Author: Samuel Suru

In a landmark development for the West African financial technology sector, Nomba has officially integrated Apple Pay into its expansive ecosystem. This strategic rollout, unveiled on December 23, 2025, empowers over 300,000 merchants to accept seamless, contactless transactions through their point-of-sale (POS) terminals. This move represents a significant evolution in the local payment landscape; while previous milestones—such as Paystack’s 2021 integration—focused largely on digital “Checkout” features for websites, Nomba is bringing this world-class technology directly into the physical retail space. This ensures that brick-and-mortar shops, ranging from high-end boutiques to local pharmacies, can now offer the same level of convenience…

The digital economy in Africa is witnessing a significant shift as Roam, an innovative financial technology platform, enters the market with a bold promise: to serve as the definitive bridge between stablecoins and United States dollar banking. By utilizing the licensed infrastructure provided by Maplerad, Roam aims to empower African freelancers, startups, and digital-first operators with a suite of tools designed to eliminate the historical frictions associated with international payments. The platform offers a streamlined experience featuring instant USD account creation, guaranteed 1:1 stablecoin-to-dollar conversion, and rapid local currency payouts, all while removing the inherent risks of peer-to-peer (P2P) trading…

CreditCorp has formally announced that its crucial 10,000 Women in Mobility initiative will be officially launched on December 12, 2025, at Eagle Square in Abuja. The corporation stated that the comprehensive program has been meticulously designed to provide robust support to women whose entire livelihoods are centered around mobility-based work. A key objective is to significantly enhance their access to sustainable financing solutions that can be utilized to efficiently expand and stabilize their vital micro and small businesses within the transport and logistics ecosystem. The organization further elaborated that this high-profile launch event is being executed through critical collaboration with…

CreditCorp has formally announced that its crucial 10,000 Women in Mobility initiative will be officially launched on December 12, 2025, at Eagle Square in Abuja. The corporation stated that the comprehensive program has been meticulously designed to provide robust support to women whose entire livelihoods are centered around mobility-based work. A key objective is to significantly enhance their access to sustainable financing solutions that can be utilized to efficiently expand and stabilize their vital micro and small businesses within the transport and logistics ecosystem. The organization further elaborated that this high-profile launch event is being executed through critical collaboration with…

The Algerian government is actively pursuing a comprehensive national strategy aimed at sustainably mobilizing its competencies residing abroad and integrating them into the country’s development efforts. This commitment was formally reaffirmed by Sofiane Chaib, the Secretary of State in charge of the National Community Abroad, during a meeting in Algiers on Thursday. He underscored President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s dedication to strengthening the involvement of the diaspora in national development, stressing that the government is implementing integrated action plans to establish lasting and productive bridges between Algerian talents abroad and domestic institutions. Mr. Chaib explained that this strategic approach is focused on…

Africa and Saudi Arabia are entering a defining moment in their modern relationship, driven by a global movement toward south-south collaboration, youth-led innovation, and long-term investment in human capital. This relationship has evolved beyond traditional diplomacy into a strategic alignment shaped by the two youngest, fastest-growing populations in the world, who increasingly recognize their shared future. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 agenda has strongly prioritized deepening ties with African markets, channeling investments into key areas such as technology, climate innovation, logistics, culture, sports, and digital infrastructure. African governments, private-sector leaders, and startups have responded enthusiastically, viewing the Gulf region as a…

Business Partners of South Africa has launched the Basadi-Women Growth Fund, a ZAR90 million (approximately US$4 million) initiative dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs. This fund is specifically designed to provide tailored business financing solutions to women who own viable formal small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but often face significant systemic barriers in accessing funding through traditional financial channels, such as limited collateral and gender bias in lending practices.  Flexible Financing and Holistic Support The Basadi-Women Growth Fund offers flexible financing packages ranging from ZAR250,000 (US$11,000) to ZAR5 million (US$221,000). These funds are versatile and can be utilized for a broad…

Tanzanian startup SkyVerse Solutions has been named the winner of the third edition of the AfrInnovate Youth Challenge (AYC), a continental platform celebrating young African innovators. The company secured the top spot for its groundbreaking mechanized post-harvest groundnut processing solution, which is designed to significantly boost yields, reduce losses, and increase income for local farmers.  Championing Sustainable and Inclusive Enterprises The AfrInnovate Youth Challenge, organized by Junior Achievement (JA) Africa in partnership with the Z Zurich Foundation and JA Worldwide, aims to spotlight purpose-driven enterprises that are driving inclusion and sustainability across Africa. This year’s competition showcased highly impactful and…

South African stablecoin and cryptocurrency payment startup Ezeebit has successfully secured R35 million (approximately $2.05 million) in seed funding. This significant capital raise was led by prominent investors, including Founder Collective and Raba Partnership, with strategic angels and early-stage investors from the global fintech and technology sectors also participating. The funding will be used to accelerate product development and aggressively drive merchant adoption across key African markets, specifically South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria. Ezeebit is addressing a critical opportunity in the African financial landscape, which is characterized by slow and expensive payment rails, low credit card penetration, and the rapid…

NBA Africa has concluded the second cycle of its Triple Double Accelerator program, distributing a total of $70,000 in cash prizes to five standout startups that are developing groundbreaking solutions for the sport and entertainment sectors across the continent. This pivotal program, designed to nurture Africa’s technology ecosystem, celebrated its winners following a competitive process where ten finalists—selected from a robust pool of over 700 applications spanning 32 African countries—pitched their innovations on Demo Day at the Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU Africa) campus in Kigali, Rwanda. The success of the accelerator is reinforced by major partners, including CMU Africa,…