Sahel Capital, a private investment firm dedicated to expanding Africa’s agribusiness sector, has announced that its Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA) has secured a $10 million investment from the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund. The partnership, funded by MEDA Mauritius, will contribute to expanding financing for small and medium-sized agribusiness enterprises across sub-Saharan Africa. “Since the inception of the Fund in 2021, we have processed 33 facilities to 18 companies in 7 countries in SSA”, Mezuo Nwuneli, Managing Partner of Sahel Capital, said in a press release. SEFAA’s strengthening
Alami Capital, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are collaborating to launch the LaunchPad at GITEX Nigeria 2025, a pioneering investment and venture-building platform designed to scale Africa’s most promising women-led startups. Women in Africa own 27% of businesses and contribute 13% of GDP, and yet they only receive 7% of total venture capital. The LaunchPad will tackle the under-capitalization of women-owned startups. After GITEX Nigeria, The LaunchPad will give $250,000 in catalytic capital to 5 selected ventures, along with mentorship and
Neibar is a social platform that helps people give away home, school, and workplace items they no longer need. The company, founded by software developer Roland Namwanza in July 2025, offers a diverse range of products, including household goods, office supplies, clothing, electronics, books, groceries, and university past exam papers. Namwanza told Techpoint Africa that it was hard to overlook the significant waste co-existing with the apparent need in his community. So, instead of creating a platform to buy and purchase products, he built one where people could give without expecting money
Pan-African payment orchestration platform, HoneyCoin, has raised $4.9 million in a seed round led by Flourish Ventures. Other investors included Visa and TLcom, Stellar Development Foundation, Lava, and more, according to a press release shared with POCIT. The Nairobi-based startup tackles inefficiencies in global financial infrastructure, particularly for businesses in pre-emerging markets. It gives businesses a unified, stablecoin-compatible platform for collections, treasury management, settlements, and FX management. By building a stablecoin-based liquidity engine and bypassing fragmented rails, HoneyCoin gives businesses instant or same-day settlements, compared to the traditional four to seven-business-day timeframe. David Nandwa
Mastercard released a whitepaper highlighting Africa’s readiness, opportunity, and roadmap for responsible artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. Harnessing the transformative power of AI in Africa shares insights into how AI can unlock significant outcomes across the continent’s major industries, including agriculture, healthcare, education, energy, and finance. The whitepaper also details the potential positive impact of AI on digital infrastructure, policy and governance, research and development, local language processing, and investment into Africa. Additionally, it examined how AI can create more jobs, with up to 230 million digital jobs projected by 2030 on
The Nigerian melon seed, Egusi, made history by becoming the first West African crop and the first object from Nigeria to reach space. The seeds, which are initially from Oyo State in southwest Nigeria, launched aboard SpaceX Crew-11 as part of a NASA-backed research mission to the International Space Station, according to BBC Africa. The trip was led by 2021 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 honoree Dr. Temidayo Oniosun. The project explores how culturally significant crops, such as Egyptian cotton and Pakistani wheat, behave in microgravity. Taking Egusi to space
Chowdeck, a food delivery startup based in Lagos, has raised $9 million in Series A funding. The equity round was led by Novastar Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, HoaQ, and others. The fund will help the company expand in more cities in Nigeria and Ghana and roll out a quick commerce strategy aimed at speeding up grocery and local market deliveries, according to Business Insider Africa. “We’re thrilled about this round as it brings us closer to our vision of becoming Africa’s
Airtel Africa Foundation has announced the launch of its ‘Tech For Her’ Program, an initiative giving young women across Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya skills in tech. The philanthropic arm of Airtel Africa plc will help women gain the necessary knowledge to thrive in industries such as Linux Administration, Cybersecurity, and Data Analytics. Those eligible to take part in the program will complete over 100 hours of intensive training through a flexible learning model that includes weekend classes for working professionals and weekday sessions for non-working participants. The initiative aligns with
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Proparco, a member of the World Bank Group, announced an equity investment of up to $50 million in Helios Sports and Entertainment (“HSEG”), an investment vehicle dedicated to sport, media and entertainment across Africa. HSEG aims to foster a more dynamic sport and entertainment ecosystem in Africa by collaborating with its four partners: NBA Africa, The Malachite Group (Afro Nation), PFL Africa, and Zaria Group. IFC and Proparco invest in African sport The IFC commited $30 million of the equity investment,
Kava, a Nollywood streaming platform, is set to launch in August 2025 with over 30 Nollywood titles. The platform is a partnership between Inkblot Studios and Filmhouse Group, according to Deadline. “Kava is more than a streaming service. It’s a bold new chapter for Nollywood, designed to meet the growing demand for premium, authentic African content and to redefine how the world experiences our stories,” Kava Co-CEO Chinaza Onuzo said. “By giving both rising and establishing talent a trusted, lucrative stage to tell their stories, we’re building a platform that doesn’t
