10 people share how they use AI in their everyday lives
Ever used ChatGPT to fix your resume at midnight? Or asked an AI tool to outline your next client pitch? You’re not alone. Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just for coders and researchers anymore. It’s already part of daily life, helping people write, plan, strategise, and reflect. To understand the uses of AI, we asked 10 professionals and creatives across several cities how they’re incorporating AI into their routines. Their answers might surprise you and even give you a few ideas. Uses of AI shared by everyday people 1. Tobi – Brand strategist using AI for proposals and brainstorming Location: NigeriaProfession: Brand & Business Strategist When the creative well runs dry, Tobi leans on AI to flesh out brand strategies, build client proposals, and spark new ideas. “I use ChatGPT-4 because it feels like it already understands how I think. I don’t need to provide too much context anymore, it’s become a creative partner.” Why it matters: Once you train your prompts well, AI can become a reliable extension of your brain, especially for tasks that require structure and creativity. 2. Mo – Talent manager building competency frameworks Location: LagosProfession: Talent Manager Mo used AI to create a complete competency framework for an entire department, which would’ve taken hours to build from scratch. “It makes your job seamless. Just plug in what you want and get a starting point instantly.” Why it matters: Structured HR work, like planning, documentation, and evaluations, becomes much quicker with the correct prompts. 3. Jessa – Job seeker saving on resume writing Location: AbujaProfession: Unemployed Jessa uses AI to write and tailor her resumes to different job roles, cutting out the need to pay for professional writing services. “It gives me answers fast. No need to dig through countless websites or pay for help.” Why it matters: Job hunting is tough enough. If AI can help save both time and money, that’s a win, especially when you’re between roles. 4. Gigi – Digital marketer targeting new audiences Location: ZambiaProfession: Digital Marketer Gigi used AI to define the right audience for a cleaning business and to polish up client emails. “I use Gemini. The research depth and sources it gives me are out of this world.” Why it matters: Whether you’re working on strategy or communication, AI helps marketers stay sharp and save time on research. 5. Nwachukwu – Investment banker creating polished presentations Location: LagosProfession: Investment Banker Nwachukwu uses AI daily, from enhancing PowerPoint decks to streamlining complex documents. “I use Claude and Premium ChatGPT. I honestly don’t think I could go back to doing things the old way.” Why it matters: Even in industries where precision is key, AI can help speed up workflows without sacrificing quality. 6. Naya – Dietician simplifying health data analysis Location: AbujaProfession: Dietician at a wellness and fitness tech startup From scoring food databases to writing group texts, Naya uses AI to move faster, though she still edits for accuracy. “I’m scoring foods for health conditions. AI helps a lot, even if I have to fix a few things here and there.” Why it matters: AI mustn’t be perfect to be useful. When paired with your expertise, it becomes a time-saver, not a replacement. 7. Daniel – Visual designer generating images and presentations Location: LagosProfession: Visual Designer Daniel uses various tools from ChatGPT to ImageFX to design visuals, write copy, and create stunning presentations in less time. “AI helps me skip the stock image hunt. That alone saves hours of effort.” Why it matters: If you’re a creative professional, AI can speed up the parts you hate so you can focus on the parts you love. 8. Ada – Entrepreneur using AI for content and self-discovery Location: AbujaProfession: Entrepreneur & Civil Servant Ada drafts social media posts, rewrites reports, and even explores life goals, all with the help of AI. “AI has insights that reflect who I am. It’s become a tool for self-discovery.” Why it matters: AI isn’t just about tasks but also reflection, strategy, and growth. 9. Imran – Frontend developer speeding up backend work Location: LagosProfession: Frontend Developer Even though Imran works in frontend development, he uses AI to handle backend tasks in Node.js, helping him meet deadlines faster. “With AI, I complete backend tasks earlier than expected.” Why it matters: Developers can save hours by offloading boilerplate or complex logic brainstorming to AI tools. 10. Honour – Finance manager learning and communicating with AI Location: LagosProfession: Finance Manager From crafting LinkedIn posts to studying for ICAN, Honour uses AI to make learning easier and communication faster. “It gives me what I need quickly, but I’ve also seen it get some answers wrong.” Why it matters: AI can enhance productivity, but double-checking its work is still essential, especially for technical or academic tasks. You might also like: How I use ChatGPT, other Generative AI tools to work smarter Final thoughts These stories show that the uses of AI go far beyond coding or automation. AI has a role to play in your world if you’re a job seeker, designer, strategist, or just trying to get things done faster. And now it’s your turn: How do you use AI? What tasks has it helped you simplify, speed up, or completely transform?
Read MoreDay 1-1000: PaidHR’s baptism of fire birthed a now profitable company
I first met Seye Bandele, CEO of Nigerian HR tech upstart PaidHR, physically, at last year’s Moonshot event. Bandele was much taller in person than I imagined. There was a self-assuredness about him. Before that meeting, I had interacted with him a few times: once at the launch of the startup’s cross-border payroll products and at another during the launch of its Employee Wage Report (EWA). Bandele is my guest for the second edition of the Day 1-1000 column, and this time we are meeting again over Zoom to reflect on the defining experiences, challenges, and breakthroughs that have shaped his startup from its inception through its first thousand days. Bandele, who’s told me on several occasions that he’s not the biggest fan of remote work, joins me from his neatly furnished office in Surulere, an office he says was designed for his comfort. Before founding PaidHR, Bandele was a business development, strategy, and marketing professional. He’d previously held chief of marketing roles at Konga and Yudala, and ran a marketing consulting agency alongside Chikodi Ukaiwe (now CEO of Salad Africa). During his consulting days, Bandele worked with companies like Flour Mills and, notably, HR tech competitor SeamlessHR. When I ask about whether his time at SeamlessHR revealed a market gap that inspired PaidHR, Bandele says he’s not ready to speak publicly about that transition. Instead, Bandele’s nudge to start an HR company came from his longtime friend and co-founder, Lekan Omotosho. Omotosho, bored of building software for the government, was itching for a new challenge, a problem they could solve together. Bandele did notice problems with personnel administration. While working at Deal Day, he observed how companies struggled with a broken flow of information and communication between management and the wider team. Bandele encountered this problem at multiple organisations, and it became the inspiration for PaidHR, initially ideated as an employee engagement and feedback tool. 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The vision was clear: solve HR tech problems for Nigeria’s small- and medium- scale businesses. Together with his co-founder Omotosho, they spent about three months studying various global HR software companies—Gusto, Swingvy, and Zenitz—before deciding on their product direction. “We were no HR experts. It was just myself and my co-founder talking to as many HR people as possible and shadowing many HR tech products that were already available,” Bandele says. The first version of PaidHR was a direct copy of Gusto, the San Francisco-based company that provides cloud-based payroll, benefits, and human resource management software for businesses in the United States. Bandele loved the business model of YC-backed Gusto, which he saw as desirable. Omotosho, who had over 12 years of experience building enterprise software, built most of the initial product himself over 15 months. The first version was basic: a simple human resource information system and payroll tool that didn’t even automate disbursements. “You’d process payroll, download an Excel sheet, and take it to your bank to pay,” Bandele says with a laugh. Bandele leveraged his network from previous corporate roles to get feedback on their initial product. An HR director told them their initial product was “rubbish” and needed to be rebuilt. This model, based on Gusto, targeted the small business market in Nigeria, which they estimated at 36 million
Read MoreThe invisible walls stunting African startups
Across Africa, a growing number of startups are reaching for the future by leveraging cutting-edge technology to solve real, local problems. From AI-powered tools to fintech innovations, the ambition is clear: build world-class solutions for African challenges. But despite hitting the right notes on market fit and innovation, many of these companies stall. Not because their products are flawed, or because people don’t need them, but because the very systems that should support them don’t exist. There’s a quiet but consistent pattern: as momentum builds, reality kicks in. The truth is, there’s a significant infrastructure gap that too many players underestimate until it’s too late. And it’s not just a “startup problem” — it’s a systemic issue, buried deep within how our economies function. Often, the factors that stall African startups are completely outside the control of the founders, VCs, or even major industry players. They’re issues that more established companies have figured out how to work around, not solve. These workarounds are rarely shared and never scalable. New players that are coming in with all the energy and clarity of a fresh solution get blindsided by the same invisible walls. Take Nigeria, for example. One of the most glaring roadblocks is the lack of a robust credit system. Unlike in the US or other developed economies, startups and consumers alike here cannot rely on a stable financial infrastructure to support scaling or long-term planning. It’s hard to forecast, harder to lend, and even harder to collect. This makes it nearly impossible to build reliable B2C or even B2B models that depend on trust, recurring payments, or creditworthiness. Add worsening macroeconomic conditions like currency devaluation, inflation, erratic policy shifts, and you’ll see how even the strongest financial projections fall apart in months. It’s no longer enough to build a good product. You also need to build for volatility. This is why building in silos doesn’t work anymore. If fintech is thriving but logistics is broken, it doesn’t matter how sleek your payment product is, people won’t get their goods. If edtech is booming but internet access is patchy, your best-in-class app won’t reach the students who need it most. Founders, investors, and policymakers need to stop thinking in isolated verticals. In economies like Nigeria’s, industries must rise together or risk collapsing under the weight of one another’s failures. Yes, this sounds idealistic. But it’s also essential. One of the most promising levers for achieving this kind of cross-industry acceleration is artificial intelligence. Not because it’s trendy, but because of how it can help us close these gaps. Imagine an AI system built to assess students’ abilities and help target their strengths early on. Before now, that kind of tailored guidance required a skilled teacher: someone educated and experienced enough to notice subtle potential. But with the right AI tools, that bottleneck can be removed entirely. We only need to build the system once, and suddenly, nationwide talent development becomes scalable. Students across rural and urban areas alike can be evaluated with consistency. And once you’ve built a system that recognizes and channels student strengths, the incentives shift: you’re no longer just hoping kids turn out great, you’re now actively nurturing them toward greatness. Spray-and-pray education policy has failed us. Just sending kids to school and hoping something sticks is no longer acceptable, especially not in an economy this fragile. But by building solutions that democratize talent discovery, we’re finally in a position to lay a real foundation for the future. And yet, no startup can do this alone. No sector can build this in isolation. The kind of transformation we need requires collaboration across industries: education, AI, infrastructure, telecoms, and policy, all moving in sync. With AI, we can begin to imagine a technocultural society where innovation isn’t just about gadgets and code, but about deeply embedded, accessible technology that changes how people live, work, and learn. Where nothing seems to change at first glance, but everything under the surface is transformed. We’re not there yet. But if we stop chasing isolated wins and start building connected systems, we could be. __________ Samson Odo is the Founder of NodeShift Nigeria, an AI infrastructure startup focused on building Africa’s AI economy. He’s passionate about creating locally-adapted, scalable solutions that drive real change across industries.
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Digital Nomads: This Ethiopian-born 6x founder is building a Web3 game to connect with her roots
I’m a big gamer; not a skilled one by any stretch, but pushing buttons releases certain endorphins that I love to experience again and again. I picked up my phone on a rainy Saturday morning to play Rise of Fearless, a new battle royale peer-to-peer (P2P) game launched on May 3. Kanessa Muluneh, the brain behind the game, had told me there was a launch party that weekend for the game back home in Ethiopia. And when we spoke again on May 14, I was enthralled by the storytelling; Muluneh’s voice carried so much passion in the way she spoke about trying something new. She poured that passion into building Rise of Fearless. My gameplay session was mostly filled with a lot of waiting; first, I had to create a game login, then I waited for what seemed like an eternity to find someone to play with. The game kept buffering and ultimately allowed me to play solo, pending when someone joined the game. In the game, I moved around skillfully with my avatar, craftily performing melees and upper-cutting no one in particular. I collected spears and weapons and never used them, and a few minutes later, the game kicked me out, notifying me that nobody joined the game, and bringing my leisure time to a premature end. A screenshot taken from the game after it logged me out/Image Source: Rise of Fearless mobile game Two weeks later, when I caught up with Muluneh again, this was the first question I asked her: “I like what you’re going for with Rise of Fearless, but P2P battle royale game thrives when people play it; how do you plan to build network effects in the game?” Muluneh told me that she and her team were working hard to fix the shortcomings. Shortly after the launch party, they introduced a game tournament that skyrocketed the downloads on Google Play Store from 100—when I played the game—to over 1,000. “When you look at Africa’s gaming industry, we don’t have many wins,” she said. “But Rise of Fearless could easily be as big as Call of Duty Mobile or Fortnite.” Yet, after playing the game, my submission to Muluneh was that it still needed to improve in many ways, including the graphics, storytelling flow, and an overall pizzazz the game currently lacks—all flaws she is acutely aware of and vows to fix. From Ethiopia to the Netherlands Born in Dire Dawa, in eastern Ethiopia, Muluneh was aged three when her parents left the civil-war-ridden country for the Netherlands. “Ethiopia was an imperial state ruled by emperors before we moved to the political system we have now,” Muluneh said. “When I was young, there was a civil war, and everybody who owned assets was forced to hand them over to the government. So my father left for the Netherlands; he didn’t want to fight.” It was an experience that changed her dramatically, she tells me. Back home in Ethiopia, Muluneh came from money, but when her family moved to Europe, they became poor. They were economic refugees in a foreign country, and rebuilding life from the ground up in a new place that didn’t share their values was always challenging, said Muluneh. Yet, the Netherlands would go on to play a key role in her entrepreneurial journey. Over the course of her entrepreneurial journey, she has launched six businesses and sold four for a combined sum of over $9.5 million. Yet, the most relevant one, she says, was selling a medical tech business at age 21 for $500,000. In 2013, at medical school, Muluneh was asked to identify a real problem during her internship and find a solution. What she found was something no one else seemed to be addressing. Most of the assistants working in clinics were women, and when family emergencies came up—as they often did—it was always the women who had to step back from work. Yet, so much of their job, especially patient triage, was already done over the phone. So Muluneh created a system that allowed nurses and assistants to take patient calls from home, and more importantly, securely access medical records from home too. It was a simple idea, but one that required sorting through legal, technical, and privacy challenges. She was 21. Bright-eyed and young, and with the wind at her back, Muluneh worked with lawyers, software engineers, and insurance advisors to get it right. An insurance company later bought the business, which grew her conviction. She later launched businesses in fashion and women’s football. Today, she wears the investor hat, investing in Web3 technology and blockchain, and advising companies in this sector. Yet, this is not set in stone. “I mostly invest in AI products,” said Muluneh. “I’d say I love spotting problem-solving businesses, because that’s how I started. Right now, I’m at the stage where I’m ready to back traditional businesses in Africa in agriculture and manufacturing.” Press start: Inside the Battle of Adwa The Battle of Adwa is an important part of Africa’s history. During the fateful 1884 Berlin Conference, where European countries gathered to divide Africa in the scramble, Italy, rather unfortunately, walked away with dreams of Ethiopia, even though the country had other plans. What ensued next was a long, raging battle during the 1896 Italo-Ethiopian war period, which saw the African country claim victory over the Europeans. This made Ethiopia the only country on the continent that was never colonised. But importantly, says Muluneh, it inspired other countries to fight back. “It is an important part of history too, considering the role women played,” said Muluneh. “If you go deeper into the history, it was the emperor’s wife [Taytu Betul] who convinced him that he couldn’t give up; she drew the whole strategy and [Ethiopia] applied it and won.” Like the battle, the game will involve players teaming up and fighting enemy ranks with local weapons, and competing on leaderboards. Muluneh plans to monetise the product by offering in-game advertising, putting billboards
Read MoreMorroco’s Sand to Green secures $50K DeepTech grant to turn deserts into farms
Sand to Green, a Moroccan agrotechnology startup that turns degraded land into productive farmland, has won a $50,000 grant at the DeepTech Summit 2025, unlocking new funding to expand operations across Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe. The company was awarded the prize in the Green Economy category at the summit held on May 8–9 and organised by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Benguerir, Morocco. The grant highlights the growing investor interest in the agriculture technology-as-a-service (AaaS) sector in Africa. Similar businesses, including South Africa’s Aerobotics, have received similar attention after raising a total of $26.8 million in funding. The interest in Sand to Green also comes at a time when the Moroccan government and the World Bank, through its Morocco Digital and Climate Smart Agriculture programme and other related ventures, are investing in agrotechnology. By providing much-needed technology to scale farming, investors are buying into startups that can tap into Morocco’s $12.39 billion agriculture market, while still backing technology. Sand to Green’s model blends satellite-driven land analysis, solar-powered desalination, and regenerative agroforestry to transform arid zones into fertile, sustainable farmlands. The company says the grant will fast-track its expansion plans and deepen its reach in markets highly vulnerable to desertification and climate-driven food insecurity. “This international recognition is a turning point for us,” said Benjamin Rombaut, CEO and co-founder of Sand to Green. “It confirms that Deep Tech can be a powerful lever for restoring ecosystems, fighting desertification, and offering sustainable economic prospects to vulnerable territories in cooperation with all local actors.” Founded in 2021 by Rombaut, Gautier de Carcouët, and Wissal Ben Moussa, Sand to Green has raised $1 million in seed funding from investors including Norway’s Katapult and the Catalyst Fund. The company operates at the intersection of two rising global priorities: climate resilience and food security. According to the United Nations (UN), over 40% of the world’s land is already degraded, affecting half of the global population and costing the world economy up to $6 trillion annually. Due to desertification, Africa loses roughly 3 million hectares of forest and arable land each year. This translates to nearly 3% of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth being lost yearly from soil and nutrient depletion, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), forcing the continent to spend more than $35 billion on food imports. Sand to Green’s approach integrates environmental data—soil type, climate patterns, topography—with local agricultural practices to develop customised agroecological systems. Projects are co-developed with rural communities, farmers, and local institutions, a strategy the company says ensures long-term viability and community buy-in. The company makes money by designing and managing sustainable farms that grow high-value crops like nuts, grains, and herbs. It also earns revenue through consulting, land development, and by generating carbon credits, which it can sell to businesses looking to offset emissions. Sand to Green operates in Morocco and plans to expand locally in the Tan-Tan region. The agrotechnology startup is backed by NextAfrica, a trans-continental accelerator run by UM6P and Paris-based STATION F, providing strategic support, mentorship, and investor access to startups. By marrying traditional land stewardship with advanced satellite and water technology, Sand to Green is betting on a model it believes can scale—both economically and ecologically—to meet one of the planet’s most pressing challenges.
Read MoreSouth Africa’s AURA raises $14.6 million to drive U.S. expansion and global ambitions
AURA, a South African lifesaving technology platform, has raised €13.5 million ($14.6 million) in Series B funding to drive its expansion into the United States and broaden its global footprint, aiming to operate in nearly 50 countries within two years. The round was co-led by the Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF) and global venture capital firm Partech, bringing AURA’s total funding to €21 million ($22.8 million). The fresh capital will support product scale, deepen international partnerships, and integrate AURA’s emergency tech across a growing number of consumer-facing applications. Founded in 2017, AURA, which operates in South Africa, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., offers emergency response services through its smart auto-dispatch and routing platform. The platform enables people in emergencies to connect to emergency response via mobile apps and integrated panic buttons with the nearest vetted private security and medical responders. “AURA addresses the challenge that, traditionally, access to private security or ambulance services is expensive and limited to those who can afford monthly contracts and alarm systems,” Warren Myers, AURA’s founder and CEO, told TechCabal. “Our solution democratises access to safety by enabling anyone with a phone to access rapid emergency response at an affordable subscription rate.” Aura operates a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) model, charging a per-user, per-month subscription fee. The company partners with resellers and distributors such as insurance companies, security companies, monitoring centers, and app providers that offer access to emergency response services through white-labeled apps and panic buttons. The company also partners with companies such as Uber, FNB, Samsung, and traditional security and ambulance companies to integrate its technology with armed response and ambulance companies, allowing them to monetise their idle capacity by being available on AURA’s platform. AURA is betting on the fundamental human need for safety and the growing prevalence of mobile phones, which allows them to democratise access to emergency response services at a low monthly cost. The platform currently has 1.2 million paying subscribers globally. In South Africa alone, it estimates that 20 million mobile phone users fall within its target market based on its ZAR 40–ZAR 50 monthly pricing ($2.20–$2.70), suggesting significant room to grow. “South Africa has an addressable market of 46 million mobile users,” Myers said. The emergency response market is growing rapidly in both developed and emerging economies. In South Africa, alarm response revenue is projected to reach $121.4 million by 2025, according to Statista. The U.S., where AURA is now prioritising expansion, represents a $7 billion market, according to Myers. “In markets like the UK and US, police are stepping back from responding to unverified alarms owing to pressure on time and resources,” he said. “This creates a huge opportunity for private sector players to fill the gap.” AURA claims to have pioneered the on-demand emergency response marketplace at scale in Africa and the U.K., and now wants to replicate that momentum in the U.S., where consumer safety platforms are fragmented and largely tied to traditional alarm systems. The company plans to leverage partnerships with major tech brands and insurance providers to embed its technology into phones, wearables, and other smart devices. “Our goals are to make alarm verification faster, homes and businesses safer, and to help law enforcement focus on higher-priority incidents,” Myers said.
Read More“I didn’t know”: The Buy Now Pay Later boom that’s backfiring in rural Kenya
When Grace Achieng’, a vegetable vendor in western Kenya, signed up for a Vivo smartphone on a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) plan, it felt like a lifeline. With no deposit and weekly instalments of $2.71 (KES 350) or $0.39 (KES 50) daily, the deal was attractive: pay in bits, own the device, and stay connected with your friends and relatives. Three missed payments later, her device was remotely disabled. “Imagine your only way of sending money or calling family getting locked,” says Achieng’. “It’s an inconvenience that forces you to borrow from other people or lenders. That’s an additional cost.” Unlike traditional asset finance, which involves lengthy forms, background checks, and slow approvals, BNPL offers instant credit with a few clicks. The ease has made this form of asset financing popular, especially among younger consumers. But the same ease that brings people in has led to a debt regret facing users like Achieng’. Many users find themselves stuck in repayment cycles they did not fully anticipate, a debt trap disguised as convenience. BNPL offers deferred payments for customers who would otherwise be excluded from credit. The appeal is undeniable in a country where formal lending is scarce and most people survive on irregular incomes. However, for many customers in rural Kenya, the fast-growing consumer credit looks more like a risk than a help. BNPL is drawing scrutiny for its opaque terms, digital lockouts, and aggressive collection tactics, especially in a country like Kenya, where regulation lags behind innovation. The trap In principle, BNPL offers deferred payments for low-income customers who would otherwise be excluded from credit. In rural Kenya, where formal lending is scarce and most people survive on irregular incomes, the appeal is undeniable. Startups backed by global venture capital have rushed to fill the rural credit gap, offering solar kits, motorcycles, phones, and household electronics under flexible payment terms. Instalments can be as low as $0.77 (KES 100) per week, and customers can sign up with just a national ID and mobile number. But beneath the ease of entry lies a model increasingly reliant on digital coercion. BNPL platforms use sleek design and persuasive messaging to keep users spending. Push notifications and SMS reminders often dress up new credit as “pre-approved” or frame repayments as part of exclusive offers, pushing customers toward repeat borrowing with the language of opportunity rather than caution. The result is a user experience engineered for ease, which can quietly lock consumers into a cycle of debt. “These companies are not selling mobile phones or motorcycles, they are selling debt at high interest rates,” says Gad Awuonda, a Nairobi-based lawyer and consumer-rights advocate. “I have met customers who do not even fully know what happens when they fail to pay.” The challenge is that BNPL startups like Aspira, Watu Credit, MOGO, Buy Simu Technologies, SunKing, and FlexPay Lipia Pole Pole operate with few regulations that govern formal lenders like commercial banks and microfinance institutions. Many are not registered as financial institutions and, therefore, are not subject to Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) oversight. None of the BNPL providers responded to requests for comments. Regulatory grey zone Since 2021, CBK has been scrambling to create sanity in the digital lending and BNPL sectors, requiring licensing and data protection compliance under the 2021 Digital Credit Providers (DCP) regulations. The regulator also wants to repeal the outdated Hire Purchase Act 1968 —originally designed for furniture and car sales — to allow new legislation covering BNPL. The regulatory grey zone has left consumers exposed. Few understand how much they are ultimately supposed to pay or what recourse they can take when locked out or facing repossession. Disclosures on interest rates — often in the 30– over 100% annualised range — are rare. Contracts are short and largely unread if presented at all. For example, an electric scooter priced at $851 (KES 110,000) in cash can end up costing nearly twice as much under a BNPL arrangement once interest and fees are factored in. For rural users unfamiliar with structured credit, the consequences of default can be harsh. A spot check by TechCabal revealed that BNPL startups disable devices after two to four missed payments, in some cases without notice. While some of the companies market the lockouts as a gentle nudge toward repayment, it is punitive in rural areas where mobile phones and motorcycles serve as financial lifelines. “Most young people who are unemployed buy motorcycles in instalments, expecting to earn some income. What happens when it is switched off or worse, when repossessed,” says Awuonda. Across the country, dusty yards are filling up with thousands of repossessed motorcycles, fridges, and televisions, seized from defaulters and auctioned off by BNPL companies struggling to recover their money. “Modern hire purchase models thrive on information asymmetry,” says Dennis Oduor, a banker based in Kisumu, a city 400km west of Nairobi. “In urban areas like Kisumu, you might have options such as working on a construction site for daily wages. In rural areas, people feel trapped.” Like any VC-backed firm, BNPL startups are under intense pressure to show revenue growth to satisfy global investors. In 2023, African BNPL platforms raised over $200 million in equity and debt funding, most of it to expand customer bases and explore new markets. Increased investor appetite could mean aggressive onboarding and even more aggressive enforcement. The BNPL payment market in Africa is forecast to reach $5.34 billion in 2025 and over $10 billion in 2030. For many Kenyan rural users, the expansion could mean more pain. “We cannot have people who are lending and not regulated by any financial regulator. That’s a ticking time bomb,” says Awuonda. If Kenyan regulators can catch up with innovation, the BNPL startups could still deliver on its promise without trapping the millions of unbanked rural users it aims to help.
Read MoreInside the server glitch behind JAMB’s 380,000 scrambled UTME score
It began with one skipped software patch. Within a few days, the results from 157 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres were spitting out scrambled UTME scores, warping the futures of 380,000 students and sending three-quarters of Nigeria’s 1.95 million test-takers below the 200-point university cutoff. By the time the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) acknowledged the error and ordered a retake, it was in the middle of its worst crisis in a decade, including a reported student’s suicide. JAMB introduced CBT in 2013, phasing out paper-based tests entirely by 2015. The digitalisation signalled progress, yet a decade later, despite extensive investment, the platform still suffers from technical flaws. Students faced power failures, system crashes, and login errors in previous years, such as 2015, 2023, and 2024. But the 2025 crisis eclipsed them all. After the results were released, showing that over 75% of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400—the typical benchmark for university admissions—public outrage followed. Alex Onyia, founder of Educare, who petitioned JAMB on behalf of the candidates, said concerns surfaced on May 9, 2025, when JAMB released the UTME results. Principals from schools using the Educare learning platform noticed alarming discrepancies. Over the years, Educare, a software company that provides school management solutions, has developed a reliable performance prediction model based on students’ learning metrics. But this time, the gap between predicted and actual scores was vast, prompting immediate concern. “We reached out to the most affected students, and their stories were consistent,” Onyia explained. “They faced technical challenges and were confident the scores didn’t reflect their performance. A major issue was transparency—unlike our CBT platform, JAMB’s system offered little clarity, making it impossible to explain the failure.” While Onyia and his team fielded panicked calls from students and parents, tragedy struck in Lagos. Timilehin Faith Opesusi, a 19-year-old aspiring Microbiology student living with her sister in the Odogunyan area of Ikorodu, reportedly took her life by ingesting rodent poison after scoring 190, far below her expectations. In response to the growing outcry, JAMB convened a high-level technical review on May 14, led by Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede and attended by technology experts, including Onyia. The review revealed three major upgrades had been implemented in 2025: a shift from count-based (one mark per correct answer) to source-based scoring, full randomisation of questions and answers to prevent cheating, and new performance patches to reduce lag. Critically, these updates were not uniformly deployed across all CBT centres. “The engineering team didn’t follow their internal testing procedures; if they had, this shouldn’t have happened,” Onyia explained. A critical oversight was discovered: while the new patch had been deployed to servers in Kaduna, it was not applied to the Lagos cluster, which also served the South-East. As a result, 157 centres—92 in the South-East and 65 in South-West Lagos—were using outdated server logic that misinterpreted shuffled questions, affecting nearly 380,000 candidates. “The error went undetected until after the 17th session. By then, thousands of scores had been generated using flawed algorithms,” Onyia said. Beyond the software error, structural issues in JAMB’s CBT network design have also been raised. Each region is supposed to be served by a dedicated server cluster. However, the South-East had no such infrastructure and instead relied on the Lagos cluster, over 450km away. In practice, CBT centres are supposed to function within local area networks (LANs) for speed and stability. Running dozens of centres remotely without high-speed, redundant connections introduces risks of latency and failure, exactly what happened. According to James Nnanyelugo, Educare’s lead engineer who participated in the technical audit, the core issue was not just physical distance, but the failure to properly synchronise system updates within the LAG cluster. “The real failure was in system discipline,” he said. “ We learned that a staff member had previously refused to push an update early enough, only choosing to push them when it was already late. If you are conducting an exam of this size, you need to start early to push an update, so you can stress-test it against any possible risk. But in this case, it was too late—the patch never reached the LAG servers before the exams began.”. Faced with overwhelming evidence, JAMB publicly acknowledged the failure. Professor Oloyede apologised at a national press briefing and announced that all affected candidates would retake the exam at no cost between May 16 and 19. The new schedule was carefully coordinated with the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) to avoid overlap with ongoing Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) exams. For students who complained of difficulty in obtaining tickets that will enable them to access the hall, Fabian Benjamin, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of JAMB, said the admissions board is directly operating the ticketing system to ensure that all affected students get their tickets. “This mistake is directly from JAMB, so we are closely monitoring to ensure no student is left out,” Benjamin said. However, he ruled out any possibility of remarking the answer scripts of the affected despite admitting JAMB could still retrieve them. The 2025 incident illustrates the perils of partial deployment in high-stakes digital systems. While JAMB has invested heavily in CBT infrastructure—including a ₦2.7 billion budget for 2024 alone—gaps in execution continue to expose students to failure. Until JAMB fully decentralises its server infrastructure, strengthens its testing protocols, and implements real-time monitoring, the credibility of its digital assessment model will remain vulnerable. Education experts argue that the CBT model remains the future of standardised testing in Nigeria. Yet, without rigorous quality controls and disciplined systems management, even the best-funded innovations risk becoming expensive failures. Without thorough quality control, disciplined systems management, and a commitment to equitable digital access, innovation alone is not enough.
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👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – Fawry takes flight
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية TGIF. Here’s a weird thought to start your day: your brain is constantly cleaning itself by “eating” bits of its own tissue—a process scientists call phagocytosis. Specialised cells called microglia act like tiny janitors, gobbling up old or damaged cells and clearing out mental clutter while you work, rest, or even sleep. It might sound creepy, but this microscopic housekeeping is essential for learning, memory, and keeping your mind sharp. So don’t lose your head over it—your brain’s just making sure you’re ready for whatever the day throws at you. Coinbase was breached; hackers ask for $20 million Why Flour Mills joined OmniRetail’s $20 million round Fawry’s revenue jumps 65% in Q1 2025 Funding Tracker World Wide Web 3 Job Openings Cryptocurrency Coinbase, one of the world’s largest central exchanges, was breached; hackers ask for $20 million Image Source: Coinbase Coinbase, the largest US-owned crypto exchange, disclosed in a regulatory filing on Thursday that it suffered a data breach. On May 11, it received an email from hackers demanding $20 million in Bitcoin or they’d leak sensitive customer data. CEO Brian Armstrong later posted on X, urging users to remain calm. He said less than 1% of users were affected—still not a small number when you serve over 100 million globally. The hackers reportedly accessed names, addresses, government ID images, and account data of customers. Posing as Coinbase officials, they deceived these users, asking them to send their crypto. Coinbase claims the attackers had help from bribed employees, all of whom have been fired. The company has refused to pay the ransom and instead pulled a Uno reverse move, offering a $20 million bounty for information leading to the hackers. Still, it’s estimating losses of up to $400 million. ICYMI: In February, Coinbase partnered with Onboard to let Nigerians buy and sell crypto via P2P. While Coinbase now operates in Nigeria through Onboard, the recent hack doesn’t affect Nigerians. Onboard manages KYC, compliance, and user accounts, while Coinbase supplies the tech behind the transactions. But the incident also raises regulatory concerns for global crypto adoption. Base—Coinbase’s Layer-2 network—powers Stripe’s new stablecoin payments feature in 101 countries. A hack like this could spook regulators and slow down broader crypto integrations. And the timing couldn’t be worse. Just this week—on May 13—Coinbase was announced as the first crypto firm set to join the S&P 500, replacing Discover Financial Services. The breach could stall that momentum and rattle investor confidence. In Africa, where countries like Nigeria and Kenya are warming up to crypto regulation, incidents like this risk reigniting scepticism among regulators—even though similar breaches happen in traditional finance and fintech. For a company vying to be crypto’s face in traditional finance, it’s a reminder that even in the most secure vaults, cracks can appear. Seamless Global Payments With Fincra. Issue accounts in NGN, KES, EUR, USD & more with one integration. Send & receive funds seamlessly across borders; no more banking hassles or complex conversions. Create an account for free & go global today. 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Before the confetti settles on that announcement, we would like to answer the question that has been on your mind
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Top Infinix phones in 2025: Latest models, specs & prices in Nigeria
If you’re considering buying a new Infinix phone in Nigeria this year, you’ve got plenty of options. Infinix has built a strong name in the Nigerian market by offering phones with great features at prices that don’t break the bank. Whether you’re after speed, camera quality, battery life, or a phone that just fits your budget, there’s likely an Infinix phone for you. In this article, we break down the newest Infinix phone available in Nigeria. We review their key specs, what makes each model stand out, and who they’re best suited for. The Latest Infinix Phone Available in Nigeria (2024–2025) Infinix has released many smartphones across its popular product lines, including Hot, Note, Zero, GT, and Smart series. 1. Hot Series The Hot Series offers good value if you want a solid phone without spending too much. Recent models include: Infinix Hot 40i – Comes in different variants to suit your budget. Infinix Hot 40 Pro – Launched in December 2023, delivers reliable performance and decent camera quality. Infinix Hot 50i – A budget-friendly choice with essential features. Infinix Hot 50 Pro+ – Offers more advanced features than the basic versions. Infinix Hot 50 – Another recent model aimed at affordable everyday use. 2. Note Series This line balances power and price. Some of the most talked-about models include: Infinix Note 40 – A solid mix of performance and key features. Infinix Note 40 Pro – Built with stronger capabilities than the base model. Infinix Note 40 Pro+ – A top-tier pick in this range with a more premium feel. Infinix Note 40X 5G – Adds 5G support for faster connectivity. Infinix Note 50 – Offers solid performance as a base model. Infinix Note 50 Pro – Brings more speed and better camera specs. Infinix Note 50 Pro+ 5G – A high-end model with advanced specs and 5G. Infinix Note 50S 5G+ – Combines style and speed in a slim design. Infinix Note 50X 5G – Another 5G-enabled option for faster browsing and downloads. 3. Zero Series Known for bold design and strong cameras, this series focuses on creativity and performance: Infinix Zero 30 5G – A vlogger-friendly phone with powerful video and photo features. Infinix Zero 30 4G – Offers a similar experience for users who don’t need 5G. Infinix Zero Flip 5G – A foldable smartphone with a sleek design. Infinix Zero Ultra – Features 180W Thunder Charge and an upgraded camera system. Infinix Zero 40 and Zero 40 5G – Packed with newer specs for users who want the latest tech. 4. GT Series If gaming is your priority, the GT series is built to keep up: Infinix GT 20 Pro – Designed for esports-level performance. Infinix GT 10 Pro – Delivers a fast, smooth gaming experience. 5. Smart Series These phones are made for users who want reliable features at the lowest prices. Options include: Smart 8, 8 Plus, 8 Pro, 8 HD Smart 9, 9 HD Smart 7, 7 Plus, 7 HD 4G Top Infinix Models in 2025 We’ll now focus on a few models that stand out in the Nigerian market right now. These include: Infinix Note 50 Series – (Note 50 Pro+, Note 50 4G, Note 50S 5G+, Note 50X 5G) Infinix GT 20 Pro Infinix Zero 30 Series – Both 5G and 4G versions Infinix Hot 40 Series – Including the Hot 40 Pro and Hot 40i These phones have been getting a lot of attention lately, and we’ll take a closer look at their design, performance, camera, battery life, and more to help you figure out which one is right for you. 1. Infinix Note 50 Pro+: Image source: Izzi Boye on YouTube The Infinix Note 50 Pro+ is a standout in the 2025 lineup, merging a premium design with top-tier performance features. It adopts a sleek, flagship-like aesthetic, often featuring a curved AMOLED display and a glass front, with some models sporting a vegan leather back for added sophistication. Its 6.78-inch FHD+ display supports a 144Hz refresh rate and reaches up to 1300 nits brightness, ensuring smooth visuals and excellent outdoor visibility. Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset and paired with 12GB RAM, this device handles multitasking, streaming, and mobile gaming with ease. Running on Android 15 with XOS 15, it supports up to two major Android OS upgrades, keeping users future-proofed. The camera setup includes a 50MP main sensor, periscope telephoto lens, and ultrawide camera, while the 32MP front camera and optical image stabilisation (OIS) make it ideal for selfies and content creation. The 5200mAh battery supports 100W wired charging and 50W wireless MagCharge, drastically reducing downtime. Additional features include 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, an IR blaster, JBL-tuned stereo speakers, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and even an active halo notification light, making it a powerhouse for users who want it all. 2. Infinix Note 50 Pro 4G: Image source: Fisayo Fosudo on YouTube Designed with elegance and durability in mind, the Infinix Note 50 Pro 4G often features an aerospace-grade aluminum frame and glass front, giving it a solid, premium feel. Its 6.78-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and 1300 nits peak brightness ensures crisp visuals in any environment. Under the hood, it runs on the MediaTek Helio G100 Ultimate processor, with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage, making it capable of handling daily tasks and moderate gaming without stutter. It ships with Android 15 and XOS 15, and like its 5G sibling, it promises two major Android OS updates. The camera module includes a 50MP main lens with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide camera, while the 32MP front camera ensures clear and vibrant selfies. The 5200mAh battery supports 90W fast wired charging and 30W wireless MagCharge. Additional highlights include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, IR blaster, FM radio, IP64 water/dust resistance, and even a heart rate and SpO2 monitor, making this a well-rounded option for health-conscious users. 3. Infinix Note 50s 5G+: Image source:
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