Author: Elan

** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **Mirova has announced a $15 million senior secured facility for iSAT Africa Mauritius, a rural connectivity platform, to support the deployment of fully solar-powered mobile towers in Liberia and Zambia. The 10-year facility will finance the rollout of scalable network-as-a-service and energy-as-a-service solutions as part of iSAT’s broader 1,000-tower expansion strategy across sub-Saharan Africa. The towers, financed by the Mirova Gigaton Fund, will be entirely off-grid, powered by solar energy and battery storage. John Kimotho, investment director at Mirova Kenya, said, “This investment reflects…

Yemisi Iranloye Our new book, How we made it in Africa II: Real stories of entrepreneurs turning opportunity into profit, is available here. Interview with Yemisi IranloyeFOUNDER and CEO, PSALTRY INTERNATIONAL Lives in: Nigeria Cassava is a root crop that resembles a large sweet potato. Nigeria produces and consumes more of it than any other country. Most often, it is processed into garri or fufu, which are eaten as thick, dough-like accompaniments used to scoop up traditional soups and stews. However, cassava also has major industrial applications. The roots can be processed into starch, ethanol, glucose syrup and flour. Among its many uses,…

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In brief Eightco shares are rising after the firm announced a new $125 million fundraise from BitMine and Ark Invest. The firm previously raised $20 million from BitMine and created a Worldcoin treasury. Eightco aims to expand its reach into AI, blockchain, and digital consumer products, having completed investments in OpenAI and Beast Industries. Shares in publicly traded blockchain and artificial intelligence firm Eightco (ORBS) are up more than 15% Thursday following news that the firm has raised $125 million to continue its expansion into AI and blockchain. The firm earned commitments of $75 million from leading Ethereum treasury firm BitMine…

In much of Africa’s startup ecosystem, user growth is still treated as the clearest signal of product market fit. Teams are constantly checking dashboards and celebrating downloads, sign-ups, and onboarding completion. But when we recently engaged 500 women across eight West African countries, what emerged was a more complicated story. It suggests many products may be overestimating what adoption actually means. Women have historically lagged behind in digital adoption. But across West Africa, that gap is narrowing faster than many product assumptions reflect. More and more women are coming online, and their motivation for doing so is increasingly clear and…

For years, developers have been hacking around the limitations of border-radius, using clip-path, SVG masks, and fragile workarounds just to get anything other than round corners. The new corner-shape property finally changes that, opening the door to beveled, scooped, and squircle corners.When I first started building websites, rounded corners required five background images, one for each corner, one for the body, and a prayer that the client wouldn’t ask for a different radius. Then the border-radius property landed, and the entire web collectively sighed with relief. That was over fifteen years ago, and honestly, we’ve been riding that same wave…

The Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, yesterday heard from retired Lt Gen Francinah Vuma that she received threats to her life. In her evidence, Lt Gen Vuma also told the committee that there had been several burglaries at her house. Lt Gen Vuma, the former Deputy National Commissioner for Support Services, provided a detailed account of her tenure, her 2022 suspension and the internal dynamics that have recently thrust the SAPS into the spotlight in the country. Her testimony sought to provide context to the explosive allegations of political…

Why most African startups fail before product-market fit | TheCable error: Content is protected from copying.

Nairobi — French investors are increasingly targeting Kenya’s digital economy and creative industries as the two countries deepen trade ties. Speaking during the launch of the Doing Business in Kenya 2026 guide, Trade and Industry Principal Secretary Regina Ombam said Kenya’s youthful population is driving growth in digital trade and services. “The biggest trade benefit that Kenya is likely to gain in the coming years will come from digital trade and services,” she said. French Ambassador to Kenya Arnaud Suquet said French startups are partnering with Kenyan innovators in areas such as digital innovation and artificial intelligence. About 140 French…

An Oil Scare Near Hormuz Showed How Fast Bitcoin Reverts to a Risk TradeWhile Bitcoin has rebounded and held above $70,000 over the last 48 hours, the acute phase of the latest oil shock showed the market’s first instinct: sell crypto when inflation fear rises, and the path to easier money gets harder.Still, why does the price of oil even matter for Bitcoin? Few Bitcoin miners use oil to power machines, so shouldn’t Bitcoin be detached from energy volatility?Well, on March 9, Bitcoin fell to a seven-day low as Brent crude surged and traders cut exposure across risk assets.You see,…