Akon is merging the world of crypto with the music scene, announcing that his next album will be sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) , Esquire reports. “Throughout my career, I have always believed that artists never really got their fair share of the profits for the work they produced and people listen to,” Akon told Esquire. “So with the idea of owning a piece of digital art, via an NFT, it allows the creator to benefit more and actually get more of the pie.” While his plans further affirm cryptocurrency’s ability to allow artists to maximize earnings from their content, it appears profit is not the only interest to Akon as he cites the NFT drop will allow for transparency and access to information from album buyers. “ My next album is going to be an NFT album. With that, I’ll be able to monetize it from the day it drops on every platform that exists. What that means is that it opens the door to full transparency where your music is being played, who’s playing it, where they’re...

Nigerian transportation platform Treepz has now acquired Ugabus — a bus transportation service that groups inter-city bus operators in Uganda — due to an acquisition totaling $1.5 million in funding. According to TechCrunch, the funds served as an addition to a previous seed round from August, in which $1.3 million was raised. The contributors to the extension were Japan-based Uncovered Fund, Dubai-based Blanford Capital and Jonomi Capital and Egypt-based Jedar Capital. With recent funding, Ugabus — to be renamed Treepz beginning on Dec. 1 — currently houses 70 percent of the country’s bus operations and over 50,000 customers in Uganda, TechCrunch reports. Now the Nigerian transportation platform is one step closer to fulfilling its plans to expand throughout the continent. ​​“We’ll be able to service most of the major cities in Uganda, but the good thing about East Africa is they have very seamless borders between the countries, so it’s easy to move from Uganda to Rwanda, Uganda to...

Award-winning Senegalese-American recording artist and entrepreneur Akon has been known to dabble in Africa’s business dealings for years, and now his wife is gearing up to do the same. Rozina Negusei — President and CEO of Zanar Entertainment, Entreeg Records, and Entreeg Entertainment Group — recently announced that she plans to invest a total of $12 million in the Ugandan entertainment industry to explore a plethora of available business opportunities worth backing, according to local outlet Sqoop. “We are here to explore new opportunities in Uganda, we are focused on investing in Agriculture, solar, and real estate,” she said. “Our main focus is to see how we can bridge the gap between East Africa and West Africa in terms of business and trade.” Negusei was reportedly invited to Uganda by East African Partners (EAP) managing director, Isaac Kigozi. Along with her came a group of Turkish investors, who are set to visit a few government departments, agencies, and private sector...

Millions of Ugandans have stopped using the internet after the country’s government imposed a social media tax intended to curb online gossip, according to the Guardian. Nearly 2.5 million citizens have stopped using the internet following the tax, which charges 200 Ugandan shillings a day. The tax has caused concerns over free speech and access to financial services via mobile banking. “Social media has become the major source of news and political information,” Irene Ikomu, a Ugandan lawyer, told the Guardian. “Heightened exposure to information via the internet has led to Ugandan citizens being more critical about political conditions in the country.” In America, similar issues have risen with the dismantling regulations of net neutrality–equal access to the internet. In 2017, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to end some regulations, allowing for internet providers to charge more for certain content. Uganda Communications Commission officials expect the drop in...