From Lagos to Nairobi

Female founders in Africa face significant challenges in securing funding, including biases in venture capital and limited networks. In 2024, female CEOs raised just $48 million, far less than the $2.2 billion raised by their male counterparts. Many female-led startups are also seen as operating in less scalable sectors like education and healthcare. However, Norrsken22,…

Corporations are playing an essential role in Africa’s startup ecosystem by providing funding, mentorship, and vital resources to help businesses grow. Companies like Google and Orange Ventures offer grants, co-investments, and loans tailored to the needs of startups, while firms such as Qualcomm and Visa support startups with technical guidance and market access. In 2023,…

Kenyan banks are quickly reducing lending rates following a directive from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), which has threatened financial institutions with heavy fines for failing to comply. The CBK aims to ease the cost of credit for businesses and households by ensuring that banks pass on the benefits of recent monetary policy adjustments….

Nigeria is collaborating with Google to advance artificial intelligence and strengthen its digital economy. The announcement was made by President Bola Tinubu after his meeting with Google CEO Sundar Pichai in Paris, France. The partnership aims to expand cloud infrastructure, equip the workforce with future-ready skills, foster AI research, promote cloud adoption, and establish Nigeria…

The 38th African Union (AU) Summit is underway in Addis Ababa, bringing together leaders from 55 member states to address key political, security, and economic issues. Major highlights of the summit include: 1. Election of AU Leadership – A new AU Commission Chairperson is set to be elected, with Kenya’s Raila Odinga and Djibouti’s Mahamoud…

Airtel Kenya has introduced Airtel Lite, a lightweight Progressive Web App (PWA) designed to provide a faster and more accessible self-care experience, especially for smartphones with limited storage and processing power. The app offers similar features to the My Airtel self-care app, ensuring users can manage their accounts efficiently. Additionally, Airtel Kenya has announced that…