A new index wants to prepare African startups for London IPOs
In January, a group of African investors and executives, including Tomi Davies, the founding president of the African Business Angel Network (ABAN), and Babs Ogundeyi, CEO of Nigerian neobank Kuda, smiled for pictures at the London Stock Exchange to launch the Africa Tech 50 Index (AT50), a quarterly, rules-based benchmark measuring how prepared African startups are for public listings. The AT50 assesses companies using a six-pillar framework covering valuation momentum, revenue strength, liquidity, corporate governance maturity, expansion strategy, and broader market signals. “The goal is to make Africa’s most scaled private companies visible through a framework global capital can see, trust, and price,” said Karima El Hakim, a partner at Plug and Play and a member of the AT50 Governance Council. An independent governance council oversees the index to ensure discipline and uniform application of its rules. “It’s exciting because it gives a lot of awareness to African companies,” said Ogundeyi, adding that African startups could potentially list on the London bourse. The search for exit pathways in African tech has now set eyes on the London Stock Exchange, after a decade in which billions of dollars from U.S. and European development finance institutions and venture capital firms poured into African tech, with few comparable exits. Since 2019, over 20 African startups, including MNT-Halan, Flutterwave, Wave, and M-KOPA, have raised mega rounds and are now approaching a decade in operation without listing publicly. A benchmark such as the AT50 could help bridge that gap, giving mature startups greater visibility with later-stage investors and creating clearer pathways to growth capital or eventual exits. “If a company comes in on the AT50, they are potentially on the pathway to being able to raise capital on the private market of the London Stock Exchange,” said Sir John Lazar, the president of the Royal Academy of Engineering. “What we want is an IPO in London of an African tech company.” For this week’s Ask an Investor, I spoke to Gbite Oduneye, who chairs the AT50, via email to understand why now is a good time for the index, what African startups have missed when exiting globally, how the index requires disclosures, the business model behind the index, and what this could change for African tech. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You’ve described AT50 as market infrastructure, not hype. What specific market failure are you correcting? Africa does not have a capital shortage. It has a capital translation gap. Private companies scaled. Public markets did not receive a structured, comparable pipeline. AT50 builds the missing institutional layer between private scale and public capital. African tech companies have raised billions privately. Why do you think it hasn’t translated into public-market pathways? Private markets priced momentum. Public markets’ price discipline. Growth was funded. Governance maturity was not institutionalised early enough. AT50 introduces that discipline before listing, not after. What changed in the last 24 months that made this index necessary now? The reset exposed the difference between narrative and durability. Capital became selective. Exchanges became proactive. Secondary liquidity became structural. Infrastructure had to catch up with maturity. What is the biggest illusion in African private tech valuations today? Valuation is negotiated. Readiness is audited. That gap explains much of the friction. After investing £1 billion in Africa in 2024, BII’s Africa head explains the sectors driving its biggest bets Governance maturity is one of your pillars. How do you measure it? The AT50 measures this through observable institutional signals. The first is board structure and independence, auditing readiness and reporting cadence, committee architecture, the startup’s regulatory posture, and its disclosure behaviour. Governance is not opinion. It is structure. Will AT50 require companies to disclose metrics that they previously kept private? We do not compel disclosure, but we reward verifiable transparency. Signal strength increases with disclosure discipline. What level of financial transparency should African late-stage companies realistically be prepared for today? Audit-grade reporting. Consistent metrics. Board-level oversight. Institutional cadence. Public markets are not allergic to growth. They are allergic to opacity. You referenced credible liquidity pathways. What does ‘credible’ mean in the AT50 context? Credible means structured and defensible. IPO readiness. Dual listing feasibility. Regulated secondary liquidity. Strategic exits with institutional governance. Not aspiration. Preparation. Are you envisioning IPOs in London or dual listings, or domestic exchanges? Venue is secondary. Standards are primary. Africa’s growth story must be priced locally but recognised globally. Stronger domestic listings aligned to international comparability create long-term depth. Is there enough depth in African public markets to absorb scaled tech listings today? Depth grows with supply quality. Markets do not deepen from sentiment. They deepen from repeatable issuer readiness. What would have to change structurally for Lagos, Nairobi, or Johannesburg to host meaningful tech IPOs? Issuer preparation must begin earlier. Listing rules must accommodate growth companies. Analyst coverage and liquidity support must improve. Governance enforcement must be consistent. Preparation cannot begin at filing. It must begin years earlier. International investors often price Africa with a structural risk premium. Can an index realistically reduce that? An index does not eliminate risk. It reduces uncertainty. Uncertainty is what inflates pricing friction. Repeated comparability reduces uncertainty over time. AT50 is governed under the IOSCO-aligned benchmark discipline. That matters because global allocators understand those standards. Image source: Africa Tech 50 Index (AT50). How do you compare fintech in Nigeria to SaaS in Egypt to mobility in Kenya within one index? We do not compare sectors. We compare readiness architecture. Revenue strength, governance maturity, liquidity visibility, strategic expansion, valuation momentum, and market signal. Sector nuance is contextualised, not flattened. What is the long-term business model behind Indexa Exchange Group? Indexa Exchange Group operates as a benchmark infrastructure platform. Our revenue streams include institutional subscriptions, index licensing, and exchange and capital markets partnerships. Commercial scaling follows institutional credibility. What revenue threshold makes a company realistically IPO-ready in this environment? There is no magic number. IPO readiness is the convergence of durable revenue, governance maturity, audit discipline, and market timing. Revenue without structure does not
Read MoreLoftyInc backs Moroccan fintech WafR’s $4 million seed round in North Africa push
LoftyInc Capital, a pan-African venture capital firm, has co-led a $4 million seed round in Moroccan fintech startup WafR, one of the first investments from its newly launched Alpha Fund, signaling a stronger bet on North Africa. The round was co-led alongside Attijariwafa Ventures and Almada Ventures, with participation from UM6P Ventures and First Circle Capital. The funding highlights Morocco’s rising profile in Africa’s venture landscape; the country’s startups raised $58 million in 2025, placing seventh on the continent for capital raised. It also signals a broader shift in fintech strategy. As capital begins flowing more deliberately across regional boundaries, investors like LoftyInc are backing infrastructure-focused startups that embed financial services into informal retail networks. Founded in 2021 to digitise Morocco’s neighbourhood corner stores, known locally as hanouts, WafR enables merchants to offer services such as airtime sales and bill payments through a digital platform. The company plans to expand into peer-to-peer transfers and domestic remittances, positioning small retailers as financial access points in a market where informal commerce remains central to daily life. “We are proud to co-lead this round and champion WafR’s bold mission,” said Mariam Kamel, partner at LoftyInc Capital. “This investment exemplifies our commitment to backing strong founders in high-potential markets who are solving foundational challenges.” With nearly 20,000 corner stores active on its platform, WafR is building one of Morocco’s largest merchant-based fintech networks. The backing of regional investors is expected to support further product expansion and geographic scale. “The entry of LoftyInc Capital, Attijariwafa Ventures, and Almada Ventures is a pivotal milestone,” said Ismail Bargach, WafR’s chief executive and co-founder. “Their support brings not just capital, but deep fintech experience and strong regional networks that will be instrumental as we scale our impact.” LoftyInc said its Alpha Fund focuses on late-seed and Series A startups that have demonstrated traction but face limited access to growth capital, which the firm describes as Africa’s “graduation gap.” The firm has previously backed fintech companies, including Flutterwave, Moove, and Wave. In North Africa, LoftyInc has also backed startups such as the Egyptian AI company WideBot, as well as Odiggo and Illa, reflecting its ongoing expansion in the region. Get The Best African Tech Newsletters In Your Inbox Select your country Nigeria Ghana Kenya South Africa Egypt Morocco Tunisia Algeria Libya Sudan Ethiopia Somalia Djibouti Eritrea Uganda Tanzania Rwanda Burundi Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Central African Republic Chad Cameroon Gabon Equatorial Guinea São Tomé and Príncipe Angola Zambia Zimbabwe Botswana Namibia Lesotho Eswatini Mozambique Madagascar Mauritius Seychelles Comoros Cape Verde Guinea-Bissau Senegal The Gambia Guinea Sierra Leone Liberia Côte d’Ivoire Burkina Faso Mali Niger Benin Togo Other Select your gender Male Female Others TC Daily TC Events Next wave Entering Tech Subscribe
Read MoreYoco’s Marcello Schermer says the next test for African fintech is smarter tools
Marcello Schermer, who leads international expansion at Yoco, a South African digital payments startup, wants African fintechs to create products that nudge customers toward smarter decisions in real time. For him, fintechs should be more of a financial partner. Conversations about African startups today almost always circle back to fintech, a “leapfrog effect” that has reshaped how the world views the continent’s innovation. That shift is happening at scale. Africa now hosts more than 5,000 startups, a sharp rise in just a few years. Even as global venture capital cooled in 2024, the continent proved resilient, and fintech attracted over 40% of funding, about $1.37 billion. Thanks to investors who continued to bet on a young, urbanising population and digital infrastructure. Traditional banks, once the main gatekeepers of money, are steadily giving way to mobile wallets, digital kiosks, and all-in-one super-apps that now power everyday commerce from street markets to small businesses built around fintech. Nowhere is that transformation more visible than in the fintech sector itself. In Lagos and other commercial hubs, smartphones are the engines of trade. Fintech remains the heavyweight, accounting for over 30% of startups on the continent. “A few years ago, instant cross-border trade wasn’t possible,” Schermer told TechCabal in an interview. “ We relied on cash. Now, half of all transactions run on digital rails.” After a decade of startups digitising payments and expanding financial access, he believes the next phase is to become a true financial partner, with tools that not only record transactions but also guide smarter decisions in real time. “These changes may shift how fintechs do their business and how customers think about money and opportunity,” Schermer said. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How would you describe the state of Africa’s fintech ecosystem right now? It’s a pretty exciting place to be. We’ve got one of the most mature financial services industries, particularly in the big four markets: Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. At the same time, we’re seeing a wave of new fintechs putting fresh spins on old models and finding real traction. Fintech is foundational infrastructure for the economy and for society. If people don’t have ways to earn, save, invest, and spend safely, a lot of other things break, because so much of life is tied to how you make and manage money. What’s beautiful is seeing fintechs across the continent build that foundational layer in their local contexts. In some markets, that means giving people access to crypto because it’s more stable than the local currency. In others, it’s aggregating multiple mobile money wallets so users can see everything in one place. Remittances are another big one: helping people send money home or across borders more efficiently. All of this gives people better tools to improve their lives, to fund education, live better, invest, and that’s high‑impact work. Both the mature players and the new players are innovating, and that creates a very interesting dynamic. In 2026, what do you think is a must‑have for fintech startups in Africa? A must‑have is building proactive tools instead of reactive ones. For a long time, most financial tools have been backward-looking. Your spend‑management app told you what you spent last month, your investment app showed you how your portfolio performed last month, and your banking app told you what your balance ended up. What’s really interesting today is that a lot of financial services applications can become more partners and start nudging founders and customers toward better financial decisions in real time. Imagine your banking app saying, ‘If you save a little more here, you can afford that December holiday,’ instead of just showing you that you overspent. Or your investment app pinging you when a stock you’re tracking dips and saying, This might be a good entry point, instead of only reporting performance after the move. A lot of these capabilities used to be available only to people who could build them themselves, but now the underlying technology is accessible enough that they can work for everyone. That’s what’s exciting: tools that proactively help you live better financially rather than just documenting what already happened. Looking back at 2025, what happened in fintech that you think will matter in 2026? Africa’s reserve or central bank’s payments ecosystem modernisation is a big move. It’s an effort to update the national payment systems, make them more inclusive for fintechs, more technologically advanced, and more inclusive for society. These are regulatory projects, so they move at a regulatory pace, but once they land, they are going to unlock a lot for Africa’s fintech ecosystem. How do you feel about the fintech regulatory environment in African markets? As a starting point, payments should be regulated. We’re dealing with people’s money, financial crime risks, and the stability of the wider economy, so there has to be a framework and a level playing field where everyone knows the rules. In South Africa, the regulators have taken measured steps: for example, there are now licences for crypto providers and for different payment activities, which gives clarity on what’s allowed. Could they move faster? Probably, but their primary job is to protect the financial system, and that’s more complicated than it looks from the outside. You sit in the payment space. What should we be watching there in 2026? Payments in Africa are in a very interesting state because the space is so competitive. We’ve got many different offerings, with traditional banks and new players all active, and that competition is translating into more choice and better value for customers; that’s what we have to keep watching. For consumers and merchants, that means more choice and better quality, better pricing, better experiences, and more tailored products. That’s what we want to see in a healthy market. What patterns do you see fintechs struggle with as they build? The biggest challenge is how to balance partnering and building. It’s easier than ever to partner and stitch together solutions from different
Read MoreJAMB clarifies biometric rule after UTME hijab dispute
Nigeria’s university admissions body has said its biometric rules—not religion—are behind a viral dispute over a candidate’s hijab during registration for the country’s most important entrance exam into tertiary institutions. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which administers the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for millions of candidates annually, said requests for candidates to adjust their hijabs or other head coverings during registration are strictly a technical requirement for biometric photo capture, not a religious restriction. This clarification follows a viral social media video, alleging that a candidate at a JAMB registration centre at the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Southern Nigeria, was asked to remove her hijab before her photograph could be taken to complete her registration. According to the claim, the candidate was also asked to confirm in writing that she declined to fully comply with the ear-visibility guideline. The episode highlights the tension with implementing biometric identity systems in a deeply cultural and religious clime like Nigeria, where inconsistent enforcement or weak communication can quickly spark controversy. In a statement on Saturday, JAMB said its registration process aligns with global biometric standards used for passports and visas, which require certain facial features—including the ears—to be visible to ensure accurate facial recognition. “This requirement is purely technical and is intended to ensure that proper facial recognition and identification do not require the candidate to remove her hijab,” the examination body said. JAMB said candidates are not required to remove their hijabs, and that the guideline exists solely to meet the technical demands of biometric registration. In 2024, the examination body said it had no policy prohibiting candidates from wearing religious attire, following a similar controversy involving a hijab-wearing candidate.
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Digital Nomads: China trained him. Kenya is where he’s building EV systems
In 2008, Damilola Ogunleye argued with his dad about his decision to study abroad instead of enrolling at a university in Nigeria. He was 16. China, he insisted, was where he needed to be. His older brother had just relocated there from Bells University, a private Nigerian institution, and the photographs he sent home—clean campuses, wide boulevards, gleaming train stations—unsettled Ogunleye’s assumptions. “I remember seeing my brother’s pictures from China during the [2008] Beijing Olympics,” Ogunleye told me. “Back then, all we knew was kung fu and crowded markets. Then, suddenly, you’re seeing this country on TV, hosting the Olympics, building massive infrastructure. My brother would send photos, and I’d think, ‘Is this really China?’ I told my dad that I wanted to see this world for myself.” He won the argument. His father ran the numbers: at the time, tuition in China was comparable to what he was already paying at a private university in Nigeria. The naira held far more value then, with an exchange rate of ₦16 to ¥1 in February 2008 compared to ₦194 to ¥1 in February 2026. Ogunleye packed his bags for China that same year. He studied aircraft manufacturing at Shenyang Aerospace University for four years. He later earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and automation from Northeastern University, a public university in Shenyang, Liaoning, China, completing it in 2014. On paper, the plan was clear: follow the aeronautical path, perhaps even become a pilot, like his brother. But after six years of study, Ogunleye did not pursue an aviation career. Instead, he veered toward the automotive industry and would eventually become an advocate for electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Africa. The journey to China and finding love in the auto market When Ogunleye arrived in China in 2008, the Asian nation was not yet the technological powerhouse it is today. “China then was ambitious, but not as polished as now,” he recalled. “You could see the hunger. You could see the drive. It wasn’t yet this seamless digital society people talk about today, but the foundations were there.” Ogunleye in China as a student. Image Source: Damilola Ogunleye Ogunleye in China as a student. Image Source: Damilola Ogunleye After six years of engineering training, Ogunleye had developed what he described as a systems-oriented mindset. But it was the internships that changed the course of his life. In 2014, he secured an internship with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), the global car manufacturing company, in its technical support division. It was his first deep immersion into the automotive ecosystem. “That was where the movement started,” he said. “Today I could be at BMW for a project. Next week I’d be in another city, maybe at Mercedes-Benz in Beijing, or Volkswagen in Changchun, or Shanghai. I was constantly in factories, constantly on trains and planes. I think, naturally, I’m actually just that kind of person who loves to be on the move. I do not really enjoy routines.” Ogunleye’s early days working at BMW and Suzhou Dech Automation. Image Source: Damilola Ogunleye The exposure broadened his appetite. He later worked at Suzhou Dech Automation, a technology consulting firm in China, picking up computer-aided design (CAD) skills for mechanical manufacturing. His first full-time role out of school placed him at the intersection of robotics, automation, and automotive production lines. In those years, Ogunleye travelled across industrial China, supporting projects for car manufacturers and understanding how partnerships are built in the auto engineering industry. Ogunleye in China. He says he has been to over 40 cities in the Asian country. Image Source: Damilola Ogunleye “I started discovering I was good at more than engineering,” he said. “I enjoyed talking to clients. I enjoyed negotiating. I enjoyed building relationships. That partnership side of me started to grow.” The seeds of his current career—engineering, cross-border movement, partnerships—were already planted. Coming home: OPay, Viajio, and the Malta leap In 2018, ten years after leaving Nigeria, Ogunleye returned home. “Coming back at 26 was surreal,” he said. “I left as a teenager. I came back as an engineer with global experience. But I knew I had to build something here. I needed to build contacts. I needed to build relevance. Tech was picking up; I saw the trend and started taking extra courses online on Udemy and Coursera. I was taking different courses that were geared towards tech.” Image Source: Damilola Ogunleye Before his return to Nigeria, Ogunleye was trying to become familiar with the tech space despite his engineering background. Image Source: Damilola Ogunleye By 2019, he joined OPay as a Senior Product Manager at a critical moment. The startup was pivoting aggressively into fintech, using ride-hailing as a user acquisition strategy. “We were building while running,” Ogunleye said. “The idea was simple: people didn’t trust digital banking yet. So you give them something they use daily—transport. They download the app to call a bike. Over time, they trust the wallet.” He helped expand operations into multiple cities, including Abeokuta, Enugu, Jos, and Kano, often arriving before launch to conduct preliminary research. “We’d enter a city, set up the office, recruit, onboard riders, hit our target, then move to the next one. It was intense. It taught me scale.” In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic rewired the global tech ecosystem, Ogunleye left to launch his own startup, Viajio, a geo-travel documentation and experience platform. “We wanted to aggregate travel curators in Nigeria,” he explained. “You know those ‘three days in Ibadan’ or ‘two days in Ondo Hills’ packages? We wanted to give them a digital storefront. Users could curate their own travel experiences and book directly. We’d take a small commission.” Viajio evolved to include curated events and corporate experiences. He ran it for nearly three years before capital constraints forced a shutdown. Around this time, a friend introduced him to Malta’s digital nomad visa. In 2022, Ogunleye applied, and within months, he relocated. Europe wasn’t new to him—he had travelled across the continent since 2018—but Malta offered
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Tecno Camon 50 Pro vs Camon 50: Which offers better value?
Table of contents Tecno Camon 50 Pro Tecno Camon 50 Tecno Camon 50 Pro vs Camon 50 On February 18, 2026, Tecno Mobile, the premium sub-brand of Transsion Holdings, quietly announced the Tecno Camon 50 and Tecno Camon 50 Pro. This silent launch comes before the official global showcase at the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona from March 2 to March 5, 2026. The phones were first put on pre-order in Kenya and Nigeria, underscoring Tecno’s mobile-first focus in the African market. The Camon 50 series follows the Camon 40 lineup from the previous year. The name still means “Camera Monitor,” but this time Tecno added a new “Swan-inspired Elegance” design and a T1 imaging enhancement chip. The brand is pushing hard to close the gap between mid-range pricing and flagship features, such as a periscope telephoto lens and military-grade durability certification. The early February release helps Tecno capitalise on first-quarter market momentum before other brands launch their spring devices. By starting in African markets, Tecno is speaking directly to you and your needs, especially if you deal with an inconsistent power supply or enjoy mobile gaming. Both models offer a 144Hz AMOLED display and a large 6500mAh battery built for heavy daily use. Tecno Camon 50 Pro The Tecno Camon 50 Pro is the premium 4G model in this series. It is built for you if you enjoy strong zoom, smooth performance, and a sleek design. It features a 43.5° slightly curved screen that reduces bezels and feels comfortable in your hand. Display 6.78-inch ProXDR Eye-care AMOLED panel 1.5K resolution is defined as pixels 144Hz refresh rate 2800Hz touch sampling rate Tecno T1 Chip handles real-time upscaling MediaTek Helio G200 Ultimate generates a native GPU resolution of The T1 Chip helps you enjoy 1.5K clarity without the heavy battery drain that usually comes with running a 1.5K display directly from the GPU. Processor and memory MediaTek Helio G200 Ultimate, 6nm octa-core chipset Two Cortex-A76 cores at 2.2 GHz Six Cortex-A55 cores at 2.0 GHz Mali-G57 MC2 GPU clocked at 1.1 GHz 8GB or 12GB LPDDR4X RAM Extended RAM up to 16GB or 20GB 256GB UFS 2.2 storage This setup delivers smooth multitasking and ample storage for high-resolution photos and videos. Camera system 50MP 3x Professional Telephoto Camera 70mm focal length f/2.4 aperture Up to 60x AI SuperZoom 50MP Sony LYTIA 700C main sensor 1/1.56-inch sensor size Optical Image Stabilisation with a closed-loop motor 8MP ultra-wide camera 112° field of view f/2.2 aperture 32MP front camera Universal Tone software Pill-shaped cutout with Upgraded Dynamic Port You get strong zoom for portraits called Golden Portraits, steady night shots, wide landscape photos, and selfies with accurate skin tones. Durability and battery IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings IP69K supports 100-bar high-pressure water jets and 80°C boiling water IP68 allows 30 minutes under 2 meters of water MIL-STD-810 certified Passed 22,000 micro-drop tests Passed 25kg soft extrusion tests 6500mAh 5-Year Durability Battery Retains over 80% capacity after 1,800 charge cycles 45W wired Super Charge Safe charging up to 45°C Frozen Cooling Pro system 12-layer stacked cooling structure 1453 of ultra-crystal graphite 12314 total cooling area This means your phone is protected from dust, water, pressure, and everyday drops while still delivering long battery life. Market price and availability As of February 2026: Kenya: KES 38,999 to KES 44,000 Around $340 to $341 Nigeria: ₦420,000 to ₦495,000 Available colours: Moonshadow Black, Nebula Titanium, Malachite Green, Fir Green, Lavender Mist, and Ethereal Blue. Tecno Camon 50 The Tecno Camon 50 is the value-focused model in this series. It keeps most of the same core hardware as the Pro version, but offers a flat-screen design and a lower price. Design and display Lightweight straight screen with a flat frame 6.78-inch AMOLED ProXDR Eye-care panel 1.5K resolution upscaled by the T1 chip 144Hz refresh rate 2800Hz touch sampling rate Centred hole-punch cutout for the 32MP selfie camera The flat frame helps you avoid accidental edge touches, especially during gaming. It also makes it easier for you to use standard tempered glass protectors. Performance and storage MediaTek Helio G200 Ultimate processor Antutu score of 504,612 8GB RAM 128GB or 256GB internal storage No microSD expansion slot You get the same processor as the Pro model, so daily performance stays consistent. Camera system Dual rear camera setup 50MP Sony LYTIA 700C main sensor Optical Image Stabilisation 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera Super-Zoom FlashSnap software You still get strong night photos and stable shots. The 3x periscope telephoto lens is not included, but digital zoom works well at lower levels. AI and smart features One-Tap AI Key on the left side AI LightMaster 2.0 AI MindHub Ella AI assistant YouTube Video AI Notes All-Scenario Noise Reduction 2.0 These tools help you edit photos, manage tasks, summarise videos, and improve call clarity. Battery and durability 6500mAh 5-year durability battery 45W Super Charge IP68/IP69/IP69K ratings MIL-STD-810 certification 1789.76 graphite cooling area 13828.11 total cooling area TÜV SÜD A+ Fluency rating for 60 months You get the same water- and dust-resistance as the Pro model, along with strong cooling for long gaming sessions. Connectivity and extras Kilometre-Level Freelink antenna iPhone One-tap Drop Offline Find My Phone 50GB free Tecno Cloud storage for three years These features help you stay connected, transfer files, and store your data. Market price and availability Kenya: KES 34,999 to KES 37,500 Around $271 to $290 Nigeria: ₦285,000 to ₦360,000 Available colours: Moonlight Black, Nebula Titanium, Malachite Green, Fir Green, Lavender Mist, and Cream Mint. Tecno Camon 50 Pro vs Camon 50 Both phones run on the Helio G200 Ultimate processor and use the same 6500mAh battery. Your experience depends on the design and camera flexibility. Final thoughts The Tecno Camon 50 series brings strong durability, smart AI features, and solid performance into the mid-range segment. Buy the Tecno Camon 50 Pro if: You need optical zoom for portraits, sports, or nature shots. The 3x periscope lens is its key feature. You prefer a premium look. The curved display and
Read MoreWe paid for UTME forms despite JAMB saying it’s free for the blind — Candidates
As registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Nigeria’s entrance exam into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, continues across Nigeria, the process has not been exactly smooth, especially for visually-impaired candidates, for whom the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says registration is free. Interviews with affected candidates suggest that implementation at some centres tells a different story. Apart from paying for the ‘free’ form, these candidates complain that there were several technical difficulties during their registration. Mapping the UTME Reality for Blind Candidates JAMB policy dictates free registration, but geography dictates the reality. Click a red marker on the schematic map below to view ground reports across Nigeria. Lagos (Abule Egba) Lagos (Oshodi) Edo State Enugu (Emene) Select a location on the map to view the candidate’s registration experience. Staff Attitude: ${getMapBadgeDark(data.attitude, data.attitudeColor)} Study Materials: ${getMapBadgeDark(data.materials, ‘#EA2D2E’)}
Read MoreNigeria’s busiest airports to get MTN-backed free Wi-Fi
Travellers passing through Nigeria’s major international airports will now enjoy one hour of free high-speed internet, following a new partnership between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and MTN Nigeria, the country’s biggest telco. The service, which began quietly in December, is already live at Terminal 2 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal 2 in Lagos and at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, a FAAN spokesperson told TechCabal. Travellers can connect without entering a password. “It has been on since December; what we did today was a formal launch of the initiative,” the spokesperson said. FAAN said the service will soon expand to Port Harcourt International Airport, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, and the new temporary terminal at MMIA. Providing free high-speed internet at Nigeria’s busiest airports is a long-overdue change in how the country treats digital infrastructure in public spaces. Earlier efforts to offer reliable airport Wi-Fi were inconsistent, poorly funded, or derailed by maintenance challenges. A notable example was the partnership between Globacom and FAAN to deploy Wi-Fi across 22 airports, which collapsed in 2015. Travellers were often left with costly roaming options or unreliable connections. “In today’s connected world, access to reliable internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” said FAAN Managing Director/Chief Executive, Olubunmi Kuku. “We are pleased to offer this value-added service to our passengers, making their travel experience easier and more productive.” The move is part of a broader push to bring Nigeria’s airports in line with global expectations, where fast, reliable Wi-Fi has become a standard passenger amenity. The IATA 2025 Global Passenger Survey shows how essential connectivity has become: 78% of travellers now expect to use their smartphones for every step of the airport journey, from booking and digital identification to baggage tracking. “Airports are gateways to nations, and by providing free, high-speed Wi-Fi at our major international airports, we are enhancing convenience for travellers,” MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola said.
Read MoreFrom Egypt to Gabon: 33 African countries that have imposed social media bans
Table of contents Algeria Benin Burundi Cameroon Chad Comoros Congo, Republic of (Brazzaville) Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia & Somaliland South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Africa has 54 countries, or 55 if you count the member states of the African Union. At some point, about 34 of them have imposed a social media ban or a full internet shutdown that disrupted social media access. As internet access expanded across the continent, social media became central to business, public debate, and political action. It also became a powerful tool for organising protests, exposing misconduct, and challenging those in power. In response, many governments turned to social media bans and internet shutdowns to control information and limit mobilisation. The modern wave of shutdowns gained global attention during the 2011 Arab Spring, when Egypt cut internet access to disrupt protests. Since then, at least 30 African countries have enforced some type of restriction. According to a 2024 report by Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition, 21 shutdowns were recorded across 15 countries in 2024 alone. Governments often introduce these bans during elections, protests, or conflict. They usually cite misinformation or national security. Human rights groups argue that the goal is often to control information and limit scrutiny. The impact is heavy. Economies lose billions of dollars in trade and investment. People lose access to services and communication, and trust in institutions declines. Regional courts such as the ECOWAS Court of Justice have ruled that shutdowns violate freedom of expression. As of February 2026, several countries still maintain active or repeated bans. Here are the 33 African countries that have banned social media at some point. 33 African countries that have banned social media 1. Algeria Algeria has repeatedly restricted social media, mainly during national secondary school exams and at key political moments. When the ban was put in place: Since at least 2016, the government has cut access to Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp for several hours each day during the baccalaureate exams. In June 2019, access was cut at 2:15 p.m. WAT to stop leaked exam papers from spreading. In September 2020, during protests against the administration, network data showed major internet disruptions that pushed much of the country offline for several hours after social media apps were restricted. Why it was put in place: For exams, the goal was to protect academic integrity and stop leaks. For protests, the government said it was preventing “misleading information” and protecting the “sanctity of national institutions”. Outcome of the ban: Exam shutdowns were temporary and lifted once testing ended. Political restrictions weakened the coordination of the “Hirak” protest movement. Repeated disruptions have slowed digital commerce growth, prompting many users to turn to VPNs. Other details: According to the 2024 report by Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition, at least 10 exam-related shutdowns occurred across the Middle East and North Africa in one year. 2. Benin Benin enforced a major social media and internet blackout during its 2019 parliamentary elections. When the ban was put in place: On April 28, 2019, access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber was blocked around midnight. At 12:00 p.m. (noon) WAT, a full internet cutoff followed and lasted about 15 hours. Why it was put in place: The election was highly tense, with opposition parties barred from contesting. Authorities said the shutdown was needed for the “preservation of peace and social tranquillity.”. Outcome of the ban: Journalists, human rights defenders, and election observers could not report on polling issues or the use of force against protesters. The democratic process was heavily affected. When it was lifted: Internet access returned on the morning of April 29, 2019, after polls closed. Partial disruptions happened again on May 1, 2019, during violent clashes over the results. Other details: This event marked a shift in Benin’s democratic reputation, placing it among African countries that use digital restrictions during elections. 3. Burundi Burundi restricted social media during its general elections and later protests. When the ban was put in place: On May 20, 2020, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and YouTube were blocked throughout the morning of the election. In 2024, the country faced more internet disruptions during protests. Why it was put in place: The government said it wanted to maintain public order and stop the spread of “misinformation” during the first transfer of power in 15 years after President Pierre Nkurunziza’s long rule. Outcome of the ban: Opposition groups and civil society could not monitor the election process in real time. When it was lifted: Access was restored shortly after the election results were announced. Other details: Even after the ban ended, the media space remained highly restrictive. 4. Cameroon Cameroon carried out one of the longest shutdowns in Africa. When the ban was put in place: In January 2017, the government shut down the internet in the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions for 93 days after protests by lawyers and teachers. Why it was put in place: Authorities sought to disrupt coordination among the Anglophone Consortium and the “Ghost Town” strikes, which called for secession or federalism. Outcome of the ban: Businesses in “Silicon Mountain” in Buea suffered, distance learners lost access, and the 20% Anglophone minority felt more isolated. According to a digital advocacy group, Advocacy Assembly, the shutdown cost about $2.5 million. When it was lifted: Internet access returned on April 20, 2017, after global pressure and the #BringBackOurInternet campaign. Other details: Later in 2017, WhatsApp and Facebook were throttled again for over 150 days during new protests. As of September 2025, separatists still use social media, while the government describes it as a “new form of terrorism” and keeps strong digital controls. 5. Chad Chad has enforced some of the longest social media bans on the continent. When the ban was put in place: In March 2018, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube were blocked
Read MoreJennifer Adebisi on why the “SaaS or nothing” mindset is failing Africa’s food-tech sector
There is a question Jennifer Adebisi has answered more times than she can count. It comes from investors, mostly, and it goes something like this: Are you building a tech company or a food company? The answer, she will tell you, is both. But that answer, she has learned, is the problem. “Food tech is too operational for Software as a Service (SaaS) investors,” she says. “But it is too tech-driven for traditional hospitality capital.” Adebisi sits in the gap between them, building something that does not fit neatly into either world. This is not a small problem. It shapes everything: how she raises money, how she is valued, how fast she can grow. And it is a problem, she argues, that reveals something broken about how Nigeria’s tech ecosystem thinks about consumer businesses. From Uli to the professional kitchen Adebisi came to technology through food, not the other way around. She grew up partly with her grandmother in Uli, Anambra State, in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria, who farmed her own food and cooked everything from scratch. That early life shaped a deep belief in food as something beyond fuel for the body. “Food is nourishment, food is medicine, food is comfort,” she says. “Nothing is more personal.” In 2017, Adebisi graduated from Red Dish Chronicles Culinary School, a culinary school in Lagos and Abuja, and then moved to a Head Chef position at Sabor Lagos, a casual restaurant in the heart of Lagos, the following year. During her time as a head chef, competitors attempted to poach her, she says: “They’d come to me and ask if I knew someone who was as good as me, and I got an idea, to create a service to link people looking for chefs and the chefs themselves. Uche and I called it Prime Chef.” Prime Chef didn’t get off the ground at that stage due to problems surrounding the technical side of launching, but that was Adebisi’s first foray into technology. In 2021, Adebisi became Chief Culinary Officer and co-founder at FoodCourt, a YC-backed food tech startup, handling operations and quality control on the food end of the business. The operations side of that business exposed her, for the first time, to what technology could actually do. Not as a glamorous thing, but as a practical one. “Yes, you can build a nice app,” she says. “But the app is just the front. The real work exists in the operations. That is where your money lives.” Adebisi and her business partner, Uche Banye, left FoodCourt in July 2023. When they cofounded Happy Belly in September 2023, they brought that conviction with them. They were, by their own description, non-technical founders. They had no engineering background. But they knew exactly what they needed the technology to do because they had spent years inside the operations that the technology was supposed to serve. Happy Belly is a customer-facing app; a proprietary kitchen management system called Kina; a logistics app for riders; a vendor management network; a dark kitchen; and, soon, a WhatsApp ordering channel. Adebisi says she built each piece out of necessity because the technology tools available in the market did not solve the actual problems she was facing. “There is hardly any part of our operation that we do not have in hand,” she says. The funding gap nobody names When Adebisi pitches Happy Belly to investors, she runs into a version of the same wall from different directions. SaaS investors look at her unit economics and see capital expenditure: dark kitchens, equipment, riders, and packaging. They compare her to global food delivery platforms and ask why her growth does not look like DoorDash. “Local infrastructure costs are not being priced into their expectations,” she says. Traditional hospitality investors, on the other hand, do not quite follow the technology story. They understand restaurants. They do not understand why a food business needs to build its own kitchen operating system, or what the long-term value of proprietary logistics software looks like. “We are an unofficial infrastructure company,” Adebisi says. “It is real estate intensive, people intensive, capital intensive. Investors who typically fund SaaS are not looking for capex. And traditional investors do not get the tech story.” Happy Belly falls between both categories, and Adebisi has to construct a hybrid explanation of her valuation every time she enters a room. She is not the only one in this position. The problem, she argues, points to something the ecosystem has not fully worked out: how to evaluate and fund businesses that are genuinely hybrid, businesses that are neither pure software nor pure brick-and-mortar, but the increasingly common thing in between. Consumer tech in emerging markets looks different from consumer tech in San Francisco. The metrics, the timelines, the infrastructure costs, the risk profile, all of it is different. But Adebisi thinks that the frameworks investors use have not caught up. “You are just the chef.” There is a version of this misunderstanding that is more personal. Adebisi has sat in rooms and been told, in one form or another, that operations is not the real work of a tech company. That the engineers and product managers are the ones building something. That the people running the kitchen, managing the vendors, and designing the systems that keep food moving across a city are, at best, support functions. “Someone said to me, ‘You are just the chef,’” she recalls. “And it was my operational insight that was helping us optimise every section of the business, down to what technology should be built and what features we needed to improve operations.” Her argument is direct: in consumer tech, especially food, the money is in the operations. It is in inventory management, waste reduction, vendor relationships, and margin control. It is important to know that the type of rice you use for a menu item affects your volume and profitability. It is in having a system that tells you in real time how many orders
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