“Mastercard Foundation’s agreement was not terminated due to a breach,” Bongani Sithole, 54 Collective’s CEO
In February 2025, over 40 employees at 54 Collective, an early-stage venture studio that helped African founders build their startups, received shocking news. Their firm was shutting down, and they were being laid off. At the time, it was almost unheard of for an African venture firm to lay off employees and shut down, but when Mastercard Foundation pulled its funding, the capital to support the venture studio dried up. It was not only bad news for employees at 54 Collective, officially registered as Africa Founders Ventures (AFV), but also for Africa’s tech ecosystem: the venture studio planned to fund 105 startups over the next five years and had invested in 41 startups. It was Africa’s most active investor in 2024, and its abrupt shutdown raised fresh questions about the sustainability of donor-backed venture models. But, court documents seen by TechCabal show that Mastercard Foundation—which also backs venture capital firms like VestedWorld, Aruwa Capital Management, and Chui Ventures—pulled its funding because of 54 Collective’s rebranding from Founder’s Factory Africa in August 2024. “The branding was provisioned in the Grant Agreement, and the budget was approved and monitored. The Grant Agreement was not terminated due to a breach,” Bongani Sithole, the former CEO of AFV, told TechCabal, denying claims of wrongdoing. “The rebrand to 54 Collective was aimed at emphasising the new blended-finance approach of the program and to underline the pan-African identity of the program, which was targeting technology startups, SMEs, and training young people. We are devastated by the consequences this has had on our team, employees, and on the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem across the continent,” he added. What the court documents say In January 2023, Mastercard Foundation committed $106.5 million to fund Africa Founders Ventures (AFV)—a South Africa-based nonprofit affiliated with 54 Collective—over five years for tightly defined charitable activities. The first tranche, $19 million, was disbursed later that year into AFV-held accounts across several South African banks. The first signs of strain emerged on July 22, 2024, when Mastercard Foundation raised concerns about AFV’s unapproved rebrand to “54 Collective.” The Foundation worried the move might blur lines between AFV and its for-profit affiliates, Founders Factory Africa (FFA) and Utopia Capital. Three of AFV’s key executives—Sithole, Roo Rogers, and Alina Truhina—work as partners at Utopia, heightening concerns about potential conflicts of interest. By August 7, 2024, the foundation formally withheld consent for the rebrand, citing risks of grant funds being used to benefit commercial entities. On October 1, 2024, AFV acknowledged the misstep and floated the idea of appointing a compliance officer. Between November 2024 and February 2025, Deloitte, acting as Mastercard Foundation’s auditor, conducted a forensic review of AFV’s financials via access to its accounting platform, Xero. The early findings were troubling: AFV had no audited financial statements for 2023 or 2024, over 2,000 backdated journal entries distorted the true grant-income picture, and $4.59 million had been transferred from AFV’s Standard Bank account to one controlled by FFA. At the time, $6.17 million remained spread across accounts at Investec, Standard Bank, and Nedbank. On January 30, 2025, Mastercard Foundation issued a 90-day notice to terminate the grant agreement. It demanded a detailed asset list, full financial disclosure, and a refund of $689,931.46 spent on the rebrand. AFV initially agreed to repay the funds on February 17, only to reverse course days later, calling immediate repayment “reckless trading.” By March 20, with tensions rising, Mastercard Foundation’s Canadian legal counsel ordered AFV to cease interfering with records and reinstate Deloitte’s access after AFV had abruptly revoked it. Days later, on March 26, AFV’s board opted to enter business rescue—South Africa’s version of bankruptcy protection—and filed the resolution on March 27. A rescue practitioner, Barry Urban, was appointed on March 31. However, Mastercard Foundation was only notified on April 9, well beyond the five-day window required by law. In a subsequent meeting, Urban informed the foundation’s lawyers that the firm intended to wind down AFV, not to restructure or rescue it. As part of the wind-down, AFV earmarked $3.2 million of the foundation’s funds to cover employee severance, salaries, property fees, and debts—plus Urban’s fees. But $1 million of the requested winddown fees could not be adequately accounted for by Urban. The foundation quickly requested a halt to the rescue process and a commitment not to spend any more funds. Urban refused. When the 90-day notice period lapsed on April 30, the grant agreement formally terminated, but AFV retained control of the funds. Mastercard Foundation asked AFV’s three banks to freeze the accounts, but under South African law, a court order was required. That request was filed on May 3. Five days later, Urban issued a notice “suspending” all obligations under the now-expired grant—a move the court later described as legally invalid. On May 14, Mastercard Foundation filed an urgent court application to set aside the business rescue proceedings, freeze AFV’s assets, and begin winding down the organisation. That filing triggered the formal shutdown of 54 Collective. The firm’s former employees were laid off without severance packages. What this means for Africa’s tech ecosystem While the matter is still in court with a final decision expected at a hearing set for August 11, the venture’s shutdown and laying off of staff already have serious implications for African tech. Even before 54 Collective’s shutdown, tech funding across Africa fell by 7% in 2024. The large size of the fund made it one of the few growth funds in Africa with the ability to back multiple startups with significant funding. Its sudden disappearance further limits the capital available for African startups and introduces new challenges for its portfolio companies. For the firm’s portfolio companies, a significant source of funding and support was abruptly cut off as 54 Collective not only provided capital but also helped early-stage founders build their businesses. While those companies will continue to operate under the leadership of their respective executives, the gap left by 54 Collective is sizable. The court dispute also highlights corporate governance failures and
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Africa’s AI ambitions take root in Lagos with first full-stack data growth zone
Within Alaro City, which borders Eleko, a coastal community on the fringes of Lagos, Itana is building Africa’s first full-stack AI and data growth zone, a futuristic enclave of servers, startups, and machine learning models. Described as a “zone within a zone,” this initiative by Itana is more than just real estate; it’s a strategic infrastructure designed to serve the entire AI value chain. From model developers and data center operators to AI-first application companies, the growth zone offers a purpose-built, resource-dense ecosystem for building and scaling AI solutions on African soil. Why Africa needs an AI growth zone Recent data shows that four countries: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt, account for over 80% of AI and tech startup funding across the continent, with Nigeria alone home to more than 400 active AI firms. However, despite this growing momentum, much of Africa’s AI development still depends heavily on foreign infrastructure, from compute power and data storage to foundational model access and deployment tools. While countries like Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa have made progress with digital innovation hubs and AI-focused districts, none have created a fully integrated ecosystem specifically tailored for AI development like Itana. Projects such as Egypt’s Knowledge City and Kenya’s Konza Technopolis are advancing smart infrastructure and ICT-led growth, but their focus remains broad. Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canton and Enderbury Islands Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos [Keeling] Islands Colombia Comoros Congo – Brazzaville Congo – Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Dronning Maud Land East Germany Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories French Southern and Antarctic Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Johnston Island Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau SAR China Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Metropolitan France Mexico Micronesia Midway Islands Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar [Burma] Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Neutral Zone New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Vietnam Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pacific Islands Trust Territory Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria São Tomé and Príncipe Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands U.S. Miscellaneous Pacific Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine Union of Soviet Socialist Republics United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Unknown or Invalid Region Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wake Island Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands ?> Gender Male Female Others TC Daily Events TC Scoop <!– Next Wave –> <!– Entering Tech –> Subscribe In contrast, Itana’s AI and data growth zone offers a vertically integrated environment, bringing together AI-first companies, high-performance compute resources, modular AI-ready data centers, a growing talent pipeline, and flexible, remote-friendly business frameworks, all within a special economic zone. Comparable models exist globally, such as Hub71 in the UAE or Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, but within Africa, Itana represents the most concentrated and purpose-built initiative aimed at accelerating AI innovation. According to Victor Famubode, head of advisory and government relations at Itana, this local consolidation is essential. “Globally, there’s a fight for certain resources—starting from infrastructure, down to talent and capital,” he explains. “If Africa is going to play competitively in the AI space, then we must aggregate these resources locally.” Itana’s AI and data growth zone is a direct response to that challenge. It’s designed as a comprehensive hub for both upstream AI companies—those building foundational models—and downstream firms applying those models in industries like healthcare, finance, education, and agriculture. The ambition is to create a full-stack environment where technical talent, computing infrastructure, connectivity, and funding are all available in one place, enabling companies to build, scale, and deploy AI systems within an African context. Building the stack The zone’s first pillar is compute. AI development, especially the kind involving large language models (LLMs), requires enormous computational power, typically delivered through Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) clusters. Itana has already partnered with high-compute service providers and is actively seeking more players to offer cloud, on-premise, and GPU-as-a-service capabilities. “We know AI is 95% hardware,” Famubode says. “Without reliable compute infrastructure, we cannot expect consistent innovation.” Next is data. Itana’s zone is supported by a modular data center partner offering facilities that range from Tier 3 to potential Tier 4 upgrades. These centers not only provide storage for AI training data but also ensure latency-sensitive deployments can happen within the zone itself, crucial for real-time AI applications. Talent is the third critical piece. Itana is intentionally building a talent pipeline by engaging with local and international partners to
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Meta to unmask operators behind teen revenge porn channels in South Africa
WhatsApp and Instagram owner, Meta, has agreed to release the information of those behind accounts that posted revenge porn of minors across its platforms in South Africa. The social media giant was responding to a July 14 application by digital rights law firm, Digital Law Company, asking the court to hold Meta in contempt for failing to provide that information. The Gauteng High Court, in response to the application, ordered Meta to shut down those channels across its platforms, permanently disable them, and provide information of the account holders. On the week of July 14, South African parents, teachers, and youth groups expressed concerns about a troubling trend of WhatsApp and Instagram shaderoom channels. Known for celebrity gossip, South African teenagers have been creating these digital spaces to expose one another’s secrets and share private photos or videos without permission fuelling a culture of humiliation and cyberbullying, especially against teenage girls. “A friend told me that I was famous and at first, I did not pay attention until she sent a link of Shaderoom #1,” said a teen victim who spoke anonymously to TechCabal. Finding out that her private pictures were trending on WhatsApp left her feeling stressed, anxious, and betrayed. “I suspect my phone was hacked by someone in my close circle, as I never lend it to anyone. I’m worried about what might happen next; already people think I am a prostitute. My images are now all over,” she said. Within days, Digital Law Company uncovered more than 1,000 posts across 30 accounts, and found a coordinated network using similar names and tactics—likely run by the same group. “You think you have taught your kids about online safety,” Agnes Mahlangu, a parent whose daughter was manipulated into sharing private images, told TechCabal. “Then you discover these ‘shaderooms’ where someone records your child without consent. It’s digital trafficking happening in WhatsApp channels, and nobody talks about it until it’s too late.” Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canton and Enderbury Islands Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos [Keeling] Islands Colombia Comoros Congo – Brazzaville Congo – Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Dronning Maud Land East Germany Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories French Southern and Antarctic Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Johnston Island Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau SAR China Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Metropolitan France Mexico Micronesia Midway Islands Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar [Burma] Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Neutral Zone New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Vietnam Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pacific Islands Trust Territory Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria São Tomé and Príncipe Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands U.S. Miscellaneous Pacific Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine Union of Soviet Socialist Republics United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Unknown or Invalid Region Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wake Island Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands ?> Gender Male Female Others TC Daily Events TC Scoop <!– Next Wave –> <!– Entering Tech –> Subscribe Unlike traditional group chats, WhatsApp Channels allow anonymous broadcasting to large audiences. Admins and members remain hidden, and with end-to-end encryption, moderation is virtually nonexistent. Victims often have no idea who posted the content or how to hold anyone accountable. Even when channels are deleted, the damage persists—screenshots and reposts spread to platforms like Telegram and Twitter. On Thursday July 17, we joined two shaderoom channels, ‘ShadeRoom #1’ and ‘Soweto ShadeRoom’ to observe the activities in these shaderooms. By the morning of July 18, ShadeRoom #1 had wiped its history and deleted the channel, while Soweto ShadeRoom’s content remained visible though the channel had been deleted. Content shared in the channels ranged from sexually explicit images and rumours about individuals’ sex lives to gossip and mockery often targeted at teenage girls. Parents who spoke to TechCabal noted that several of these shaderoom channels exist in various areas across the country including, Rooderport and Durban. Both the victims and perpetrators are often minors, normalising digital abuse among, parents say. “Kids talk about these shaderooms like they are just funny,” said Thandiwe Masombuka, a teacher in Johannesburg. “They do not even see it as exploitation.” “The danger is not just strangers online,” warned Anne Masango, a teacher in Johannesburg. “It’s classmates, neighbours, even so-called friends. And the schools are not talking about it.” What does the law say? South Africa has two key laws that criminalise the
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The real reason your data “disappears” in Nigeria
TechCabal recently published a piece on why internet bundle feels like it’s disappearing, focusing on auto-updates, background apps, and device settings as the main culprits. But many people – myself included – are probably thinking: I’ve optimised my phone settings, yet my data is still “disappearing.” You’re probably not doing anything wrong! Optimising your settings is a helpful starting point to protect your megabytes, and it’s certainly one of the few things you can control. However, it only scratches the surface of a much deeper, persistent infrastructure problem; one we all talk about but never seem to get fixed. Now, I’m not a telecoms guru, but I do have above-average experience designing and optimising high data/traffic apps. So, while I may not know every telco acronym, I’ll try to explain my viewpoint using engineering principles, in simple, relatable terms. Trying to load a web page in Nigeria is sometimes like being stuck in Lagos traffic at rush hour: slow, chaotic, constantly getting redirected, and burning through more fuel (or in this case, data) just to get to the same destination. If you’re a software engineer, think of it like an inefficient query bogging down your database: slow response, timeouts, and rising infrastructure costs. The result? “Disappearing” data and a poor user experience. That’s exactly what Nigerian users face every day with their mobile data. Here are three overlooked reasons your data disappears faster than it should: Signal strength and distance to base stations: The further you are from a base station, the weaker your signal. For example, in low-density areas such as Lagos-Sagamu expressway, your device must work harder to stay connected. This often leads to retransmissions where the phone keeps re-requesting parts of a page or video due to failed packet delivery. Inefficiencies like this mean that you may end up downloading the same content multiple times before it finally loads. More retries = more data consumed, even if you’re still staring at the same loading screen. Congested base stations and network load: In high-density areas like Lagos or Abuja, thousands of users may be connected to a single, overworked base station. The result? Congestion, dropped packets, and slower speeds, triggering multiple retries. That’s why a single Instagram scroll or Netflix stream might burn through more megabytes than expected. In contrast, countries with stronger telco infrastructure often have more base stations per square kilometre, distributing traffic more evenly and supporting higher throughput. Limited use of smart caching and data compression: In more advanced countries, telcos use data compression and edge caching to help save bandwidth and serve content more efficiently. Popular websites and videos are stored closer to the user. Kind of like having a neighbourhood kiosk instead of going to the main market every time. It’s unclear how extensively these strategies are used by Nigerian telcos, but whatever is in place, the benefits aren’t widely felt. That’s why it can feel like you’re re-downloading the same page or video again and again, instead of benefiting from local caching or data-saving tech. Before we paint telcos as the outright villains, it’s worth acknowledging some real challenges they face: High capital costs: Building and maintaining base stations isn’t cheap, and Nigeria’s economic climate (e.g. currency devaluations and fluctuations) can sometimes make large-scale investment difficult to justify. Revenue pressures: With heavy competition and pricing wars, telcos often argue that margins are thin and raising infrastructure quality while keeping data affordable is a tough balance. Security risks: Vandalism and theft of telecom equipment are major issues, especially in remote areas. This directly impacts the number of “active” base stations per square kilometre. Still, while these issues are real, they don’t justify the lack of transparency around network performance or the continued premium pricing for subpar service. The bottom line Nigerians are paying for inefficient data delivery over overloaded, underpowered infrastructure. We’re paying the price for how poorly that data is moved across the network. If we want better outcomes, we need to ask better questions: (1) Why aren’t telcos investing more in caching and load balancing?; (2) And, why are we paying premium prices for subpar connectivity? Without addressing the fundamental issues, i.e. distance/signal strength, congestion, retries, caching, and compression, our data will keep “disappearing” for reasons that have little to do with us. ______ Tomiwa Erinosho, PhD, is an engineer and product builder with a passion for solving data, infrastructure and efficiency challenges across emerging markets. Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com
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On NewComma, Africa’s diasporan creators earn and find community on a global stage
Long gone are the days when television, radio, and newspapers were the dominant channels to capture the attention of an audience. In today’s digital world all one needs is stable internet, some talent, and, if possible, a robust marketing strategy. The London-based social recruitment startup, NewComma, was founded on this premise. In Africa, the creative sector is set to swell to $20billion annually by 2030 and provide an estimated 20 million jobs – figures prompting governments in the continent to set up policy strategies to engineer GDP growth, economic diversification, and mirror the success of nations like the UAE. Childhood friends Natalie Narh and Nigel Atta-Mensah launched NewComma in 2020 to build digital infrastructure for the world’s youngest continent to participate in this economy. The mobile-first app connects African writers, musicians, actors, photographers, videographers, illustrators and other creatives to a global community of fellow creators and brands. Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canton and Enderbury Islands Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos [Keeling] Islands Colombia Comoros Congo – Brazzaville Congo – Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Dronning Maud Land East Germany Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories French Southern and Antarctic Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Johnston Island Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau SAR China Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Metropolitan France Mexico Micronesia Midway Islands Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar [Burma] Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Neutral Zone New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Vietnam Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pacific Islands Trust Territory Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria São Tomé and Príncipe Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands U.S. Miscellaneous Pacific Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine Union of Soviet Socialist Republics United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Unknown or Invalid Region Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wake Island Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands ?> Gender Male Female Others TC Daily Events TC Scoop <!– Next Wave –> <!– Entering Tech –> Subscribe Unearthing Africa’s creative talent In the summer of 2012, after an intensive four-day, paid photography course in London, the British-Ghanaian duo, then students at an international boarding school in Tema, Ghana, decided to share their learnings with schoolmates who did not have the same opportunity. That initiative and access to a network of creatively-inclined individuals from different parts of the continent, became a precursor to founding NewComma. “We never really had to think of Pan-Africanism as a theory,” said Narh, NewComma’s CEO. “It was just, ‘Oh my roommate is from Kenya, my roommate is Ethiopian etc’, […] Naturally every idea that we thought of wasn’t specific to Ghana, it was always specific to the continent and beyond because that’s what was native to us.” Still active in the underground artistic scene back home in Ghana, Narh and Atta-Mensah collaborated again in 2017 while attending university in England on a visual editorial series titled, “The Cool Kids Project”. The first instalment of the project featured then-emerging Ghanaian artists Darkovibes and the musical collective La Même Gang as cover stars on mocks of prestigious industry publications like Fader, Complex, and Paper. A few years later, both musical acts landed actual features in Fader and Complex respectively. By engineering that validation and seeing it become real, the duo affirmed a theory they’ve had which is that African creatives are not typically perceived as commercially-viable until they have the attention of Western media. “Especially with African creatives, our talent is always there, but people don’t necessarily recognise that talent until we’ve garnered some Western validation,” says Narh. The duo launched NewComma in response, as a platform for African creatives to show up authentically while seeking commercial viability on a global stage. Preliminary work began on the platform in late 2019 and it launched to the public in 2021. With it came a user-friendly interface where creators can set up free profiles, engage with other creators on an intuitive social feed, upload multimedia resumes that demonstrate their skills to other creators, potential collaborators, and employers. Partner brands can advertise open roles on the platform’s job board to a niche talent pool ready and able to deliver on projects. In 2023, the startup raised a £150,000 pre-seed round from SFC Capital, a UK-based early-stage investment firm. Following the raise, Narh, then an Ogilvy and Billion Dollar Boy creative executive, and banker Atta-Mensah (who is COO), left their full-time jobs to commit to NewComma
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Infinity Health, IntraHub partner to automate compliance for Africa’s pharma industry
Infinity Health Africa, a Nigerian regulatory technology and market access company, has partnered with IntraHub Africa, a pharmacovigilance service provider, to automate regulatory compliance and quality assurance in the continent’s fast-growing pharmaceutical sector. The collaboration aims to digitise pharmacovigilance processes and improve regulatory readiness for pharmaceutical companies, many of whom face steep hurdles in meeting global standards. The firms combine Infinity Health’s digital regulatory infrastructure with IntraHub’s pharmacovigilance technology to create an end-to-end compliance solution. At the heart of the offering is Infinity’s proprietary platform ONBOARD, which manages product registration, licencing, and post-marketing surveillance. IntraHub’s IntraVigi platform enables drugmakers and health providers to track adverse drug reactions (ADRs), maintain safety reports, and comply with international pharmacovigilance standards. “The lack of quality documentation is a key compliance bottleneck in Africa’s regulatory landscape, said Irene Nwaukwa, CEO of Infinity Health Africa. “This partnership will provide hands-on support for registration, documentation, and patient safety—combining Infinity Health’s regulatory backbone with IntraHub’s tech-first pharmacovigilance solutions.” Africa’s pharmaceutical market is projected to grow to $70 billion by 2030, but challenges like fragmented regulations, limited digital infrastructure, and weak pharmacovigilance systems have slowed progress. Regulators across the continent are tightening standards, prompting manufacturers and distributors to seek more robust compliance tools. Nigeria’s NAFDAC, for example, now requires mandatory bioequivalence studies for all generic drugs submitted for registration. In Kenya, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board introduced new pharmacovigilance and post‑market surveillance rules in mid‑2022. Through their collaboration, Infinity Health Africa and IntraHub Africa aim to help pharmaceutical businesses strengthen their regulatory documentation, improve readiness for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), simplify tracking and analysis of drug reactions, build pharmacovigilance and patient safety systems, and promote regulatory excellence across every stage of operation. “Through this partnership, we are bringing together expertise, technology, and a shared vision to help companies thrive, compete globally, and keep patients safe,” Pharm. Abubakar Mukhtar, CEO of IntraHub Africa, stated. Having managed over 200 regulatory submissions, these two companies say they are well-positioned to shape a more rigorous and tech-enabled regulatory environment for pharmaceutical companies across Africa. Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com
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👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – Copia founders’ second act
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Good morning. Meta giveth, Meta taketh away. Just months after finally handing iPad users a a long-awaited WhatsApp app, Meta is pulling the plug on the Windows WhatsApp. The software giant is swapping it for a stripped-down web wrapper instead, leaving Windows users with a heavier, less integrated experience. Love it? Hate it? Just getting used to the native app? Either way, how do you feel about Meta’s latest platform shuffle? PS: If you’re curious about the tech ecosystem in Francophone Africa, sign up for TechCabal’s latest newsletter, TNW: Francophone Africa. We’ll bring the biggest insider insights and analysis of the region’s technology landscape bi-monthly. Sign up here and be the first to know. Let’s get into it! Copia’s cofounders launch new startup MTN South Africa to invest $17 million in Gauteng Kenya’s M-KOPA sued over alleged racial bias Nigeria debuts new AI-powered business registry World Wide Web 3 Opportunities Startups Copia’s Tracey Turner and her co-founders are back with another startup, Stahili Image Source: Tenor When a founder returns for a second act, the obvious question is what changes the second time around. What lessons carry over, and which habits get left behind? There’s usually keen interest in what they decide to build next—not just for the product, but how they view the market. This week, that attention went to founders of Copia, the Kenyan agent-based commerce startup that shut down in 2024. Tracey Turner, who co-founded Copia Global in 2013, has launched Stahili Commerce with former Copia CEO Tim Steel and CTO Michael King. Turner is also building Olverra, an e-commerce platform. Stahili runs a reward system. It invites users to fill surveys about Kenyan brands and get rewarded with airtime and data. It has a built-in viral loop system; the more users invite their friends to the platform, the more insights the startup gathers. Stahili is sitting on a potential data goldmine. If it later builds out into a full e-commerce business, it could draw insights into how Kenyans buy, restock, and store everyday goods. That information could help push high-demand products or be sold to consumer goods (FMCG) brands for profit—a kind of business process outsourcing play. For now, Stahili feels like a stripped-down version of something bigger. Its reward-based system is a classic high-growth tactic. But in African markets, users often game these systems through fake referrals that distorts the user base and corrupts the data. The risk is that Stahili could end up receiving insights that do not reflect real demand for certain products. As with Copia, the focus remains on working-class Kenyans, many of whom would be drawn by the promise of rewards. But Copia, after 12 years and no profit, may have failed to truly understand what moved this market. Stahili feels like a second attempt to get closer to what people actually want—and how they really shop. Is this Turner’s winning ticket? Investors were already making enquiries about Turner’s new venture as early as July 2024. No surprises if Stahili raises soon. Paying 2% or more on every transaction adds up fast. For businesses in e-commerce, logistics, travel, fintech, and more, every naira counts. Fincra helps you save more with 1% NGN fees capped at ₦300. Ideal for high-value or high-volume transactions. Get started for free with just your email address! Companies MTN South Africa will invest $17m in infrastructure upgrades in Gauteng MTN’s South Africa head office/Image Source: MyBroadBand MTN South Africa is pumping R300 million ($17 million) into network infrastructure in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province. The investment is focused on acquiring new base stations, 5G rollouts, and technical enhancements across over 70 network sites. Why does this matter? This move comes as Vodacom, another major telecom operator, is increasingly applying pressure with its “beyond mobile” expansion strategy to grow its fibre network and ISP reach, as well as its planned $2 billion acquisition deal with Maziv. Improving infrastructure is important to stay competitive in the fast evolving telecom sector. MTN’s strategy is all part of a larger R4.5 billion ($251 million) national rollout which will be completed in 2025. MTN expects this investment to bring improved coverage and enhanced network capacity for more businesses and communities in the region, including both rural and urban areas. Despite this push, MTN’s service revenue growth in South Africa remains stuck in the single digits. The stagnant growth is attributed to stiff competition from players like Vodacom and Telkom, particularly in the pre-paid market. This suggests that the telecom giant is under some pressure at home. The investments could be a defensive play as MTN fights slower growth in its core domestic market. Last month, MTN South Africa also announced R480 million ($27.1 million) on expanding and modernising its infrastructure upgrades meant to drive economic growth and improve access in another province, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Big Picture: Despite the weakened growth outlook, South Africa remains a top-four earning market for MTN alongside Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda. These investments in infrastructure are needed to stay competitive in the game and avoid future misses like last year when it had to exit three countries: Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry citing financial constraints caused by inflation and currency devaluation. Paga Engine powers the boldest ideas in Africa “Across various use cases and industries, Paga Engine provides reliable rails for your business needs to run smoothly and grow sustainably.” – Tayo Oviosu. Read the full article. Startups Kenya’s M-KOPA sued over alleged racial bias Image Source: Zikoko Memes One of Africa’s most celebrated fintechs, M-KOPA, is under fire in court. The fintech has been accused of sidelining its African employees while protecting foreign investors and white expatriate staff. Let’s go back to the beginning (as the lawsuit states): In 2019, M-KOPA’s board panicked about dilution risks to international shareholders—including British International Investment (BII), Germany’s DEG, and Generation Investment Management—after a shareholder converted debt into equity. M-KOPA came up with a plan to introduce a new class
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Founders ask investors questions about venture capital in Africa
The typical founder–VC dynamic is one-directional: analysts ask the questions, and founders answer. But last month, I launched the first edition of Ask an Investor that flipped that script. Instead of pitching, founders interrogated the gatekeepers of capital—probing their blind spots, decision frameworks, and assumptions in African venture. The result was a piece that mixed optimism (blended finance, creative economy upside) with sharp reality checks (thin margins, post–Series A stumbles). In this edition, I’ve put the founders of Kwik, the mobility startup; Regfyl, the regtech startup; and GetEquity, the investment startup, in conversation with investors from Sahara Impact Ventures, Catalytic Africa, and Endeavor. They discuss funding artificial intelligence-enabled startups, Western scouting models, and decision-making. It is important to note that these answers reflect the personal opinions of the analysts and not their firms. The interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Romain Poirot-Lellig (Kwik’s founder): The African VC scene has experienced an incredible decade. What is the one key thing African VCs need to improve upon? Opeyemi Lawal (associate at Endeavor): I think the African VC space needs to rethink how we source and evaluate businesses. The current models, whether from Silicon Valley or Europe, don’t work well for Africa. We need to re-evaluate the frameworks we use to find, assess, and support businesses. I don’t think those imported models are working for our context. Specifically, we need to build a model that reflects the African market and is tailored to the realities of the businesses we’re evaluating and supporting. Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canton and Enderbury Islands Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos [Keeling] Islands Colombia Comoros Congo – Brazzaville Congo – Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Dronning Maud Land East Germany Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories French Southern and Antarctic Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Johnston Island Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau SAR China Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Metropolitan France Mexico Micronesia Midway Islands Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar [Burma] Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Neutral Zone New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Vietnam Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pacific Islands Trust Territory Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria São Tomé and Príncipe Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands U.S. Miscellaneous Pacific Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine Union of Soviet Socialist Republics United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Unknown or Invalid Region Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wake Island Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands ?> Gender Male Female Others TC Daily Events TC Scoop <!– Next Wave –> <!– Entering Tech –> Subscribe For example, when you compare a startup in Africa to one in Europe within the same vertical, there might be surface similarities, but the environments are entirely different. They are serving different customer bases, with different cultural expectations, political climates, and economic conditions. The Western VC models don’t account for Africa’s unique terrain. So we can’t keep copying and pasting those approaches. That’s the first big issue. Second, we need to start looking inwards, especially when it comes to raising local capital. Right now, most African VCs raise from DFIs or foreign offices, particularly in Europe. These LPs often influence which businesses the VC ends up backing. Lately, you’ll notice that AI is trending and don’t get me wrong, I believe in the potential of AI. It’s opened up possibilities we couldn’t have imagined five or six years ago. But if you look at the hierarchy of urgent problems in Africa, I don’t think AI ranks in the top ten. The widespread integration and use of AI in Africa is still limited. Yet we see many startups now rushing to brand themselves as “AI-enabled” because that’s what VCs, and ultimately LPs, are asking for. Jude Dike (GetEquity’s founder): How are VCs thinking about Artificial Intelligence? Do current African VCs have an AI thesis? Favour Eniola Ubaka (portfolio manager at Catalytic Capital): Most African VCs don’t really have a solid AI thesis just yet, but the interest is definitely picking up. They’re mostly betting on startups using AI to solve real, everyday problems in sectors like fintech, health, and agriculture. Instead of backing the big technical stuff like core models, they’re going for practical tools that solve the day-to-day problems people face. A few funds like Future Africa and Chui Ventures are already leaning into this space. There are still hurdles like access to
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Temu’s local warehousing in South Africa cuts costs on select items
In the second week of July, 2025, Temu partnered with logistics providers to open a local warehouse in South Africa. This does not mean Temu now has a physical warehouse in the country, but the model allows sellers to manage their own inventory and logistics. For South African buyers, this means lower import fees and faster deliveries for select items. Products marked “local warehouse” are stocked within the country and typically skip standard import duties—customers often only pay a flat R75 delivery fee for orders above R650. I recently made an order of R638 and paid import duty of R194.90 (about 31%), bumping the total to nearly R833. If these items were in the local warehouse, I could have just paid R75, saving more than half of the import fees. “Eligible products are labeled ‘local warehouse’, indicating that they are stocked in domestic facilities and dispatched directly from within South Africa,” Temu said. I have been keeping an eye on the Temu app since it debuted the local warehousing model. So far, most of what is marked as locally available include home goods, wigs, and women’s t-shirts; more local stock is gradually being added. Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canton and Enderbury Islands Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos [Keeling] Islands Colombia Comoros Congo – Brazzaville Congo – Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Dronning Maud Land East Germany Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories French Southern and Antarctic Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Johnston Island Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau SAR China Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Metropolitan France Mexico Micronesia Midway Islands Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar [Burma] Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Neutral Zone New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Vietnam Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pacific Islands Trust Territory Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria São Tomé and Príncipe Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands U.S. Miscellaneous Pacific Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine Union of Soviet Socialist Republics United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Unknown or Invalid Region Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wake Island Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands ?> Gender Male Female Others TC Daily Events TC Scoop <!– Next Wave –> <!– Entering Tech –> Subscribe For now, fashion lovers still have to pay import fees—most of the stylish clothes that pop up on the Temu app are not yet labelled local. “I was excited to see that Temu now has a warehouse in South Africa. I started browsing the app to check if the trendy clothes my daughter loves were available locally—but most of them are not marked as local, so they will still come from overseas and I still have to pay tax,” said Siza Hwalima, a regular Temu shopper. Hwalima sees Temu as a great option for fast fashion fans, especially when shopping for kids and teens who quickly outgrow their clothes. When asked about her local shopping habits, she said she mixes Temu with local brands and thinks Temu’s clothing tends to be more stylish. While there are a few clothing items, the local warehousing is currently focused on home goods. “The local warehouse enables Temu to offer new product categories, such as furniture, home goods, and other bulkier items, that were previously less accessible due to international shipping constraints,” said Temu. Temu officially entered South Africa in January 2024 through PDD Holdings, and quickly became one of the country’s most downloaded shopping apps. Weekly downloads of the platform’s app peaked between 72,000 and 551,000 in Q3 2024, while monthly active users climbed from 788,000 to nearly 1.8 million in just two months. Temu’s user numbers got a boost through its more flexible user verification compared to Shein. While Shein only lets people with a South African ID to make purchases, Temu accepts both IDs and passports, making it easier for foreign nationals living in South Africa to shop on the platform. The local warehouse strategy puts Temu in direct competition with Amazon, which launched a South African site in 2024, and local heavyweights like Takealot and Makro. South African customs had planned to impose a flat 45% import duty and 15% VAT on all clothing parcels—removing concessions for low-value shipments—but the rollout stalled. When this is finalised, fashion lovers will pay a higher fee on items that are lot local. It’s still unclear whether the current 20% duty plus 15% VAT for low-cost imports
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MTN South Africa to invest $17 million in Gauteng network upgrade
Telecoms giant MTN South Africa has announced a R300 million (nearly $17 million) investment to upgrade its network infrastructure across Gauteng, the country’s most populous province. The move is part of a broader R4.5 billion (approximately $250 million) national rollout scheduled for completion in 2025. In a statement on Monday, MTN noted that this Gauteng-focused allocation would drive upgrades to its existing buildings, acquiring new base stations and technical enhancements across more than 70 network sites. The outcome will be improved coverage and increased network capacity, aimed at ensuring that more people, businesses, and communities across the province have access to reliable, high-speed digital services, regardless of whether they reside in urban or rural areas. “The R300 million investment, part of the national rollout to enhance the company’s digital capabilities, will lead to improvements in battery, site security, and energy facilities, including the availability of generators across the province,” said Machawe Dlamini, General Manager for Gauteng Operations at MTN SA. This includes network hardening measures designed to withstand load shedding and other service interruptions. Crucially, the infrastructure push introduces 5G capabilities while optimising existing LTE performance. With completion expected by the end of 2025, the investment positions MTN to expand high-speed access across underserved areas in Gauteng, from high-density townships to outlying peri-urban zones often sidelined in traditional rollouts. MTN has committed another R480 million (over $27 million) to improving its network in KwaZulu-Natal. It’s part of a bigger push to upgrade mobile service across South Africa. These upgrades come as MTN South Africa was recently named the country’s best mobile network for the first quarter of 2025, according to the MyBroadband Insights Network Quality Q2 2025 report. “Our investment in the network infrastructure is a crucial facilitator in connecting the unconnected and fostering a more inclusive digital landscape across South Africa,” said Dlamini. Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com
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