Browse every article
250 articles · 1 filter applied · Reset filters
SMEs can manage their staff without a big HR department
For most small businesses, there is no HR department. The owner usually handles the hiring, leave, salaries and staff problems while also trying to run the business. That works when the team is small. But once there are more employees, keeping track of everyone's responsibilities, performance and paperwork becomes harder.
South Africa's $405 million infrastructure deal puts SMEs in the supply chain
South Africa has signed $405 million in financing with the New Development Bank (NDB) for two infrastructure projects in Limpopo and North West.
African startups can apply for up to $1.5 million from DIV Fund
DIV Fund is offering grants of up to $1.5 million to African startups tackling development challenges. Here's who qualifies and how to apply.
Airtel Africa plans $1.1 billion investment in networks and infrastructure
Airtel Africa is putting $1.1 billion into towers, fibre and data centres across the continent - here's what it means for coverage, competition and your data bill.
Abu Dhabi's power play: 90% of Azura Power acquired
Abu Dhabi's TAQA-linked investors have taken a 90% stake in Azura Power, the gas plant that supplies a chunk of Nigeria's grid. Here's what the deal signals about who's really bankrolling Africa's energy infrastructure.
Lagos event shows Nigerian founders can tap global networks without leaving home
Nigerian founders are being given more opportunities to meet investors, business operators and professionals from the diaspora without having to leave the country to access those networks.
Former British soldier builds a $1 billion lending business in Kenya
Wayne Hennessy-Barrett arrived in Kenya in 2013 with little experience in finance and no loan book to speak of. What he did have was a question for the small traders he met in the country's informal markets: what do you need? The answer was simple. “I walked around and asked people what they needed,” Hennessy-Barrett
Former Goldman Sachs banker turns to Africa's funding gap
Grace Legodi has worked on both sides of the finance industry. She studied finance at the University of Cape Town, worked in mergers and acquisitions at Goldman Sachs in New York and Johannesburg, and later moved into venture capital and entrepreneurship development. She is now using that experience to fund early-stage businesses in Southern Africa
Geely launches its Riddara electric bakkie in South Africa
Geely has launched its Riddara electric bakkie in South Africa, with prices starting at R611,900. The Chinese brand is bringing three versions of the double cab to the local market, with one rear wheel drive model and two all wheel drive models. The range topping Riddara Apex RD6 4WD produces 315kW and 595Nm. This makes
African startups are making money by solving everyday business problems
African startups are increasingly building products for other businesses instead of trying to get millions of individual consumers to use their apps. The shift is showing up across areas such as payments, accounting, payroll, procurement, logistics and business software. For a startup, selling to another business can mean fewer customers are needed to build a
Kenyan fintech Flowt is using AI to help small businesses get working capital
Kenyan fintech startup Flowt is using AI to assess small businesses for working-capital loans, using the financial information they already generate through banks, accounting systems and M-Pesa. The Nairobi-based startup has raised an undisclosed pre-seed round from Delta40 Fund I and Impacc, with grant support from the Argidius Foundation. Flowt was founded by Elana Laichena
Rwanda puts $1.6 million into electric transport
Rwanda has launched a $1.6 million project to support electric transport. The programme will run from 2026 to 2030.Rwanda’s environment authority launched the project on August 26. It will focus on electric mobility policy, demonstration projects and the wider use of electric vehicles. For small businesses, the programme could affect delivery costs and motorcycle operations.
Telviva launches Viva, a digital agent for South African businesses
Businesses still have staff spending their time answering the same questions, transferring calls and looking up information for customers. Telviva wants Viva to handle some of that work. The new digital agent can answer calls, respond to WhatsApp messages and access information from a company’s existing systems. The South African cloud communications company says it
NCBA and BasiGo team up to finance 1,000 electric vehicles in Kenya
Getting more electric vehicles onto Kenya’s roads is becoming less about whether the technology works and more about whether operators can afford to buy the vehicles. NCBA Group and electric mobility company BasiGo are now trying to make that part easier. The two companies have agreed to finance 1,000 electric vehicles, giving public transport operators,
Visa is testing stablecoins for cross-border payments in the DRC
Sending money from one African country to another can still be a frustrating process. There are different currencies, different payment systems and banks involved in moving the money. All of that can add time and cost to a transaction. Visa is now testing whether stablecoins can make some of that easier in the Democratic Republic
Kenya is building a battery swapping network for electric motorcycles
For someone who makes a living from a motorcycle, keeping the bike running matters. A delivery rider cannot afford to spend hours waiting for a battery to charge. The same applies to motorcycle taxi drivers who need to keep moving to earn money. That is why SUN Mobility and Vivo Energy have started rolling out
Vwaza TV is taking a different approach to Africa’s streaming market
Getting an African film in front of an audience is one thing. Making money from it is another. That is the problem Vwaza Multimedia is trying to work on with Vwaza TV, its new streaming platform for African films, series and original productions. The Malawian company launched Vwaza TV on August 19. Instead of making
WorkKE is building a marketplace for Africa’s freelancers and skilled workers
There are plenty of skilled people in Africa looking for work. The problem is that having a skill does not always mean you know where to find the next customer. That is the gap Kenyan startup WorkKE is trying to address. Founded in 2025 by Kennedy Mokaya Asiago, WorkKE has built an online marketplace where
A diverted tuition payment led to a $450 million remittance business
Jones Amegbor did not set out to build a $450 million remittance business. The idea started with a tuition payment that never reached the university. In 2010, Amegbor was working at a bank when he needed to pay university fees for a family member. He could not leave work to visit an agent, so he
Ventures Platform raises $84 million for its second African venture fund
Ventures Platform has closed its second institutional fund at $84 million. The fund gives the African venture capital firm more room to put larger amounts of money into the startups it backs. The new fund, called VP Pan-African Fund II, is about 1.8 times larger than the firm’s first institutional fund. That fund closed at