Owolabi Salis, a Nigerian lawyer, was on the six-man crew of Blue Origin’s 13th human spaceflight for the New Shepard program. The flight lasted 10 minutes and reached a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres, crossing the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, according to a press release. Who is Owolabi Salis? Salis is a lawyer and politician who has now become the first Nigerian to travel to space. The lawyer who comes from Ikorodu, Lagos, described his journey as a “convergence of science and spirit.” “This mission is more
The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment aims to position Nigeria as a leading exporter of skills in technology, medical and professional services, and creative industries with the relaunch of the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), according to TechPoint. Positioning Nigeria in the global services economy Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, spoke about the recent move at the Itana Free Zone, stating that the relaunch of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision aims to position Nigeria firmly in the global services economy. “The opportunity is
The Financial Times has released its ranking of the fastest-growing African countries. The ranking, now in its fourth year, revealed that Nigerian and South African companies dominate the list, with 79 businesses from both countries featured. This speaks to the size and entrepreneurial depths of both economies, according to the FT. It also shows that businesses from smaller countries are struggling to build a continental presence. Nigerian companies on the list The top three companies on the list are Nigerian: Omniretail Inc., PalmPay Ltd, and Remedial Health Inc. PalmPay is
Nigerian startup Salpha Energy has raised $1.3 million in funding from All On, an impact investment firm supported by Shell. Salpha Energy is the only female-founded startup that runs a solar home system assembly facility in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Distrupt Africa. The company is dedicated to providing affordable and reliable solar power to underserved communities across Africa. Having local manufacturing capacity enables the company to manage product quality and design more effectively, while also generating employment opportunities in the area. $1.3 million funding from All On The fund will be
The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has officially approved Moniepoint Inc.’s acquisition of a 78% stake in Sumac Microfinance Bank Limited. Sumac is a well-established Kenyan microfinance institution that offers a range of services, including lending, deposit-taking, insurance, and foreign exchange trading. This move will enable the Nigerian fintech to expand into East Africa. Moniepoint expanding in East Africa This acquisition is Moniepoint’s first official entry into Kenya’s financial services scene. “The transaction is unlikely to negatively impact competition in the market for provision of microfinance banking services in Kenya, nor
Lagos-based health tech company Platos Health raised $1.4 million in a pre-seed round to scale its AI-driven metabolic health platform, Platos Monitor. The startup allows people to monitor their body fat and other health metrics from their homes, according to TechCrunch. Google led the round for Startups with help from Invest International and a group of angel investors from Google, Tesla, and Unicredit. The company will use the funding to roll out its hardware medical-grade device, Plato’s Body Monitor, in Nigeria. What is Platos Health? Platos Health is a preventive
The US House of Representatives bill, which has imposed a 5% tax on remittances sent abroad by non-citizens, could significantly impact African countries, according to Techpoint Africa. “The One Big Beautiful Bill” was passed on May 22, 2025, by the US House of Representatives, backed by President Donald Trump, which includes a provision imposing a 5% excise tax on remittances sent abroad by non-citizens. The bill intends to create revenue and highlight immigration concerns by targeting outbound money transfers from non-citizens, including people with green cards and temporary visas. How the
Three Nigerian students from Caleb University have built an app to detect ripe Fruit. Harmony Abayomi, Frida Efod, and Chibuzor Nwachukwu have developed Valor, an AI-powered app designed to detect fruit ripeness, as BBC Africa stated. The Hackathon Abayomi, Efod, and Nwachukwu recently represented the Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Software Engineering departments and took first place at Bell’s University Hackathon with their app, Valor. Writing on LinkedIn, Abayomi said, “My team from Caleb University took home the top prize with our web and mobile app, Valor. Our app uses the
Meta is facing backlash in Nigeria after a user found an in-app notification that was described as discriminatory. Techpoint reported that Nigerian Instagram user Daniel Adebowale shared a screenshot of his conversation partner on social media, telling him that the user “appeared to be in Nigeria” and urged the user to avoid sharing personal information unless they knew the person. The post caused an uproar on social media, as several Nigerian users accused Meta of unfairly targeting the country. Meta, however, denied the allegation, explaining that the alert was part
Meta is threatening to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria after losing a court appeal over $290 million in fines tied to regulatory and data privacy violations, the BBC reports. $290M in fines The showdown began in 2021 when Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) launched an investigation into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy. The agency, along with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and the national advertising regulator, accused Meta of multiple infractions. These include sharing user data without authorization, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to other
