Kenya’s LOLC Microfinance Bank Directors Risk Prosecution in Data Enforcement Case
Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has recommended criminal prosecution of directors at LOLC Microfinance Bank after the lender ignored a formal request to justify publishing a former employee’s personal data. The regulator found the bank unlawfully processed the data and ordered its deletion within 14 days. Failure to respond was deemed obstruction, an offence punishable by up to KES 5 million (≈$38,700), two years’ imprisonment, or both. The case marks a shift toward personal liability for corporate leaders in Kenya’s data protection regime.
The Solar-Powered Medical Kiosks Bringing Doctors to Remote Chadians
Telemedan, founded in 2021 by Abakar Mahamat and Ahmed Kotoko, deploys solar‑powered medical kiosks that link rural Chadians to qualified doctors via video and on‑site diagnostic tools. Each $10,000 unit is sold to governments or public health programs, offering consultations...
Cellulant Hires Ex-Xapo Bank Executive Anthony Hernandez as COO
Cellulant, the pan‑African payments platform, has appointed former Xapo Bank executive Anthony Hernandez as chief operating officer. Hernandez will oversee onboarding, transaction processing and customer growth, aiming to cut payment failures and improve transaction visibility across 20 markets. The hire...
Zuri Health Expands Mobile Clinic Fleet Across High-Traffic Nairobi
Zuri Health, the Kenya‑based health‑tech startup, has added two more solar‑powered mobile clinic buses, bringing its fleet to three operating in Nairobi. Two of the buses serve as self‑contained clinics offering diagnostics, dental care and cervical cancer screening, while the...
Kenya-Based Assistive Tech Accelerator Embeds Persons with Disabilities in Product Design
Kenya’s Innovate Now accelerator announced its largest cohort yet, selecting 19 startups that focus on speech therapy, mobility, inclusive education and caregiver support. The program’s “Live Labs” model embeds persons with disabilities directly into prototype testing, ensuring products are tailored to...
Airtel Expands Network Capacity in Latest Move to Close Gap with MTN
Airtel Nigeria has accelerated its network build, adding 1,561 sites to reach roughly 17,200 towers by December 2025 and committing $500 million to the effort. The expansion targets high‑traffic corridors where congestion threatens service quality as internet consumption hit 1.26 million terabytes...
Ex-Flutterwave Executive Awa Koné Joins Cauridor as Chief Operating Officer
Cauridor, a Guinea‑based cross‑border payments platform, has hired former Flutterwave Global Head of Operations Awa Koné as chief operating officer. Koné brings over five years of experience scaling payment infrastructure across Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia, plus a stint as...
Storipod Strikes Deal to Distribute Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Books Digitally
Storipod, a mobile‑first microblogging platform for African creators, has partnered with Narrative Landscape Press to digitise Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s books and other leading African titles. The deal uses Storipod’s chapter‑by‑chapter micropayment system, lowering upfront costs and keeping content in users’ libraries. The...
Charm Impact’s Gavriel Landau on Backing Deals Others Avoid
Charm Impact has closed a $6.25 million raise for its Hummingbird One fund, about half of the $12 million target. The fund will issue short‑term loans of $50,000 to $500,000 to early‑stage renewable‑energy and clean‑cooking businesses across Africa that are too small...
Kenya Ruling Expands Tax Net to Foreign Income Earned From Nairobi Operations
Kenya’s Tax Appeals Tribunal ruled that income from overseas projects is taxable in Kenya when the firm’s management and control are exercised locally. The decision stems from a KES 1.9 billion ($14.6 million) dispute with German engineering firm H.P Gauff Ingenieure GmbH & Co...
Nigeria’s NIGCOMSAT Says It Earned $1.6 Million Amid Satellite Dispute
Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited reported ₦2.2 billion ($1.6 million) revenue for 2025, more than triple its 2024 earnings. Broadcasting still generates over half of that income, but the firm is pivoting toward broadband to reach a projected ₦8 billion ($5.8 million) target. CEO Jane...
For Kenyan Stablecoin Issuers, Reserves Must Be Kept Close to Home
Kenya’s draft Virtual Asset Service Provider regulations require stablecoin issuers to hold 30% of reserves in segregated accounts at local commercial banks and the remaining 70% in cash or short‑term government securities. Issuers must maintain at least KES 500 million (≈$3.85 million) in...
South Africa Chose Flexibility over Control in Its New AI Policy
South Africa released a draft AI policy on April 2, 2026 that favours sector‑specific oversight instead of a single super‑regulator. Existing bodies such as the FSCA, Reserve Bank and SAHPRA will enforce risk‑tiered rules ranging from bans on unacceptable systems...
South Africa-Founded Refiant AI Raises $5 Million to Build Leaner AI Models
Refiant AI, a South Africa‑founded startup, closed a $5 million seed round led by VoLo Earth Ventures to accelerate its AI‑model compression platform. The company’s technology restructures large models, shrinking a 120‑billion‑parameter network to run on a standard laptop with 12 GB...
This Startup Is Building an ‘Intelligence Layer’ for Nigeria’s Power Grid
PowerLabs, a Lagos‑based climate‑tech startup founded in early 2023, is launching an AI‑driven "intelligence layer" that unifies Nigeria’s fragmented power mix of grid, diesel generators, solar panels and batteries. The platform, called Pai Enterprise, pairs IoT sensors with a cloud...
