Bolt is plugging into South Africa’s EV race with plans to deploy 500 electric taxis in Cape Town by the end of 2025 through a partnership with YugoRide. Rival Uber launched its own EV category in the country last year with just 70 vehicles, so the ride-hailing battery wars are officially underway.

Kenya’s courts are still not sold on Vodacom’s Safaricom takeover. A Nairobi court blocked the telecom giant’s planned stake increase pending a constitutional challenge, delaying a deal reportedly worth about $1.9 billion to the Kenyan treasury. 

Africa Bitcoin Corporation is moving its listing to the JSE Main Board after a share split and fresh issuance helped it meet the exchange’s minimum requirements. The company is pitching itself as a publicly traded Bitcoin proxy for African investors, especially in markets where crypto trading still faces restrictions.

Sim Shagaya is stepping down as CEO of uLesson after eight years, handing the reins to Group Chief Academic Officer Iheanyichuwku Akwitti as the edtech company pushes deeper into higher education. Sim Shagaya, who recently launched insurance startup Myka, will transition into an Executive Chairman role while uLesson expands beyond its original K-12 roots.

GoTyme Bank is handing equity to more than 2,000 employees as Africa’s newest unicorn flirts with a future IPO. The South African digital bank, valued at $1.5 billion in 2024, said the stock grants will apply across all levels of the company, because nothing says “great job” quite like a slice of the cap table.

Yango wants more of Africa. The ride-hailing and super app company plans to spend $150 million expanding into 10 more African countries, betting on smaller and less crowded markets like Namibia, Botswana, and Mozambique instead of battling Uber and Bolt head-on in the continent’s “Big 4.”

Lagos wants to triple its data centre capacity by 2030 as AI demand surges and cloud spending grows. State officials say more than 146MW of new capacity is already in the pipeline, part of a broader push to turn Lagos from a startup hub into what it calls an “infrastructure city.”

Kenya appointed Adan Mohamed as the new head of the Kenya Revenue Authority as the government ramps up pressure to boost collections without sparking another taxpayer revolt. The tax agency missed its revenue target for the year despite collections rising 11.4%, proving that even aggressive enforcement has limits.

Tether is backing African fintech LemFi to bring stablecoins further into cross-border payments, with plans to integrate USD₮ into its remittance infrastructure across Africa and Asia. The plan is to replace slow SWIFT chains with near-instant settlements for the millions of people sending money home.

 Insurtech startup EYST raised fresh funding from 216 Capital to scale its instant claims payout platform, which gives policyholders immediate access to funds through virtual bank cards. They aim to make insurance claims feel more like tapping a card than filling out paperwork.

Egypt’s GrowthLabs acquired startup ecosystem platform Startup Gate in a $660,000 deal to build what it calls a unified operating system for startups across MENA. The combined platform wants to connect the messy dots between accelerators, founders, investors, and funding readiness.

Checker, a startup building stablecoin rails for financial institutions, raised $8 million from investors including Galaxy Ventures and Al Mada Ventures. The company says it already processes $3 billion in annualised volume across 75 currencies, which is a lot of pipes for money to move through.

Africa Finance Cooperation is putting $100 million behind African VC funds as institutional investors slowly warm up to startup investing on the continent. The first bets include Future Africa Fund III and Lightrock Africa Fund II, with AFC framing the move as part of Africa’s “digital industrialisation.”

Lightrock closed a $500 million fund to back companies tackling energy poverty across Africa and Asia, with support from investors including Shell and TotalEnergies. The firm plans to write checks as large as $50 million into sectors like electricity access, clean cooking, EVs, and battery storage.

Africa Tech Summit London 2026 returns to the London Stock Exchange on May 29, marking its 10th edition as a key bridge between African startups and global capital. The event will gather over 350 investors, founders, and industry leaders to unpack trends across fintech, AI, climate tech, and infrastructure. Register to attend.

The UK Africa Sandbox is turning London Tech Week into a structured market-entry sprint for African and UK founders. From June 7–10 in London, UK-Africa Ecosystem Week will bring together founders, investors, regulators, and operators for four days of curated sessions, 1:1 office hours, and networking designed to help African startups scale into the UK, and UK startups scale into Africa. Get more details here.

KPMG is once again hunting for the next breakout tech startup. The 2026 Global Tech Innovator Competition is open to companies less than seven years old, generating up to $15 million in revenue or armed with at least $500,000 in funding. Finalists get mentorship, investor exposure, and a free trip to the global finals. Get more information here.

The 2026 develoPPP Ventures Ideas Competition is looking for startups in five African markets with scalable businesses and early revenue traction. Selected companies can access €100,000 ($113,000) in non-dilutive capital before applications close on June 30, 2026. Get more information here.

The 2026 Call for Code Global Challenge is inviting developers across 190+ countries to build anti-trafficking tools, with winning teams earning mentorship, global recognition, and access to a six-month incubator. The challenge closes July 9, more details here.

Google has opened applications for the 2026 Hustle Academy, a free training program helping African SMEs scale using digital tools and AI. The format has been streamlined into 60-minute expert webinars followed by 1-day bootcamps designed to be practical, fast, and easy to attend. Find out more here.