Globacom leads Nigeria’s Internet subscriber growth in May
Globacom, the first Nigerian-owned mobile network operator, led Nigeria’s major telecom operators in Internet subscriber growth in May, adding about 1.2 million subscribers as the country’s total Internet subscriber base rose by 2.67 million. The latest figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) show that Nigeria had about 157 million Internet subscribers in May, up from 154.3 million in April. Globacom accounted for almost half of the monthly increase, lifting its subscriber base from about 15.5 million to 16.8 million. Airtel Nigeria recorded the second-largest gain, adding about 1.07 million subscribers to reach 55.8 million in May, up from 54.8 million in April. MTN Nigeria added 382,894 subscribers, taking its total to about 83.5 million from 83.1 million. T2 Mobile, formerly 9mobile, recorded no growth for the second consecutive month, with its Internet subscriber base holding at 802,534. The stagnation comes nearly a year after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved its national roaming agreement with MTN Nigeria, allowing T2 subscribers to access MTN’s network in areas where its own coverage was limited. The latest figures suggest that the roaming arrangement has yet to translate into visible subscriber growth for T2, even as its larger rivals continue to add users. Globacom’s surge is particularly notable as it narrowed the gap with larger rivals, while Airtel also recorded strong growth, suggesting that competition for Nigeria’s growing base of Internet users is intensifying. Osita Odafi, a telecom industry expert, told TechCabal in an interview that Globacom’s gain may have been driven partly by its promotional campaigns and network improvements. “Some inactive subscribers may have resumed data usage because of promotions and/or improved network quality, making them count as active internet subscribers,” Odafi said. Globacom’s ongoing promotions offer existing and new subscribers, including customers switching to the network, opportunities to win prizes. The operator also runs a Welcome-Back offer targeting subscribers whose lines have been inactive for at least 90 days. Device promotions are another part of the strategy, with Glo tying some smartphone purchases to data benefits and eSIM offers. The May figures also highlight the different competitive positions of Nigeria’s operators. MTN remained the country’s largest Internet subscriber provider, with about 83.5 million subscribers, followed by Airtel with 55.8 million. Globacom ranked third with 16.8 million. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
Read MoreGoogle Pixel 11 Pro: Release date, price, and specs
Table of contents When is the Google Pixel 11 Pro coming out? Google Pixel 11 Pro detailed specs How much will the Google Pixel 11 Pro cost? What colours does the Google Pixel 11 Pro come in? Where can you buy the Google Pixel 11 Pro? Google will unveil the Pixel 11 Pro on August 12, 2026, at the Made by Google event in New York City. The phone has not been officially announced yet, but sources and early listings have revealed a lot about what to expect, from the price and specs to colours and where to buy it. This guide covers everything that has been confirmed or credibly reported so far. The short version: the Pixel 11 Pro gets a faster 2nm chip, a new modem that should fix Pixel’s long-standing connectivity issues, a brighter display, and a camera that can zoom further than before. The tradeoffs are a slightly smaller battery, a RAM cut on the base model, and a higher starting price that Google blames on a global memory cost spike. When is the Google Pixel 11 Pro coming out? Google has officially confirmed the Made by Google event for Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 6 PM ET (11 PM WAT) in New York City. The event is confirmed; every other date below comes from leaks. Key dates at a glance: Announcement: August 12, 2026 at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT Pre-orders open: August 12, 2026, from the Google Store and select retailers (semi-confirmed) On sale: August 20, 2026, per leaker billbil-kun via Dealabs The Pixel 11 Pro launches alongside the standard Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro XL, and the Pixel Watch 5. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is expected to follow later, likely around October, based on how Google handled the Pixel 10 Pro Fold last year. Google is also offering promo codes to anyone who signs up for Google marketing emails before August 7, redeemable on the Google Store from August 12. Google Pixel 11 Pro detailed specs Nothing below is official yet. Google will confirm the full spec sheet on August 12. Until then, here is what the most credible leaks and reports are saying. 1. Display 6.3-inch Super Actua LTPO OLED 2,856 x 1,280 resolution Adaptive 1 to 120Hz refresh rate Peak brightness: 3,600 nits (HDR full-screen: 2,450 nits) 240Hz PWM dimming Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Panel: Samsung M16 OLED (via ETNews, reported by Android Headlines) Some early listings claimed 144Hz, but every credible named source including Android Authority, Android Headlines, GSMArena, and Digital Trends reports 120Hz. Treat 120Hz as correct. On brightness: some outlets reported 2,450 nits as the peak, but that is the full-screen HDR figure, not the peak. The raw leak data shows both numbers: 2,450 nits (HDR) and 3,600 nits (peak). Digital Trends and Android Headlines both cite 3,600 nits as the peak brightness upgrade from the Pixel 10 Pro’s 3,300 nits. 2. Processor and RAM Chip: Google Tensor G6, built on TSMC’s 2nm process CPU: 7-core (1x Arm C1-Ultra at 4.11GHz, 4x C1-Pro at 3.38GHz, 2x C1-Pro efficiency at 2.65GHz) GPU: PowerVR Security: Titan M3 coprocessor Modem: MediaTek M90 (MT6986D), replacing Samsung’s Exynos modem RAM: 12GB on the 256GB model, 16GB on the 512GB and 1TB models The modem switch is the most significant under-the-hood change. FCC filings confirm MediaTek hardware across all five Pixel 11 models. The MediaTek M90 supports speeds up to 12Gbps 5G, dual-active 5G SIMs, satellite connectivity, and better power efficiency. This directly addresses the signal and battery drain issues that Exynos-modem Pixels have had for years. The 12GB RAM on the base model is a step down from the Pixel 10 Pro, which had 16GB across all tiers. Google has publicly attributed this to a near-sixfold spike in RAM costs. 3. Storage 256GB 512GB 1TB (restricted to Midnight Haze color only) The 128GB tier is gone. 256GB is the new base. The 1TB model is supported by billbil-kun’s Dealabs leak and the accidental Amazon listing; Android Headlines’ spec sheet only listed two tiers, but the three-tier reading is better supported overall. 4. Camera Rear cameras: 50MP main camera (new “bastet” sensor) 48MP ultrawide with macro support (Sony IMX858) 48MP periscope telephoto (new “barghest” sensor, 5x optical zoom, up to 120x digital zoom) Optical-quality zoom steps at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, and 10x Front camera: Most credibly 13MP On the selfie camera: there is a genuine conflict here. The accidental Amazon listing, reported by Droid-Life, Android Central, GSMArena, and Android Authority, lists 13MP. Android Headlines’ spec sheet lists 42MP at f/2.2 with a 103-degree field of view, which is the exact spec of the Pixel 10 Pro’s existing front camera. Android Central explicitly says the Pixel 11 Pro “ditches the 42MP selfie camera for a 13MP.” Treat 13MP as the most credible reading for now. AI camera features: Night Sight Video (on-device low-light video, targeting roughly 5 to 10 lux) 4K/30fps Cinematic Blur with AI video relighting Cinematic Rendering Engine in the Tensor G6 ISP, reportedly cutting blur-recording power draw by close to 40% “Speak-to-Tweak” voice photo editing Camera Coach upgrade, simultaneous photo and video capture, and a 120x “moon shot” mode 5. Battery and charging Battery: ~4,850mAh typical (4,707mAh minimum) Wired charging: 30W USB-C PPS Wireless charging: Qi2 (15W) A handful of early listings said 5,000mAh, but 4,850mAh is the consensus across Android Headlines, Digital Trends, and GSMArena. That is a slight dip from the Pixel 10 Pro’s 4,870mAh. On wired charging: PhoneArena and Android Authority mentioned a possible 45W upgrade, but that figure is specific to the larger Pixel 11 Pro XL. The Pixel 11 Pro stays at 30W. 6. Design and build Dimensions: approximately 152.7 x 71.9 x 8.4mm Weight: approximately 204g IP68 dust and water resistance Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front The design is a refinement of the Pixel 10 Pro, not a rethink. The camera bar keeps its familiar shape but gets a uniform all-glass, matte-black finish across all colors,
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Nigeria’s 90,000km fibre project awaits incorporation of SPV
Nigeria’s ambition to become Africa’s digital economy powerhouse now rests on a company that has yet to be legally incorporated. The federal government expects to register the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will oversee Project BRIDGE by July 31, laying the legal foundation for one of Nigeria’s largest digital infrastructure projects. The incorporation date will not mark a public launch or the start of operations. Rather, it is the point at which the project company will formally come into existence, according to Jumoke Akande, Project Lead at the Project Implementation Unit, Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy. The company’s final legal name has not been disclosed. World Bank project documents currently refer to it as the “Project Company,” “Project BRIDGE SPV,” or simply the “SPV.” “The final legal name of the SPV is confidential and has not yet been publicly disclosed,” Akande told TechCabal on Sunday. “For now, it is referred to in the relevant documents as the “Project Company”, the “Project BRIDGE SPV” or simply the “SPV”.” Once established, the SPV will be responsible for mobilising private capital, coordinating construction across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and overseeing the deployment of at least 90,000 kilometres of climate-resilient fibre optic networks by September 2030. That leaves a little room for delay. Before large-scale construction can begin, the SPV must complete investor selection, achieve financial close, finalise engineering designs, conduct route surveys, secure permits and negotiate right-of-way agreements. Physical deployment is expected to begin in 2027, leaving roughly three and a half years to build a network that would dramatically expand Nigeria’s digital backbone. If successful, Project BRIDGE would increase Nigeria’s fibre backbone to about 120,000 kilometres, extend connectivity to more than 770 local government areas, and connect thousands of schools, hospitals and other public institutions. The project is designed around a wholesale, open-access model rather than a new retail telecommunications operator. The SPV will provide infrastructure that mobile network operators, Internet service providers and enterprise customers can use on non-discriminatory terms. That distinction is important. Nigeria is not simply building another fibre network. It is attempting to create shared infrastructure that lowers the cost of connectivity while allowing multiple operators to expand services without each having to build its own backbone. The World Bank is providing $500 million through the International Development Association, while another $1.1 billion is expected to come from private and other commercial financing. Additional development finance institutions are also participating, including the African Development Bank with $200 million, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development with $100 million, and BADEA with another $100 million. “All fundraising figures published are subject to a detailed model built by the transaction advisers which will provide guidance specifically on the total amount of funding required for the project,” Akande said. “This is not publicly available. The $2 billion figure used in some earlier descriptions was a broader or rounded preliminary estimate, while US$1.6 billion is the financing envelope formally appraised and approved by the World Bank.” The next phase, therefore, is as much about financial engineering as it is about laying fibre. More than 30 local and international companies expressed interest during the government’s market-sounding and prequalification process, according to project documents. Incorporation of the SPV is expected to allow the government to move towards final investment agreements and construction contracts. The proposed ownership structure gives control to private investors. They are expected to hold between 51% and 75% of the SPV, while the federal government will retain a minority stake of between 25% and 49%. An independent board and private-sector management are intended to limit political interference while giving the company the commercial flexibility required to execute the project. Attracting investors, however, may prove easier than delivering the network. The construction schedule is ambitious. Project plans call for about 17,500 kilometres of fibre to be deployed in the first year, followed by 25,000 kilometres in each of 2028 and 2029. A further 22,500 kilometres must then be completed during the final nine months of 2030. At its peak, crews across the country would need to install roughly 80 to 90 kilometres of fibre every day. To manage the scale of the rollout, Nigeria plans to divide the project into six engineering, procurement and construction zones operating simultaneously. Contractors in each zone would each be responsible for deploying hundreds of kilometres of fibre every month. The challenge will not end with trenching and laying cable. Project milestones also include activating wholesale interconnection hubs, connecting public institutions, reducing wholesale bandwidth prices, expanding connectivity to more than 400 local government headquarters, and building redundant network routes to minimise the impact of cable cuts. The government expects the infrastructure to increase broadband users from about 92 million to 150 million by 2030, reduce wholesale bandwidth prices by 17%, raise fixed broadband speeds to 50 Mbps and connect more than 59,000 public institutions to high-speed Internet. The programme also includes digital literacy training for 37,000 Nigerians, with women expected to account for 60% of participants. Those targets explain why the project matters beyond the telecom industry. Nigeria’s digital economy increasingly depends on the availability and affordability of connectivity. A larger national fibre backbone could enable operators and Internet service providers to expand into areas where deployment is currently uneconomic, while greater wholesale competition could reduce the cost of capacity. But the economics of the project remain exposed to the same pressures confronting much of Nigeria’s infrastructure sector. The World Bank has classified the programme’s overall risk as substantial, citing governance, procurement and institutional capacity challenges, alongside macroeconomic pressures such as inflation and foreign-exchange volatility. Right-of-way approvals present another potential bottleneck. Although more than 11 states have agreed to waive right-of-way fees, according to the ministry, inconsistent local charges and administrative delays could still slow construction. Protecting the network once it is built poses an equally significant challenge. Project BRIDGE will need to secure a steady supply of fibre and ducting while deploying thousands of kilometres of cable across difficult
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AI agents and state contracts power Côte d’Ivoire’s startup push
4 août 2026 Hello , Welcome back to Francophone Weekly by TechCabal, your weekly deep dive into the tech ecosystem across French-speaking Africa. For readers who want to understand Francophone Africa beyond headlines—through markets, startups, and systems. New editions of the newsletter will land directly in your inbox every Tuesday at 12 PM WAT. By default, this newsletter is in French. If you’re reading this in your email inbox, click the “Read in English” button below to switch to the English version. If you’re reading on our website, you can either click the button below or toggle the language selector at the top right-hand side of the page to view the English edition. Read in English Le 29 juillet, le ministère de la Transition Numérique et de l’Innovation Technologique de Côte d’Ivoire a lancé Ivoire Tech Next 15 et Ivoire Tech Scale Up, deux programmes phares qui fourniront 24 mois d’accompagnement structuré à 30 entreprises. Le ministre Djibril Ouattara a également dévoilé la feuille de route 2026–2028 du ministère, organisée autour de sept piliers et 40 projets, et a présenté une troisième initiative, Ivoire Gouv Tech Lab. Les chiffres derrière ce lancement sont éloquents. L’activité numérique contribue actuellement entre 6 % et 8 % du produit intérieur brut (PIB) de la Côte d’Ivoire, et le gouvernement souhaite que ce chiffre dépasse 10 % d’ici 2030. Le financement est : 78 % des petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) interrogées ont identifié l’accès au financement comme leur principal obstacle à la croissance, tandis que moins de 25 % parviennent à obtenir des prêts bancaires. Les PME représentent 98 % des entreprises en Côte d’Ivoire, contribuent à 23 % du produit intérieur brut (PIB) et assurent 23 % de l’emploi formel. Le pays a également investi 250 milliards de francs CFA (FCFA) dans le secteur numérique en 2024 seulement, selon les responsables. Ces chiffres s’inscrivent dans une dynamique d’investissement bien plus large. Le Plan National de Développement 2026–2030 de la Côte d’Ivoire dispose d’un budget de 114 840 milliards de francs CFA (205,1 milliards de dollars) tous secteurs confondus, et il donne à l’économie numérique un mandat clair : contribuer à faire du pays un hub technologique régional. 1. Deux filières, deux profils d’entreprises très différents Compte à rebours avant le lancement des deux programmes. Source de l’image : Lina Kacyem. Le programme Ivoire Tech Next 15 cible 15 startups innovantes opérant depuis au moins un an. L’éligibilité repose sur sept critères : siège social et activité principale en Côte d’Ivoire, chiffre d’affaires établi et en croissance, produit ou service innovant, fondateurs détenant la majorité du capital, et situation fiscale en règle. Ivoire Tech Scale Up vise plus haut dans la courbe de croissance, avec 15 PME technologiques déjà établies et prêtes à changer d’échelle, et les huit critères d’éligibilité sont en conséquence plus exigeants. Les candidats doivent être constitués en société de droit ivoirien avec trois à cinq exercices clôturés, et des nationaux ivoiriens doivent détenir au moins 75% du capital. Le chiffre d’affaires moyen sur cette période doit atteindre 500 millions de FCFA (877,700 milliards de dollars), dont 65% liés au numérique, avec au moins dix salariés et une situation à jour sur le plan fiscal et social. Les candidatures sont gratuites et ouvertes en ligne dès maintenant, avec une date limite fixée au 13 septembre. Les candidats présélectionnés présenteront leur projet devant un jury international, et les lauréats seront annoncés à Abidjan fin septembre. Ce que rapporte une place de lauréat Le dispositif d’accompagnement va bien au-delà d’une subvention. Les lauréats accèdent à des agents IA déployés sur des fonctions clés, recrutement, marketing, finance, RH, décrits par les responsables du ministère comme l’équivalent de deux à trois collaborateurs supplémentaires sans charge salariale, entièrement financés par l’État. Joseph Ribeiro, Responsable pays de la BAD en Côte d’Ivoire et Directeur général adjoint en charge de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Source de l’image: Lina Kacyem.S’y ajoute un volet financement couvrant les mises en relation avec le capital-risque, les bailleurs de fonds, les garanties de prêt et l’assistance technique, ainsi qu’un accès à la commande publique prévu par la loi Startup de 2023, un accès resté largement théorique pour les jeunes entreprises ivoiriennes jusqu’ici. Le ministère promet aussi des mises en relation avec les banques, les opérateurs télécoms et les grands groupes industriels, ainsi qu’une place au sein des délégations officielles aux événements internationaux. Les entreprises sélectionnées auront accès aux centres de données nationaux, à des crédits cloud et à des certifications en cybersécurité, tandis que les participants à Ivoire Tech Scale Up bénéficieront en plus d’un accompagnement juridique et fiscal, d’une aide à l’obtention de certifications qualité, et d’un accès prioritaire au Village des Technologies de l’Information et de la Biotechnologie de Côte d’Ivoire (VITIB), une zone franche technologique offrant des exonérations fiscales et douanières. La newsletter continue après cette publicité. Fondateurs. Investisseurs. Décideurs politiques. Leaders d’entreprise. Moonshot 2026 rassemble les personnes qui façonnent l’écosystème technologique africain en matière d’IA, de commerce, de climat, d’entreprise et de culture. Mettez votre marque en avant dès aujourd’hui. 2. Un ministère avec une liste de partenaires déjà engagés Djibril Ouattara, Ministre de la transition numérique et de l’innovation technologique en Côte d’Ivoire. Source de l’image: Lina Kacyem. La liste des partenaires engagés était extensive, couvrant des institutions multilatérales, des agences de développement, des banques, des opérateurs télécom, des entreprises pharmaceutiques et des fonds de capital-risque. Elle comprenait la Banque mondiale ; la Société Financière Internationale (SFI) ; la Banque Africaine de Développement (BAD) ; Bpifrance ; l’Agence Japonaise de Coopération Internationale (JICA) ; le Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement (PNUD) ; Digital Africa ; Ecobank ; Advans ; Sanofi ; Orange Ventures ; MTN ; Axian Investment ; Roche Diagnostics ; Breega ; elea ; Satgana ; Ventures Platform ; Launch Africa Ventures ; Saviu Ventures ; Seedstars Africa ; ST Digital ; le Village des Technologies de l’Information et de la Biotechnologie de Côte d’Ivoire (VITIB) ; GUDE-PME ; et GOTIC-CI. Plusieurs organisations
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👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – Death, taxes, and crypto
In partnership with Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Good morning. As complex as cryptocurrencies are—whether as cash or as assets that generate returns—countries seem to be finding ways to control them, however they see fit. Nigeria wants to tax crypto and virtual asset transactions the moment they become income, rewards, or payments. South Africa, in another case study, has identified a pattern that could weaken its monetary control system: cryptocurrencies used for cross-border payments. It now wants to set up a capital-control guardrail. Freelancers who earn in crypto from foreign clients, this one directly affects you. Let’s dive in. Become smarter about tech and commerce in Francophone Africa, and the policies shaping them. Read our newsletter here first or subscribe below. Subscribe Nigeria issues crypto tax rules South Africa’s new rules for spam callers South Africa’s capital-control rules for crypto DR Congo walks back on digital tax proposal World Wide Web 3 Opportunities Cryptocurrency Nigeria wants to collect 1.5% on crypto stamp duty tax Image Source: Tenor Nigeria wants to tax crypto before creating a dedicated regulatory framework. In case you’ve lost track of how crypto regulation is faring in the country, here’s a quick recap: Virtual assets, including cryptocurrencies, are now legal in Nigeria. Under the Investment and Securities Act (2025), virtual assets were classified as securities, but since then, regulators seem to have stylishly moved away from that position. An executive order in July established the Virtual Asset Council, which is overseen by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), the country’s tax authority. The move rounded off a process that first began in 2025. As part of that order, President Bola Tinubu said the country would release specific rules around taxation, with payment-like virtual assets now resting with the CBN, while digital assets that behave as securities fall under the SEC. The SEC has also opened its sandbox for digital asset investment platforms, the Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme (ARIP), to nine more firms. From the indications so far, the regulator appears to be targeting tokenisation players and operators or platforms that facilitate the exchange or distribution of tokenised products. Now you’re all caught up. The latest move from the NRS is the next step: making crypto transactions taxable. Under new guidelines, eligible crypto transactions will attract a 1.5% stamp duty, with registered virtual asset service providers (VASPs) required to deduct the levy from the digital asset being transferred before remitting it to the government. The taxman has always found a way to locate you. This time, it is saying it does not mind collecting its share in Bitcoin, USDT, or whatever digital asset is passing through the system. Now the question is: what’s stopping banks from touching crypto, too? Getting paid in cedis just got easier for African businesses operating in Ghana. Fincra now issues dedicated GHS virtual accounts to enable businesses to collect payments. See how Fincra GHS virtual accounts work. Policy South Africa is coming for spam callers with fines of up to $60,560 Image Source: Tenor The next time an unsolicited spam caller rings your mobile phone, heave a sigh of relief knowing that those (sometimes annoying) bugs could soon get what’s coming to them. What’s happening? Under the Consumer Protection Act, direct marketers in South Africa could get fined R1 million ($60,560) or 10% of their annual turnover, or whichever is greater, for unsolicited calls and violating the provisions in the Act. The amendments were gazetted in April by Parks Tau, South Africa’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. What else? All direct marketers must register with the NCC and scrub their calling lists against the opt-out registry before contacting consumers. Registration opened in July 2026, and failure to comply could result in outright bans or hefty fines. Hardin Ratshisusu, the NCC’s acting commissioner, said the rules aim to protect consumers from “intrusive and unwanted direct marketing communication.” The scale of the problem is staggering. Truecaller data cited shows South Africans received 5.38 billion spam calls in just the first two months of 2026—roughly 86 million moments of intrusion daily. Spam call volume jumped 22.9% between January and May 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. The rules don’t operate in a vacuum. South Africa’s Information Regulator clarified that even consumers who don’t register on the opt-out registry remain protected under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), emphasising that telemarketers still need to receive consent before sending electronic marketing messages. While it sounds like a death knell for telemarketing, legitimate marketers can focus their energies on consumers who haven’t opted out. Zoom out: Spam call crackdowns are picking up steam globally, but in South Africa, enforcement is the name of the game. By tying fines to a percentage of turnover, the government is moving away from inconsequential penalties to a model where non-compliance is a serious financial risk. For consumers, it’s a long-awaited shield, and for the industry, it’s a push towards a more professional, consent-based era of marketing. Download PalmPay. Bank smarter. With PalmPay, you can bank with confidence. Enjoy seamless everyday banking with security features designed to help protect your money. Send money, pay bills, and manage your finances all in one app. Learn more. Cryptocurrency South Africa proposes reporting rules for offshore crypto transfers Image Source: Giphy In more crypto news, South Africa’s central bank has made it clear that sending crypto offshore is not just a crypto transaction; it’s the same as sending regular money across borders. On Monday, South Africa’s National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) released a draft manual for cross-border crypto activity, and the message is surprisingly simple: buying Bitcoin locally is one thing; moving it offshore is another. The key distinction: The draft framework says that buying crypto with rand through a licenced local Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP), transferring crypto between local CASPs, or selling approved crypto holdings back into rand would generally be treated
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Nigeria wants to collect 1.5% crypto stamp duty in Bitcoin, USDT
Every time someone buys Bitcoin, the stablecoin USDT, or another cryptocurrency in Nigeria, the government will take a share of the transaction — and it wants that tax remitted in the same digital asset being traded. New virtual asset tax guidelines issued by the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) on Monday impose a 1.5% stamp duty on token-to-fiat and fiat-to-token transfers. Rather than deducting the levy from a buyer’s bank account, registered crypto exchanges and other virtual asset service providers (VASPs) must withhold the tax from the digital assets credited to a buyer’s wallet before remitting it to the government. “Income tax deducted at source and stamp duty shall be remitted to the Service in the originating token of the transaction,” the tax authority said. The guidelines represent Nigeria’s most comprehensive attempt yet to bring cryptocurrency transactions into the country’s tax system. In addition to introducing a 1.5% stamp duty on eligible virtual asset transactions, they effectively turn crypto exchanges into tax collectors by requiring them to deduct taxes in digital assets before users receive their tokens. The framework also clarifies how income tax, value-added tax (VAT), and stamp duty will apply to activities including trading, staking, mining, and other virtual asset transactions. “These Guidelines are issued for the information and guidance of taxpayers, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), Peer-to-Peer (P2P) marketplace operators, tax consultants, financial institutions, and all persons engaged in Virtual Assets (VA) activities,” the NRS wrote. To illustrate how the levy works, the NRS noted: “User A pays ₦1,000,000 to acquire 1 BTC at a market price of ₦1,000,000 per BTC. Stamp duty at 1.5% = 0.015 BTC withheld from token credited to User A.” “Net BTC credited to User A = 0.985 BTC. Seller receives ₦1,000,000 in full. VASP remits 0.015 BTC to NRS. User A later sells 0.985 BTC at ₦2,000,000 per BTC (proceeds = ₦1,970,000). User A receives ₦1,970,000 in full. Buyer receives 0.985 BTC less 1.5% stamp duty = 0.970225 BTC.” The new rules go beyond the ₦50 ($0.037) stamp duty that already applies to electronic withdrawals of ₦10,000 ($7.33) and above. In January, exchanges such as Quidax notified users that the charge would apply to qualifying naira withdrawals under the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA) 2025. “We’d like to share a quick update regarding recent changes under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 and how they affect your Quidax withdrawals,” Quidax told customers in an email on January 15, 2026. “Going forward, a ₦50 stamp duty charge will apply to any withdrawal of ₦10,000 or more.” The latest guidelines introduce a separate 1.5% stamp duty on eligible virtual asset transactions and extend to transactions facilitated through a VASP or other recognised intermediary, where the VASP or intermediary shall deduct and remit the applicable stamp duty. Where a virtual asset is used to settle a transaction that independently attracts stamp duty under the NTA, the applicable duty on the underlying instrument is also payable. For crypto users, the practical effect means buying digital assets now becomes more expensive. Every eligible transaction now carries a 1.5% stamp duty, while users may also incur VAT on exchange service fees and income tax where gains arise, depending on the nature of the transaction. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks.
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JUST IN: Nigeria issues first tax framework for crypto and virtual assets
Nigeria has issued its first formal framework for taxing virtual assets, setting out tax obligations for cryptocurrency users, exchanges, peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms, and other digital asset businesses as it moves to bring the fast-growing sector into the country’s mainstream tax system. In a public notice issued on Monday, the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) said it had published Guidelines on the Taxation of Virtual Assets, covering taxpayers, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace operators and other participants in the digital-asset ecosystem. The framework requires taxpayers and service providers to maintain transaction records, file relevant tax returns, and determine taxable income using the fair market value of virtual assets on the date each transaction occurs. The guidelines also impose reporting, record-keeping and compliance obligations on virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and P2P marketplace operators for transactions conducted on their platforms, in line with the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025. It also goes beyond reporting requirements, outlining tax treatment for income gained from virtual asset activities, including gains made from selling digital tokens, payments received in virtual assets, mining rewards, staking income, decentralised finance (DeFi) rewards, and other forms of digital asset income. The move underscores the first substantive follow-through to President Bola Tinubu’s July 18 executive order establishing a coordinated framework for the regulation of virtual assets, signaling that Nigerian authorities are shifting toward a more comprehensive tax regime as the government seeks to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Push for compliance The tax authority said the framework is intended to provide “clarity, certainty, and consistency” in the administration of Nigeria’s tax obligations related to virtual assets, while promoting voluntary compliance and greater transparency in digital asset transactions. “All affected taxpayers and stakeholders are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the Guidelines and ensure full compliance with the applicable tax obligations,” the agency said in a statement. Nigeria is one of the world’s most active cryptocurrency markets, with digital assets widely used for payments, remittances, hedging against currency depreciation and retail trading. The popularity of P2P platforms has made enforcement challenging for regulators seeking to monitor transaction flows and collect taxes. The framework could also increase compliance obligations for exchanges and other intermediaries operating in Nigeria, particularly around transaction reporting and customer record retention. The publication comes as governments across Africa and other emerging markets intensify efforts to bring cryptocurrency activity within existing tax, anti-money-laundering and financial-reporting frameworks. Kenya, one of East Africa’s largest cryptocurrency markets, gazetted its virtual asset laws on July 24, introducing clear operational rules for startups in and outside the country that target Kenyan users. For Nigeria, the guidelines could help broaden the country’s tax base as policymakers push to increase non-oil revenue and strengthen fiscal administration. True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
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Safaricom’s next billion won’t come from new customers
Safaricom is making M-PESA payments cheaper, increasing mobile data allocations and boosting fibre Internet speeds as Kenya’s largest telecommunications company looks to drive growth by encouraging customers to use its services more frequently, rather than simply adding new subscribers. The changes, announced on Friday under Pata More, a new customer value offering whose Swahili name means “get more”, span almost every major consumer business at Safaricom, from M-PESA and mobile data to fibre broadband, smartphones and customer support. Safaricom already serves most of Kenya’s mobile users, while M-PESA controlled 89.1% of the country’s mobile money market in March 2026, far ahead of Airtel Money’s 10.9% share, according to data by the Communications Authority of Kenya. With relatively few new customers left to acquire, future growth depends on persuading existing users to spend more time and money within the M-PESA ecosystem. Pata More reflects that shift, offering larger data bundles, cheaper merchant payments and bundled services at a time when customers are becoming more selective about their spending and rivals are competing more aggressively on price. Rather than a seasonal promotion, Pata More is designed as a long-term customer value proposition, Safaricom told TechCabal on Saturday. “Pata More responds to the evolving customer needs. Customers are looking for more value, convenience, and support from the services they use every day,” the company said. “Safaricom has been enhancing its offers across connectivity, M-PESA, devices, business solutions and care, and Pata More brings these improvements together under one simple promise: more value from Safaricom.” The battle for everyday payments The most significant changes are within M-PESA, where Safaricom is lowering the cost of making and accepting small-value payments. The company has already doubled the threshold for fee-free payments made through Pochi la Biashara, its payment service for informal traders and sole proprietors who want to accept digital payments without registering a business. Customers can now send up to KES 200 ($1.55) free of charge, up from KES 100 ($0.77), while fees on larger transactions will be capped at KES 50 ($0.39) for 90 days. From August 7, Safaricom will also raise the fee-free threshold on Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods, the merchant payment service used by registered businesses—to KES 500 ($3.87) from KES 200 ($1.55). Businesses transferring money from their Buy Goods tills to M-PESA wallets or PayBill accounts, which businesses use to collect customer payments such as bills and invoices, will also pay roughly half the previous transfer charges. The changes target the millions of low-value transactions processed across Kenya every day, where even modest fees can determine whether customers choose digital payments or cash. Safaricom believes reducing those costs will encourage more merchants to accept M-PESA while giving customers more reasons to pay digitally. “The objective is to make everyday digital payments more affordable and convenient for customers and small businesses,” Safaricom told TechCabal. According to the company, M-PESA Kadogo, its tariff that waives fees on selected low-value transactions, processed 17.1 billion transactions during the financial year ended March 2026, accounting for 58% of all activity on the platform. That means more than half of all M-PESA transactions already come from small-value payments, suggesting the platform’s next phase of growth depends less on larger transactions than on increasing the volume of everyday purchases flowing through its network. The latest tariff changes are intended to remove some of the pricing friction that still pushes those payments towards cash. “By expanding free Pochi transactions to KES 200 ($1.55), capping Pochi transaction fees at KES 50 ($0.39) for 90 days and raising the Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods Kadogo threshold from KES 200 ($1.55) to KES 500 ($3.87), we are empowering small businesses by ensuring they keep more of what they earn while giving customers more flexibility to pay digitally,” the company said. Why lower fees make sense Lowering transaction fees may seem counterintuitive for a business that generated KES 182 billion ($1.41 billion) in M-PESA revenue during the year ended March 2026, accounting for 45% of Safaricom Kenya’s service revenue. But the company is betting that cheaper payments will encourage customers and merchants to transact more frequently, allowing higher transaction volumes to offset lower fees. “Our focus is on unlocking market value for everyone,” Safaricom said. “When services become more affordable, useful and easier to access, customers and businesses are more likely to use them consistently. Lower transaction costs support wider digital acceptance, especially for small payments.” The strategy also reflects M-PESA’s evolving role within Safaricom’s wider business. Rather than operating as a standalone payments platform, it has become a gateway to a much broader ecosystem that includes airtime purchases, data bundles, bill payments, merchant services and credit products. Every additional M-PESA transaction therefore creates more opportunities for customers to use other Safaricom services. The company said it will track adoption of Pochi la Biashara, usage of Pochi Kadogo, merchant activity, transaction values, customer behaviour and feedback from small businesses during the 90-day period before deciding whether to extend and refine the programme. “Success will be measured by whether the changes are delivering real value to both customers and merchants,” Safaricom said. Why data got bigger The same strategy extends to Safaricom’s connectivity business, where the company is increasing value without reducing headline prices. Customers buying the KES 20 ($0.15) daily bundle will now receive 250MB instead of 150MB. The KES 99 ($0.77) bundle increases from 1GB to 1.5GB, while the KES 1,000 ($7.75) monthly bundle now includes 21.5GB, more than double the previous 10GB allocation. The move narrows the value gap with Airtel Kenya, which has spent the past two years competing aggressively through larger bundles, promotional offers and lower effective data prices. Safaricom has avoided outright price wars, choosing instead to increase the amount of data customers receive while keeping headline prices unchanged. The strategy is also visible across Safaricom’s other consumer businesses. Fibre customers now receive internet speeds of up to 2.5 times their previous plans, selected smartphones come bundled with connectivity and device insurance, while commercial drivers can
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The $60 million startup tackling Africa’s travel payments problem
Every year, international travellers spend billions of dollars on African safaris, luxury lodges and holiday experiences. Yet before much of that money reaches the businesses providing those experiences, a portion is lost to payment processing fees, foreign exchange charges and the cost of moving money across borders. For African tourism operators, getting paid can be surprisingly expensive. TurnStay, a South African fintech that helps travel businesses accept payments from international guests, believes that problem has been overlooked for too long. Alon Stern, TurnStay’s chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder, said the three-year-old startup processed over R1 billion ($60.6 million) in travel payments during the first six months of 2026. The company provides payment infrastructure for hotels, safari lodges, tour operators and villa agencies, helping them reduce the cost of accepting international bookings. The milestone underscores a broader challenge facing Africa’s tourism sector. While many operators compete for the same global travellers as hotels and tour companies elsewhere in the world, they often pay significantly more simply to receive payment. Card network fees, foreign exchange spreads, cross-border acquiring costs, and can collectively consume a meaningful share of booking revenue, eroding margins and reducing the amount of tourism income that ultimately remains on the continent. “Getting paid can be expensive in the travel industry, and for a long time African merchants have carried a much heavier cost than their overseas counterparts for doing exactly the same job,” said Stern. He stated that traditional payment processing for international travel bookings can cost African merchants as much as 8% of a transaction. By combining a merchant-of-record model with modern payment rails, including stablecoins for cross-border settlement, TurnStay says it can reduce fees to as little as 1.6%. “The less merchants pay in fees, the more money stays in Africa,” Stern said. “That’s the philosophy behind everything we build. The experiences African travel businesses offer are already world-class. We think the payment infrastructure behind them should be too.” Rather than relying solely on traditional banking infrastructure, TurnStay uses digital payment rails to move money across borders faster and at lower cost before settling funds with merchants. “Global platforms have used this model for years,” stated Stern. “But what we have done is bring that same infrastructure to African travel merchants directly, so a lodge or tour operator doesn’t have to be the size of Airbnb to access it.” The company counts luxury hospitality brands including Singita, Londolozi, Safari.com and The Capital among its customers, with operations expanding beyond South Africa into Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and Mauritius. TurnStay raised a $300,000 pre-seed round in 2024 followed by a $2 million seed round in 2025 and is now preparing for a Series A fundraising round to accelerate its pan-African expansion. For Stern, the company’s rapid growth is less about payment volumes than correcting a structural imbalance in Africa’s tourism economy. “Three years ago there were two of us and an idea,” he said. “Now we’re processing over a billion rand every six months for some of the best-known names in African travel, and we have just begun.” True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
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Digital Nomads: How a Nigerian tutor relocated to Thailand on a $500 visa
Ava Anthony arrived in Thailand expecting little more than a holiday. What she found instead unsettled the way she thought about music. One evening, inside a jazz bar, she watched performers whose ease on stage felt almost rehearsed into instinct. Beyond the live performances, she discovered an industry built on years of deliberate preparation, in which aspiring artists could spend seven to nine years training before a record label would consider them ready to debut. For Anthony, a Nigerian singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name ‘Denle,’ the experience raised an uncomfortable question. If Afrobeats has become one of the world’s fastest-growing music genres with far less formal preparation, what could it become if artists developed within similarly structured systems? “There’s a structure that Asia has been able to incorporate,” Anthony told TechCabal. “I’m also taking a look at the numbers and the statistics comparing that to Afrobeats, and the stat is alarming—how they’re doing like 30 to 100 billion streams in a year, and Afrobeats is just doing like 30 [billion streams].” It was an unlikely realisation for someone who had travelled to Thailand on a modest budget, intending to teach English while experiencing life in a different country. Yet that journey would leave her thinking as much about Nigeria’s creative economy as her own career. The irony is that Anthony’s relationship with music began in a far less structured setting. Growing up, mornings in her family home often began with the voices of Nigerian gospel singer Panam Percy Paul or American country musician Jim Reeves drifting through the house. Both of her parents sang in the church choir—her mother still does—and music was woven so naturally into family life that she scarcely noticed its influence. She certainly didn’t imagine it would become the opening chapter of a life that would take her from studying electrical and electronics engineering to working as a digital strategist for major Nigerian brands, teaching English in Thailand and pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter. Nor did she expect that travelling halfway across the world would fundamentally reshape how she thought about the future of African music. From church choirs to campus busking sessions Long before Chiang Mai, there was a 13-year-old girl discovering that her voice could move people. Anthony says she first realised she might actually be able to sing after performing a solo in her church’s children’s choir. Afterwards, a woman approached her mother and remarked in Yoruba, “What a voice your daughter has.” Anthony remembers that moment as a turning point. Encouraged by her mother, what began as a fascination with music gradually evolved into writing original songs while she was still in secondary school. She sang Disney songs alone in her room, joined the school choir and continued writing. Her mother supported her ambitions but insisted that education came first. “Once you get that certificate, then you can go into music,” they told her, according to Anthony. At Landmark University in Kwara State in southwestern Nigeria, she studied Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering; she met a guitarist who shared her enthusiasm for performing. Together, they began holding informal Saturday evening busking sessions behind one of the campus cafeterias. What began as two students playing music gradually attracted regular audiences of between 15 and 20 people. “It became an every-Saturday thing,” she said. “That was when I started thinking, ‘okay, I can actually do this in real life.’” After graduating in 2015, the guitarist—Damilola Aalabi ‘Isama’—became her manager, and she began attending recording camps that helped launch her music career. One of the clearest confirmations that she was on the right path came during a recording session for an unreleased song titled Magnificent, performed under her stage name, Denle. She sent the song to her sister in the United Kingdom, who called back in tears. Written for Black girls navigating questions of beauty, race and self-worth, the song resonated deeply with her sister’s experience of living as a Black minority in Britain. That conversation reinforced Anthony’s sense of purpose. “I feel like I was given this gift and this talent to be able not just for myself but for people.” After university, Anthony was posted for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Nigeria’s compulsory one-year national service programme, to Brotherhood Secondary School in Ibesikpo Asutan, Akwa Ibom State, in southern Nigeria. The public school bore little resemblance to the private schools she had attended. She says she arrived on her first day convinced the students would mock her accent. Despite having no formal training as an English teacher, she found herself teaching the subject anyway. Rather than retreat, she leaned into the challenge. One lesson at a time, she built a rapport with her students. She asked what they hoped to become, shared stories of people who had overcome difficult circumstances and, every so often, ended lessons by singing. “Before I leave the class, [the kids] would say, ‘Teacher, teacher, sing one more song,’” she said. “It felt like a beautiful merger: teaching and music.” Teaching may have become her profession, but music never stopped being her ambition. The strategist behind the songs After completing national service, Anthony built a career in digital strategy. Between 2016 and 2020, she said she worked in advertising and branding, developing campaigns for clients including Nigerian tier-one lenders Access Bank and Zenith Bank. She later served as a community manager on a Lagos State gubernatorial campaign that challenged incoming governor Jimi Agbaje in 2019, according to Anthony. Those years gave her something many emerging musicians never acquire: a practical understanding of digital communities, audience development and brand positioning. “I realised that it’s not just for corporate sectors,” she said. “You can actually put that into music and entertainment, into a person.” By 2020, Anthony was ready for another chapter. She had secured admission to the University of Ilorin Business School to pursue a master’s degree, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans before the programme could begin. “In 2020, I secured admission into the
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