Cybersecurity will become a matter of national priority for Africans: Franck Kié
Franck Kié began his career in finance but transitioned to cybersecurity, driven by a desire to make a more meaningful impact. Now, he leads Ciberobs Consulting, an Africa-focused cybersecurity and economic intelligence firm, and organises the Cyber Africa Forum (CAF), one of the continent’s biggest cybersecurity gatherings. CAF, now in its fifth year, brings together public and private stakeholders to shape the continent’s digital security agenda. I caught up with Kié in Benin, where this year’s edition of CAF was hosted, to talk about the evolution of Africa’s cybersecurity space, the brain drain of local talent, and why he believes the future of global cybersecurity could be African. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What motivated you to start the Cyber Africa Forum? I was living in Europe when I switched careers from finance to cybersecurity, and there was a major event there that everyone in the field attended—an essential platform where companies showcased solutions and governments held strategic meetings. It struck me that nothing like that existed in Africa. So, I told myself: if it can happen in Europe, it can happen here too. People want to connect, learn, and grow together. That was the seed of CAF. Now, five years later, it’s become the annual meeting point for cybersecurity decision-makers across the continent. What was special about bringing CAF to Benin this year? We always aim to rotate the event to ensure inclusivity and pan-African representation. Hosting CAF in Benin was a strategic decision to foster regional participation and emphasisze that cybersecurity isn’t just a Nigerian, Kenyan, or South African issue—it’s continental. It’s also about showing that smaller markets can lead on digital transformation too. How would you describe the state of cybersecurity in Africa today? We’ve made real progress. Five years ago, we had far fewer cybersecurity agencies, professionals, and startups. Today, those numbers are growing. That’s the good news. The bad news is that cybercrime is growing just as fast, if not faster. Without robust defenses, it becomes a national security issue. Cyberattacks can disrupt economies and public services, so governments are starting to take them seriously. I believe cybersecurity will become a top national priority in most African countries very soon. Fraud and cyberattacks targeting banks and fintechs are on the rise. Why is this happening, and what can be done? They’re easy targets. Banks handle vast financial flows, and telcos are now critical players thanks to mobile money. That makes them attractive to attackers. The issue isn’t just technology, it’s people. Staff awareness is critical. Institutions need to invest in internal cybersecurity culture, and telcos, especially, have the power to reach users directly and promote awareness. That’s a major opportunity. You’ve spoken about the shortage of cybersecurity professionals on the continent. What’s driving that, and how do we fix it? We do have a talent shortage, and worse, even when we train people, they often leave for better opportunities abroad. It’s a vicious cycle. To retain talent, we need to build strong local ecosystems. That means creating policies that give local companies access to business opportunities so they can grow and pay competitive salaries. The more successful our startups are, the more likely talent is to stay. What’s one contrarian opinion you hold about Africa’s cybersecurity sector? Some still believe there’s no real cybersecurity market in Africa. I disagree. The market is emerging; it’s just structured differently. In Europe, cybersecurity tools are built around desktops and enterprise systems. In Africa, the mobile phone is the core of digital life. So our challenge is to create homegrown cybersecurity models that fit local realities. Just as mobile money transformed banking here, I believe Africa will innovate its own cybersecurity playbook and the rest of the world will follow. Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com
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Emmanuel Lubanzadio, OpenAI’s Africa Lead, is running a marathon
Emmanuel Lubanzadio, OpenAI’s Africa Lead, is often on the road. In April, he was in Kigali, Rwanda, addressing policymakers and tech leaders at the Global AI Summit. Then he was in Morocco, attending the GITEX Africa conference. He has more such appearances scheduled in the coming weeks, where he will continue to advocate for African adoption of AI tools on behalf of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Before OpenAI, Lubanzadio was a policy advisor for UNICEF’s Giga initiative, focusing on connectivity and technology policy. And before that, he led Twitter’s government relations in Africa. I asked Lubanzadio if he’d ever experienced some self-doubt across these roles, bridging global companies to Africa. He tells me that he looks beyond his doubts. “I think about the responsibility, honouring the moment, and the people it may impact.” A dual identity forged in Bonn Lubanzadio was born to parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, but grew up in Bonn, a city along the Rhine River, steeped in German history. “I grew up with a dual identity,” he says, “immersed in German culture, language, and education while being nurtured by African parents who held on to the values and traditions of the homeland.” Coming of age in the tumultuous early 1990s, the Rwandan Genocide and ongoing conflicts in the Congo heavily shaped his parents’ conversations, leaving him with a profound sense of Africa’s challenges and aspirations, and a curiosity about the continent’s place in the world. Emmanuel Lubanzadio speaking at the Global AI Summit on Africa Discovering the influence of technology in Obama’s America In 2008, Lubanzadio moved to the U.S. on a basketball scholarship, to pursue an international relations degree. At the time, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign used technology including social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube to mobilise voters and disseminate political messaging. “That’s when I first discovered tech policy,” Lubanzadio says. “I saw how technology was leveraged to get political messaging out, and I became very passionate ever since.” After graduating in 2012, Lubanzadio moved to Washington, D.C., immersing himself in the heart of American policymaking through the Congressional Black Caucus Fellowship.. There, he conducted background research on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a U.S. trade policy enacted in 2000 that has since bolstered African exports, particularly in textiles and agriculture, and fueled e-commerce startups in countries like Nigeria. “I was an observer,” he says, “learning how nations negotiate, how agreements shape economies.” The experience deepened his understanding of Africa’s economic potential and the role of policy in unlocking it. Working at Twitter In 2020, Lubanzadio joined Twitter, leading its government relations in Africa during a transformative period for the continent’s digital landscape, accelerated by the pandemic. His role was to bridge Twitter’s global ambitions with Africa’s unique socio-political realities. One of his proudest achievements was facilitating Twitter’s expansion into Africa, culminating in the opening of its first office in Ghana in 2021. “I led the policy engagement, including convening a meeting between Twitter’s then-CEO Jack Dorsey and the Ghanaian president,” he tells me, his voice tinged with pride. Around the time, Nigeria was facing a turbulent socio-political moment. Twitter was banned in the country after the platform deleted tweets by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, which warned of a potential repeat of the Nigerian Civil War amid unrest in the southeast, primarily involving the Igbo people. The Nigerian ban was a defining moment for Lubanzadio; it underscored the importance of trust and partnership in navigating Africa’s fragmented policy landscape. With 54 countries and diverse regulatory frameworks, tech companies face different challenges from data localisation laws to cybersecurity concerns. In Africa’s fast-evolving tech ecosystem, where regulatory hurdles and stakeholder scepticism can derail ambitious ventures, Lubanzadio champions conversation as a powerful tool. “It’s about listening to concerns and explaining one’s position,” he says. “Conversation always solves it.” He emphasises that as a “faraway company,” stakeholders may not grasp the organisation’s value proposition, hence his role at OpenAI. Lubanzadio speaking at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic’s Digital Day Working at OpenAI In early 2025, Lubanzadio joined OpenAI as its Africa lead. OpenAI’s mission to advance artificial general intelligence (AGI) for global benefit resonated deeply with him. “AI is the next frontier,” he says, “and I want Africa to be part of shaping it, not just using it.” Four months into his role, travelling across Africa, from Kenya to Morocco, Lubanzadio has seen how OpenAI’s partnerships are unlocking AI’s transformative potential for the continent. “Over 500 million people and businesses globally use ChatGPT weekly, and Africa is a part of that,” he says. In healthcare, AI is improving maternal care in remote areas; in agriculture, it’s boosting crop yields for smallholder farmers who produce 70% of Africa’s food supply. There are companies like Jacaranda Health in Kenya, which uses AI-powered SMS services to support pregnant women, and Digital Green, which delivers AI-generated farming advice to 160,000 smallholder farmers across Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. These initiatives reflect AI’s ability to address Africa’s pressing needs. Yet, challenges persist. Only about 36% of Africans have internet access, and the high cost of hardware—like Nvidia GPUs, which can cost $40,000—has limited AI adoption. Lubanzadio emphasises partnerships as the key to overcoming these barriers. OpenAI’s collaboration with the AI for Global Development Accelerator is one such partnership. It supports nonprofits using AI to tackle social challenges, providing technical support and API credits. He also cited the announcement of Africa’s first “AI factory” by Cassava Technologies and Nvidia in March 2025, just before the Global AI Summit in Kigali, which has been lauded as a turning point for AI development on the continent. The facility, set to deploy Nvidia’s GPU-based supercomputers in South Africa, with expansion to Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria, addresses the continent’s computing power deficit. Only 5% of Africa’s 80,000 AI practitioners currently have access to adequate computational resources. OpenAI is not directly involved in the project. However, Lubanzadio describes it as a game-changer. echoing optimistic sentiments from experts who note that local data centres
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Lumi Business launches offline mode to help merchants sell without internet access
The network goes out. Again. A shopkeeper in Abeokuta stands helpless as customers grow impatient, no signal, no sales, no receipts, no records. For thousands of merchants across Nigeria, unreliable internet means missed income, hectic operations, and broken trust. That’s why Lumi Business built Offline Mode, to keep businesses running even when the network isn’t. Lumi Business, a leading provider of payment, inventory, expense and accounting management software for African SMEs, has officially launched Offline Mode, a powerful new feature that allows merchants to sell through the Lumi POS software without internet access. Once connection is restored, all sales data, inventory updates and reports sync automatically to your online database, with no data loss or duplication. In a market where connectivity is still unreliable and data costs remain high, Lumi Business is one of the few platforms in Nigeria that offers true offline functionality without losing the advantages of cloud based systems. Merchants can now access products and pricing, issue receipts and complete transactions without an internet connection, ensuring that business never stops. Offline Mode strengthens Lumi’s commitment to building for resilience, reliability and growth helping merchants thrive no matter where they are or how they sell. “We built Offline Mode with the realities of our merchants in mind,” said Wale Adeniji, CEO at Lumi Business. “We know internet outages can bring business to a standstill. With this release, we are ensuring that no merchant ever has to lose a sale or pause operations because of poor connectivity.” Key benefits of offline mode Sell with or without internet access Instant access to product and pricing information Automatic syncing to online database once online Issue receipts and track sales without disruption Manage sales across multiple stores and devices The bigger picture: Extending the power of the Lumi platform Offline Mode is not just another feature. It’s a key step in Lumi’s journey to become the operating system for commerce in Africa. From day one, Lumi has focused on building tools that reflect how entrepreneurs actually work whether they are managing a single store, multiple outlets or selling across channels. The platform already supports hundreds of SMEs across Nigeria with powerful tools for point of sale, inventory management, payments, expense tracking, loyalty and free branded storefronts. Its inventory engine is regarded as one of the most advanced in Nigeria, offering real-time stock tracking, batch control, multi-location management and automated restock alerts. With Chowdeck integration, restaurants and food vendors can sync online delivery orders directly into their inventory and sales flow. Lumi also includes built-in tools to manage expenses, reward loyal customers and access real-time performance reports, all synced through the Cloud. Offline Mode is currently available on Windows devices, with Android and iOS versions rolling out soon. Merchants can contact the Lumi Customer Success team to request early access and join the waitlist. For more information, visit www.lumibusiness.io.
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Flutterwave cuts 50% of staff in Kenya and South Africa in major cost-cutting move
Flutterwave has cut 50% of its staff in Kenya and South Africa to reduce costs and move closer to profitability ahead of a potential public listing. The move, which comes less than a year after the company laid off 3% of its workforce, affects multiple departments, with the most impact seen in compliance, legal, and human resources (HR) teams, according to people familiar with the matter. It’s the clearest sign yet that the fintech unicorn is rethinking its operations amid pressure from investors to deliver profits. At least three people close to the company’s operations told TechCabal that Flutterwave began downsizing in March 2025. In Kenya, where the company had 20 employees, roughly half were laid off. Three other employees left voluntarily in the weeks that followed. One person disclosed that while some roles were eliminated, similar positions are now being rehired in Nigeria, Flutterwave’s largest and most established market. “They’re cutting roles in countries they see as expensive to run,” said a source who asked not to be named to speak freely. “Flutterwave is also hiring for the same roles in the Nigerian market.” Flutterwave confirmed the cuts in a statement to TechCabal but said they were part of a broader performance and strategy-led review. “These actions are a normal but necessary part of ensuring we operate at the highest level across every part of the business,” Flutterwave said. “We recognise and reward impact, and we make changes when expectations are not met.” More than half of the South African team, mostly in sales, was also cut. Flutterwave declined to comment on the exact number of affected staff. Fewer than eight employees are now believed to remain for Kenyan operations, mainly focused on compliance matters. Among those who exited are Leon Kiptum, the company’s former regional manager for East Africa, and Saruni Maina, associate VP for stablecoins. Both joined Flutterwave in June 2023 as part of a bullish push into the Kenyan market. Flutterwave said it issued bonuses and promotions to high-performing staff during the same review cycle. The fintech giant says it is focused on becoming “a disciplined, enterprise-focused company” built around “sustainable growth, profitability, and long-term value.” The layoffs in its Kenya and South African offices come as Flutterwave continues to pursue critical regulatory licences in both markets. In Kenya, the company is applying for a Payment Service Provider (PSP) licence after receiving name approval from the Central Bank of Kenya in 2023. South Africa, a larger market for Flutterwave than Kenya, has yet to issue a PSP licence to the company. “We are actively engaging with regulators,” the company said, adding that its Kenyan application is “progressing as planned.” Flutterwave last raised money in early 2022 with a $250 million Series D round. Since then, it has prioritised cost-cutting and operational discipline while pursuing IPO plans. CEO Olugbenga Agboola told Bloomberg in February that the company would go public once it becomes profitable. Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com
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“Run it with tech” – How AI, UV pens, and more now aid cheating in exams
In examination halls across the country, at university or secondary school levels, cheating has entered a new phase that blurs the lines between desperation and digital literacy. Gone were the days when students snuck in folded papers covered completely by learning material they hoped would appear in their question papers or fought to sit beside the cleverest classmate. Students are finding new, and digital, ways to by-pass unsuspecting invigilators and stringent examination conditions in their desperation for academic success. A Mass Communication graduate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) who asked to remain anonymous, explains that he didn’t see himself as one of the cleverest in class. But he wanted to graduate with his mates, so he got “creative”. His creativity revolved around his Apple Watch, which became his ultimate exam companion. “There were three ways I used it,” he says. “I snapped my notes and marked them as favourites so they showed up on the watch. I also used Document Pro, which works like WPS or Word. But the game-changer was an AI app called Genie.” Genie, similar to ChatGPT but compatible with smartwatches, allowed him to scribble exam questions directly on the screen using a stylus. In return, it generated detailed answers, all without raising suspicion. “Once I started using AI, I didn’t need the other methods anymore. You just write or type the question, and boom, explanation,” he says. Five other students in universities from Western to North Central Nigeria who spoke anonymously to TechCabal about their use of smartwatches during examinations, confirmed the tactics. His classmate, who said he couldn’t afford a smartwatch, turned to something more basic: “I summarised key points after reading and sent them to myself as SMS. During the exam, I kept the phone on my desk,” he recalls. The Nokia button phone had no internet capabilities, so invigilators completely overlooked it. In Lagos, a secondary school student devised a method that involved writing answers on his desk in invisible ultraviolet (UV) ink before a WAEC exam. “The maths questions had leaked the night before, so I solved them and wrote the answers on my desk with a UV pen early in the morning before anyone could come to the hall,” he said. “Only ultraviolet light could reveal it.” The pen had a tiny built-in button that he could press to shine UV light on what he had written, revealing the answers. The method worked so well that he used it for two additional subjects without detection. At Benue State University (BSU), a Geography student perfected a different tactic: a discreet Bluetooth earbud connected to a phone positioned outside the exam hall. She made sure to sit at the back of the examination hall to maintain Bluetooth range. “I used my hair to hide the earbud and asked Google Assistant the questions,” she says. “I set my phone to automatically turn off its screen after two hours to avoid any light. I’d press the bud, whisper the question, and get the answer back in audio.” Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canton and Enderbury Islands Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos [Keeling] Islands Colombia Comoros Congo – Brazzaville Congo – Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Dronning Maud Land East Germany Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories French Southern and Antarctic Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Johnston Island Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau SAR China Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Metropolitan France Mexico Micronesia Midway Islands Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar [Burma] Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Neutral Zone New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Vietnam Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pacific Islands Trust Territory Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria São Tomé and Príncipe Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands U.S. Miscellaneous Pacific Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine Union of Soviet Socialist Republics United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Unknown or Invalid Region Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wake Island Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands ?> Gender Male Female Others TC Daily Events TC Scoop <!– Next Wave –> <!– Entering Tech –> Subscribe Outsmart or be left behind: Why students cheat These aren’t isolated stories of individual mischief but reflect a growing pattern of a digital workaround culture that many students view as necessary for survival. Another smartwatch user who is still a student at UNN, and used it in his last exam
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At Cyber Africa Forum, Africa’s tech ministers push for sovereign data infrastructure, enhanced cybersecurity
Tech ministers from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Republic of Congo have announced a unified digital agenda focused on sovereign data infrastructure, large-scale youth training, enhanced cybersecurity, and accelerated startup growth. They believe this collaborative approach will distinguish their countries within Africa’s tech ecosystem and pave the way for a digital future that is less dependent and more defensible Speaking on a panel during the recently concluded Cyber African Forum in Cotonou, the ministers agreed that Africa’s digital economy must be built by Africans, for Africans, and it must be resilient, inclusive, and globally competitive. “Every action we have taken is rooted in solving real problems for our citizens,” said Aurelie Adam Soule Zoumarou, Benin’s Minister of Digital Affairs. “Without trust in digital services, adoption doesn’t follow. That’s why we embedded cybersecurity at the foundation of all our digital projects.” Throughout the hour-long conversation, ministers dissected a decade of reforms, drew sharp lines under sovereignty concerns, and aligned on the role of state policy in enabling African tech entrepreneurship and innovation. Building digital economies from First Principles The panel served as a strategic review of how African governments have responded to the global shift toward digitisation. With over 70% of their population under 35, the stakes are high. Benin, for example, began its digital overhaul in 2016. Minister Zoumarou described it as a cascade of infrastructure investments designed to “open up” the country digitally. “We first cleaned up our foundational tech stack,” she said. “Then we invested in public service platforms, built cybersecurity frameworks, and created digital agencies to execute the state’s vision.” Benin now runs interoperable service platforms that allow citizens to access documents and government services online. The government also constructed an independent cybersecurity agency that participates in the design of every digital project. Côte d’Ivoire, meanwhile, is doubling down on digital sovereignty, said Ibrahim Kalil Konaté, Minister of Digital Transition and Digitalisation. The country is building its sovereign data centers, crafting an AI strategy, and preparing to centralise sensitive ministry data—including finance, health, and education—within its borders. “We can’t talk about AI and smart governance when 97% of our data is stored abroad,” Konaté said. “Our aim is to store, protect, and process our data on African soil.” From demographic dividend to workforce strategy Across the board, ministers stressed one strategic truth: no infrastructure matters if young people are not equipped to use it. Léon Juste Ibombo, Congo’s Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy, noted that 66% of Congolese youth now access the internet via mobile, up from 19% in 2019. “We are training 1,200 young people in digital and emerging technologies in partnership with the World Bank, and we aim to scale this to 10,000,” he said. “Digital skills are the fifth pillar of our national development strategy.” Congo’s broader digital transformation plan, Congo Digital 2030, is underpinned by skill training and five other pillars: governance, infrastructure, public services, innovation, and inclusion. Ibombo emphasised that recent reforms—such as elevating research and innovation to a standalone ministry—reflect a government rethinking its digital posture from the ground up. Benin has followed a similar path, using digital classrooms, university networks, and early exposure programs to introduce students to IT literacy at scale. “From the primary level, we’re exposing children to digital tools in safe environments,” said Zoumarou. “Our goal is to eliminate future digital gaps by starting today.” Private sector inclusion: From regulation to opportunity Ministers across the panel repeatedly addressed the private sector as not just service providers but as co-architects of Africa’s digital economy. “No one wants to invest in a country where there’s regulatory chaos,” said Benin’s Zoumarou. “We modernised our legal frameworks to give clarity to private actors and unlock investment.” Côte d’Ivoire passed a Startup Act to support tech entrepreneurs, allowing the state and private sector to jointly select and back promising startups. According to Konaté, the country has funded multiple startups to attend global events like VivaTech, enabling exposure to investors and partnerships. “Our startup committee lets entrepreneurs pitch their projects directly to government and investors,” Konaté said. “We’ve had three years of consecutive support now. The ecosystem is growing.” Congo’s Ibombo cited the example of NokiNoki, a last-mile logistics startup that raised capital through government and international backing. “We don’t want to train youth just to train them,” he said. “We want to fund their businesses, send them to China for immersion, and turn their startups into job engines.” Cybersecurity: A non-negotiable national priority All three countries addressed the growing threat of cyberattacks, with Congo revealing it had suffered a major breach targeting a national bank. “If we didn’t have the right experts and institutions, it would’ve been catastrophic,” said Ibombo. “We lost some ground, but we responded quickly—within 19 hours.” The urgency of securing digital infrastructure was echoed by Konaté of Côte d’Ivoire: “The digital economy will collapse without trust. That’s why we created the National Cybersecurity Agency, now operational for six months, to defend our systems.” Each minister affirmed that digitisation must go hand-in-hand with resilience,a theme that gained traction as panelists called for greater inter-country collaboration on cybersecurity. Infrastructure: Sovereignty, speed, and scale Infrastructure remains both the bedrock and bottleneck of Africa’s digital transformation. Côte d’Ivoire and Congo are building national data centers with backing from development banks and international partners. “You cannot talk about artificial intelligence if you don’t have sovereign data,” said Congo’s Ibombo. “With the African Development Bank, we’re building a national data center and securing subsea cable landings.” But ministers also warned that infrastructure must evolve with technology. Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, plans to refresh its infrastructure every 1–2 years, a pace that requires massive and sustained investment. “We’re talking about 40–50 billion CFA ($71 million- $89 million) in capex, then another 15–19 billion CFA ($26 million – $34 million) annually just for equipment upgrades,” Konaté noted. “That’s why we need public-private co-financing models.” The next phase: Data governance, AI, and African cloud Ministers previewed next-generation digital strategies, including national AI governance frameworks
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👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – One card to rule them all
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Happy mid-week. If you’re curious about the best ways to make, manage and grow your money sustainably, you should be at Zikoko’s Naira Life Conference. They’re bringing together financial experts, entrepreneurs, creators and everyday Nigerians for a day of bold conversations and immersive workshops designed to hand you a playbook for building real wealth. It’s happening on August 8 in Lekki, and early bird tickets end in 5 days. Click here to get a ticket at 30% off. Africa launches pan-African payment card MTN’s $235 million data centre is here; Can it win Nigerians over? South Africa’s trade ministry is negotiating more time with Donald Trump South Africa’s Metrobus goes digital World Wide Web 3 Opportunities Economy Africa launches pan-African payment card to facilitate cross-border payment PAPSS team and other delegates at 2025 edition of Afreximbank’s Annual Meetings/Image Source: Afreximbank When the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) unveiled the PAPSSCARD on June 27, it wasn’t just showcasing another piece of financial hardware. It was adding a new layer to its older idea of bolstering cross-border payments in Africa. The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) was created in 2022 to make it easier for African markets to trade with one another in local currencies. It currently connects 15 central banks and over 150 commercial banks—22 of which are Nigerian banks. The PAPSSCARD, built in partnership with Mercury Payment Services (MPS), is Africa’s attempt to keep transactions, data, and value within the continent, eliminating external payment systems to facilitate cross-border trade. It promises lower costs, faster transfers, and more control over data. Cross-border payments are a big deal everywhere. In Europe, the European Payments Alliance (EuroPA) and the European Payments Initiative (EPI) recently teamed up to explore a system that will allow cross-border transactions by linking up payment solutions across the continent. This isn’t Africa’s first shot at card sovereignty. Nigeria’s Central Bank launched AfriGo in 2023 to push domestic payment options, lower costs, and reduce reliance on foreign card schemes. While AfriGo and PAPSS are local and continental, respectively, they both reflect a shift in how Africa wants to manage its payments. Bit by bit, Africa is bringing control back to the continent. But how will it work in real life? Can a Nigerian in Abidjan withdraw XOF from a local ATM with the PAPSSCARD? Will merchants in Accra or Nairobi accept it? The fine print is still unclear. The PAPSSCARD makes a bold promise. Can it deliver? Save more on every NGN transaction with Fincra Stop overpaying for NGN payments. Fincra’s fees are more affordable than other payment platforms for collections & payouts. The bigger the transaction, the more you save. Create a free account in 3 minutes and start saving today. Cloud Computing MTN’s $235 million data centre is here; Can it win Nigerians over? Image Source: MTN MTN Nigeria has just wrapped up Phase 1 of its $235 million Dabengwa Sifiso Data Centre, its first shot at commercial data hosting. The goal? Keep Nigerian data in Nigeria and reduce our dependence on foreign cloud giants like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure (which MTN itself used to rely on). What’s a data centre and why should we care? Data centres are the physical backbone of the digital world. Apps, websites, banking platforms, even AI models, live in data centres. For years, Nigeria has been shipping its data offshore, bleeding an estimated $350 million annually. MTN plans to reduce such spending and offer local cloud services priced in Naira. This puts it in competition with other dominating players like MainOne (Equinix), Rack Centre, Digital Realty (via Medallion), and Open Access Data Centres (OADC). But Nigerians are not sold… yet, as portrayed by mixed reactions on social media. Some say MTN should fix their network first before attempting to rival AWS or Azure. Others doubt MTN’s ability to deliver reliability. A few are cautiously optimistic, hoping the pricing won’t be out of reach for users. MTN has a strong pitch. An AI-ready capacity, 3D environmental monitoring, and an IT load of over 14MW at full scale. Building a data centre is one thing, convincing Nigerians to move in is another. If MTN wants serious buy-ins, it’ll need to prove it can deliver speed, uptime, and real value, because for many Nigerians, performance speaks louder than promise. Drive your business forward with Doroki Whether you are a retail store, restaurant, pharmacy, supermarket, salon or spa, Doroki helps simplify your operations so you can focus on what matters most: your customers and your growth. Manage your business smarter, start here. Economy South Africa’s trade ministry is negotiating more time with Donald Trump to secure a deal South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa with US President Donald Trump/Image Source: CNBC Africa South Africa has come out to plead with the United States and President Donald Trump to be graceful with his tariffs. On Tuesday, the country’s trade ministry said that it is trying to negotiate a trade deal with the US before the reciprocal tariffs, which Trump announced in April, kick in on July 9. ICYMI: Like Lesotho, South Africa was one of the worst hit African countries in Trump’s new tariff regime. If it kicks in, South Africa will pay 31% extra on all goods to export to the US. This is bad for business as the South Africa-US is one of the country’s most important trade corridors. In 2024, 8.2% of all South African exports—the second-largest after China—went to the US. South Africa is a major producer of pearls, metal stone ores, vehicle parts, and agricultural produce like citrus. As a result, the mining and citrus industries, which employ over a combined 235,000 employees, are two key sectors that could get caught in the Trump rampage. Prices of items made from pearls and precious stones—including jewellery and ornamental pieces—that get imported back to South Africa, could become more expensive. With the high cost, manufacturers of vehicle parts could consider selling sideways
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Algeria and Cameroon pitch themselves as Africa’s next innovation hubs
1st July 2025 Lire en Français Bonjour, Bienvenue dans le deuxième numéro de la newsletter The Next Wave Afrique Francophone, où nous partageons les analyses et informations les plus pointues sur le paysage technologique de la région. Cette newsletter est bimensuelle — le prochain numéro paraîtra le 15 juillet. Inscrivez-vous ici pour être parmi les premiers informés. Cette newsletter est publiée dans un format bilingue : version française suivie de la traduction en anglais. Entrons dans le vif du numéro d’aujourd’hui. Les pays d’Afrique francophone qui alimentent la prochaine vague de startups Nous poursuivons notre exploration des marchés en Afrique francophone. Comme nous l’avons déjà dit, cette région n’est pas en retard ; elle suit simplement une trajectoire différente. Ce que nous n’avions pas encore mentionné, c’est qu’on peut la diviser en trois grandes zones : l’Afrique du Nord, l’Afrique de l’Ouest et l’Afrique centrale. Une telle « zonification » a un arrière-goût de colonialisme, car elle rappelle fortement la manière dont la puissance coloniale — la France — découpait ses territoires sur le continent. Malheureusement, cette séparation reste une réalité. La bonne nouvelle, cependant, c’est que la collaboration au sein de chaque zone et entre elles est en nette progression. Il y a quelques mois, j’ai participé à un panel lors d’une conférence où des entreprises de Côte d’Ivoire, du Cameroun, du Tchad et de la République Centrafricaine échangeaient des opportunités. Revenons à notre sujet : cette fois-ci, nous nous intéressons au Cameroun et à l’Algérie. Nous allons explorer ce qui rend ces pays non seulement prometteurs, mais aussi stratégiquement préparés à une croissance dynamique des startups. Algérie : Le fennec à l’écoute… qui passe à l’action Le fennec, mascotte nationale de l’Algérie, est connu pour ses grandes oreilles, idéales pour survivre dans le désert. C’est une belle métaphore pour l’écosystème tech algérien. Longtemps discret, presque en retrait, l’Algérie semble avoir écouté, observé, et commence maintenant à agir. Aujourd’hui, elle s’ouvre et veut attirer fondateurs et investisseurs. L’Algérie, plus grand pays d’Afrique en superficie et riche en ressources naturelles, devient une destination d’investissement technologique de plus en plus attractive. Avec des réformes portées par l’État, une infrastructure numérique en croissance, et une jeunesse talentueuse encore peu exploitée, le pays offre un potentiel de croissance et un avantage de pionnier pour les investisseurs (bonjour VaulFi). Voici ce que l’Algérie propose aujourd’hui : Infrastructures numériques et modernisation bancaire Depuis le 1er trimestre 2025, les banques sont enfin interconnectées. Cela améliore la fiabilité, la rapidité et la sécurité des transactions financières à l’échelle nationale. Réformes gouvernementales et politiques pro-business L’Algérie simplifie la bureaucratie, offre des incitations fiscales et soutient des incubateurs tech à Alger et Oran, notamment. Ouverture accrue à la propriété étrangère Une rupture avec les politiques protectionnistes passées. L’Algérie veut attirer le capital et l’innovation mondiaux, se positionnant comme un pont entre l’Afrique du Nord et le Sahel. Localisation stratégique et accès aux marchés Située au carrefour de l’Europe, de l’Afrique et du Moyen-Orient, avec des accords commerciaux (UE, ZLECAf, monde arabe), l’Algérie est une base solide pour bâtir des plateformes régionales. Écosystème tech émergent Des startups se lancent dans la fintech, l’e-commerce, l’edtech, l’agritech et la santé. Des programmes comme le Fonds National pour les Startups et l’incubateur Algeria Venture leur offrent financement, mentorat et visibilité. Réformes et incitations fiscales express En 2025, l’Algérie est entrée dans le top 20 africain des pays accueillants pour jeunes entrepreneurs tech, et s’est classée #2 sur le continent. La loi de finances 2025 prévoit Impact d’Algeria Venture & Startup Fund Depuis son lancement en 2020, Algeria Venture a soutenu plus de 800 startups dans les secteurs de la fintech, de la healthtech, de la logistique et des énergies renouvelables. Complété par le Fonds national pour les startups de 411 millions de dollars et la collaboration avec le Fonds d’investissement algérien, l’écosystème attire désormais d’importants flux de capitaux. Croissance pilotée par l’IA et développement des infrastructures : L’opérateur public Algérie Télécom a lancé un fonds d’investissement de 11 millions de dollars dédié à l’IA, avec pour objectif la création de 20 000 startups et une contribution de l’IA à hauteur de 7 % du PIB d’ici 2027. Sur le plan des infrastructures, Algérie Télécom a déployé 265 000 km de fibre optique et plus de 1 400 nouveaux sites 4G, avec 7 000 autres sites prévus Fonds sectoriels spécialisés à venir : Le ministre Nourreddine Ouadah a annoncé, pour le printemps 2025, des fonds d’investissement orientés énergie (classique et renouvelable), soutenus par la Banque Islamique de Développement, ainsi que des extensions IA/TIC. Résumé L’Algérie entre prudemment mais résolument dans l’arène startup. Les bases sont posées : réformes politiques, infrastructures, fonds ciblés, volonté affichée du gouvernement. Le talent est présent, le marché est là. Oui, l’écosystème est jeune et en mutation, mais pour les investisseurs prêts à accompagner une dynamique naissante, c’est l’occasion rare de contribuer à la construction d’un hub tech nord-africain. Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! Get your tickets Cameroun : Résilience et réforme J’ai rencontré de nombreux investisseurs qui disent presque mot pour mot :J’adore les entrepreneurs camerounais. Ils ont ce truc, cette capacité à construire, à présenter leur business… mais je n’aime pas l’écosystème. Oui, le Cameroun a ses problèmes — deux systèmes juridiques, fiscalité lourde, bureaucratie. Mais voici ce qu’on oublie souvent : I can summarize the Ivorian ecosystem with the following: Des fondateurs tenaces Refusant de se laisser ralentir par les difficultés locales, ils pensent au-delà des frontières. En Afrique francophone, ce sont souvent les plus ambitieux et les plus vocaux. Marché bilingue (français/anglais) Un atout rare qui fait du Cameroun un pont naturel entre l’Afrique francophone et anglophone. Villes en pleine croissance Douala et Yaoundé accueillent de nouveaux accélérateurs comme ActivSpaces ou des hubs internationaux comme Orange Fab. Intégration régionale (CEMAC) Grâce à la BEAC, les systèmes de paiement SYGMA
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Why Johannesburg’ Metrobus is switching to contactless card payments
Metrobus, the second largest municipal bus operator in South Africa, is changing the way users pay for their rides. Starting on Tuesday, Johannesburg commuters will use contactless cards to pay for their bus rides: simply register, load money onto the card, then tap in when boarding and tap out when leaving. This new system enables Metrobus to calculate fares based on the actual distance travelled, not just the travel zone. This is all part of Metrobus’s push to modernise and streamline public transport, which it started in October 2024 with cashless payments. “Metrobus has embarked on a digital transformation journey,” said Tshepo Nathan, corporate strategy and business support manager at Metrobus. “This is in line with our strategic direction towards ensuring a digitally enabled operation for the benefit of our commuters.” Metrobus’ digital changes have led the bus to get rid of its old payment system, which was too old to keep up with the advances of technology. “The old system is no longer receiving support from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) due to its age,” he said. “ In addition, the system is not capable of basing fares on kilometers travelled, which is a serious limitation.” Nathan noted that the zonal based fare structure has caused major operational challenges for Metrobus and has had a significant negative impact on the collection of fares. The new system ensures that all services consumed are properly paid for. Metrobus transports approximately 90,000 passengers daily, covering 80 scheduled routes and 130 school routes, according to the City of Johannesburg. Passengers have been using the bus mostly due to its affordability, as compared to the taxis, particularly those who catch the bus twice to reach their destination. Now, every trip will be charged separately, calculated by the distance users travel. But there have been some concerns about the new system making fares increase with users noting that the bus fare is now higher than the taxis to some routes. Angel Mthembu who commutes from Soweto to Lyndhurst, relied on the free transfers, with the new payment system, it means she has to pay separately for going to Lydhurst. “I used to travel from Naturena to Gandhi Square and then transfer to Lydhurst for about R30,” said Mthembu. “Now, since there are no more free transfers and the fares have gone up, I have to pay about R8 extra for each trip. That adds up to around R300 more than what I used to pay.” Siyabonga Mdluli, who travels from Orange Grove to Linbro, is worried about how the high cost of living is hitting commuters who have to transfer buses. He says, “It’s really sad to see that some people will have to pay over R100 more, taking money from what little they already earn”. Mdluli noted that he is aware that there is an increase of about 4.6%, but at least he is not affected by the change to transfers because he can get a bus that goes straight to his work.” Talking about the transfer increase, Nathan noted that it is actually small—the highest fare bump is just R1.26, but for the commuters, it is not the case. Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com
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Talstack is building an all-in-one tool to close employee performance gaps
When Talstack launched in 2022 it looked, at first glance, like another corporate learning portal: a slick catalogue of short video courses delivered by African operators for an African workforce. It was clean, intuitive, and not unlike Udemy or Coursera. “We looked at the landscape and asked ourselves, what’s the fastest way into the system?” said Seni Sulyman, Talstack’s co-founder and CEO. “Learning was the obvious entry point. It’s the lowest-friction problem companies are willing to solve immediately.”  What many didn’t know at the time was that the course library was merely phase one of a much larger playbook: a full-stack people operations platform designed for Africa’s evolving workforce. Internally, Talstack organises this ambition into a three-part framework: learn, perform, engage, and has been building toward it ever since. Learning that pays for itself Talstack’s learning platform is now markedly different from its early version. What began as a modest catalogue of 80 short-form courses has expanded to over 300 across categories like finance, supply chain, operations, and artificial intelligence. Today, companies can mix this content with their own via a lightweight learning management system (LMS), creating structured “learning paths” for new hires, managers, or even underperforming staff. “Companies no longer need to cobble together Excel lists and YouTube links,” Sulyman said. “Now, an HR team can build a full learning program in minutes and track who’s watching what, when, and for how long.”  Talstack claims its real innovation isn’t in the content but in the delivery. Each Talstack course ends with a to-do, a framework designed to drive immediate action. “The goal is that when someone finishes a course, they can apply the concept the next day,” explained co-founder Kayode Oyewole. “That way, even if the employee leaves nine months later, you’ve already captured the ROI.” “We’re not trying to inspire people. We’re trying to help them close performance gaps,” Oyewole said. Last month, Talstack unveiled Perform, its performance-management module. Built to be “the simplest 360-review tool on the market,” the feature allows admins to set up goal cycles, define feedback workflows (self, peer, upward, manager), toggle culture-specific settings like anonymity, and visualize results—all in one streamlined interface. “This might be, even on a global level, one of the simplest tools to use,” Sulyman said during a live demo. “HR teams are overwhelmed. Performance reviews shouldn’t be another painful admin task.”  The product design is informed by painful firsthand experience. “We’ve used global tools. You submit feedback into a black hole. It’s bloated and slow. Our customers were still running review cycles on Excel,” Sulyman said. “We’re making this simple, modern, and useful in context.” What competition? Talstack’s move into performance management puts it squarely in competition with Nigeria’s HR-tech players—SeamlessHR, PaidHR, NotchHR, and others. “We’re much less worried about competition,” Sulyman said. “We’re obsessed with the customer. If they say their current platform sucks, that’s a problem worth solving.”  That customer-centricity guides Talstack’s product philosophy. The startup claims it won’t build anything unless they believe they can do it “three times better” than what already exists. “Payroll, for example, is unlikely to be built in-house anytime soon. If it’s working well elsewhere, we’d rather integrate,” Oyewole said. “The goal isn’t to win alone. It’s to win with everyone else winning.”  Still, Sulyman and Oyewole admit their ambitions go well beyond reviews and courses. The duo’s north star is to make Talstack the single source of truth for every African employee’s skills, performance, and growth trajectory so future employers request a Talstack Score, not a résumé. That score—a composite index based on learning activity, performance reviews, skills gaps, and behavioral signals—is already in development. Every course watched, goal tracked, review submitted, and to-do completed contributes to a talent’s overall Talstack Score. “We want Talstack to be the single home for managing people—learning, performance, skill development, succession planning, everything,” he said. “Resumés are guesswork,” Oyewole said. “The Talstack Score tells the real story—what you know, what you’ve done, and how you’ve grown over time.”  To power this dream, Talstack raised additional (undisclosed) funding in 2024. The startup also raised a $850,000 pre-seed in 2022. The business operates a straightforward SaaS model: companies pay a fixed monthly fee per employee, billed annually or semi-annually. “About 90 percent of our customers are on long-term plans,” Sulyman said. “Only our largest enterprise clients get bespoke pricing.”  The business currently has clients ranging from conglomerates like UAC Foods with over 2,000 staff to construction firms, hospitals and oil-and-gas outfits. Sulyman also notes that Talstack is live in multiple African markets beyond Nigeria. What comes next? The final piece in Talstack’s Operation Software is “engage”, a culture and sentiment layer scheduled for public launch later this year. It will include Employee Net Promoter Score polls (eNPS polls), pulse surveys, and analytics that track how employees feel—not just what they do. Because Engage sits on the same data spine as Learn and Perform, the module will allow companies to correlate morale with learning and performance data, for instance, identifying that a demotivated team also missed its OKRs or skipped key training modules. “It’s about giving leaders the full picture,” Sulyman said. “Not just what people are achieving, but how they’re experiencing the workplace.” Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com
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