Africa's Tech Future, Today.
Internet access, power, data centres, and mobile networks — the physical foundation everything else runs on. The stories that do not get written often enough.
African payments technology firm Interswitch reports that bank infrastructure for contactless transactions is established across Nigeria. However, convincing consumers to adopt tap-to-pay over traditional cards and mobile transfers remains the primary barrier to nationwide usage.
African cryptocurrency infrastructure platform Breet is advocating for simpler digital asset payments to drive enterprise adoption. Speaking at Moonshot by TechCabal in Lagos, chief operating officer Vivian Mbene emphasized that enabling businesses to receive local currency settlements directly is critical to overcoming merchant skepticism.
Building consumer software applications alone is insufficient to support sustained digital growth across Africa. Unlocking the continent's digital economic potential requires substantial investment in core foundation layers, including broadband connectivity, energy grid reliability, data centre capacity, and regulatory harmonization.
Spiro's Ghana launch puts 100 Ekon electric motorcycles and two-minute battery swaps on Accra's roads, with savings of up to $2 a day promised to riders.
Spectrum costs in Africa run 24% higher per unit than elsewhere, GSMA finds, as 200+ licences near renewal. Here is who pays most and what it wants changed.
Vuyani Jarana turned his childhood curiosity with radios into a career driving rural connectivity across South Africa. As former chief executive of Vodacom Business and South African Airways, and now leading Ilitha Telecommunications, he focuses on bringing affordable broadband to townships and rural areas.
Lowering Right of Way charges reduces cable deployment expenses, but it does not make internet infrastructure projects automatically viable. In Nigeria, operator decisions to expand broadband footprint depend heavily on consumer market demand and commercial revenue potential rather than fee reductions alone.
Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky is expanding its enterprise footprint across Africa following a decade of profitable growth. The company is targeting large-scale institutional contracts across banking, central government, and critical national infrastructure.
Subsea cable operator Seacom has placed group CEO Alpheus Mangale on special leave while allegations about how the company is run are investigated. CFO Charl Slabbert is acting CEO.
UK firm FiveNines has been appointed to lead development of a 20MW AI data centre near Casablanca, the first piece of Nexus Core Systems' planned 180MW, renewable-powered AI Factory in Morocco.
Across Africa, approximately 906 million people live within reach of mobile broadband networks but remain offline. The persistent digital divide has shifted from physical network coverage to barriers surrounding device affordability, digital skills, electricity reliability, and transaction trust.
Safaricom has partnered with Pesapal to bring M-PESA tap-to-pay and dynamic scan options to tens of thousands of point-of-sale devices. This expansion promises faster, more convenient checkout experiences across major retail outlets in Kenya.
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