Author: Elan

Mali’s iconic mud-dyed textile, bogolan, is creating new opportunities beyond its cultural significance. As the centuries-old craft gains protected status, women artisans and entrepreneurs are turning tradition into thriving businesses while preserving indigenous knowledge. At dawn in Ségou in south-central Mali, Massaran Koné begins preparing cotton cloth for dyeing. Twenty years ago she learned the technique from her mother. Today, the income from bogolan pays her children’s school fees and helps support other women she employs. Hands dip fabric into fermented mud, then patiently trace symbols passed down through generations. In Mali, bogolan is a language that speaks of heritage.…

Nigeria’s reported losses from digital payment fraud may have decreased significantly in 2025. However, criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the use of artificial intelligence is making their attacks more damaging. This information comes from a new report released by the compliance platform Adhere in partnership with TechCabal. The report titled “The Compliance Reckoning” was unveiled at the Trust Frontier forum held in Lagos on Friday. Regulators, banks, fintech executives, and law enforcement agencies gathered to discuss the future of preventing financial crime. The report shows that losses from digital payment fraud fell from ₦52.26 billion in 2024 to ₦25.85…

Sentinel Escrow on 13th july announced the official launch of SentiBud, a WhatsApp-based escrow assistant designed to eliminate financial risk for online buyers and sellers across Nigeria. Despite the rapid growth of social commerce in Nigeria, thousands of daily transactions stall due to a lack of mutual trust. Buyers fear paying upfront without receiving their goods, while sellers risk losing money on uncollected deliveries if they accept payment on delivery. SentiBud solves this standoff by embedding a secure escrow mechanism directly into WhatsApp conversations. The fundamental issue in social commerce has never been a lack of buyers or sellers; it’s…

Edgar Cervantes / Android AuthorityTL;DR Roku streaming hardware is getting more expensive. Listed MSRPs for Roku streamers have increased by between $10 and $50. As of writing, the streaming devices can still be purchased for less than their new sticker prices. Roku devices are getting more expensive. The streaming hardware maker quietly raised the prices of its products this week, with increases ranging from $10 to $50.As spotted by The Desk (via The Verge), the listed retail prices of Roku’s current-generation streaming hardware have gone up. The Roku Ultra and the Roku Streambar SE saw the largest increases: both have jumped 50%…

baggage blues Long-running disputes over lost bags, stranded travellers and unheeded fines culminate in the strongest regulatory ultimatum Morocco’s flag carrier has faced in Africa. By Nicholas Norbrook Managing Editor of The Africa Report Royal Air Maroc is in the crosshairs of Nigeria’s civil aviation authority. © Urbanandsport / NurPhoto via AFP Published on July 24, 2026 at 14:55 pm (GMT +1) Nigeria’s civil aviation regulator has threatened to stop Royal Air Maroc from operating in the country, escalating a long-running dispute over delayed luggage, compensation and the airline’s treatment of Nigerian passengers.

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…

A Senegalese village chief holds up the fonio grain. Photo by Richard NybergFonio – a gluten-free grain with many nutritional benefits – has been cultivated as a subsistence crop in West Africa for thousands of years. It is drought-resistant, can grow without the support of fertiliser and restores organic matter in fallow soil. Despite the crop’s long history in the region, it is not fully commercialised.Thanks to fonio’s nutritional profile, demand has been growing in regions such as the US and Europe.One advocate for fonio’s potential is Timi Oke, co-founder and CEO of AgroEknor, a Nigerian company exporting dried hibiscus…

Ebola deaths pass 1,000 in DRC – African Business Ebola deaths pass 1,000 in DRC – African Business

Daya, a Nigerian startup building stablecoin-powered payment infrastructure for African businesses, has launched tokenised stocks for users to buy and sell digital versions of US stocks on the blockchain.  It joins several other Nigerian and Africa-focused fintechs, such as NectarFi, Luno, Blockchain.com, and Roqqu, that have launched or are preparing to launch similar products. Tokenised stocks are becoming a dime a dozen in Nigeria’s crypto sector as startups race to broaden the use of blockchain beyond digital currencies and into traditional finance. For companies that built their businesses around stablecoins and cryptocurrency trading, tokenised equities offer a new revenue stream while…

WayaWaya, the Kenyan company building AI-powered financial services for banks and merchants, has appointed former Chase Bank Kenya executive Raj Singh as a non-executive director and board adviser.  The appointment comes as the startup intends to deepen relationships with financial institutions and merchants while expanding into new African and international markets. Singh will advise WayaWaya’s board and executive team on strategy, governance and commercial growth, the company said in a Thursday statement.  WayaWaya joins a growing list of African fintechs recruiting experienced banking executives as they scale into regulated financial services. In July, Nigerian fintech unicorn Moniepoint appointed former Branch…