Nigeria’s Startup Act is finally moving further into implementation. NITDA is accelerating implementation of incentives covering areas such as tax relief, funding, registration, and regulatory sandboxes.

Flutterwave is teaming up with Caliza to give African businesses another route to global payments. The partnership combines Flutterwave’s African reach with Caliza’s stablecoin infrastructure to make cross-border money transfers easier.

Nigeria’s central bank is opening its sandbox to virtual asset firms and fintechs, giving companies a controlled environment to test new products before going fully to market. It could make the regulator less of a roadblock and more of a testing partner.

With 85% of organisations already using cloud services, the Nigerian government is now pushing for local cloud capacity as concerns around data sovereignty and dependence on foreign infrastructure grow.

Kenya has approved its first locally domiciled exchange-traded fund, giving investors a new way to buy into the market. Bank stocks rallied alongside the announcement as investors welcomed another route into listed assets.

Your phone can now double as your ATM card in Ethiopia. M-Pesa Ethiopia and Bank of Abyssinia have launched cardless withdrawals, giving customers another way to get cash without carrying plastic.

IHS Towers’ profits are taking a hit from higher diesel costs and expenses tied to its planned merger with MTN. It’s awkward timing for the tower company, which is preparing to become part of Africa’s biggest telecom operator.

Mr Eazi’s Choplife is moving its operations into Itana, Nigeria’s first digital special economic zone, where it plans to build out its technology and business infrastructure.

Uber is shutting down its flagship UberX service in South Africa, changing how riders in the country will access its platform. This comes as the ride-hailing giant reshapes its local offering.

Nigerian startup Blockops Network raised $250,000 in pre-seed funding from Antler to build infrastructure for blockchain-enabled businesses. Its Onchain Stacks platform helps fintechs, banks, and remittance companies manage stablecoin payments.

Kenyan car marketplace Peach Cars secured $3.7 million in debt financing to expand its used-car business. The startup, which raised $11 million in equity last year, uses vehicle inspections, pricing tools, and financing to make buying a used car less of a gamble.

Jumia has raised $50 million in fresh equity from the International Finance Corporation as the e-commerce giant pushes toward profitability. The funding gives the company more room to invest in its marketplace and operations as it works to hit breakeven in 2026.

Cross-border payments often mean converting local currency into dollars, then converting it again at the other end. Tech Safari and Kora are bringing together the people building stablecoin rails in Africa to examine what changes when that extra step disappears. →Save your seat here.

On August 27, Tech Safari and Lua AI will unpack how leading teams organise their use of AI, what a sensible setup costs, and how to build AI workflows that capture and compound what your team learns. →Register for the virtual event here.

Huawei South Africa is bringing its Women in Tech programme back for a sixth year, this time under the theme “HERabytes: Small Business.” Over three days in August, participants will learn how to use AI, cloud computing, and 5G-A to build more scalable businesses. Apply online here.

VOVE ID has launched a programme to help African startups identify gaps in KYC, KYB, AML, and fraud controls before they slow fundraising, licensing, or market expansion. Applications for the first cohort close on August 20.

Founders Fund Africa has opened applications for its 2026 Creative Economy Accelerator, backing startups building across music, film and media, design, and creative tech. Selected founders will receive between $20,000 and $50,000 in funding, alongside hands-on support to help scale their businesses. Applications close August 28.