Standard Bank is in talks to buy a stake in OPay ahead of the Nigerian fintech’s planned US IPO, which could value the company at around $4 billion.

South Africa now has a manufacturing plant for IRIS, a locally developed humanoid AI tutor designed to support teachers and learners. Its developers say the project could create up to 20,000 jobs over five years.

Absa posted record first-half headline earnings of R12.8 billion ($720 million), up 8%, as its South African business helped offset weaker results elsewhere in Africa. South African earnings jumped 17% while profits from the bank’s other African markets fell 10%.

South Africa’s taxman is going digital with VAT. SARS is proposing new regulations around electronic invoicing and near-real-time reporting, giving it more data to track transactions and improve compliance.

Terra Industries has added former SpaceX executive Ben MacWilliams to its leadership team as VP of Strategy. The appointment comes as the defence-tech startup expands its manufacturing footprint and builds out its autonomous systems business across Africa.

Kenyan solar startup SunCulture has launched RainDrops, a profit-sharing scheme that ties part of full-time employees’ compensation to the company’s performance.

South Africa-based fintech Yellow raised an undisclosed amount in a Series C round led by Convergence Partners as it expands its asset-backed financing business across sub-Saharan Africa.

Pouchers raised $500,000 to make it easier for Nigerians to move money across borders. The pre-seed round, led by Stack Directory, will support its stablecoin-powered payments, virtual dollar cards and global-to-local transfers.

Egyptian fintech e-finance bought an 8% stake in wealth-management platform Wilzy for about EGP100 million ($2 million). The investment comes days after e-finance announced its acquisition of microfinance company Tamweely.

South African HR startup Jem raised $8.4 million in Series A funding led by Quona Capital. The company is expanding its WhatsApp-based platform into areas including time tracking, credit scores and employee assistance.

Nigerian defence-tech startup Terra Industries raised another $18 million, extending its seed round for the second time this year and taking total funding to $51.7 million.

On August 27, Tech Safari and Lua AI will unpack how leading teams organise their AI use, 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.

GEC+Africa 2026 is convening 2,000+ founders, investors, and policymakers at the Cape Town International Convention Centre for two days of panels, workshops, investor meetups, and pitch competition finals under the theme “Connecting Africa,” running Sept 16-17. →Register here.

Before the Global Entrepreneurship Congress gets underway, OPUS is bringing founders, investors, and operators together for an evening of drinks in Cape Town. Whether you’re speaking, attending, or just in town for the week, come meet the people you’ll be seeing around GEC. →Request to join here.

African founders can apply for the 2026/27 Commonwealth Startup Fellowship, a six-month programme for startups looking to scale, attract investment and create jobs. Selected founders get training in Accra and London, with travel, accommodation and an equity-free grant of up to £2,000 ($2,700) covered.

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.

Founder Institute Egypt has opened applications for its Fall 2026 cohort, with a focus on AI-native company building. Founders will work through structured growth sprints and weekly feedback sessions with mentors and investors, with applications closing November 3.

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.