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...

Michelle Alozie has the athleticism and the brains.

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.

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...

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...

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...

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.

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.