From Lagos to Nairobi

Education technology company Abwaab is expanding its ambitions across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) after acquiring Egyptian edtech startup Eduact. The deal strengthens Abwaab’s position in Egypt while broadening its platform from student-focused digital learning to the technology infrastructure that supports teachers and learning centres. The financial terms of the acquisition were not…

In Nigeria’s fast-changing fintech industry, longevity is becoming a competitive advantage. Companies can launch quickly, attract millions of users and raise significant capital, but remaining relevant for years requires something harder: trust, adaptability and the ability to solve real problems. OPay’s journey over the past decade increasingly reflects that reality. With about 10 years of…

Nigeria’s fintech industry is entering a new phase where building everything from scratch is no longer the only path to growth. Paystack’s quiet acquisition of card-issuing fintech Allawee is a strong example of this shift, with the payments company absorbing technology and talent rather than preserving the startup as a standalone brand. Paystack acquired Allawee…

Africa’s digital payments boom is creating a new problem alongside its enormous opportunity: keeping increasingly complex financial systems safe from fraud. As banks, fintechs, mobile-money operators and payment providers process more transactions across multiple channels, criminals are finding more ways to exploit gaps. Cape Town-based Orca Fraud is building technology specifically for this environment, using…

Shoprite is taking its fintech ambitions beyond supermarkets and into one of South Africa’s most important but underserved parts of the economy: spaza shops and informal retailers. The retail giant has completed the acquisition of a 51% controlling stake in R&A Cellular, a South African fintech company that provides point-of-sale technology to spaza shops, convenience…

Nigeria’s startup ecosystem is shifting from a focus on launching new ideas to helping proven businesses scale, and Cascador’s latest cohort reflects that change. The Africa-focused entrepreneur support platform has selected 10 Nigerian growth-stage businesses for its 2026 ScaleUp Programme, choosing them from more than 1,000 applications. The 12-week programme is designed for companies that…