Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.1 Pro: What’s the difference?
In May, Google launched Gemini 3.5 Flash, the first model in its new 3.5 family of AI models. The model was built to be faster and more capable in handling tasks that require an AI to take actions. The company said it performs well at coding, using tools, reasoning across different types of information, and completing multi-step tasks. Google’s AI lineup can feel confusing from the outside. There are different version numbers, Flash models, and Pro models, but there is a logic to it. Because not every user needs the same thing from an AI model, Google builds different versions for different purposes. The Flash models are built for speed and efficiency, while the Pro models are built for deeper reasoning and more demanding analytical work. If you use Gemini frequently, your next question will probably be: if Gemini 3.1 Pro already exists, what is Gemini 3.5 Flash supposed to do differently? This guide breaks down the differences and will help you figure out which model makes sense for how you use AI. What is Gemini 3.5 Flash? Gemini 3.5 Flash, like all Flash models, was designed for speed and efficiency, and has a more recent knowledge cutoff of January 2025. This means it is better informed about recent events when it’s answering from its training data. What is Gemini 3.1 Pro? Gemini 3.1 Pro is Google’s previous flagship, released in February 2026. It was built with deep reasoning at its core and is the kind of model used when a task requires multi-layered thinking rather than fast responses. Its clearest strength over 3.5 Flash is its ability to process large volumes of information and documents while maintaining context across lengthy conversations. So, what’s the difference? According to benchmarks published by Google alongside the release of Gemini 3.5 Flash, the newer model outperforms Gemini 3.1 Pro in several practical tasks. However, the benchmarks show that Gemini 3.1 Pro still holds advantages in some areas. Coding and software development: For developers and people who use AI to write code, Google’s benchmarks show that 3.5 Flash has stronger performance across multiple coding evaluations, including software engineering tasks, code generation, and debugging challenges. In tests that put AI models through real coding tasks in a terminal environment, Flash scored 76.2% compared to Pro’s 70.3%. Agentic tasks and tool use: Agentic tasks are tasks where the AI needs to do more than answer a question, like conduct a search or complete several actions before arriving at a final answer. Google’s testing shows Gemini 3.5 Flash performs noticeably better in these situations, suggesting it is better suited for AI assistants and automated workflows. On tests measuring multi-step, tool-assisted performance, Flash scored 83.6% compared to Pro’s 78.2%. Research, analysis, and professional tasks: Google also found improvements in specialised tasks involving financial analysis and decision-making. While some users may not notice the difference in everyday conversations, professionals using AI for research or financial modelling may benefit from Flash’s stronger performance in these areas. Flash scored 57.9%, while Pro scored 43% in the benchmark test. Long-document performance: This is one of Gemini 3.1 Pro’s strongest remaining advantages. When the task involves finding specific information buried deep inside a very long document, Pro remains more accurate. In testing on documents around 128,000 words long, Pro scored 84.9% while Flash scored 77.3%. If your work regularly involves analysing lengthy reports or research papers, Gemini 3.1 Pro may be the better option. Reasoning: On tasks that test pure reasoning ability, such as complex logic problems and abstract pattern recognition, Gemini 3.1 Pro still holds an edge. In a test designed to challenge the limits of AI reasoning across academic subjects, Pro scored 44.4% to Flash’s 40.2%, while Pro scored 77.1% to Flash’s 72.1% in a test of abstract reasoning puzzles. Which model should you use? The biggest difference between Gemini 3.5 Flash and Gemini 3.1 Pro is what they are optimised for. For everyday users, Gemini 3.5 Flash will likely be the more practical choice, as it is faster and performs well across a wide range of tasks. If your work depends on long-context understanding or solving difficult reasoning problems, Gemini 3.1 Pro remains one of Google’s strongest models. Neither model replaces the other; it just depends on what you need it to do.
Read MoreSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: Release date, price, and specs
Table of contents When and where is Samsung announcing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide? Why this launch matters more than usual Is it called the Wide or just the Galaxy Z Fold 8? Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide specs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: Specs at a glance Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: What is the difference? How much will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide cost? Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide? Samsung is about to change how its foldable phones are named, how many book-style foldables it sells at once, and possibly how the rest of the industry thinks about wide foldables. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide comes as Apple is preparing its first foldable iPhone. Samsung is not waiting around. Here is everything you need to know about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide ahead of its expected launch. When and where is Samsung announcing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide? Samsung is widely expected to announce the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, 2026, in London. The date was first reported by Korea Economic TV and has since been confirmed by SamMobile, Android Authority, Tom’s Guide, and Android Police, among others. As of mid-June 2026, Samsung had not issued an official media advisory, so treat this as a very strong rumor rather than a done deal. The choice of London is significant. Samsung has historically held its summer Unpacked events in Seoul, New York, or San Francisco. London puts Samsung front and center in Europe, one of Apple’s strongest premium markets, just months before Apple is expected to announce its own foldable iPhone. If Samsung follows its usual pattern, pre-orders will open the same day as the announcement, with devices shipping to customers roughly two weeks later, putting availability in early August 2026. Alongside the Wide, Samsung is expected to announce: Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (the traditional tall foldable, successor to the Fold 7) Galaxy Z Flip 8 Galaxy Watch 9 series Galaxy Glasses, Samsung’s first AI smart glasses running Android XR Why this launch matters more than usual Three things make the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide more than just another Samsung hardware refresh. First, Apple’s foldable iPhone is coming. Widely referred to as the “iPhone Fold” or “iPhone Ultra,” Apple’s first foldable is expected in September 2026 at a starting price above $2,000. Samsung’s July launch gives the Wide a roughly two-month window in the market before Apple ships a single unit. Apple’s device is also rumored to use a wide, near-4:3 design, which means the two phones will be aimed at the same type of buyer. Second, Samsung is launching two book-style foldables simultaneously for the first time. Previous Unpacked events gave you the Fold or the Flip. This year, you get the Wide, the Ultra, and the Flip 8 all at once. Samsung is splitting its Fold line into two distinct devices: a wide, lighter model for media and multitasking, and a taller, camera-rich model for power users who need zoom and the biggest screen. Third, Samsung is betting heavily on this device. Korean supply chain reports citing ETNews say Samsung initially planned around 1 million units and then increased that by 200,000 to 300,000, putting the Wide’s production at parity with the standard Fold while trimming Flip 8 output. Samsung does not quietly add to production runs for devices it is unsure about. Is it called the Wide or just the Galaxy Z Fold 8? This is where things get confusing, and you deserve a straight answer before you go any further. For most of the pre-launch leak cycle, industry insiders referred to the two 2026 foldables as the “Galaxy Z Fold 8″ (the tall successor to the Fold 7) and the “Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide” (the new wide model). Late in development, Samsung appears to have flipped the naming. A Bluetooth SIG certification filing confirmed the name “Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra” for model SM-F976, which is the tall Fold 7 successor. That means the wide model, SM-F971U, is expected to launch simply as the “Galaxy Z Fold 8.” So the device this article is about will very likely be sold at retail without the word “Wide” in its name at all. This article uses “Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide” throughout to avoid confusion with the Ultra, but when you walk into a store, the wide model will probably just say “Galaxy Z Fold 8″ on the box. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide specs 1. Display The inner display is a 7.6-inch LTPO OLED panel with a 4:3 aspect ratio. This is the first Samsung foldable to use a 4:3 inner display, making it shorter and wider than any Fold that came before it. Think iPad mini proportions rather than a tall, narrow smartphone screen. Both panels support 1-120Hz adaptive refresh, HDR10+, and a peak brightness of up to 2,600 nits. The cover screen is 5.4 inches with a 4.7:3 aspect ratio. That wider cover screen is a meaningful improvement over older Fold cover displays, which were so narrow they were barely useful for anything beyond checking notifications. 2. Processor and performance The Wide runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, the same overclocked chip found in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This is confirmed across virtually every leak and supported by FCC filings. No Exynos variant has been reported for the 2026 Fold line. RAM options are 12GB or 16GB (LPDDR5X), with storage at 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB (UFS 4.0). There is no microSD slot. Some reports suggest the Wide may top out at 512GB while the 1 TB option is reserved for the Ultra, but this is unsettled. 3. Battery and charging The Wide is expected to carry a roughly 4,800mAh battery, which would make it the largest battery ever put in a Samsung Fold-style device. For comparison, the Ultra
Read MoreWhy global investors keep missing Africa’s biggest climate opportunity
This article is based on a conversation from Voices & Visions, a podcast produced through a partnership between Tutto Passa Agency and TechCabal, which explores the people and ideas shaping Africa’s innovation economy. The world’s biggest climate challenge at the moment may not be raising more money, but deploying the existing capital differently. In Africa, investors have committed $44 billion annually, up nearly 50% from a few years ago, yet founders building technologies to help farmers survive droughts, businesses reduce emissions, and communities adapt to changing weather patterns still struggle to access capital. According to Victor Ndiege, the CEO of Kenya Climate Ventures (KCV), an impact investment manager focused on early-stage climate enterprises, their problem is not a shortage of investors but funds unwilling to finance risk on local terms. The disconnect is exposing one of the weaknesses in Africa’s green transition. As climate adaptation becomes the top policy agenda, local fund managers argue that the financial instruments meant to support it are designed for mature markets and not small local enterprises. “There are many investors who have not been able to deploy capital, not because there are no businesses requiring capital, but because of the terms and structures around deploying that capital,” Ndiege said. “The financial architecture is the most important aspect of investing, not the name of the instrument.” Long game While billions of dollars have been committed globally to climate action, only a tiny share reaches businesses helping communities adapt to changing weather patterns. Climate adaptation—the technologies and services that help economies cope with changing rainfall patterns, water shortages, and rising temperatures—remains one of the least financed segments of climate investing. Many climate businesses require long-term investments before generating stable cash flows. For example, farmers adopting new irrigation technologies or households switching to solar power might not produce venture-scale returns overnight. Their growth relies on patient deployment and steady operational growth. Ndiege argues that this mismatch comes from the assumptions investors bring to Africa. His criticism extends beyond venture capital to the development finance ecosystem. KCV is currently raising a $25 million climate fund after building a revolving investment facility over the past decade. However, several development finance institutions have indicated that the proposed fund is too small for their participation. “$25 million is what we need to grow sustainably,” Ndiege said. “But many investors would rather wait until we are managing $100 million before coming in. By then, we may no longer need them.” This observation exposes a paradox that is alive in most startup ecosystems around the world. Institutions that are meant to finance early-stage startups only back mature fund managers and do not help smaller ones scale. Most ecosystems are built in such a way that capital follows validated successes. Meanwhile, local entrepreneurs continue struggling to secure financing. Local currencies The firm invests for as long as seven years, allowing companies to mature before repayment obligations intensify. Funding is disbursed in stages, matching the pace at which businesses grow. One area where KCV claims it has broken with most of its peers is currency. It deploys local currency financing and not dollars or pounds. “If we chose to invest in dollars or pounds, businesses would spend more money hedging against currency fluctuations,” Ndiege said. “We want entrepreneurs to spend their time growing their businesses rather than responding to risks that we can help them overcome.” For African businesses generating revenues in local currencies, exchange-rate volatility can turn otherwise viable investments into distressed assets. The issue has become important as many African currencies have depreciated against the dollar over the past three years, increasing repayment burdens for companies financed in foreign currency. KCV also rejects the argument that early-stage companies should avoid debt entirely. According to Ndiege, most investors assume that only equity financing is appropriate for young businesses. In 2025, African startups raised a record $1.64 billion to $1.8 billion in debt financing. “The question is not whether debt works,” he said. “The question is how you structure that debt facility to respond to the growth of that startup.” Repayment schedules, interest costs, and deployment timing, he argues, should reflect business life cycles and not banking rules. “If our portfolio companies do not succeed, then we have not succeeded,” Ndiege said. “It should not be an investor-investee relationship. It should be a partnership for growth.” This support should be extended to other operational needs of a young company. Many African startups fail not because the demand is absent but because they lack audited financial statements, governance structures, or investment documentation required by institutional investors. “The challenge is translating what entrepreneurs know into a language investors understand,” Ndiege says. “It is not about their ability to do business. It is about compliance.” KCV’s investment combines capital with technical assistance, governance support and managerial development. The approach is resource-intensive but reflects the realities of African enterprise growth, where many businesses emerge from informal markets before formalising. If climate finance continues to reward only businesses that have already succeeded, Africa may discover that the biggest barrier to climate adaptation was never the availability of money, but the way capital itself was designed. Listen to the full podcast on Spotify.
Read MoreUkiyo’s new app connects South African students to their first jobs
Ukiyo, a South African educational technology company, has launched a mobile platform it says addresses a gap in how young people in the country access opportunities, from bursaries and accommodation to internships and mental health support. The Global Student Support Platform (GSSP) combines scholarships, job listings, mentorship, wellness services, tutoring, and career development tools in a single app. Ukiyo is positioning it as a marketplace for youth development services, free for students to use. The launch comes as South Africa‘s youth unemployment crisis deepens. In the first quarter of 2026, the unemployment rate of youth aged 15 to 24 in South Africa stood at 60.90%, while around 3.9 million young people in the same age bracket are classified as not being in employment, education, or training (NEET). For Nozuko Mzamo, founder of Ukiyo, the issue is a lack of systems that connect ambitious young people to opportunities. “South Africa does not have a shortage of ambitious young people. It has a shortage of integrated pathways into economic participation and systems that connect young people to what they need to succeed,” Mzamo said in a statement. “We built GSSP to support the full journey, from finding a place to study and securing education funding, to building a career and accessing mentorship.” On GSSP, students can explore study options, access mentorship opportunities, connect with accommodation providers, find wellness and mental health support, attend skills development workshops, and search for internships, graduate programmes, and entry-level jobs. Founded in 2017 after operating informally since 2014, Ukiyo was created to tackle youth unemployment by addressing some of its underlying causes, including limited access to information and skills development. Mzamo said the idea took shape after she observed that opportunities discussed in corporate boardrooms rarely reached the students who needed them. Ukiyo built GSSP to close that information gap, particularly for young people outside major urban centres. The company noted that GSSP has attracted more than 4,200 users who have generated over 1,300 click-throughs to bursary and scholarship opportunities and more than 2,100 click-throughs to job listings in its private beta. Users currently discover opportunities through filters and searches, but Mzamo noted that Ukiyo plans to introduce intelligent matching features in future releases. “Whether you’re figuring out what to study and where, looking for bursaries or scholarships to fund your studies, needing academic, psychosocial or career readiness support, hunting for student deals, or searching for your first job, GSSP walks with you through every one of those milestones and equips you with the skills and information you need at each stage,” Mzamo said. Ukiyo works with corporate partners, including higher education institutions, funders, employers and service providers to bring opportunities and support services onto the platform, according to Mzamo. Some of its current partners include Thrive Accommodation, North-West University, The LINK by Airlink, and Emeris. With its launch, GSSP competes with platforms such as LinkedIn, Pnet, and Jobox that help students and graduates discover internships, graduate programmes, and entry-level jobs. However, Mzamo argued that most existing services focus on only one part of the student journey. “That’s exactly the distinction: they address one or two pieces of the puzzle,” she said. “GSSP covers the full cycle, from studies to funding, to skills development, to finding that first job.” Mzamo noted that the platform had already started including global exchange programme opportunities, with plans to expand its scope beyond South Africa. “We’re expanding our research to cover Pan-African and broader international markets, but for now, the opportunities on GSSP are for South African youth, whether they choose to stay, study, or work here or abroad,” she said.
Read MoreGoogle Pixel 9a is getting Android 17: Here’s what’s new
Table of contents What is the June 2026 Pixel Drop? New features hitting the Pixel 9a specifically What Android 17 brings to all Pixel phones, including the 9a What the Pixel 9a is not getting yet How to get the Android 17 update on your Pixel 9a Android 17 started rolling out to the Pixel 9a on Tuesday, as part of Google’s June Pixel Drop. This is a major feature update. Your phone is getting new multitasking tools, a smarter screen recorder, better privacy controls, and one genuinely useful perk that only just landed on budget Pixels: sharing files with iPhones. The rollout is happening in phases, so the update may not appear on your device right away. Head to Settings > System > System update, then tap Check for updates to pull it manually. What is the June 2026 Pixel Drop? A Pixel Drop is Google’s way of pushing new features, improvements, and regional expansions to Pixel phones, watches, and tablets throughout the year. Your device gets more capable over time, not just at launch. This month’s Drop is bigger than usual. Google bundled it with the stable release of Android 17 and Wear OS 7 for Pixel Watch. Every officially supported Pixel, from the Pixel 6 through the Pixel 10a, is eligible. The OTA download is around 1.5GB, so connect to Wi-Fi before you start. New features hitting the Pixel 9a specifically Some of what’s in this update is landing on the Pixel 9a for the first time, either because it was previously exclusive to newer Pixel models or because it’s new across the board. 1. AirDrop via Quick Share Your Pixel 9a can now share files with iPhones, iPads, and Macs through Quick Share. Google originally launched this feature on the Pixel 10 series in November 2025, then extended it to the Pixel 9 series in February 2026, and now it’s here for the 9a and 8a globally. A couple of things to know before you use it: The iPhone or iPad user needs to have their AirDrop set to “Everyone for 10 Minutes.” AirDrop’s “Contacts Only” mode does not work across platforms. Your Pixel needs to be in Receive mode or set to discoverable for the transfer to go through. 2. Fake call detection Fake Call Detection is a Phone by Google feature that flags calls where someone is pretending to be a saved contact. When a contact calls you, their device sends a silent, encrypted signal to yours confirming the call is real. If a scammer is spoofing that number, the signal is missing. Your phone then pings your contact’s actual device to double-check, and if that device confirms it is not placing a call, you get an on-screen warning before you even say hello. For this to work, you need: Android 12 or later with Phone by Google, Google Contacts, and Google Messages installed RCS is enabled on your device The person calling you also needs to use Phone by Google. It will not detect spoofing if they use an iPhone or the Samsung dialer. It is on by default. 3. Bubbles Bubbles is Android 17’s main multitasking addition. You can turn any app into a floating window that sits on top of whatever else you’re doing. Long-press any app icon on your home screen, tap the new Bubble option, and the app shrinks into a movable chat-head-style icon. Drag it wherever you want, or swipe it down to close. Google caps it at five active app bubbles at a time. One thing to note: the dedicated Bubble Bar dock is a foldable-only feature. The Pixel 9a gets Bubbles in full, but the bar that organizes them at the bottom of the screen is only for devices like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. 4. Screen reactions Screen Reactions lets you record your screen and your face simultaneously. Your selfie camera feed overlays the screen recording, so you can react to what you’re showing without needing a separate app. To activate it: Swipe down twice to open Quick Settings Tap the screen record icon Toggle “Show selfie camera,” then tap start You can tap, drag, and resize your selfie feed while recording It only works when screen recording is set to capture the entire screen. What Android 17 brings to all Pixel phones, including the 9a Beyond the features above, Android 17 brings platform-wide upgrades to every supported Pixel phone. 1. Better privacy controls for apps Two new controls limit what apps can access: One-time location access: a new option lets you share your precise location for a single session only. When the app closes, the access expires. You also get a persistent location indicator in your status bar, similar to the camera and microphone indicators, so you always know when an app is using your location. Contacts Picker: instead of granting an app access to your full address book, you can now choose specific contacts to share and only the fields the app actually needs. It is a one-time snapshot, so the app does not get future updates to those contacts. 2. Stronger security if your phone is lost or stolen Find Hub’s Mark as Lost mode now requires biometric authentication in addition to your PIN. A thief who knows your passcode can no longer disable tracking or regain access. Marking the device lost also hides Quick Settings and blocks new Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. Remote Lock and Theft Detection Lock are switched on by default. 3. App memory limits to reduce stuttering Android 17 now enforces per-app memory limits based on your device’s total RAM. This targets memory leaks that cause UI stuttering, faster battery drain, and unexpected app kills. Google says the limits are conservative and most apps should not be affected. 4. Live Updates Live Updates show real-time status directly on your lock screen, Always-On Display, and status bar chip. Useful for tracking a food delivery, following a live score, or watching your ride approach. Android 17 adds a new
Read MoreWhy Nigeria’s AI future depends on breaking government data silos
Eight major government agencies hold some of Nigeria’s most valuable datasets on citizens. But these databases remain siloed, with little interoperability or data sharing. Industry experts say that unless this changes, Nigeria’s push to become a leading artificial intelligence power in Africa could struggle before it truly begins. AI systems need large amounts of high-quality data to work well. When data is stored in separate databases using different formats and standards, it becomes harder to build AI tools that can improve services such as healthcare, education, tax collection, and identity verification. The fragmentation spans some of the country’s most important databases. The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) manages the National Identification Number (NIN) database, while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) oversees the Bank Verification Number (BVN) system. Other agencies, including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), maintain separate databases for telecom subscribers, passports, taxes, driver’s licences, business registrations, and voter records. Nigeria has spent nearly two decades trying to solve this problem. The National Identity Management Commission Act of 2007 established the National Identity Management System (NIMS) as a central identity framework designed to connect government databases. The most aggressive push was in 2020 when the government mandated the linkage of SIM cards to National Identification Numbers (NIN), aiming to connect telecom data with verified identities. Yet despite these efforts, institutional rivalries and concerns over data ownership continue to keep many systems running in parallel rather than as part of a unified digital infrastructure. The stakes have become even higher as Nigeria accelerates its AI ambitions. In 2025, the country launched a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and unveiled N-Atlas, Africa’s first government-backed multilingual large language model. But experts say the challenge is no longer about vision; it is about execution. “Today, we move from policy to progress,” said Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in remarks delivered by Emmanuel Edet, Acting Director of Regulation and Compliance at the AI Summit Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday. “The true measure of success is not the number of policies we publish, but the impact these policies create on the lives of average Nigerians.” Achieving that impact, however, may depend on breaking down data silos across the government. “Artificial intelligence does not run on algorithms alone,” Abdullahi said. “It runs on energy, compute capacity, data, talent, infrastructure, and most of all, trust.” The statement reflects a growing global understanding that AI leadership depends not only on technical capability but also on institutional readiness. Countries leading in AI adoption are not necessarily those building frontier models; they are often those that have succeeded in integrating data and digitising public services. John Edokpolo, Microsoft’s Head of Legal Affairs for Africa, pointed to countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Singapore as examples. “These countries are not necessarily leading in chip design or model development,” he said. “What they have done well is digitise governance and create centralised systems that enable data sharing and AI diffusion.” The problem is not technical According to Edet, government agencies classify and manage data differently, creating inconsistencies that make information exchange difficult. “We carried out a survey and realised that different government agencies classify data in different ways,” he explained. “How do you harmonise this so that once you have a class of data, you know what type of data you expect and how to manage that data across all agencies?” Without standardised classifications, AI systems cannot effectively aggregate information from multiple sources. A healthcare AI platform, for instance, may struggle to combine hospital records if institutions use different formats or standards. To address this, NITDA said it is working through the National Cloud Policy and developing frameworks for data exchange. Yet the process is proving more complex than anticipated. “The challenges are enormous,” Edet admitted during a panel session where he represented himself. “It will take longer than we anticipated.” Government agencies increasingly recognise that data carries value, according to Edet. In some cases, that value translates into institutional relevance, influence, or future monetisation opportunities. “A lot of government agencies understand that data has value,” Edet said. “As far as they are concerned, sharing data is giving up that value.” This creates a paradox. AI systems require integrated datasets to generate insights, yet the very institutions that hold these datasets are often reluctant to share them. “Nobody wants to be irrelevant in any system,” he added. The result is a fragmented digital ecosystem where valuable information remains locked within institutional boundaries. Trust is the currency of AI If data is the fuel of AI, trust may be its currency. AI deployment cannot succeed without public confidence in how data is collected, processed and used. Nigeria’s regulators appear aware of the risks. Babatunde Bamigboye, Head, Legal Enforcement and Regulations Department, at the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) highlighted the importance of lawful, fair and transparent data processing under the Nigeria Data Protection Act. The rise of AI introduces new challenges because AI systems often require vast amounts of data to function effectively. “Collecting a million data points may be permissible,” Bamigboye explained, “but the question is whether the purpose is legitimate in relation to the data subject.” This becomes especially important when dealing with vulnerable populations such as children. Using AI to provide educational tools for underserved communities may align with public interest. Using similar systems to manipulate consumer behaviour, however, may not. The principle, regulators say, is simple: AI innovation must remain human-centred.
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👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – A Ripple in Flutterwave
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Happy mid-week Looking for a job in African tech? We’re putting fresh focus on the TechCabal Job Board, where you’ll find active openings from startups, fintechs, telecoms, venture capital firms, and other companies across the continent. We’ll update the board every week with new roles and remove outdated listings to keep opportunities current. Hiring? We’d like to help. Recruiters and hiring managers can submit open roles through this form, and we’ll feature suitable roles on the board for thousands of professionals across Africa’s tech ecosystem. Whether you’re looking to make your next career move or find the right talent for your team, the TechCabal Job Board is built to make those connections easier. Get smarter about Francophone Africa with our newsletter, Francophone Weekly—the startups, tech policies, and institutions building the pipelines for ecosystem growth. Subscribe Chimoney is getting acquired CBN has new rules Flutterwave raises a Series E from US-based Ripple Egypt is building a new data centre World Wide Web 3 Opportunities regulation CBN has new rules for banks and fintechs Image: Tenor Nigeria’s financial institutions have spent the last few years trying to become ‘everything’ apps, i.e., they want to serve customers and merchants, offer payments, banking, lending, and everything possible in the financial ecosystem. Nigeria’s Central Bank (CBN) has had a look at that trend and said not so fast. Here’s what happened: In a circular released on Monday, the regulator outlined new sets of rules on who owns payment companies, where payment data is stored, and how much of the payments ecosystem any one player can control. Tell us who calls the shots: The CBN now wants payment companies to disclose their ultimate beneficial owners—the people who control a business, even when ownership is buried beneath holding companies or some complex corporate structures. Keep payment data at home: From January 2027, payment transaction data generated in Nigeria must be stored on servers located in Nigeria. The goal is visibility and control. If payment data lives abroad, regulators have less oversight over it. Now, that doesn’t mean every company must build its own data centre. Operators can use local cloud providers and data centre facilities run by Rack Centre, MainOne, Open Access Data Centres (OADC), MTN, and other local infrastructure providers. You can’t dominate both sides of payments: This is the rule that could reshape competition. The CBN says any institution controlling more than 25% of the consumer payments market cannot hold more than 15% of the merchant acquiring market, and vice versa. This means that if a financial institution becomes dominant in consumer payments (bank accounts, cards, or wallets), it won’t be allowed to build an equally dominant position in merchant payments, which includes payment gateways and infrastructure or PoS terminals. What’s all this for? Nigeria’s digital payments ecosystem processed ₦1.2 quadrillion ($884.78 billion) in 2025. These rules are CBN’s blueprint for keeping Nigeria’s payments ecosystem from becoming too dependent on foreign infrastructure or difficult to supervise. We Have Secured the Bank of Ghana EPSP Licence. Fincra has officially secured its Enhanced Payment Service Provider licence. This regulatory milestone authorizes Fincra to directly collect, process, and settle payments in Ghanaian Cedis, offering a highly streamlined financial pipeline for businesses operating within the region. Start here. companies Flutterwave raises a Series E from US-based Ripple Image: Tenor Nigerian fintech unicorn, Flutterwave, has raised a Series E round at a $3.25 billion valuation after securing a ‘strategic investment’ from Ripple, the US payments company behind the XRP Ledger and RLUSD stablecoin. The company isn’t disclosing how much Ripple invested, but the deal gives Ripple an equity stake in Flutterwave and bumps up its valuation from the $3 billion it reached during its 2022 Series D round. Are Series E rounds even a thing in Nigeria anymore? Not really. Nigeria’s startup ecosystem hasn’t seen many large late-stage raises in recent years. One of the last headline-grabbing examples was software company Andela’s $200 million raise in 2021. According to data from Briter Intelligence, early-stage deals have dominated African startup funding activity by volume in recent years as investors became more cautious. That’s why Flutterwave raising fresh capital at a higher valuation is notable. What changes with this round? Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin and the XRP Ledger will now plug into Flutterwave’s infrastructure, allowing merchants and customers to send, hold, and convert money using stablecoins. The company expects the partnership to increase stablecoin transaction volumes on its platform. For Flutterwave’s customers, that could mean faster cross-border settlements and easier access to dollar-denominated value. Flutterwave is assembling Stablecoin Avengers: The Ripple deal didn’t come out of nowhere. Over the past year, Flutterwave has been entering stablecoin partnerships. It joined the Circle Payment Network in 2025, integrated Polygon as a settlement layer in October 2025, launched stablecoin wallets with Turnkey and Nuvion in January 2026, and partnered with Tempo for settlement infrastructure in June 2026. Viewed together, Flutterwave appears to be preparing for a future where stablecoins become just another way to move money, like bank transfers and card payments. Naira Life 2026 is here! The theme for this year’s Naira Life Conference by Zikoko is “All About Wealth.”Join 2,000+ in Lagos on August 22 for a day of practical money conversations and workshops designed to move you from simply earning an income to building lasting wealth. Get 15% off early bird tickets. companies Chimoney is getting acquired Image source: Tenor Four weeks ago, Chimoney, a Nigerian-founded fintech that built cross-border payment infrastructure for businesses, announced it was shutting down after four years andunder $1 million raised. On Monday, founder Uchi Uchibeke posted something nobody expected:Chi Technologies, Chimoney’s parent company, has signed an agreement in principle to be acquired by CapitalSage Vantage Limited, a subsidiary of CapitalSage Holdings. Why Chimoney?: Startup shutdowns mostly involve frozen accounts, unanswered emails, and founders who go quiet. Chimoney did the opposite. It notified investors in February, clients in April, published migration guides for developers, and kept refunding
Read MoreEvery Android 17 feature coming to your phone in 2026
Table of contents Ten Android 17 features coming to your phone Which phones get Android 17? Android 17, codenamed Cinnamon Bun, is the biggest Android update in years. Google previewed it at The Android Show on May 12, 2026, and the stable version is expected to start rolling out to Pixel devices in June or July 2026. Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and other brands will follow later in 2026. But here’s what you need to know before getting excited: getting Android 17 on your phone doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get all its best features. Gemini Intelligence, the headline AI upgrade, is locked to 2026 flagship devices with 12GB or more of RAM. The Pixel 9, a 2025 flagship, does not qualify. Neither do most mid-range phones. So what you actually get depends heavily on which device you own. Ten Android 17 features coming to your phone Here is a full breakdown of every major Android 17 feature, what it does, and which devices get it. 1. A new look: Material 3 Expressive The most visible change in Android 17 is a new design language called Material 3 Expressive. The biggest shift is a frosted glass effect across the entire system. When you press the volume button, the slider becomes translucent so your wallpaper shows through. The same treatment applies to the power menu, Quick Settings panel, notification shade, home screen folders, and the widget picker. Google internally calls this effect “blur” and it is tinted by your phone’s Dynamic Color theme so everything feels consistent. Other design changes include: Springier, more natural animations powered by physics-based motion New icon shapes and heavier, bolder typography A per-app dark theme toggle, so you can exempt specific apps that look broken in dark mode Mandatory auto-theming for third-party apps. Google has required all apps on the Play Store to supply themed icons. For apps that do not, Android auto-generates one. TikTok and other holdouts no longer have a choice. A color picker with four presets is also in the works, according to a 9to5Google report from May 12, 2026. The options are Neutral (gray tones), Soft (subtle colors), Bright (more vibrant), and Bold (a mix of colors throughout), plus a slider to set any accent color independent of your wallpaper. These are not confirmed for the first stable Android 17 release and are likely coming in a later quarterly update. Android 17’s frosted glass look has also drawn comparisons to Apple’s iOS 26 Liquid Glass design. Google’s Android ecosystem president Sameer Samat pushed back on this, writing on X on May 5, 2026 in reply to a mockup imagining Liquid Glass on a Pixel 11: “Not happening! Y’all are wild.” Reviewers at 9to5Google and How-To Geek agree Android’s implementation is more restrained than Apple’s, but the visual parallels are there. Who gets this with Android 17: Pixel phones (Pixel 6 and newer) already got Material 3 Expressive via the Android 16 QPR1 update in September 2025. Android 17 is what carries the full design to Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and every other Android brand. 2. Gemini Intelligence: AI that does tasks, not just answers questions Gemini Intelligence is Google’s biggest Android 17 announcement. It is an AI layer built into the operating system that can handle multi-step tasks in the background while you use your phone for something else. Google is framing this as Android evolving from an operating system into an intelligence system. It is not a new app. It runs underneath the OS and brings several features together: Multi-step task automation: You can describe a task, and Gemini handles it across multiple apps. For example, show Gemini your shopping list and ask it to build a delivery cart. It moves between apps, fills in the details, and pauses before anything is purchased so you can confirm. Gemini in Chrome: Starting late June 2026, Gemini can browse across multiple open tabs, compare information, and take actions on your behalf, such as booking a doctor’s appointment or reserving parking. Intelligent Autofill: Fills in forms using context from your connected Google apps like Gmail and Photos. Create My Widget: Lets you describe a home screen widget in plain text, and Gemini builds it for you. Works best with Google’s own services. Rambler: A Gboard voice mode that removes filler words like “um” and “ah” in real time and handles mid-sentence language switching. Hardware requirements: To use Gemini Intelligence, your phone needs Gemini Nano v3 or newer, a flagship-grade processor, and at least 12GB of RAM. This is more demanding than Apple Intelligence, which requires 8GB. Phones that qualify at launch include the Pixel 10 series (not the 10a), the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Phones that get Android 17 but do NOT get Gemini Intelligence include the entire Pixel 9 family, the Pixel 6, 7, and 8 series, the Pixel 9a and 10a, the Samsung Galaxy S25 line, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The Pixel 9 Pro has 16GB of RAM and still does not qualify because it runs Gemini Nano v2, not v3. Google has not said whether this is a permanent hardware limitation or something that could change with a future update. Honest caveat: Google has made big AI promises before that took a long time to feel useful in daily use. Gemini Intelligence looks impressive in demos, but the real test comes after the summer 2026 rollout, when people are using it on their actual phones. 3. Desktop mode Android 17 brings a full desktop experience when you connect your phone to an external display. Think of it as Samsung DeX, built into Android itself on every compatible phone. What you get: A taskbar at the bottom of the screen where you can pin your most-used apps Resizable, floating windows you can snap and arrange freely Drag-and-drop between apps (where apps support it) Full mouse and keyboard support Interactive Picture-in-Picture, so you can keep a video call running while you work
Read MoreNigeria’s central bank restricts payment firms from dominating consumers and merchants
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced new market-structure rules that could prevent any single financial institution from dominating both consumer and merchant payments. In a circular issued on Monday, the regulator disclosed that any licenced financial institution that controls more than 25% of the consumer-issuing market will be restricted to a maximum of 15% market share in merchant-acquiring activities. The rule comes as banks and fintechs expand beyond their traditional niches to serve both consumers and merchants. The regulator’s new framework is designed to prevent any single institution from becoming the dominant gateway for cashless transactions, reducing concentration and systemic risk in the payments ecosystem. “Any licenced financial Institution engaged in merchant acquiring activities, whether individually or as part of group of related entities, that holds more than twenty-five percent (25%) market share in merchants acquiring activities within any rolling twelve-month period shall not hold more than fifteen percent (15%) market share in consumer issuing activities during the same period,” the CBN said in its circular. Consumer issuing refers to services that enable consumers to make payments, including bank accounts, payment cards, digital wallets and other payment instruments. Merchant acquiring is the infrastructure that enables businesses to accept payments, including payment gateways, Point-of-Sale (PoS) services, and merchant settlement systems. The rule, which takes effect on December 31, 2026, is designed to prevent excessive concentration in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital payments ecosystem, which processed ₦1.2 quadrillion ($884.78 billion) in 2025. The move has significant implications for major fintech companies such as Paystack, Flutterwave, and Moniepoint, many of which have spent years building strong merchant-payment businesses and are increasingly expanding into customer-facing banking services. In January, Paystack acquired Ladder Microfinance Bank, and in April, Flutterwave secured an MFB licence after acquiring open banking startup Mono, as fintechs move to convert payment users into banking customers. Traditional banks such as United Bank for Africa could also be affected if they seek to build substantial market share in merchant acquiring while retaining dominant positions in consumer banking. The CBN said the new requirements were introduced in response to concerns around market concentration, operational dependence, and the emergence of operators with substantial market presence across key payment activities. The restrictions will apply not only to individual companies but also to groups of related entities. Financial institutions cannot circumvent the rules by separating consumer and merchant businesses into different subsidiaries while retaining common ownership or control. “All regulated entities shall submit monthly market share returns in accordance with prescribed templates and timelines,” the CBN said in the circular. The market-share limits form part of a broader set of reforms targeting the payments industry. The CBN is also requiring banks and fintechs to disclose the ultimate beneficial owners of significant shareholdings and is pushing operators to use local cloud infrastructure as part of efforts to strengthen oversight and localise critical payments data. The rules show a regulator in favour of a more fragmented market, where competition is maintained on both sides of the payments ecosystem. “The CBN shall monitor compliance with the provisions of this circular and may, where necessary, impose supervisory sanctions in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines,” the regulator added.
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Why Solarbox is building Senegal’s EV ecosystem around the sun
16 juin 2026 Hello , Welcome back to Francophone Weekly by TechCabal, your weekly deep dive into the tech ecosystem across French-speaking Africa. For readers who want to understand Francophone Africa beyond headlines—through markets, startups, and systems. New editions of the newsletter will land directly in your inbox every Tuesday at 12 PM WAT. By default, this newsletter is in French. If you’re reading this in your email inbox, click the “Read in English” button below to switch to the English version. If you’re reading on our website, you can either click the button below or toggle the language selector at the top right-hand side of the page to view the English edition. Read in English Solarbox mène la révolution des véhicules électriques (VE) dans la région de l’Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest-Africaine (UEMOA) avec des motos électriques, des tricycles et des camions légers chargés à l’énergie renouvelable. Mais pour comprendre pourquoi cette affirmation dépasse le simple discours de présentation, il faut commencer non pas par les véhicules — mais par le soleil. Dans un article précédent, nous avons identifié un schéma récurrent à travers l’Afrique francophone : les VE ont du sens économiquement, les économies sur le carburant sont réelles, et la demande existe. Pourtant, l’adoption reste freinée par des obstacles familiers, notamment le faible soutien des politiques publiques, les taxes à l’importation élevées et les options de financement limitées pour les opérateurs du secteur informel. Dans ce contexte, la startup VE sénégalaise Solarbox a adopté une approche différente. Fondée en 2022 par Tijan Watt et incubée au sein de Wuri Ventures, une société de capital-risque (VC) early-stage qui a soutenu des startups comme Carry1st, Kotani Pay et Jetstream. Watt est également co-fondateur et associé directeur de Wuri Ventures. Selon lui, Solarbox n’attend pas que le réseau électrique s’améliore ni que les gouvernements introduisent des incitations. La startup a plutôt intégré l’énergie solaire directement dans son modèle économique. Pour Watt, ce n’est pas une solution provisoire. C’est la vision à long terme. 1. Pourquoi le solaire change la donne au Sénégal Les véhicules stationnés dans un parking du quartier du Plateau à Dakar, au Sénégal. Source de l’image : Bloomberg. Les combustibles fossiles, notamment le gaz et le diesel, restent une source d’énergie dominante au Sénégal. En 2024, le pays a produit 5,48 térawattheures (TWh) d’électricité à partir de produits pétroliers, alimentant environ 65 % de sa population. Watt affirme que le solaire est une ressource sous-exploitée qui pourrait aider le Sénégal à atteindre sa souveraineté énergétique. Contrairement au pétrole, dont le prix est fixé sur les marchés mondiaux des matières premières, l’énergie solaire est locale par nature et largement à l’abri des chocs géopolitiques. Le Sénégal figure parmi les dix premiers pays mondiaux pour le potentiel de production solaire. L’expérience de l’Éthiopie offre une comparaison utile : le pays a augmenté la pénétration des VE de moins de 1 % à 8,3 % en deux ans, portée en grande partie par une hydroélectricité abondante et bon marché. L’exemple illustre comment une énergie domestique abordable peut accélérer la mobilité électrique lorsqu’elle est soutenue par la bonne infrastructure et le bon environnement politique. Pour mieux comprendre la thèse de Solarbox, nous nous sommes entretenus avec son fondateur Watt sur les raisons pour lesquelles il croit que la mobilité alimentée par l’énergie solaire pourrait transformer l’économie des transports au Sénégal et à travers l’Afrique. Le tour de pré-seed d’un million de dollars de Solarbox en 2024 a réuni des investisseurs comme le Digital Energy Facility soutenu par l’Agence Française de Développement (AFD), aux côtés de Launch Africa Ventures, JLL Foundation et Teranga Capital. Lina Kacyem : Le réseau électrique du Sénégal est déjà l’un des plus stables d’Afrique de l’Ouest francophone — moins de dix heures de coupure par an à Dakar et 41 % de pénétration des énergies renouvelables. Cela pourrait faire paraître l’intégration solaire comme quelque chose d’incrémental plutôt que de transformationnel. Comment répondez-vous à ce cadrage ? Tijan Watt : Le Kenya fonctionne déjà à environ 90 % d’énergie renouvelable. Le solaire y est un complément. Pour nous, l’infrastructure VE alimentée par le solaire n’est pas une optimisation des coûts. C’est une voie vers la souveraineté énergétique. Les prix mondiaux du pétrole et du gaz sont fixés au niveau international. Même si le Sénégal produit son propre pétrole, les consommateurs restent exposés à la volatilité des prix mondiaux. La tarification solaire est intrinsèquement locale, à l’abri de la géopolitique et des cycles des matières premières. C’est une forme de souveraineté économique qu’on ne peut pas acheter avec un baril de pétrole. Kacyem : Le Sénégal a récemment découvert du pétrole et du gaz offshore. Est-ce que ça ne change pas la donne, en rendant potentiellement les combustibles fossiles une source d’énergie domestique moins chère ? Watt : Ça ne devrait pas détourner l’attention de l’opportunité solaire. Le Sénégal resterait exposé à la volatilité des prix internationaux même avec une production nationale — les prix mondiaux du pétrole sont fixés au niveau mondial, pas par les pays producteurs. La tarification solaire est locale. Et au-delà des prix, il y a des risques géopolitiques qui accompagnent la richesse pétrolière. Les pays qui découvrent du pétrole attirent des intérêts extérieurs qu’ils n’ont pas sollicités. L’énergie solaire n’a aucun de ces bagages. Le Sénégal figure parmi les dix premiers mondiaux en termes de potentiel de production solaire. C’est sur cette dotation que nous devrions construire. Solarbox a commencé par servir des clients corporates comme DHL, FedEx, Orange et Paps Logistics, précisément parce que gérer une petite flotte organisée est opérationnellement faisable pour une startup. Mais le marché de masse a toujours été la destination. La société a déjà lancé un produit pay-as-you-go (PAYG) sans apport initial : les conducteurs scannent un code QR (quick response) et paient par mobile money. Aucune vérification de crédit, aucun compte bancaire, aucun dépôt. Le modèle reprend l’innovation du crédit téléphonique prépayé qui a transformé les télécommunications à travers l’Afrique — une approche délibérément calibrée sur
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