Global cybersecurity giant Sophos has finalised the acquisition of SecureWorks in an all-cash deal worth about $859 million. Per the agreement, supported by software investment firm Thoma Bravo, Secureworks, a significant cybersecurity player, will join Sophos to strengthen its Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services. The addition of Secureworks’ experience will improve Sophos’ security operations […]

The Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone (PDSL) has partnered with African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025, reinforcing the country’s commitment to global energy collaboration. The move highlights Sierra Leone’s ambition to unlock its hydrocarbon potential and position itself as a key player in the oil and gas industry. AEW: Invest in African […]

The Republic of Congo and Kazakhstan signed an investment agreement on Tuesday, February 4, to develop and deploy a high-resolution earth remote sensing space system. The signing ceremony took place at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, with a Congolese delegation and representatives from JSC NC Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary, the company in […]

In an ambitious move that underscores the escalating arms race in artificial intelligence (AI), Amazon announced on February 6th plans to invest over $100 billion in AI development and infrastructure in 2025. This commitment reflects a significant financial bet and a strategic pivot towards capturing what Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, describes as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity […]

The Ethiopian government on Tuesday unveiled the Digital Agriculture Roadmap (DAR), a nationwide initiative to fast-track the agriculture sector’s digital transformation. This roadmap, created by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), will be effective between 2025 and 2032. Read also: Ethiopian Securities Exchange launches with Wegagen Bank as first listed entity […]

StarkWare, an Israeli blockchain company valued at $8 billion, launched a $4 million fund on Thursday to support blockchain startups in Africa.  The fund will focus on pre-seed and seed-stage startups in West, South, and East Africa, particularly those building on StarkNet, StarkWare’s Ethereum-based decentralised application platform. Read also: Binance Labs rebrands to YZi, expands […]

Startbutton, a startup backed by Norrsken that helps businesses broaden their reach abroad without needing physical offices, is expanding into seven Francophone African countries.  The expansion, announced Thursday, includes Benin, Togo, Senegal, Mali, Guinea Conakry, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon. The goal is to enable more companies to enter these markets and accept local payments. Startbutton’s […]

Saviu Ventures, a venture capital firm specialising in Francophone Africa, has closed a second €25 million (USD 26 million) round for its Saviu II fund.  The fund aims to support early-stage startups in the region, continuing its strategy of investing from Seed to Series A rounds. The announcement was made on Wednesday. AXIAN Investment, the […]

Beltone Venture Capital, the VC arm of Beltone Holding in Cario, has announced a strategic equity investment in LNKO, a leading omni-channel D2C eyewear startup in Morocco. The investment, disclosed on February 6, 2025, strengthens Beltone’s expansion strategy across Africa, supporting high-growth startups that drive market transformation. Read also: Beltone expands into African financial services […]

Smpl Fund I, a $10 million venture capital fund launched by Smpl Holdings in Abu Dhabi, has invested $250,000 strategically in multiple AI and technology companies within the Qora71 portfolio. This investment, announced on Wednesday, reinforces the fund’s commitment to supporting AI innovation and strengthening the MENA region’s tech ecosystem. Read also: FEC approves National […]

AXIAN Telecom, a prominent pan-African telecom company, declared on Tuesday that it has signed the GSMA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter (HCC). The HCC was established by the GSMA in 2015 with the goal of improving Mobile Network Operators’ (MNOs’) capacity for planning, reaction, and recovery in the event of rapid onset catastrophes, including natural disasters. AXIAN […]

Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trust, reinforcing the country’s ambition to become a global leader in AI development. The announcement was made by the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy on Wednesday. Read also: Harnessing technology to combat Female Genital Mutilation in Africa The […]

Ghana-based digital streaming platform Aftown Music, which promotes and digitises African music, on Monday announced its launch in Francophone Africa, starting with Cameroon. The expansion is a collaborative effort with Cliq Empire, a creative agency and entertainment hub, to guarantee a smooth entry into the Cameroonian market. “We are thrilled to be working with Aftown […]

Since Saturday, February 1, residents of several Congolese cities, including Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, and Lubumbashi, have faced difficulty accessing popular social media platforms like X and TikTok. While there has been no official announcement, analysts suggest these restrictions are aimed at curbing the spread of information about the escalating situation in the eastern part of […]

Today, February 6, marks International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation—a day when we reflect on one stark reality: Over 200 million girls and women worldwide have undergone this harmful practice. In Africa, where FGM is most prevalent, technology is emerging as a powerful tool in combating this injustice. The statistics are stark: […]

InDrive, a ride-hailing service active in nine African countries, is rolling out a bank transfer feature in Nigeria.  The feature, dubbed “Light Cashless,” enables drivers to display their preferred bank account details within the app, allowing passengers to copy and paste the information for direct payment. InDrive announced this addition on February 5, 2025. Read […]

Egypt is accelerating its transition to a private sector-driven economy, as highlighted at the Egypt VC Summit 2025, held on February 4-5 in Cairo.  Organised by the Egyptian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EPEA), GIZ Egypt on behalf of the German government, and implemented by Changelabs, the event brought together over 400 participants, including […]

To protect consumer interests, the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has directed Airtel Zambia to compensate customers following a major network outage on February 2, 2025.  Over three hours, the outage disrupted data services in Lusaka and the southern, western, central, and eastern provinces. Read also: Airtel Zambia, ZICTA launch e-waste collection campaign […]

Chinese tech giant ByteDance has developed a new AI system to turn a single photo into a video of a person talking, singing, and moving naturally. The new technology, OmniHuman-1, was announced on Wednesday and is the next step in AI-generated media. It goes beyond past models that could only move faces or upper bodies. […]

The launch of “Generation AI: Boosting 1000 Moroccan SMEs” initiative was announced on Tuesday, February 4 by the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), in collaboration with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the professional social network LinkedIn. “Generation AI” seeks to address the Moroccan economic ecosystem’s increasing demand for digital acceleration […]