Uganda
Oxfam Novib and Goodwell target East African startups with €20M Pepea fund
Impact investor Goodwell Investments and Oxfam Novib, a Dutch foundation and Oxfam International affiliate, have set up Pepea, a €20 million ($21.7 million) fund, to provide financing to early-stage
BuuPass raises $1.3M to scale mobility sector digitization in Africa
The public transport sector in Kenya is largely traditional, and a majority of operators, especially those in road travel, still require their clients to physically book tickets at their offices even
Uganda’s changes on Computer Misuse law spark fears it will be used to silence dissidents
Uganda’s controversial Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill 2022, which rights groups say will likely be used to silence dissenting voices online, has come into force after the country’s President Yow
YC-backed fintech Numida raises $12.3M led by Serena Ventures to extend loans to MSMEs beyond Uganda
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Africa make up the bulk — over 90% — of businesses in the continent but are still marginalized in accessing credit from formal inst
Nigerian digital bank Kuda is the latest African startup to lay off employees
Kuda, the challenger bank based in Nigeria and the U.K., has joined the ranks of tech companies in Africa that are pruning their workforce. The news of the layoffs, which was first disclosed to TechCr
Kenyan fintech Pezesha raises $11M backed by Women’s World Banking, Cardano parent IOG
Access to finance remains a key growth constraint for small businesses, with data showing a $330 billion financing deficit for the small enterprises that make up 90% of Africa’s businesses. This is
Kenyan agtech iProcure raises $10.2M to grow its input supply network
The shortage of agricultural inputs like fertilizer, unpredictable prices and the proliferation of substandard products into markets are some of the biggest challenges for Kenya’s agricultural secto
Google’s third bet from its Africa Investment Fund is in logistics company Lori Systems
Lori Systems, an African on-demand logistics and trucking company digitizing haulage and providing shippers with solutions to manage their cargo and transporters, has raised a pre-Series B round in wh
Bluechip, an African systems integrator with partners like Microsoft and Oracle, is expanding to Europe
It’s not often you hear about African tech companies expanding into Europe. Some examples include fintechs Lidya and Korapay in Eastern Europe and the U.K., respectively. In the latest developme
Identity verification company Youverify extends seed funding to $2.5M as it expands across Africa
This past month has seen several African fintechs such as Flutterwave and Union54 make headlines for compliance checks issues and fraud allegations. Both unlinked events re-emphasize the importance of
Swvl’s $100M acquisition of Smart Bus startup Zeelo is off, amid tech stocks slump
All is not well with the proposed acquisition of U.K. start bus platform Zeelo by Mass transit group Swvl. Back in April, we covered how a possible $100 million acquisition was on the cards, and, inde
Universal Music Group signs licensing deal with African streaming service Mdundo
The music catalog of the Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest record company, will be available to users of Africa-focused streaming service Mdundo following the signing of a licensing d
This Week in Apps: Twitter Notes, Instagram age verification, Spotify’s Live Events
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry continues to grow, with a re
African health tech startups in the supply chain segment show rapid growth, spurring a $7M investment initiative
While Africa’s health systems are still reeling from the effects of the COVID pandemic, the adoption of digital health services has been revved up in some countries. Telemedicine, the standout offer
Ghana’s fintech Fido raises $30M to roll out new products and expand across Africa
After extending credit to thousands of customers over mobile phones since 2015, Ghana-based fintech Fido is now in search of additional growth avenues for its expansion across Africa. Fido told TechCr
Uber hits 1 billion rides in Africa
Uber today announced a significant milestone — it has completed 1 billion rides across all its markets in Africa. This feat translates to over 10 billion kilometres in terms of distance cover
Optibus taps $100M at a $1.3B valuation for its AI-based mass transit operations platform
Mass transit has made a rebound with the return of city life post-COVID 19, and today a startup that’s building tech to help it run more smoothly is announcing a big round of funding to meet the
‘Desist from facilitating trade in crypto assets’ Uganda warns banks, fintechs
Uganda’s financial regulator has warned payment service providers from enabling cryptocurrency transactions in the East African country. The Bank of Uganda, in a letter, said it had not licensed any
Masa Finance gets $3.5M pre-seed to build its decentralized credit protocol
Masa Finance, a hybrid credit protocol and decentralized credit bureau founded by Pngme CEO Brendan Playford in late 2020, has raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding. According to a statement, the co
UK fintech startup Leatherback raises $10M for its cross-border payments led by ZedCrest
Immigrants, international students, and the migrant population in general all require international payments, or foreign exchange. Revolut and Wise are among those platforms to have taken advantage of