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Kai Cenat has turned a vacation into inspiration for advancing youth education. In March 2024, the popular online streamer and YouTuber touched down in the African country of Nigeria for the first time. Cenat documented his experience and aired it on his YouTube channel. During his visit to Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, he visited Makoko Children Development Foundation School and Orphanage, which serves as both a free school and orphanage for less-privileged children. The school is among some buildings in the Makoko community that float or are on stilts. While visiting the school, Cenat connected with its 23-year-old principal, who told Cenat that the building’s condition is a barrier to teaching students. “This building is coming down, it’s sinking,” the principal explained to Cenat on the documented video. “So, we are looking for support to [break] it down and rebuild it.” Along with the building needing to be reconstructed, he also detailed that it was too small — one...
A Lagos, Nigeria-founded mobility fintech has secured a historic investment. TechCrunch reports that Moove has announced a $100 million Series B funding round led by Uber — marking the rideshare company’s first investment in Africa. Now, Moove’s valuation is $750 million. “ Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone for us,” Moove Founder Ladi Delano shared in a press release. “When we founded Moove in 2020, we were motivated to solve the acute shortage of vehicle financing that over two million African mobility entrepreneurs faced.” He continued, “This validation from Uber and others stands as a testament to the fact that what was once a dream is now a palpable reality. This infusion of capital is set to amplify the immensely positive impact our products have in the lives of our customers on a much broader spectrum. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated team of Moovers for their relentless effort and commitment, which has been pivotal in reaching...
There’s no denying that Afrobeats is one of, if not the, hottest genres currently in the music industry. As African artists continue to crossover, U.S. listeners have been captivated by hits like Wizkid and Tems’ “Essence,” Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” and Rema’s “Calm Down.” While the global phenomenon has taken over the sound waves as of late, there are artists such as Joeboy who knew early on of its promise.
The phrase “NEPA took the light” is something that you hear quite often in Nigeria. The acronym stands for the National Electric Power Authority, the former name for the company that keeps the power running in the country. Now, named the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, electricity cutting off sporadically continues to be an ongoing issue. In 2014, Beacon Power Services (BPS) founder and chief executive officer Bimbola Adisa launched his company to help improve electricity access in not only Nigeria but across Africa, TechCrunch reports. A report says that in 2020, 77 percent of Sub-Saharan African countries had no access to electricity, having to turn to alternatives like generators. After eight years invested in providing energy management software and analytics for utilities, BPS has recently raised $2.7 million, according to the outlet. “Africa is home to the fastest growing cities in the world, but when most people think of energy access in Africa, they think of the rural...
Ire Aderinokun seems to have always been ahead of the curve. The interface designer is the co-founder, chief operating officer, and vice president of engineering at Helicarrier. The crypto company aims to change Africa’s digital landscape through the launch of products including Buycoins, Sendcash, Sendcash Pay, and more. Before becoming a guru in technology, Aderinokun was already gaining experience in computer science by the age of 13. In fact, she created her very first website using HTML codes. During this time, web development was merely a hobby for her, and pursuing a career in that field was not even an afterthought until she obtained her master’s degree in law at the University of Bristol, Face2Face Africa reports. As Aderinokun dived into her studies, she also signed up for a design course at Codeacademy. “I have always been interested in web development; when I was younger, I did it for fun and never considered it as a career. I rediscovered it while I was getting my...
Business is always booming for Aliko Dangote — the richest man in Africa. However, his latest project may become his biggest venture yet. According to Business Insider, the Nigerian tycoon recently opened the continent’s largest fertilizer plant on the outskirts of Lagos on March 22. The Dangote Fertiliser Plant comes during the time of the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia — in which the latter country plays a crucial role as a key player in fertilizer supply. According to Trade Data Monitor and Bloomberg’s Green Markets, Russia “accounted for almost one-fifth of 2021 fertilizer exports.” With the current sanctions against Russia causing fertilizer costs to increase, customers are now “begging” for the Dangote Fertiliser Plant to sell crop nutrients, according to Dangote. “We are lucky to have this plant,” Dangote told CNN. “It is coming at the right time with the Ukraine-Russia conflict as both Ukraine and Russia control substantial amounts of agricultural inputs.” The...
Throughout his basketball career, Giannis Antetokounmpo has made the Nigerian diaspora proud. In a new partnership with WhatsApp, the NBA star is representing his homeland to the fullest. Antetokounmpo has joined forces with the global messaging app as its first-ever global partner, according to Adweek. The first-of-its-kind deal was publicly debuted during the All-Star Weekend when he sported a hoodie designed by Post Imperial — founded by Nigerian-American designer Niyi Okuboyejo — with “+234,” Nigeria’s international calling code. To further bring in the display of his heritage, the back of the hoodie replaced his Greek last name with his Yoruba one, “Adetokunbo.” The story of my +234 @WhatsApp hoodie!! #WhatsAppPartner https://t.co/B29AbrW5mb — Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) February 21, 2022 “Throughout my life, WhatsApp has kept me connected to my loved ones, my friends, my communities and everyone important to me,” Antetokounmpo said in a statement, according to...
It’s official — international superstar Davido has kept his word to support Nigerian youth. In November 2021, the Afrobeats artist took his fans by pleasant surprise when he requested for his followers to send money for his birthday to his Wema account, which turned out to be for donations to orphanages across Nigeria and the Paroche Foundation — an organization working to fight substance abuse — as previously reported by AfroTech. “My goal is to do this fundraising every year to celebrate my birthday and give back to people in need. It is my hope that my friends, fans, colleagues in the industry, and the public will continue to support me as I drive this cause,” he shared in a statement via his Instagram. Davido’s social media outreach of 72 hours — along with his own contribution — brought in a whopping 250,000,000 Nigerian Naira (over $600,000 USD). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Davido (@davido) From there, Pulse Nigeria reports that Davido disbursed the donations...
Daniel Moses’s story of going from an Uber driver to a millionaire is nothing short of inspirational. The Nigeria native told his story to the British newspaper, The Guardian. He explained that he’d lost more than 150,000 GBP (more than $200,000 USD) in his transportation business, so he had to re-adjust and rethink his strategy. “My search for a better life started in 2004 when I first visited the UK for the first time. In 2015 I lost well over £150,000 in my Nigerian transportation business which caused me to go through anxiety and depression,” he told the outlet. To make ends meet, he first became a delivery driver, then moved on to become an Uber driver. He drove for Uber until he happened to find some information about property investments. He began implementing the strategies he’d learned, and within five years, he’d become a millionaire. “Sixteen months after, I got into property investing, and through the use of various property investment strategies, I have successfully...
Lack of accessibility to essentials for everyday living is often the story behind the downfall of systems around the globe. For instance, Nigeria is the home of some of the world’s brightest minds, but significant setbacks include its healthcare system, which impedes its citizens from seeking to live fruitful lives. However, healthcare should be a human right, and this is what pushed DrugStoc co-founders Chibuzo Opara and Adham Yehia to create what is now Africa’s leading health tech platform. Their platform serves as a tech-enabled solution that combats the continent’s broken pharmaceutical supply chains through connecting drug store companies with hospitals and pharmacies in Nigeria. Before launching DrugStoc, Opara and Yehia founded Integra Health, a hospital management company, which paved the way for their discovery of how tech could break barriers within the pharmaceutical market. “It was quite a black box what tech could do,” Yehia told AfroTech. “We came from the health...
Nigerian fintech startup Bfree is starting the year by celebrating a $1.7 million pre-Series A funding round, according to TechCrunch. Participating investors include 4Di Capital, Octerra Capital, VestedWorld, Voltron Capital, Logos Ventures, and angel investors. The outlet also reports that $2.5 million has been raised in total, including $800,000 raised in May 2021. The funds will expand Bfree into additional markets outside its current home in Nigeria and Kenya. The company plans to enter 16 markets in Ghana, India, Uganda, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Russia, Poland, Pakistan, and Indonesia. “We are going into markets with large populations, credit deepening and an underdeveloped regulatory environment, where a behavioral collection approach is likely to work,” Bfree co-founder and CEO Julian Flosbach said, according to TechCrunch.
This startup is on a fast track to success. Despite only launching two months ago, edtech startup Teesas has secured $1.6 million in a pre-seed round to enhance Nigeria’s education sector through tutoring. TechCrunch reports that the round was led by Haresh Aswani, Tolaram Group’s Africa managing director, and included others like Olivegreen Advisory Partners plus more. The funds will propel the edtech startup into additional markets throughout Francophone, East, and Southern Africa. The investment will also create a marketplace to connect learners to more private lessons with tutors and integrate other products on the platform.
In January 2021, AfroTech reported that uLesson — an African edtech startup — announced it raised a $7.5 million Series A funding round for its online learning platform to make remote learning a breeze. Now, less than a year later, it has announced that it’s raised $15 million in a Series B funding round, according to TechCrunch. Five investors led their latest round — Tencent, Nielsen Ventures, and existing investors Owl Ventures, TLcom Capital, and Founder Collective — in what is said to be the largest known investment for an edtech startup in Africa.