This Week in African Tech 🌍

Hey, Maryann here 👋🏽 

This week in African tech, AI anchors are reading the news in Nigeria, Bolt’s got electric tricycles hitting the streets, and Visa’s getting cozy with Chari.

Over in the deal roundup, Tendo’s got some fresh funding, Bankly’s been acquired, and Kofa is charging ahead with a big raise for clean energy.

The roundup’s coming up in a sec—but first, a quick announcement:

Now, on to this week’s roundup….

Tech Roundup

• TVC News has become the first Nigerian broadcaster to introduce AI news anchors delivering bulletins in five major local languages. The move is part of its push to modernize the newsroom and reach wider audiences.

• Moroccan retail-tech startup Chari has partnered with global payments giant Visa to expand the latter’s footprint in the country’s growing fintech space. The collaboration will see both companies work together to grow their customer base and tap into new revenue opportunities.

• Nigerian fintech Salad Africa has partnered with Glovo Nigeria to offer financing to small and medium businesses on the platform. The firm will provide loans to merchants active for at least three months, with decisions based on their sales data from the Glovo app.

• Development Partners International has launched DPI Venture Capital to focus on early-stage, growth-oriented tech businesses across Africa. The firm’s expansion into venture capital is supported by its reach in 43 countries and experience across multiple sectors.

• Bolt is rolling out electric tricycles in Nigeria as part of its push to grow its EV footprint in West Africa. Starting in May, 25 tricycles developed in partnership with SGX Mobility will hit the roads.

• Flutterwave CTO Gurbhej Dhillon has exited the company after three years. During his tenure, he played a key role in driving the company’s technical vision, leading major platform upgrades, forging partnerships with global firms, and overseeing the successful relaunch of the Send App.

Deal Roundup

• Ghanaian retail-tech startup Tendo has raised an undisclosed round of funding from Renew Capital. The investment will support Tendo’s platform expansion, with plans to onboard more resellers and help individuals across Africa build businesses through their smartphones.

• Nigerian fintech Bankly has been fully acquired by C-One Ventures. As part of the deal, Bankly’s services, licenses, and team will be integrated with other solutions across the C-One Ventures portfolio.

• Ghanaian energy tech company Kofa has raised $8.1 million in a pre-Series A round co-led by E3 Capital and Injaro Investment. The funding will support Kofa’s expansion into more cities in Ghana and Kenya and enhance its AI-powered battery platform for cleaner, more reliable energy access.

• Kenyan e-health startup MYDAWA has secured an undisclosed amount of funding in a round led by IFU and Alta Semper. The capital will help scale its hybrid pharmacy model, expand chronic care support, and deploy AI to cut costs and improve service.

• Nigerian VC firm Aruwa Capital Management has secured 90% of its $40 million target for its second fund, Aruwa Capital Fund II. The firm plans to upsize the fund to $50 million, with a hard cap of $60 million, as it brings more investors on board this year.

• Nigerian e-commerce startup OmniRetail has raised $20 million in Series A funding round co-led by Norfund and Timon Capital. The investment will fuel OmniRetail’s growth in Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, while strengthening its finance and logistics network.

Other Events and Opportunities

• Applications are now open for the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa—a 3-month program for early-stage startups using AI to solve real problems on the continent. Apply here by May 9, 2025.

• The Africa Startup Festival is hosting its Nairobi Ecosystem Mixer on May 30, 2025. Join founders, investors, and corporate leaders at this exclusive event, in partnership with Antler, ALX Ventures, and sponsored by Cloudplexo. Limited spots available—secure yours now! Register here.

• The EU-Kenya Business Forum returns on May 12-13, 2025 in Nairobi, under the theme "Digitalising Trade". Expect top policymakers, founders, and investors exploring how tech can drive trade and inclusive growth. Sign up here.

And that's a wrap!

That’s it for this week. See you on Wednesday 😃 

Cheers,

The Tech Safari Team

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