Trending
- African energy: Opportunities and challenges presented by Russia’s investments
- Africa’s smart farming push—a revolution or a mirage?
- BRICS summit in Brazil to focus on global governance reform
- Dedollarization: BRICS take on Trump and mighty dollar
- Trump’s second term: A rare opportunity for real African energy independence
- ‘Perfect storm’ in South Sudan demands urgent action – UN
- Kenya’s green gold rush that clean energy investors can’t ignore
- Mining diplomacy: Will the US exploit DRC’s critical minerals?
Tech & Business
- Availability of mobile phones, internet increasing agriculture digitization.
- Smallholder farmers still lag in adapting digital solutions in farming.
- Policymakers urged to prioritize digitalization interventions for smallholder farmers.
Across Africa, a new era of agriculture is unfolding, driven by the rise of farming AI (artificial intelligence)—a powerful tool that promises to revolutionize food production and meet the demands of a growing population. Increasingly, farming Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ‘future present’ of agriculture development as rising number of smallholder farmers in Africa adopt various digital solutions to increase productivity.
In a recent research that looked into rural farmers’ experiences and attitudes toward digital tools and services in Africa, the findings show that the trend is less than promising, comparatively speaking.
“We like to look at how the adoption and application of digital services, and digital solutions directly and/or indirectly to agricultural processes and how farmers are fairing, if at all,” explains …
- Laser-powered Taara Lightbridge, an firm owned by Google, is competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink to advance access to internet services in Africa.
- Taara is targeting some 860 million people in Africa who currently go without reliable internet access.
- Taara Lightbridge offers affordable, high-speed internet that rivals satellite broadband solutions.
As Elon Musk’s satellite internet services firm Starlink grows its footprint in Africa, rival Google’s Taara Lightbridge has stepped in for a share of the growing number of consumers in the vast continent.
Taara Lightbridge is the brainchild of Alphabet, the parent company of tech giant Google and is envisioned to become “a standalone company,” as it takes on Starlink “in the race to connect underserved regions with high-speed internet.”
Taara Lightbridge uses Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology to beam high-speed internet through light over long distances, unlike satellite broadband that Elon Musk’s Starlink uses.
The move into Africa’s …
- At AIM Congress 2025, PAL-V will be showcasing the PAL-V Liberty, the world’s first FlyDrive vehicle.
- This vehicle combines the convenience of traditional driving with the freedom of flying, presenting a practical vision for the future of mobility.
- “We are bringing the future of mobility to reality—creating seamless, efficient, and flexible transportation,” said Robert Dingemanse, Founder and CEO of PAL-V.
AIM Congress 2025, in its 14th edition, will highlight the latest global innovations in the mobility sector under the Future Cities Portfolio, bringing together industry leaders, investors, and policymakers to explore the future of advanced transportation.
Among this year’s most prominent participants is PAL-V, showcasing the PAL-V Liberty, the world’s first FlyDrive vehicle. This revolutionary vehicle combines the convenience of traditional driving with the freedom of flying, presenting a practical vision for the future of mobility.
As transportation systems face increasing challenges, such as traffic congestion and intercity travel …
- Tiktok holds talks with content creators in Kenya on monetisation following the breach of a June 2024 offer to start making money via the platform.
- In December 2023, TikTok announced plans to launch a subscription model for content in Kenya in June 2024.
- According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023 survey, Kenya leads the world in TikTok usage.
Kenyan content creators will wait a bit longer for direct monetisation of their content through TikTok, after the video-sharing platform breached an earlier offer to operationalise income-earning initiatives by June this year. In the latest development, the Chinese company revealed that it has just engaged in talks with Kenyan creators, who have been pushing multinational social media companies to find ways to compensate for the content they publish on the platforms.
Tiktok director of government relations & public policy for Sub-Saharan Africa Fortune Sibanda said that Kenyan creators will in …
- Safaricom has requested telco industry watchdog, the Communications Authority (CA) to block satellite internet providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, from operating independently within Kenya.
- Kenya’s largest telco argues that allowing satellite providers to operate independently could lead to challenges in enforcing compliance with local laws.
- Safaricom insists satellite ISPs should only be allowed to operate under the license rights of a local company.
A fierce battle is looming in Kenya’s internet service provider (ISP) industry, with Safaricom PLC, the region’s largest telecommunications operator, requesting the Communications Authority (CA) to block satellite internet providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, from operating independently within the country.
This development sets the stage for what could turn out to be a fierce contest over the control of Kenya’s lucrative internet market, as telco heavyweights Safaricom and Starlink vie for dominance in a rapidly digitizing economy.
Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and …
- New report identifies 24 leading Africa-focused supply chain innovators who are at the forefront of this transformation.
- These innovators have partnered with over 100 manufacturers and 75 public health institutions, reaching more than 50,000 providers and directly delivering health products to approximately nine million consumers.
- Collectively, these supply chain leaders have generated nearly $200 million in annual revenues.
A new wave of innovation is powering health product access in Africa, reshaping how medical products are accessed across the continent. Despite the formidable challenges posed by economic pressures and declining investments in technology, a select group of innovators is rising to the occasion, delivering solutions that promise to make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and reliable for millions of Africans.
A recent market intelligence report by Salient Advisory, funded by the Gates Foundation, sheds light on these trailblazers, highlighting the innovative approaches they are taking to pioneer health product access in …
- Though encouraging that the number of female CEOs has risen from 230 (9.6%) in 2023 to 310 (11.1%) in 2024, these numbers show a tech segment that is still heavily dominated by men.
- Interestingly, smaller ecosystems such as Zambia, Rwanda, and Senegal are outperforming traditional hotspots like South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Kenya in terms of female leadership.
- Between January 2022 and June 2024, startups with female co-founders raised $747M, representing just 11.9% of the total, while those led by female CEOs secured only $289M.
The African tech ecosystem, renowned for its dynamic growth and innovative potential, is transforming. Yet, a pressing issue remains, gender diversity within leadership roles. This year’s “Diversity Dividend: Exploring Gender Equality in the African Tech Ecosystem” survey by Disrupt Africa highlights the gender disparities that continue to plague this burgeoning industry.
Despite recent improvements, the representation of women in leadership positions within African …
- Africa’s evolving telco sector faces challenges such as brand loyalty and infrastructure costs.
- Some of the most recognised brands in Africa are telcos MTN, and Safaricom PLC.
- Africa, and particularly the smaller emerging markets such as Rwanda and Ethiopia are home to a diverse customer base, new report notes.
The African telecommunications market has seen significant consolidation over the past decade, characterised by mergers, acquisitions, and closures such as Telecel’s acquisition of MTN’s operations in Guinea-Bissau and Guinea Conakry; as well as its acquisition of Vodafone Ghana.
According to Robert van Breukelen, CEO of Itemate Solutions, this comes as mobile financial services in Africa have grown with around 435 million (9 per cent YoY rise) active mobile money accounts by the end of 2023.
Breukelen argues that larger, more established telcos are shifting their focus to larger markets, diversifying into mobile financial services such as banking, loans, remittance, insurance, and …
- replica Breitling
- Google for Startups Accelerator Africa this year placed a strong emphasis on AI technologies in addressing Africa’s most pressing challenges.
- This year’s cohort, featuring ten innovative startups from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa, was selected from nearly 1,000 applications.
- The ten startups will participate in a structured program to support their growth.
Kenya and Nigeria top the list of the 10 startups from the continent that will form part of the eighth cohort of Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program.
This year’s cohort, featuring ten innovative startups from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa, was selected from nearly 1,000 applications.
Out of the ten ventures, Nigeria produced five, Kenya produced three, and Rwanda and South Africa produced one each.
Google Africa’s Head of Startups Programs, Folarin Aiyegbusi, said that despite the current “funding winter” in Sub-Saharan Africa, where investment flows have slowed, the resilience and ingenuity of …
