Sponsor Message

Good News! Airtel Nigeria has announced a strategic partnership with original equipment manufacturers of the Infinix, TECNO and itel smartphones brand that will enable telecoms consumers to enjoy exclusive ‘double data’ offer for a six month period. Purchase any of these smartphones today and enjoy twice the value of any data plan they purchase on their newly acquired device. Find a retail store near you HERE.

The Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, is proposing an increase in taxes for mobile money, internet, and phone calls. The proposal was made in an amended bill called the “Finance Bill 2018”, per Techweez. As has been evident in Uganda, these taxes only spells doom.

Uber has quietly gotten into the three-wheeler game in Kenya with the launch of a new service called UberPOA in Mombasa. UberPOA will work just like the regular UberX service and follows an already existing two-wheeler/motorcycle service called UberCHAPCHAP. 

Egyptian health tech startup, Vezeeta, has raised $12 million in Series C funding led by Saudi Arabia-based STV Capital (the region’s largest venture fund) and existing investors BECO Capital, Vostok New Ventures and Silicon Badia. The raise is being touted as the largest ever in the region and brings Vezeeta’s total funding to $22.5 million, per Crunchbase. The startup claims its has served over 2.5 million customers and made over 3 million appointment since it launched in 2015.

The University Of Dar-es-Salaam And Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) have invested $6K in three startups: Suku Enterprise, Recyclers, and Lily Pads which emerged top three contestants at the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition organised by the university and DOT. 

10 startups have been selected to pitch for a chance to work with Merck at the end of its Lagos satellite program. The winning startup will get a $3,000 cash prize, a trip to the Merck Innovation Centre to pitch for a collaboration project, membership for up to 12 months at Seedspace Lagos, access to Merck Innovator Academy TrainToInnovate

India-based Bharti Airtel is reportedly setting up a London IPO for its Africa business, reports Guardian Nigeria. Bharti has already enlisted UBS, JP Morgan and Citi to facilitate the listing. Airtel has telecom assets in 14 African countries and generated ~$2.8 billion in revenue for the quarter ending June 2018. 

Nigerian investor, Chika Nwobi, has launched The Decagon Institute, a software engineering institution that will train applicants even if they cannot pay fees, in Lagos, per a press release we recieved. The presser also says Decagon graduates will be placed in jobs as software engineers in top companies in Nigeria and internationally and will be allowed to pay a share of their income back to the Institute. Applications are currently open and will close at the end of October. 

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Co-founder of Andela and Flutterwave, will be the guest speaker at CcHub’s Breakfast Chat Series for this month. The event will happen on September 27 by 9AM at the CcHub building in Yaba, Lagos. Request an invite here. 

From TechCabal

+ How Blockchain Can Help Africa Build A Better Logistics Industry

+ Africa’s Biggest Economies Largely Depend On Fossil Fuels But That Is Gradually Changing