Author: Elan

Andy Walker / Android AuthorityTL;DR Google Maps shows popular times to alert you how busy a destination is. Recently, some users have noticed popular times disappearing from the Maps Android app. It’s not yet clear if this is a glitch, intentional, or if Google’s just moving the info somewhere else. If you’re only using Google Maps to plot a route from point A to point B, you are seriously missing out on a lot. In addition to offering useful discovery tools for finding new places worth visiting, Maps also makes it possible to strategize your travels so you don’t show…

Night view of Singapore’s illuminated skyline and Marina Bay Sands, reflecting city lights. Image credit: Mark Baldovino/Pexels. Major African technology hubs such as Lagos, Nairobi, Cape Town and Cairo continue to generate opportunities for entrepreneurs building businesses for rapidly expanding digital markets. Yet as startups move from domestic operations toward international customers and institutional investment, their corporate structures can become as important as their products. Africa’s technology funding market remains concentrated in several leading ecosystems. According to Partech’s 2025 Africa Tech Venture Capital Report, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria together captured 72% of total capital raised by African startups…

Farid Fezoua, director for equity, funds, and venture capital at the IFC** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, is investing $25 million in equity in Jumia Technologies, Africa’s largest public e-commerce platform. The investment will support Jumia’s next phase of growth across its core African markets, strengthening its integrated marketplace and logistics network.Jumia has operations across eight African countries. The Jumia platform consists of a marketplace, which connects over 60,000 sellers with customers; a logistics network, which…

Swahili Honey is the retail brand of Central Park Bees, a Tanzanian business based in Dodoma that aggregates, processes and sells honey sourced from a network of rural smallholder beekeepers. How we made it in Africa editor-in-chief Jaco Maritz spoke to co-founder and CFO Christopher Kadendula to find out more.Topics discussed during the interview include:The basics of beekeepingHow the business was startedFinding international clientsEntrepreneurship lessons learntAgribusiness opportunities in Tanzania and beyond

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Nigeria has launched a regulatory sandbox for virtual asset operators, fintechs, financial institutions, and technology companies, marking the latest step in the country’s push to coordinate oversight of the country’s fast-growing digital finance ecosystem.  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on Tuesday that applications for Cohort 2 of its Regulatory Sandbox Programme will open on August 12 and close on August 31. The new programme includes a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) track for companies offering stablecoins, payment and settlement services, custody, wallets, and related financial infrastructure solutions. It also includes a second Data-Enabled Financial Services (Non-VASP) track for…

Following a recent $40 million strategic funding round, stablecoin infrastructure provider Yellow Card is setting its sights on deepening its international footprint and scaling its enterprise financial solutions. Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos on Wednesday, the company’s leadership, led by Lasbery Oludimu, Group Vice President of Operations and Managing Director for Yellow Card Nigeria, and Osaro Jackson, Country Manager and Growth Lead, Yellow Card Nigeria, outlined how the newly injected capital will be deployed. The fresh funding is heavily earmarked to scale Yellow Card’s Global USD Accounts, an end-to-end dollar account solution tailored for corporate entities, while also…

Google has added the Aptoide app store to Google Play, making it the first third-party store available through Google’s own storefront. This change comes after a court ruling in the Epic v.Google case, which required Google to make it easier for users to install apps and games from third-party stores. For now, Aptoide is only available in the US and focuses on gaming. Google Play now includes a dedicated section for third-party stores.Aptoide already had a user base among Android gamers who were comfortable with sideloading. It is now an official alternative to Google Play.Google Play Now Distributes Third-Party App…

Cairo, Egypt** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **A consortium comprising SPE Capital, Tanmiya Capital Ventures (TCV), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and British International Investment (BII) has agreed to sell Tamweely to e-Finance for Digital and Financial Investments.Tamweely is an Egypt-based non-bank financial services company that provides financing and related services to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).Completion of the transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals.The consortium acquired Tamweely in December 2024. During its ownership, the company opened 45 new branches, taking its network to more than…

Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,  Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa & Global Health Policy, Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) issued the below statement calling for peaceful, fair elections ahead of the August 13th elections in Zambia. “The United States values its long-standing partnership with Zambia. Over the last two decades, the United States and Zambia have partnered on peacekeeping, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programming and democracy initiatives that have improved global health, stability and social mobility. Although this partnership…