Mukuru, a pan-African digital payments company, is preparing to expand its strategy across the continent as the rise of online transactions grows. The company currently serves 17 million users in Africa, Asia, and Europe, refining over $3.5 to $4 billion in payments annually across Africa, as stated by TechPoint. “Customers have become more comfortable using digital means, network, and infrastructure,” Chief Executive Officer Andy Jury told Bloomberg. What does Mukuru do? Mukuru Ltd. is a digital payments platform founded in 2004 by Zimbabwean entrepreneur Rob Burrell. It started as a
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Nigeria has announced new plans to collaborate with technology companies to reduce potential harm from AI. NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu SAN, spoke about the duality of AI at a recent webinar hosted by the International Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (IN-CSR) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Nairametrics reported that Ojukwu, the leader of Nigeria’s human rights agency, said, “the NHRC will leverage tech companies to protect Nigerians from harm and discrimination associated with AI usage.” Working with tech companies
Kevin Hart is working with the Fifteen Percent Pledge to support Black founders using AI. The AI Illumination Grant will teach Black-owned entrepreneurs how to use AI to expand their businesses. The Fifteen Percent Pledge is partnering with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz’s (A16z) Cultural Leadership Fund to launch the grant, according to AFROTECH. “We know AI can seem intimidating, but these dynamic webinars will break it down and empower you to embrace this powerful technology with confidence,” the Fifteen Percent Pledge website says. The AI Illumination Grant Qualified
Tech company Yango Group has launched Yango Venture, a corporate venture intended to support hopeful startups across sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, as stated by Gulf Business. The fund will target Series B investments in the online-to-offline (O2O), B2B software-as-a-service, and financial technology industries. Yango Group also hopes to grow its capital base as entrepreneurial environments expand in these promising markets. “With Yango Ventures, we are leveraging our expertise and network to support startups in scaling, thriving, and creating meaningful impact in their
Adeniyi Abiodun, co-founder and CPO at Mysten Labs, announced that he and his wife, Gloria, are launching a $1.3 million endowment fund to help upskill aspiring tech talent in Nigeria. “It’s a milestone we’ve dreamed of, and now it’s real,” he wrote on X. “By 2040, Africa is set to have half the world’s working-age population. To really unleash that power, young people need access to quality training and opportunities, especially in fast-growing fields like AI and blockchain,” he adds. Helping young Nigerians upskill Nigeria is currently experiencing a shortage
Over 400 Hollywood creatives, including actors and directors, have signed an open letter calling for the government not to scale back on copyright laws related to artificial intelligence. Variety reported that the list included names such as Ava Duvernay, Janelle Monáe, Michaela Coel, Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, and hundreds of others. “We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries,” they said in the letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy last week. Why are Hollywood
The Nigerian parliament recently passed a resolution banning pornographic websites with immediate effect. The decision follows a motion presented by lawmaker Dalhatu Tafoki, who raised concerns about the accessibility of explicit content and its perceived impact on societal values, particularly among youth. Concerns over moral decline According to Peoples Gazette, Tafoki highlighted the psychological and social risks he believes are linked to exposure to pornography, citing global research by psychologists and sociologists. “Renowned psychologists and sociologists worldwide have issued strong warnings about the psychological, sociological, and mental consequences of consuming pornographic content,”
Elon Musk’s Starlink is facing significant backlash in Lesotho over local equity. A rights group called Section 2 wants Starlink to give 30% of its ownership to Basotho citizens before obtaining a license to operate, according to TechPoint. The group voiced its concerns to the Lesotho Communications Authority, stating that the licensing deal is unfair since there is no local ownership. They also highlighted that other telecom providers in Lesotho, like Econet and Vodacom, have local shareholders, so why should Starlink receive special treatment? Starlink faces similar issues in South
Create Labs Ventures is collaborating with TONL, a Black-owned stock photography company, to launch the first-ever AI-powered image-generator exclusively trained to create a Black-owned stock photo library, Femi Magazine reports. This partnership aims to tackle biases in AI image generation, where models trained on white-dominated datasets often produce inaccurate or offensive depictions of Black, Brown, and other marginalized communities. communities. By leveraging TONL’s diverse collection, it aims to create more authentic, representative images. Black Representation in Stock Photography TONL was founded by Nigerian-American social entrepreneur Karen Okonkwo and Ghanaian-American Joshua
Cheersy, a digital platform connecting engaged couples with quality day-of wedding coordinators, secured $550,000 in a pre-seed financing round led by Kerry Washington. Other angel investors and advisors include Jennifer Gilbert, Founder of Save the Date®, Elizabeth Cutler, Co-Founder of SoulCycle and Peoplehood, and Christina Tosi, Chef and founder of Milk Bar. A digital wedding marketplace for couples Cheersy Founder and CEO Amy Shack Egan founded Modern Rebel, a NYC-based full-service wedding planning business. After it received strong demand, she wanted to build a digital marketplace where couples could experience the unique wedding
