TechStream

Technology news around the ecosystem!

From Lagos to Nairobi

We give you summaries of happenings around tech, from developer stand-ups to the boardrooms.

  • Takealot Expands Global Seller Base as It Takes on Shein and Temu in South Africa’s E-commerce War.

    South Africa’s biggest online retailer, Takealot, is deepening its push into international sourcing as competition from fast-growing global platforms like Shein and Temu intensifies. The company is now expanding its marketplace to include more international sellers, particularly from China, in an effort to match the ultra-low prices reshaping online shopping in the country. The move…

  • AptLearn Shuts Down Operations, Ending Its EdTech Run.

    Nigerian edtech startup AptLearn has shut down its current platform after about four years, marking another setback in Africa’s online learning space. The platform, which trained over 200,000 users, built early traction by offering affordable digital skills training. The company described the shutdown as a “reset”, with users given until July 15, 2026, to access…

  • Gabon’s Social Media Law: From Digital Freedom to Digital Traceability.

    Gabon has taken a bold and controversial step in reshaping its digital landscape with a new social media law that effectively ends online anonymity. Under the new rules, users are required to register their real identity details—including full name, national identification number, and address—before accessing social platforms. This marks a significant shift from open, anonymous…

  • Next-Gen Fintech Shaping the Future of Finance

    Anchor’s 2025 year-in-review offers a compelling snapshot of how fintech innovation is evolving across emerging markets, setting the pace for a new generation of financial platforms. Over the past year, Anchor demonstrated that success in emerging economies depends less on replicating Western models and more on building locally adaptive solutions. Its product expansion focused heavily…

  • Free Smart Wi-Fi Rollout Boosts Connectivity in Nigerian Cities

    Play Network Africa has partnered with European technology firm MediaKing to launch a large-scale free smart Wi-Fi network across major Nigerian cities, marking a significant step toward improving digital connectivity and urban infrastructure in the country. The initiative, which will operate under a new entity called MediaKing Nigeria, is set to begin with rollouts in…

  • Northern Nigeria’s Emerging Role in Africa’s AI Talent Revolution

    Across Africa’s rapidly expanding technology landscape, attention has often been focused on established tech hubs like Lagos, Nairobi, and Cape Town. However, a quieter but significant transformation is taking place in Northern Nigeria, where emerging developer communities are beginning to reshape the continent’s artificial intelligence (AI) talent pipeline. Though still under the radar, these communities…