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Dare Odumade (Founder, Chekkit) Chekkit Technologies Corp. has joined forces with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and GS1 in an attempt to safeguard the food and drug supply chain across Africa and the Middle East. Says Chekkit founder & CEO, Dare Odumade: “Our labels with blockchain secured QR/ PIN are visible on several products today for you to scan the Quick Response code (QR) or dial the PIN on USSD to verify product authenticity. Verify 5 products, get N100 airtime instantly!” 🎥 Chekkit Chekkit’s plan to launch a Track & Trace SaaS platform early in Q1 2024 will ensure…

Odogwu ‘Dozy’ Mmobuosi Banye, tech entrepreneur and co-CEO at Tingo (an African-focused agritech startup listed on the US stock exchange), has temporarily stepped down following fraud charges filed against him by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company publicly announced this decision on Thursday, December 21, 2023. According to statement released by Tingo: “By mutual agreement with the Company’s Board of Directors, Mmobuosi will remain stood down until cleared of the allegations made against him.” Tingo’s other co-CEO, Ken Denos, will serve as its interim group CEO until further notice. Mmobuosi, in addition to three other US-based entities…

Justin Welsh 📸 Justin Welsh (self-described as ‘the diversified solopreneur, building his one-person business to $5M in revenue’) has just shared his eight best guesses on the creator economy headed into 2024:1. Top performers across the board will recognize an opportunity to make more money and have a much larger impact building their own brand & business than working for someone else. This will accelerate rapidly in 2024.2. At the same time, many people who have been spinning their wheels as creators for a few years (and failing) will give up and ditch social media altogether for mental health improvement.3.…

Eleora Ogundare (Founder, Eleora Beauty) 📸 Eleorabeauty.com Eleora Ogundare founded Eleora Beauty Inc. in response to the health challenges she was faced with. Born with sickle cell anemia, Eleora went through an excruciating stem cell transplant, as well as chemotherapy, which caused her to lose her hair. Despite successful intervention for her illness, having to live with hair loss caused Eleora’s self-confidence to plummet. But she dug deep, and instead decided to turn her challenges into action that would benefit anyone suffering the same dilemma as she had. 🎥 @eleorabautyinc With the help of her mother, she created the Eleora Beauty,…

Edith Chekwube Ezema (Plant Scientist and Organic Farmer) 📸Edith Ezema Africa has 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, with the agriculture sector accounting for 35 per cent of the continent’s GDP, while employing more Africans than any other sector. So why does the continent spend a staggering US$78 billion of scarce foreign currency on food imports each year, with some countries such as Zimbabwe, Guinea and Sudan exceeding 100 percent of their annual foreign currency receipts? As countries across sub-Saharan Africa grapple with the challenges of sustaining high levels of economic growth, plunging commodity prices, and the effects of climate…

Toyin Sanni (Founder & CEO, Emerging Africa Group) Despite global economic upheavals and statistics that show a nose-dive in funds available to startups in Africa, these Venture Capitalists, who announced their funds early in 2023, continue to be bullish about opportunities in the African tech sector: Source: Afridigest • Aduna Capital – Surayyah Ahmad Sani, Sanusi Ismaila• Afri-Venture Capital Company – Nasir El-Rufai• Black Ostrich Ventures – Ajani Windsor-Areago• Emerging Africa Group (Emerging Africa Technology Fund) – Toyin F Sanni and Toni Sanni• Plesion Capital – Ben Finlay

(L-R): Belal EL-Megharbel (Co-Founder & CEO, MaxAB) and Daniel Yu (Founder & CEO, Wasoko) Kenya’s Wasoko and Egypt’s MaxAB have just announced that they are in merger talks, signing preliminary terms which could signal that the largest merger ever in African tech may be in the horizon. Both Wasoko and MaxAB operate in the same B2B e-commerce space, offering informal ‘mom & pop’ retailers (their major clients) an app that ensures they can re-order essential goods (such as rice, flour, and soap), and have the items delivered within a few days. The two companies also offer financing that enables merchants order goods…

Tosin Oshinowo (Founder, Oshinowo Studios) It has been a brilliant 2023 for Ọshinówò Studio (a top architectural firm in Lagos offering international architecture, architectural design and build, studio design), celebrating 10 years in business, and including a name change from CmDesign Atelier to Ọshinówò Studio.   Lantern House,  ADIDAS flagship in Lagos 🎥@tosinoshinowo Led by founder, Tosin Oshinowo, the Studio completed the Lantern House,  ADIDAS flagship in Lagos, while Tosin herself curated the second Sharjah Architecture Triennial in the UAE. In 2024, Ọshinówò Studio look forward to completing its projects for Goethe Institut and UNDP in Lagos, as well as…

Edmund Olotu (Founder & CEO, Bloc Bloc, a rising African fintech startup recently announced the launch of its flagship business banking solution, catering specifically to the needs of tech-savvy businesses across the continent. As a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider that has empowered hundreds of startups with embedded financial services, Bloc Business Banking offers a comprehensive suite of financial services that include: Essential Banking Services: Corporate accounts, transfers, virtual cards, and more powered by licensed banks. Advanced Features: USD accounts, global payment acceptance, bill payment, custom checkout, and payment links. Seamless Integration: Bloc integrates seamlessly with existing business workflows and platforms. Says…

Kareem Elsirafy (Managing Partner, Modus Capital) In November 2023, startups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region secured a significant funding milestone, raising $764 million across 42 funding rounds. This reflects a remarkable month-on-month increase of 390% and a substantial year-on-year growth of 74%. Saudi Arabia took the lead by securing the top spot, raising an impressive $338 million across nine deals The UAE followed closely in second place, accumulating $284 million across 22 deals Egypt maintained the third position, raising $130.5 million through five funding rounds The remaining capital was allocated to startups based in Kuwait, Morocco,…