchor all this, Google is launching a new AI Community Centre in Accra, the first of its kind on the continent. It’s set to be a hub for experimentation, learning, and creative exploration, with programmes for developers, artists, and students across topics like AI literacy, ethics, and social impact.
There’s more: 100,000 fully-funded career scholarships are coming to Ghana, covering AI-related fields like prompt engineering, cybersecurity, and data analytics. Meanwhile, a separate $7 million will support AI education and safety training in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana.
To round things off, two African research institutions — University of Pretoria’s AfriDSAI and Wits MIND Institute — each bagged $1 million to scale AI research and help shape the continent’s voice in the global AI space. Google says it’s all part of making sure Africa doesn’t just use AI but builds it too.
Ghana sets sights on crypto licences by September
Ghana is jumping into the crypto regulation game, and it’s about time. Starting September 2025, the country will begin licensing crypto exchanges, joining the likes of Nigeria and South Africa in trying to bring some order to the fast-growing digital asset space.
The Bank of Ghana is driving the move, having just dropped draft guidelines for crypto players. These cover everything from licensing rules to consumer protection and anti-money laundering requirements. Lawmakers are also reviewing a new bill that’ll give the whole thing some legal teeth.
This is a big shift from just a few years ago when Ghana was warning people to stay away from crypto. But with more than 3 million Ghanaians already dabbling in digital assets, roughly 17% of the population, the government’s clearly realised it’s better to regulate than ignore.
Under the proposed rules, only registered exchanges and wallets can operate, and they’ll need to meet capital requirements, keep users’ funds safe, and report shady transactions. There’s also a big focus on user education and transparency, probably to build trust and avoid another FTX-style collapse.
Ghana isn’t doing this in isolation. Nigeria, after years of clampdowns, started giving out licences to crypto startups like Busha and Quidax last year. South Africa is already ahead, with over 75 firms now licensed, including big names like VALR. Ghana seems to be taking notes, and aiming to be a leader in West Africa.
This shift signals that crypto is no longer some underground trend. It’s now being woven into national economies, and Ghana’s trying to make sure it does so safely and smartly.
In case you missed it
- Uganda to offer tax breaks to local electric motorcycle makers in green push
What I’m watching
- Is ChatGPT hurting our critical thinking skills? | The Take
- All Religions Can’t Be Right, But They Could All Be Wrong!
Opportunities
- Pitch Friday is happening on August 8, 2025. To attend, register here.
- Businessfront, the parent company of Techpoint Africa, is looking for a Researcher and Scriptwriter Intern for Businessfront TV. Apply here.
- TetradPay is looking for a Content and Communications Specialist. Apply here.
- TetradPay is looking for a Marketing and Growth lead. Apply here.
- TetradPay is looking for a Creative and Design Executive. Apply here.
- Spiro is hiring a Java backend engineer. Apply here.
- M-KOPA is recruiting a Senior Backend Engineer. Apply here.
- Mastercard Foundation is hiring a Lead, Associate Engagement and Services. Apply here.
- Jumia is hiring a Chinese-speaking key account manager. Apply here.
- MTN Nigeria is looking for a Manager (Public Sector, Southwest region). Apply here.
- 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 fun weekend!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.
