Author: Elan

Long before investors placed billion-dollar valuations on African startups, before global venture capital firms arrived in Lagos, Johannesburg, and Cairo, many of the continent’s most celebrated entrepreneurs were students sitting inside lecture halls, writing exams and building the foundations of ideas that would eventually transform industries.The founders behind companies such as Flutterwave, Interswitch and Moniepoint did not emerge from the same institution or a particular academic system.Their paths were diverse, stretching across African universities and some of the world’s most prestigious global institutions.These universities did not “create” unicorns, as entrepreneurship depends on far more than education, but their classrooms, networks…

Gabon’s outstanding public debt rose 23% year-on-year to 8,780.3 billion FCFA at the end of December 2025, driven by a sharp increase in domestic borrowing as the government shifted away from traditional external financing. According to the Directorate General of Debt, external debt stood at 4,127.6 billion FCFA, while domestic debt reached 4,652.7 billion FCFA. Total public debt increased by 1,647 billion FCFA from the end of 2024. While external debt declined by 40.9 billion FCFA, or 0.98%, domestic debt surged by 1,687.9 billion FCFA, up 57% from a year earlier. The regional financial market became the largest source of…

When MiniPay launched in 2023, it had a simple pitch: help users access and move stablecoins cheaply. Three years later, the Opera-backed stablecoin app has a new priority: making those stablecoin balances more useful. On Tuesday, the company launched a Visa debit card in partnership with payments giant Visa and Gnosis Pay, the stablecoin payments platform developed by blockchain company Gnosis, allowing users in emerging markets and Africa—where it operates in major markets such as Nigeria and Kenya—to spend stablecoin balances anywhere Visa is accepted. The move signals how the stablecoin market is evolving. After years spent helping users acquire,…

Hackers gained control of the official website of Kenyan President William Ruto (president.co.ke) on Saturday, July 18th, and defaced the president’s official website with demeaning messages. The unknown group responsible for the cyber attack targeted President Ruto, threatening to release ‘uncomfortable’ information if its ransom demand of 5 Bitcoins (approximately $317,215) wasn’t met. “This message is the third time for you; before we leak everything about you,” the message on the homepage reads. “Do a payment of 5 bitcoins to the Bitcoin wallet…. If you want peace before 6 o’clock this evening.”   The Kenyan government, through a response filed by…

OpenAI has introduced the Codex Micro, its first hardware product aimed at consumers. Priced at $230, it is a mechanical keypad designed for use with OpenAI’s Codex coding agent.The device was developed with assistance from the team at Work Louder and includes 13 mechanical switches, a touch sensor, a rotary dial to adjust reasoning levels, and an analog stick.Pre-orders are currently available, with the first units expected to ship later this month. OpenAI describes the accessory as a limited-run product.The Codex Micro is not the screen-free AI device that OpenAI is developing with former Apple designer Jony Ive. Instead, it…

Illegal gold, porous borders and complicity at the highest levels – Cameroon is struggling to reap the rewards of its mining sector. Gold mining still accounts for barely 1% of national GDP. Part 1 of our investigation.

Listen to this article Tokyo is redefining its engagement with Africa, transitioning from traditional aid-based approaches to strategic venture capital (VC) investments focused on long-term partnerships, innovation and capacity building. Several Japanese private companies are making Japan’s presence felt in Africa’s VC landscape, particularly in high-growth sectors such as fintech, climate tech and mobility. Growing demand for innovative, technology-driven solutions in Africa has drawn increasing interest from international investors. VC funding in Africa rose from over US$2 billion in 2019 to a peak of US$5.2 billion in 2022. Though investment declined to around US$3.6 billion in 2023, the continent’s start-up…

China muscles in on West African cocoa market as tariffs repealed – African Business China muscles in on West African cocoa market as tariffs repealed – African Business

In brief ECB board member Cipollone warned Friday that stablecoin growth could strip European banks of retail deposits, on top of the fees and transaction data they’re already losing to mobile payment platforms. Two-thirds of card payments in the euro area route through non-European schemes, and 13 of 21 eurozone countries have no national card scheme of their own. The ECB named 36 payment service providers for a digital euro pilot starting in the second half of 2027, days after the European Parliament voted 416 to 169 to begin formal legislative negotiations. European banks are losing the payments war in…

Most of us left the university with a degree and a vague idea of what might come next. Norah Kimathi, a graduate of informatics and computer science from Strathmore University, Kenya, is leaving with a company, a growing list of awards, and robots that could change how deaf students learn science. When we spoke over a video call, she was between university deadlines and startup meetings, slipping effortlessly from discussions about artificial intelligence to stories of dismantling household electronics as a child.  Instead, she spoke with the matter-of-fact certainty of someone who has spent years solving problems that most of…