A young Nigerian has launched a new social media app known as ‘ShapClick,’ a social media platform that aims to take over Facebook, Twitter, and others. The Nigerian app developer, Mohammed Aliyu, boasted that ShapClick would surpass other social media apps because of the installation of more authentication to protect end-to-end encryption of private chat between users and guarantee safety. A spokesman for Aliyu, Mr. Hyacinth Chiweuba, told Vanguard that ShapClick as an indigenous messaging application would enable users to chat and make audio and video calls, including an unrestricted
In times of crisis, it’s especially crucial that governments share accurate, up-to-date information with their citizens and journalists – as social media can play an important role in disseminating urgent information. But we’ve seen time and time again that some leaders have taken liberties to silence their people. Nigeria and Zimbabwe are just examples of countries with governments that have done so in recent years. Back in 2019, Zimbabwe blocked access to social media for seven days as deadly protests swept the country which killed at least 12 people. The government
Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye feels like a mother of two. Her entrepreneurial child, Ami Colé, celebrated its first birthday a few months ago, while her actual child, which arrived in February, is only a couple of months old. N’Diaye-Mbaye, 32, launched the clean makeup brand designed for women of color during the pandemic, and now it’s projected to bring in $2.5 million in revenues by the end of the year, according to reports by BeautyIndependent. It secured over $1 million in pre-seed funding. Katherine Power, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Hannah Bronfman, Henry Davis, Greycroft,
In April, startups across the African continent raised $413,143,000 across 38 fully-disclosed deals. That means – for this year – April was ranked the lowest in terms of funding announcements made, 41% ($296 million) less than what was announced in March, and 34% ($216 million) less than February’s announcement. Per sector, the top three sectors are energy-tech, fintech, and logistics. Energy leads with $289,800,000 (70.1%); fintech with $53,500,000 (12.9%); and logistics with $34,000,000 (8.2%). But so much more has been happening in the African tech space, and we’ve compiled it all here: Bitcoin
At VeeCon 2022 — the first-ever NFT-ticketed conference — music mogul Pharrell Williams shared with attendees his belief that Web3 could hold the power to create real global change. During an onstage interview with entrepreneur and event creator Gary Vaynerchuk, he said: “You come here talking to the people about the blockchain and Web3. What you should know is, this is a moment in time where everything is changing right now. “You all are looking at these old systems—you know that they’re antiquated, you know that they don’t work. And you
BYJU’S, the world’s leading education technology company, has just announced 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion Zaila Avant-garde as its first US youth ambassador. At the age of 15, Zaila’s constant pursuit of learning has made her the first Black American winner of the Bee and a three-time Guinness World Record holder: including one for the most bounce juggles in one minute with four basketballs. Even with all of these accomplishments under her belt, Zaila remains steadfastly committed to exploring new interests and the world around her. She is currently a
Nigeria’s Autochek has announced its acquisition of KIFAL Auto, a Moroccan automotive technology startup, to drive its expansion into North Africa. This announcement comes months after it acquired the Ugandan and Kenyan operations of Cheki, an online car marketplace. Autochek looks to bring Africa’s sales and servicing of cars online. It also aims to build the financial infrastructure to drive the penetration of auto financing across Africa. In October last year, the firm raised $13.1 million in a seed round and is backed by several investors, including pan-African VC firms TLcom Capital, 4DX Ventures,
In 2020, there was an outpouring of support for the Black community from the games industry, ranging from donations, and statements in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, to promotions of inclusion programs. And while some firms have undoubtedly taken these lessons on board to build a better workplace going forward, the discourse has quietly moved on; for some companies, the BLM movement was only performative. One of the most extensive studies of racial representation in games was a 2009 study that analyzed 150 of the most popular titles. Black characters comprised 10.7%
The gaming industry is set to reach $222 billion thanks in part to Gen Z consumers who are the biggest and most monetizable audience, according to a new report published by Data.ai. There are more than 2.7 billion gamers worldwide, and with a young demographic it’s scale and appeal is attracting luxury brands like Balenciaga, who became the first luxury brand to partner with Fortnite on four virtual outfits, or “skins”, alongside accessories, weaponry and a virtual Balenciaga destination in-game. And in November, luxury fashion brand Moncler followed with in-game
UK Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss has launched a task force chaired by Anne Boden, CEO and founder of Starling Bank, focused on supporting women-owned businesses. Black entrepreneur and investment manager June Angelides MBE is part of the force. She is best known for starting the UK’s first child-friendly coding school for mums, Mums in Tech, while on her second maternity leave from Silicon Valley Bank. Angelides is also one of a handful of Black women in venture capital. Launching today, the task force will use its convening
