“Access to internet should be a basic human right”: Minister Salima Bah on Sierra Leone’s tech ambition
When I spoke to Sierra Leone’s Minister of Communication, Technology, and Innovation, Salima Bah, last February, the ministry she led was less than a year old, and the country’s ambitions, though bold, were still largely on paper. “We are willing to learn how others have done it; we aren’t inventing the wheel,” she said at the time. Eighteen months on, the country has walked the talk. In that time, the government has invested more than $132 million directly into technology and innovation, covering policy, infrastructure, and funding projects like the Universal Access Development Fund. The IMF forecasts report internet users have risen from 1.84 million in early 2023 to around 2.32 million in 2025. In June, the country unveiled West Africa’s first open-access 5G standalone network. But for Bah, infrastructure is just the foundation. “You can’t talk about technology or innovation if your infrastructure isn’t there,” she told me in our latest conversation. “But you can’t just say you’re setting up and use that as an excuse not to deliver. So we’ve been simultaneously rolling out and implementing initiatives.” Still, the government’s tech ambition goes beyond infrastructure and digital service delivery. It’s underpinned by a broader vision: to position Sierra Leone as a regional hub for innovation. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What has changed since we last spoke? What has the journey been like for you personally? A lot has definitely changed. I don’t know if it was clear in the first interview, but I was coming into a brand-new ministry. Some parts of the ministry existed in terms of communication, but technology and innovation were added to the mandate. And there were no structures in place within the institution to handle that. So a lot of work went into setting up the institution, developing strategies, roadmaps, and putting humans in place to lead the work. It’s not the sexiest part of the job. It’s not what people talk about, but it’s critical. Because without that, as they say, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. That’s been really critical for us. But you can’t just say you’re setting up and use that as an excuse not to deliver. So we’ve been simultaneously rolling out and implementing initiatives. Since then, we’ve hosted two annual tech summits. They’ve been critical because, for a long time, the government wasn’t part of creating a platform for the ecosystem. It was largely private sector-led. We wanted to create a big platform to bring everyone together and have strategic conversations about the ecosystem and push the government’s agenda. We just concluded the second one a few months ago. And we could already see the progress both in the ecosystem and the nature of conversations. In communication, too, we’ve seen massive growth. For example, the launch of the Open Access 5G network. And when we talk about digital government, how government can leverage tech to deliver on the national development agenda, we’ve also seen significant progress across sectors. Let’s talk about infrastructure, that’s the bedrock of enabling an ecosystem. What are some of the challenges and opportunities in expanding fibre connectivity? You can’t talk about tech or innovation if your infrastructure is not there. For a long time, that’s what the government focused on. That’s why the ministry was only called the Ministry of Communication. The focus was on expanding infrastructure. Since 2018, we’ve seen an over 75% increase in fibre backbone penetration and international bandwidth capacity. We’ve also improved resilience and redundancy by interconnecting with neighbouring countries like Guinea. We negotiated emergency bandwidth capacity allocation as part of that. In rural areas, the number of mobile sites has almost doubled since 2018. Huge government interest and investment have gone into that. But the biggest challenge is financing. Infrastructure is cost-intensive. The government has put in financing, and so has the private sector and development partners. One lesson we learned from 2018 till now is the importance of creating an enabling environment for private sector participation. No government alone can do this. One of the most significant partnerships we had was the decoupling and privatisation of the undersea fibre cable. It used to be managed by a government vehicle called the Sierra Leone Cable Limited, SALCAB. But managing and maintaining it was a challenge. The government took a hard decision to privatise it, an unpopular move at the time. But now, we’ve been vindicated. The private partner introduced professional standards, and the government now sees returns on the cable. They’ve expanded the capacity from 90Gbps to over 500Gbps, increased the redundancy ring, built a metro network in Freetown, expanded into fintech, and launched OneMobile, a data-only mobile network on an open-access 5G infrastructure, the first in West Africa. We’ve also been able to sustain three mobile operators, now even a fourth. For a population of 8 million, that’s a big deal. Other countries with similar or larger populations have only one or two operators. I think that’s a testament to the government policies when it comes to the private sector. What is the government’s thinking behind its support for the tech ecosystem? What metrics are you using to measure impact? At the last summit, the president did a fireside chat where he talked about this. People always ask why we’re pushing tech so much when we have so many other problems. He told a personal story, how, during his first term as a minister, he had to go back to school, and that’s when he first touched a computer. His classmates were finishing tasks in 10 minutes; it took him three hours. And he traced that back to the disadvantage of coming from a country where opportunities like that weren’t available for everybody. That lesson stuck with him: that if we want to develop as a nation, people must have access to technology. We have to invest in technology and innovation, because that’s the only way that we get to do that. If you continuously become consumers, you’re just consuming
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How one telecom operator keeps users connected along Third Mainland
On a typical weekday morning, thousands of commuters crawl across Lagos’ Third Mainland Bridge, Nigeria’s busiest and longest bridge, stretching 11.8 kilometers across the Lagos Lagoon. Beneath the noise of engines and the buzz of city life lies a quiet but powerful network—one that keeps phone calls clear, internet speeds stable, and mobile services uninterrupted even in traffic gridlocks. At the heart of it is a sophisticated web of telecom engineering designed to connect millions in motion. “We have some sites that are providing coverage on the bridge,” Yahaya Ibrahim, Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, told TechCabal. “But because of the heavy traffic and the length of the bridge, we deployed a special solution in July 2025—a dedicated network designed just to cover the bridge.” This “special solution” involves a series of small but powerful distributed antenna systems (DAS) mounted across key intervals along the Third Mainland Bridge. These antennas, integrated into the larger MTN network, are strategically placed on either side of the bridge and around the median where utility ducts run. Hidden within these ducts are electrical lines and fibre optic cables—critical components that keep the bridge digitally alive. Connecting a city on the move The Third Mainland Bridge is widely recognised as the busiest roadway in Nigeria. According to recent traffic surveys and government data, between 117,000 and 133,000 vehicles travel across the bridge daily. This immense traffic volume underscores the bridge’s strategic importance as a link between Lagos Mainland and Lagos Island, serving a steady stream of commuters, primarily in light vehicles, headed to work, markets, or business districts. Given this level of usage, even minor maintenance or temporary closures on the bridge can cause significant disruptions to the city’s traffic flow and overall mobility. 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 Maintaining reliable telecom coverage on such a critical route presents unique engineering challenges. In most urban areas, fibre optic cables are installed underground. However, that approach isn’t practical on long-span bridges like the Third Mainland Bridge. Boring beneath large water bodies is not only technically complex but also extremely costly. Moreover, the bridge’s dense concrete structure limits space for underground routing. To overcome these challenges, telecom engineers turn to specialised above-ground installation techniques. On the Third Mainland Bridge, fibre optic cables are typically laid through protective conduits—such as fiberglass or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes—mounted securely along the bridge’s underside or attached to its side beams. Fiberglass is often preferred due to its resistance to corrosion, ability to withstand temperature fluctuations, and strength in harsh marine environments, making it particularly suited for coastal infrastructure like this. “Right in the middle of the bridge, you’ll find all the electrical systems and fibre cables running through the utility ducts,” explained Ibrahim.“These cables provide power to the antennas and transmit data for the users on the move.” To accommodate the natural movements of the bridge, caused by heat expansion, traffic vibrations, and environmental factors, engineers install flexible joints and leave extra slack in the cables. This ensures that even as the structure shifts slightly over time, the delicate glass fibres inside the cable remain intact. Maintaining a seamless signal The success of this complex setup is evident in daily experience. As drivers move across the bridge or along expressways in Lagos, their mobile phones perform continuous “handovers”—shifting from one cell tower to another without losing connection. The process
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MTN MoMo joins South Africa’s rent-to-own smartphone market
MTN MoMo South Africa has launched a rent-to-own smartphone service that allows customers to own a 4G or 5G smartphone, from as little as R10 a day, with no credit checks or paperwork required. The move places the telecom alongside the growing group of fintech-telecom hybrids, such as Vodacom Easy2Own, Pepkor FoneYam, M-Kopa, Rentoza, and Teljoy, also offering rent-to-own models. FoneYam alone has helped over 1.5 million active customers acquire smartphones. The total value of the rent-to-own segment—including smartphones and other electronics—was estimated at around R5.4 billion ($296 million) for 2024. This number is expected to keep growing annually, at about 5.7%. The launch phase features 4G-enabled Samsung A05, A06, A16, and A26 smartphones, with more brands set to be introduced in August. The A05 and A06 are entry-level to lower mid-range models, focusing on affordability, while the A16 and A26 provide more advanced features such as higher refresh rates, improved cameras, and 5G support. Customers can access the service on the MTN MoMo App and select the Handset rent-to-own option to apply, paying a small upfront deposit.. Flexible repayment plans—spanning three to twelve months—are available, and once the final installment is completed, the device becomes theirs to own. “Smartphones are gateways to opportunity, education, and financial inclusion,” said Kagiso Mothibi, CEO, Fintech SA at MTN South Africa. “ By enabling rent-to-own through the MTN MoMo App, we’re placing that gateway into more hands than ever before.” This new offering follows MTN’s announcement of a R300 million (nearly $17 million) investment to upgrade its network infrastructure across Gauteng. It also complements the recent rollouts of Smartphone For All, a 4G smartphone offering for as little as R99 to over 1.2 million prepaid users, helping them transition away from outdated 2G and 3G devices, and Shesh@ 5G SIM delivery for home internet. Tandi Kuper, CEO of Airvantage, noted that, “Together with MTN, we are using data science and fintech to democratise access to smartphones. It’s technology with purpose, at scale.” 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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MTN invests $377 million to monetise network, lease infrastructure to competitors
MTN Nigeria is ramping up infrastructure investment to turn its network into a platform for other operators, betting that monetising access will unlock new growth beyond retail subscriptions. In the first half of 2025, MTN’s capital expenditure (excluding leases) jumped 288.4% year-on-year to ₦565.7 billion ($377.13 million at ₦1500), as the company accelerated deployment of 4G sites, expanded fibre rollout, and built out passive infrastructure. The strategy is clear: invest heavily in infrastructure, then lease it out to competitors, particularly mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), seeking a foothold in Nigeria’s rapidly growing telecom market. By monetising assets like its 24,300 tower sites, extensive fibre network, and growing backend systems, MTN Nigeria is positioning itself as the landlord of Nigerian telecoms. Instead of competing solely in retail, the telecom giant is tapping into wholesale revenue by leasing infrastructure to MVNOs and other mobile network operators (MNOs). This approach allows MTN Nigeria to earn from the competition it enables, without the cost of acquiring subscribers. Building for others to ride “In line with the NCC’s vision of a fully connected Nigeria and deeper market inclusion, we have begun onboarding mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) onto our network,” Toriola said. MVNOs typically operate with leaner business models, zeroing in on niche and underserved segments, such as youth markets, rural communities, or industry-specific verticals. Their offerings often include value-added services like content streaming, microloans, or enterprise bundles. Rather than building physical infrastructure, MVNOs lease network capacity from established operators like MTN Nigeria, allowing them to enter the market more quickly and at lower cost. This arrangement expands the user base on MTN’s infrastructure without adding the overhead of direct customer service. It boosts data traffic, increases network utilisation, and generates wholesale revenue, while MTN sidesteps the high cost of subscriber acquisition. One such player is London-based MVNO Lebara, which is set to launch in Nigeria in Q3 2025 using MTN’s network as its foundation. The numbers behind the bet MTN’s H1 2025 performance reflects strong momentum. Service revenue surged 54.6% year-on-year to ₦2.36 trillion ($1.57 billion), driven by a 6.7% increase in total subscribers (now 84.7 million) and an 11.8% jump in active data users (51 million). Data revenue soared 69.2%, thanks to rising prices and an explosive 46.4% growth in data traffic. Voice revenue also gained 40.3%. Infrastructure growth was central to those gains. The company added over 2,300 sites, expanded 4G coverage to 82.4%, and extended fibre into more cities and towns. Smartphone penetration has climbed to 60.7%, further boosting data demand. Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA) rose an impressive 119.5% to ₦1.2 trillion ($800 million), with margins up to 50.6%. Most importantly, MTN reversed its previous year’s loss, posting a ₦414.9 billion ($276.6 million) profit after tax in H1 2025. A key driver of that performance? Smart capital deployment. Capex intensity hit 23.8%, as MTN poured funds into network upgrades, fibre-to-the-home rollout, new data centres, and digital backend systems. It also renegotiated lease deals with IHS Towers and American Tower Corporation (ATC), which together manage over 16,900 of its tower sites. With additional agreements, ATC’s share may soon rise to 26%. Despite the massive spend, MTN generated a positive free cash flow of ₦409.8 billion ($273.2 million), up 18%. Toriola says capex will moderate in H2, aligning with full-year goals while supporting continued cash flow recovery. Why this matters For the average Nigerian, MTN’s infrastructure expansion means better coverage, faster internet, and more reliable service, especially as the company improves power backup and network resilience in the face of national grid issues. For competitors, especially MVNOs and smaller ISPs, it means access to a premium network without the sunk costs. For the telecom industry as a whole, it signals a shift toward shared infrastructure, open networks, and diversified revenue models. Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com
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👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – Chipper Cash sets up shop in Zambia
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Wazzup! One of the most interesting things I saw yesterday was that a Nigerian scientist, Temidayo Oniosun, is sending Egusi (melon seeds) to space. He says he is on a mission to “assess its suitability for nutritional and functional applications in long-term human space exploration.” I am rooting for him. In other news, ChatGPT does not want you cheating on your essays anymore. OpenAI has launched a new study mode for ChatGPT that “helps you work through problems step by step instead of just getting an answer,” according to an OpenAI blog post. The tool gives you guidance rather than serving up complete essays or answers, amid rising AI misuse at universities. PS: If you care about your finances, then you should be attending Zikoko’s Naira Life conference. The conference will bring together finance experts, industry leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs who will share their journeys and offer actionable strategies to make your financial dreams a reality. It’s happening on August 8 at the Jewel Aeida, Lekki. Get tickets here to secure a spot. – Faith Chipper Cash expands to Zambia Takealot takes on logistics with new business unit Lipa Later tried to secure $5 million loan in April South Africa and China buddy up for AI research World Wide Web 3 Events Fintech Chipper Cash brings global money transfers to Zambia in partnership with Western Union and Zoona Chipper Cash cofounders Ham Serunjogi and Maijid Moujaled/Image Source: Chipper Cash, c.2021 Chipper Cash has launched international money transfers in Zambia through a new integration with Western Union and Zoona Transactions Zambia Limited. The co-branded service, now available in the Chipper Cash app, allows Zambians to send and receive money in over 200 countries and territories, via mobile wallets, cash pickup, and soon, bank deposits. This launch builds on Chipper Cash’s 2022 acquisition of Zoona, a Zambian payments platform, and leverages Western Union’s global remittance rail. Together, the trio brings financial services to the fingertips of millions, targeting users long excluded from traditional banking. The service lets customers fund their digital wallet at local agents, mobile networks, or banks, then send money globally with a few taps. Here’s why it matters: Zambia, with over 20 million people and fast-rising smartphone adoption, presents a ripe market for mobile-first financial solutions. The shift from cash to digital is accelerating, and partnerships like this one help bridge the gap between legacy remittance systems and the mobile economy. This move is part of a broader fintech trend: global-local collaborations that blend trust, reach, and user-centric tech. For Chipper Cash—which already serves 5 million users across Africa—it marks a strategic play to deepen its cross-border capabilities and embed more tightly into Zambia’s evolving digital finance ecosystem. Paying 2% or more on every transaction adds up fast. For businesses in e-commerce, logistics, travel, fintech, and more, every naira counts. Fincra helps you save more with 1% NGN fees capped at ₦300. Ideal for high-value or high-volume transactions. Get started for free with just your email address! 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 Logistics South Africa’s Takealot takes on logistics with new business unit Image Source: Takealot South African retail giant, Takealot Group, is turning its logistics arm into a new business unit called Takealot Fulfillment Solutions (TFS). TFS wants to strategically support the rising wave of digital commerce
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Benin’s ambition and Morocco’s maturity are driving the next wave of Francophone African innovation
30th July 2025 Lire en Français Welcome to The Next Wave: Francophone Africa, a twice-monthly newsletter on insider analysis about Francophone Africa’s tech ecosystem. Each edition is bilingual: you’ll find the English version immediately following the French. Bonjour, Bienvenue dans la troisième édition de la newsletter The Next Wave Francophone Africa, où nous partageons les meilleures analyses et informations exclusives sur l’écosystème technologique de la région. Cette newsletter bimensuelle vous donne rendez-vous pour la prochaine édition le 12 août. Inscrivez-vous ici pour être le premier informé. Dans notre précédente édition, nous avons exploré comment l’Algérie et le Cameroun se positionnent. comme les prochains hubs de l’innovation en Afrique. L’édition d’aujourd’hui surfe sur la même vague : un écosystème qui se proclame “prochaine grande chose” du continent, et un autre qui cherche à prouver qu’il a déjà dépassé le stade de simple promesse. Entrons dans le vif du numéro d’aujourd’hui. Bénin : Une puissance d’innovation allégée Bénin : Une puissance d’innovation allégée Secteurs clés : Les jeunes pousses émergentes se concentrent sur les solutions de paiement numérique, les services bancaires mobiles et l’edtech pour élargir l’accès (en particulier dans les zones rurales). D’autres domaines incluent une agriculture connectée (applications reliant agriculteurs et marchés) et la logistique mobile. Au centre de l’écosystème, l’API-An (Agence de Promotion des Investissements et des Exportations) joue un rôle moteur : incubation, guichet unique pour startups, promotion active de l’entrepreneuriat. Divers hubs d’innovation numérique, soutenus par l’API-An et le Ministère du Développement du Numérique, accélèrent les startups en TIC, formation et accompagnement. À l’image de Singapour ou du Rwanda, le Bénin se prépare à boxer dans une catégorie supérieure : Gouvernance native digitale ● Plus de 560 services publics ont été numérisés, du registre du commerce aux licences et déclarations fiscales. Les frictions qui ralentissent les startups ailleurs ? Éliminées. Grâce à la plateforme Beninnovation, les fondateurs peuvent créer et gérer leur entreprise sans jamais mettre les pieds dans un bureau gouvernemental. Réformes politiques concrètes ● L’API-An n’est pas une agence de façade : elle pilote incubateurs, pipelines de financement, appui à l’export, et gère la loi “Startup Label” qui offre exonérations fiscales, réductions de droits de douane et procédures simplifiées aux jeunes entreprises. Infrastructures phares ● Sèmè City, le quartier d’innovation du Bénin, héberge incubateur, laboratoires tech et centres de R&D avec des partenaires comme la Sorbonne et l’African School of Economics. Un Digital Transformation Center cofinancé avec l’Allemagne s’y investit dans la civic-tech et l’entrepreneuriat. Traction réelle des startups Exemples de solutions développées localement : ● Kea Medicals : digitalisation des hôpitaux et pharmacies ● Ze’xpress : logistique locale & paiements mobiles intégrés ● PreciAgri : lien direct entre petits agriculteurs et marchés ● Exportunity : accès des PME aux corridors d’échanges régionaux Maturité du mobile money ● Plus de comptes de mobile money que d’adultes : 1,104 pour 1,000. Plus de 75% du PIB transite par mobile, mettant le Bénin dans le top continental. Talents sans barrières ● Des initiatives comme École 229 forment les jeunes au code et outils numériques sans exiger de diplôme, financées par Blolab et d’autres. Stratégie IA et avenir ● Lancement en 2023 d’une stratégie nationale IA déjà opérationnelle : ○ Chatbot juridique entraîné sur les lois béninoises ○ Collecte de données nationales en fon et autres langues locales ○ Gouvernance IA et partenariats régionaux en cours Appétit pour le capital ● L’écosystème est sous-financé aux stades avancés mais l’intérêt monte. Par exemple, Spiro a levé 50M$ en série B pour déployer sa mobilité électrique au Bénin et en Afrique de l’Ouest. Le label “startup” officiel, décerné en mai à 15 PME de secteurs variés, offre exonérations fiscales, accompagnement, et visibilité sur trois ans — une avancée majeure pour l’innovation béninoise (Décret n° 2023-095 du 22 mars 2023). Résilience Internet ● Selon un rapport de mars 2025, le Bénin (+6 pts à 39%) et le Sénégal (+10 pts à 36%) affichent la plus forte progression africaine en résilience Internet, renforçant l’accès aux services éducatifs, de santé et économiques. En résumé : Le Bénin devient un des environnements startups les plus organisés et pragmatiques d’Afrique de l’Ouest : mobilisation gouvernementale authentique, systèmes digital-first, culture tech naissante. L’écosystème est jeune, le capital reste limité, mais pour les bâtisseurs en quête de stabilité et de réactivité, le Bénin est de moins en moins contournable. Le Maroc, business tout court — à Casablanca, Rabat, Fès, Marrakech ou Tanger Ici, l’écosystème ne débute plus : il accélère. Le Maroc affiche l’écosystème le plus mature et capitalisé de la zone francophone. Force du VC institutionnel ● Digital Fund et UM6P Ventures investissent plusieurs dizaines de millions dans les startups santé, agro, industrie, avec une montée prévue de 7M$ à 50M$ pour UM6P. ● CDG Invest via 212 Founders, Innov Invest (Banque Mondiale), etc., couvrent le pré-seed/seed. Événements, IA & transformation ● Conférences IA à Rabat, engagement des ministères et agences. L’axe : IA, données, numérisation = piliers centraux de la stratégie économique. ● DeepLeaf (vainqueur de GITEX Africa), pionniers agritech IA, ambitionnent l’expansion hors du continent. Momentum du financement 2024 ● 94,96M$ levés par les startups marocaines (contre 33,26M$ en 2023 ; ×3). ● #6 africain pour le montant levé (aux côtés du Ghana, Tanzanie). ● TravelTech (53%), Fintech (# de deals), Agritech, DeepTech (10%). ● 65% des fonds captés par 3 startups : risque de concentration. ● Peu d’investisseurs Series A+, seulement 4 exits majeurs en 3 ans vs. 20+ en Égypte. ● Sous-financement flagrant des fondatrices. Alignement public-privé ● “Morocco Digital 2030” : 24M$ pour créer 1,000 startups d’ici 2026, 3,000 en 2030 ; label startup, simplification administrative. ● Morocco Fintech Center, consortium de 15 banques, guichet unique fintech. Soft power & ouverture mondiale ● Allier la tradition (montagnes, surf, culture) à la tech séduit investisseurs/talents mondiaux. Casablanca Finance City héberge 240+ entreprises multinationales, pôle financier #1 en Afrique. ● Technoparks à Rabat, Tanger, Benguerir (Green Energy Park) : labs deeptech & renouvelables. Taux de pénétration Internet 74%, fort déploiement fibre/5G. Croissance
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The Grace Hopper Effect: A conference set this U.S immigrant on a quest to close the gender gap in African tech
In September 2017, Gabriella Uwadiegwu stepped into the Orange County Convention Centre in Orlando, Florida, and saw the future. The hall, packed with 25,000 women attending that year’s Grace Hopper Celebration, pulsed with life. The Grace Hopper Celebration, launched in June 1994, is one of the world’s largest gatherings of women technologists. The air buzzed with possibility: Melinda Gates, among other prominent women, took to the stage to champion the transformative impact of women in innovation. Recruiters from big tech companies like Google and Amazon flashed polished smiles and interview forms. And a group of women from She++ spoke of a world where tech belonged to everyone. It was thrilling and overwhelming. “Imagine going to a Beyoncé concert and you’ve never attended a concert before,” Uwadiegwu said. She’d grown up in Lagos, a city where dreams were big but often out of reach. At 18, she immigrated to the U.S., landing at a Manhattan community college, where she studied computer science. She recalls feeling like an outsider at first. “We were four or five women, maybe two or three Black,” she recalled. Her classroom was a microcosm of the STEM world. Women occupy only 25% of tech roles, according to a 2023 Forbes report. Black women hold only 2% of tech roles in the U.S.. Particularly for immigrants, language hurdles, cultural disconnects, lack of a network, and financial strain complicate access even further. Uwadiegwu was adapting to a world where the odds were stacked against her, until that serendipitous attendance at the Grace Hopper Conference changed everything. At the event, the 20-something Nigerian immigrant was among a few Black women in the crowd —more than she’d ever seen in her Manhattan classrooms. Before she knew it, she was interviewing with Square, chatting with Google and Amazon recruiters, and accepting invitations to tour tech facilities of prestigious universities like Stanford. The scale of it all was dizzying—opportunity wasn’t just an abstract idea here; it was tangible, a currency passed from hand to hand. Yet, as she stood in that hall, a realisation sank in: back in Nigeria, women like her were locked out of this orbit, not for lack of talent, but for lack of access. 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But she got an opportunity to tour Stanford University, where she saw disorienting ambition among the students. “I’m meeting a Stanford freshman, and she’s programming electric leggings, and it feels so unreal.” She recalls feeling a pang of regret for not taking her SATs seriously—due to a lack of preparation, she tells me, she had failed the exam thrice before scoring just enough to attend her community college. “But just being around [the Stanford students], I could feel the ambition too.” Yet, amidst the dizzying displays of privilege and cutting-edge research, she began to notice something fundamental. “They weren’t much different from me,” she mused. The chasm, she realised, wasn’t in innate ability but in “placement of opportunity.” Stanford, she observed, simply offered “access to a vast amount of things.” It’s a crucible where the air itself seems to crackle with intelligence, compelling everyone to rise to the occasion. “You’re around very smart, ambitious people. So you can’t slack,” she explained. With the weight of her newfound understanding, Uwadiegwu decided to
Read MoreLipa Later sought $5 million from UK lender two weeks after entering administration
Two weeks after entering administration in March, Kenyan buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) startup Lipa Later co-founder, Eric Muli, tried to raise $5 million to salvage its business, despite losing control of its operations to a court-appointed administrator. A term sheet seen by TechCabal shows the company sought a $5 million facility from UK-based Advanced Global Capital (AGC) in April to support its invoice factoring business. The proposal outlined a 36-month term loan with a steep annual interest rate of 14% on funds drawn—interest-only for the first 24 months, with quarterly repayments kicking in from the 27th month. By the date of the request, Lipa Later’s board had already ceded control of the firm’s assets and management to Joy Vipinchandra Bhatt of Moore JVB Consulting LLP, who was appointed administrator on March 24 following months of unpaid salaries, missed supplier payments, and failed fundraising attempts. It is unclear whether the administrator, Joy Vipinchandra Bhatt of Moore JVB Consulting, authorised or was aware of the request. Under Kenyan insolvency law, directors cede control to administrators once a company enters administration. Bhatt did not respond to requests for comment. Muli confirmed the deal to TechCabal but declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing court process. According to the terms, the initial limit was set at $3 million and is likely to increase to $5 million after one year, subject to AGC’s approval. The proposed facility was to be governed under English law, and a “clear repayment plan” was to be a condition of the final agreement. Invoice factoring—where a company advances cash against future receivables—is less risky than consumer lending and offers faster turnaround. Lipa Later was pitching it as a leaner, more bankable product. AGC seemed willing to consider it, but under stringent security and cashflow management provisions. All loan disbursements, repayments, and unused funds were managed through dedicated collection bank accounts acceptable to AGC. These accounts were to be internet-banking-enabled, and AGC would be a co-signatory, with full rights to instruct the bank holding them. The startup would also be restricted from incurring other debts without AGC’s approval. Investors’ darling Founded in 2018 by Muli and Michael Maina, Lipa Later had strong investor backing, raising $16.6 million across 10 rounds, including $12 million in seed funding in January 2022 from Cauris and Lateral Frontiers. Earlier rounds saw pre-seed investments from Orbit Startups in 2021 and Founders Factory Africa in 2019. In December 2023, it announced a surprise KES 250 million ($1.9 million) acquisition of Sky.Garden, a struggling e-commerce platform. The move raised eyebrows because the company was already struggling to pay salaries and had begun defaulting on supplier obligations. By March 2024, Lipa Later had run out of road. Staff were unpaid, creditors were circling, and fundraising efforts had stalled.
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Duniya Healthcare is digitising medicine supply chains to reach Zambia’s most remote clinics
In a remote part of Zambia, a heavily pregnant 17-year-old named Chipego arrived at a Catholic-run clinic in Monze District, south of Lusaka, with a high fever and unmistakable signs of malaria. The nurses immediately recognised the symptoms but had no drugs to treat her. “We had run out of anti-malaria drugs,” recalls one of the sisters managing the clinic. The facility had placed an order weeks earlier, but deliveries to remote Zambia often take far longer than patients can afford to wait. Three days later, Chipego and her unborn baby were dead. For Mwansa Chalo, founder of Duniya Healthcare, this was more than a tragedy. It was a call to action. “I kept thinking, how is this still a problem? Fifteen years later, how are we still here?” he told TechCabal. “This is life and death. Nobody should die because medicine can’t reach them.” Millions of Africans die each year from treatable diseases not because medicines don’t exist, but because they can’t reach those who need them. Africa imports 90% of its medicines, making costs higher and supply chains fragile. Even when medicines arrive in-country, poor roads and difficult terrain keep rural clinics out of reach. For these communities, shortages are the norm. This is the problem Duniya Healthcare is trying to solve. From family business to healthcare revolution Mwansa Chalo, Founder, Duniya HealthcareImage Source: Duniya Healthcare For Chalo, this problem is deeply personal. He grew up in a family that has been in the healthcare business for more than 30 years. “My mother, a retired nurse-midwife, ran her own private clinic and a small chain of pharmacies,” he says. “As a young teenager, my siblings and I would hang around the pharmacies and help her. She’d often call wholesalers to make orders and ask me to go pick them up.” That early exposure to the system’s fragility stayed with him. But ten years ago, Chalo left the family business to strike out on his own, running a cleaning services company for seven years. In 2022, a conversation changed everything. “I spoke to a friend who owns a retail pharmacy. He told me how much he struggles with procurement and deliveries,” Chalo says. “It reminded me of my mother’s struggles and I wondered, why has no one solved this?” That conversation, combined with hearing about Chipego’s death from a Catholic sister, sparked Duniya Healthcare, which launched in 2023. Before building technology, Chalo tested the idea the simplest way possible. He got a list of 20 fast-moving pharmaceutical products from a friend with a wholesale licence, then visited local pharmacies in his area. “I went into the first pharmacy, had a chat with the pharmacist, showed them the list, and explained they could order from us and we’d deliver to their doorstep,” he recalls. One pharmacy owner reviewed the list and immediately placed an order. Chalo wasn’t prepared but took it anyway. The delivery took nearly nine hours as the team scrambled to source products and coordinate logistics, but it proved the concept. “That for me proved that there’s an actual need here,” he says. How Duniya works From those manual beginnings, Duniya has evolved into a dual-model system that serves two very different markets. Urban pharmacies access a web-based platform (with a mobile app launching in August) where they can browse digital storefronts from 13 licensed wholesalers, place orders, and receive doorstep deliveries. The platform operates as a real-time marketplace where pharmacies can compare prices and pay directly. Rural health centres follow a different process. They submit orders Monday to Wednesday, which Duniya aggregates by Thursday into bulk requests. Wholesalers bid to fulfil these consolidated orders, with winning bids delivered to Duniya’s Lusaka warehouse. The team then breaks them down into individual consignments and ships them to rural areas. “It’s the same model telecoms used to expand rural coverage,” Chalo says. “In the early 2000s, telcos faced scattered pockets of demand in rural Africa. It was too costly for each telco to build towers individually, so third-party companies built shared towers that all telcos could use. We make it possible for wholesalers to reach areas they’d otherwise ignore.” Duniya charges wholesalers a commission on transactions rather than end users, keeping medicine affordable whilst creating sustainable revenue. Currently operating with 13 wholesalers, Duniya has been selective about supplier onboarding. “We’ve been a bit slow on the wholesaler side because there’s great demand from them,” Chalo explains. “They’re all coming at us, but we want to make sure we’re not just lumping suppliers into the platform. They need to bring in a different catalogue of products.” The company operates from Lusaka but leverages 11 retail pharmacy agents as local distribution points in towns where Duniya lacks a physical presence. These licensed pharmacies receive a share of the commission for handling last-mile deliveries. But Duniya is more than a delivery service. It is also a data company. The platform tracks order patterns, pricing, expiry dates, batch numbers, stockout duration and mortality from 10 fatal diseases. It monitors demand seasonality and spikes as proxies for potential disease outbreaks, helping spot emerging health crises early whilst informing policymakers. The company is also preparing to tackle Africa’s counterfeit drug crisis, which kills an estimated 500,000 people annually. Duniya plans to integrate artificial intelligence and blockchain into its platform to improve pharmaceutical traceability. “Traceability isn’t optional,” Chalo says. “It’s survival.” The $10 million validation In 2024, Duniya signed a five-year, $10 million contract with the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Africa Health and Economic Transformation Institute to digitise procurement and streamline medicine distribution to 75 Catholic mission hospitals across rural Zambia. Six months in, the results are striking, according to Chalo. Participating facilities have seen nearly 30% reductions in medicine costs, and stockouts that were once weekly are now rare. The impact is notable for facilities like Santa Maria Mission Hospital on Chilubi Island in Samfya district, located 800 kilometres by road from Lusaka, then 50 kilometres across Lake Bangweulu by boat. “We
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Afriex expands to Asia to tap booming cross-border payments market
Afriex, the Lagos- and San Francisco-based money transfer startup, has expanded into Asia’s three biggest remittance markets—China, India, and Pakistan—to tap into growing demand for fast and affordable cross-border payments. The move positions the company to serve a growing number of African merchants and diaspora communities involved in foreign trade or sending money back home. “Our money transfers to India and Pakistan are instant, just like sending money to a friend or paying your Uber driver, and 90% of our transactions are completed in under two seconds,” said Tope Alabi, Afriex’s co-founder and CEO. “Although on China’s side we are not yet at the same level of instant, but we’re getting close.” Founded in 2019 by Alabi and John Obirije, Afriex allows users to send and receive money in local currencies between Africa and other regions, bypassing traditional payment rails like SWIFT. The company has built a multi-currency payment infrastructure that settles transactions in real time, offering services through its mobile app with local banking integrations. The expansion comes as cross-border payments surge globally, driven by migration, international trade, and remote work. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for about 26% of the global $190 trillion in cross-border transactions in 2024, according to market data. India alone received $120 billion in remittances in 2023, followed by China with $50 billion and Pakistan with $27 billion—three of the top five recipient countries globally. Afriex’s offering is targeted at African traders and global diaspora populations who import goods or support families across these markets. Alabi told TechCabal that African businesses are increasingly importing goods from Asian countries, particularly China, India, and Pakistan, making fast and reliable cross-border payments that settle in real-time essential. He noted that high remittance costs and underdeveloped infrastructure have long hindered smooth money transfers between borders. To drive adoption, Afriex waives transaction fees on transfers above $10 and earns revenue from foreign exchange spreads. “We find the very best exchange rates from local currency to foreign currency, and then give that to our customers at a reasonable margin, and that makes sense for both the customers and for the business,” he said. ”If the exchange rates go up and down, the rates on our platforms will also go up and down to match the market and to match the reality.” However, Alabi pointed to key challenges in the new markets, including regulatory compliance and interoperability. While Pakistan shares similarities with Nigeria’s banking system, such as parallel FX markets and low SME digitisation, China poses tougher hurdles, particularly around regulation, name verification, and documentation. “Sending money to China is not as seamless as sending money to the person next to you,” he said. “There are multiple challenges around Chinese remittances like documentation, name verifications, and the language, because everything is written in Mandarin and needs to be translated. Also, multiple businesses can have the same name or a bank account name with the vendor you wanted to send to.” Despite the challenges, Afriex is optimistic it will enable instant payments to China by the end of 2025, matching the speed of transactions in India and Pakistan. Alabi added that the company partners with local firms in all three countries to navigate regulatory requirements and access critical information efficiently. The startup, which raised $1.2 million in seed funding in 2020 and followed up with a $10 million Series A round in 2022 at a $60 million valuation, is gearing up for another fundraising push. “We are constantly speaking with investors and are likely to raise a new round, possibly early next year,” Alabi said. “And any new round would basically be used to expand our growth.” Afriex joins a growing cohort of African fintechs expanding globally to capture new remittance and trade corridors. In 2023, fintech unicorn Flutterwave expanded into India with a partnership with a local bank. Remittance startup LemFi raised $53 million in early 2025 to accelerate its expansion into Asia and Europe. 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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