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The Judith Neilson Foundation and the Million Lives Collective have launched a new African Cities Innovation Fund. It will provide grants of up to $75,000 for projects linking startups, civic groups and public-sector partners.
The goal is to test digital and infrastructure solutions for mobility, basic services and climate resilience in fast-growing African cities.
The Egyptian platform Taager, which allows thousands of independent sellers to run online businesses without holding inventory or upfront capital, has launched operations in Morocco after earlier rollouts in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Moroccan arm, led by Salma Ammor, aims to tap into the country’s fast-growing e-commerce market and make it easier for more people to start selling online.
The Egyptian startup Rology, an AI-assisted teleradiology platform, has closed a new funding round with investors including the Philips Foundation, Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, Sanofi Global Health’s impact fund and MIT Solve Innovation Future. The funding will be used to expand its network of radiologists and improve access to rapid diagnostics across 13 countries in Africa and the Middle East.
Mobile money integration specialist Tola Mobile is expanding its payment platform in Africa by adding card payment capabilities. Operating in 23 countries, Tola Mobile provides merchants with a single API that allows them to process deposits, withdrawals and real-time settlements through both mobile wallets and cards.
Nigerian fintech company FairMoney, through its subsidiary MyCredit Investments Limited, has had its long-term rating upgraded to BBB+ and its short-term rating to A2 by Global Credit Ratings. The upgrade reflects the strength of its business model, well-managed credit-risk growth and 2024 revenue of more than 112 billion naira, equivalent to over 77 million dollars.
Zazu, a digital banking platform designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses, recently raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round from African and European investors.
The startup is currently active in South Africa and Morocco, where it integrates with key payment providers such as Paystack and Ozow. Zazu plans to accelerate its rollout now, ahead of a major pan-African expansion scheduled for 2026.
British fintech company Wise has received conditional approval from the South African Reserve Bank to operate as an authorized foreign-exchange intermediary, allowing it to offer international transfers to consumers.
The approval will enable South Africans to send money abroad at the mid-market exchange rate, with all fees disclosed upfront. The move comes amid rising demand for faster and cheaper cross-border payments in the region.
Bolt, the ride-hailing platform, has reached a major milestone in South Africa, announcing it has completed more than 400 million trips since its launch in 2016. The service, which serves about 1.4 million passengers each month and has over 40,000 active drivers across twenty-three cities, hit this mark as the industry rolled out new safety rules requiring licenses, vehicle identification and physical alert buttons.
Nigerian entrepreneur Kayode Aladesuyi’s company, MYai Robotics, has unveiled Curation AI, a system that verifies articles, images, videos, audio and social media posts in seconds while also tracking public opinion in real time. Developed by a mostly Nigerian team, the tool is designed to curb misinformation by enabling the public, media outlets and institutions to quickly verify digital content.
Twelve Kenyan startups – including LeadNow by Dignitas, Cloud School System, Elimu Shop, iFunza, M-Lugha Technologies, Nyansapo AI, Zydii and Digifunzi– have completed the third cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship. During the six-month program, they received support to refine their solutions and expand the rollout of digital tools that promote inclusive education.
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Nigeria’s Task Systems Limited has won the Microsoft Partner of the Year Award, beating more than 4,000 candidates from over 100 countries. The award highlights decades of expertise in deploying digital solutions for major African enterprises and reinforces Task Systems’ position as a key driver of digital transformation on the continent.
Proparco is investing in Kenyan e-mobility startup BasiGo, which assembles electric buses locally and finances them through a pay-as-you-drive model. The funding will help the company expand its operations in Kenya and Rwanda, strengthen its charging network, and move closer to its goal of deploying 1,000 buses.
South Africa’s Competition Tribunal has approved Lesaka Technologies’ acquisition of digital-only bank Bank Zero for about $63.8 million. The deal still requires sign-off from prudential regulators. The acquisition will enable Lesaka to strengthen its financial services platform, expand its digital banking offering, and fund its growth more effectively through customer deposits.
The Nigerian startup Konnadex has received a $20,000 grant from the Lisk protocol to accelerate the development of its stablecoin payment portal for merchants. The platform offers on-chain invoicing, payment links and automated reconciliation to streamline cryptocurrency settlements. The funding strengthens the company’s market credibility but remains only an early step toward scaling.