Author: John Nyabuto

Kenya has been ranked sixth in the latest report on the state of digital rights and inclusion across the continent. The Digital Rights and Inclusion in Africa Report-Londa is the most comprehensive continental assessment, covering 29 countries across Central, East, North, South, and West Africa. In the latest report, the country has jumped three places, up from 9th place in 2024. In the 2025 report, South Africa has retained its top position as Africa’s leading digital rights-respecting country for the second time in a row. It is followed by Ghana, Namibia, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi and Nigeria in…

Launch Africa Ventures has made its first cash distribution to limited partners (LPs) in its Launch Africa Seed Fund I, returning approximately $2.5 million, about 7% of paid-in capital, following 11 successful portfolio exits. The milestone makes the 2020-vintage fund distribution-to-paid-in (DPI) positive, a notable achievement at a time when many global venture funds from the same period are yet to return capital to investors. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. The development comes against the backdrop of a prolonged global slowdown in venture exits and liquidity that has persisted since…

Ghana International Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Greenstreet as its new Chief Executive Officer, subject to the completion of the customary regulatory approval process in the United Kingdom. Ian is one of the most experienced financial services leaders of his generation, bringing more than four decades of international banking, investment management, risk management, corporate governance and business transformation experience. During his distinguished career, he has served as a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Non-Executive Director across a number of leading financial institutions in the United Kingdom, Europe, North America and Africa.…

enza has announced that the Central Bank of Ghana has awarded it a Payment Service Provider Enhanced licence. The award of the PSP Enhanced licence marks an important milestone for enza, Ghana’s financial services sector, and the continued development of regulated digital payments infrastructure across Africa. The Bank of Ghana’s licensing and oversight framework has been developed to support a safe, efficient and innovative payments ecosystem. The Central Bank’s framework states that effective payment system oversight is intended to promote the safety, security and reliability of financial transactions, which are vital to monetary and financial stability, while also promoting innovation,…

Yuno, the global financial infrastructure platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Onafriq to bring Africa’s most expansive payments infrastructure to merchants worldwide. Through this integration, Yuno’s clients gain instant access to Onafriq’s network spanning 43 African markets, nearly 1 billion mobile wallets, 500 million bank accounts, and 2,000 cross-border payment corridors — all through Yuno’s single, developer-friendly API. As businesses increasingly look to Africa as a high-growth frontier, the partnership addresses one of the most persistent friction points in cross-border commerce: the complexity of connecting to fragmented, local payment rails across dozens of markets. By combining Yuno’s payment infrastructure…

Kenyan fintech startup Pezesha has been named among the 2026 Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum. This places the startup in a global cohort of 100 early-stage companies shaping the future of innovation across 23 countries. Pezesha focuses on expanding access to credit for underserved small and medium-sized businesses by leveraging alternative data and embedded finance infrastructure. “As the only African fintech selected in this year’s cohort, this recognition is a strong validation of the innovation coming out of Africa and the opportunity to build globally relevant solutions from our continent. Pezesha joins a distinguished group of technology pioneers…

Technology distributor Mitsumi Distribution has announced its expansion into India, Iraq and Morocco. The expansion was unveiled during GITEX Kenya 2026 and comes as demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity and enterprise solutions accelerates across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Mitsumi says the move positions it to capitalize on increasing investments in digital infrastructure and enterprise technology adoption in emerging markets. “Our expansion into India, Iraq and Morocco is a strategic investment in markets that are demonstrating strong demand for digital infrastructure and enterprise technologies,” said Jagat Shah, Chairman and CEO of Mitsumi Distribution. “These markets present significant…

A new cohort of African startups tackling some of the continent’s most pressing challenges, from food insecurity to climate resilience and digital infrastructure, has been selected for the MassChallenge Switzerland and UK 2026 accelerator programme. The global accelerator announced 193 early-stage startups for its 2026 cohort, drawn from nearly 2,000 applicants. Among them is a notable group of African innovators building solutions across agritech, food systems, AI and circular economy infrastructure. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. Bridge Merchant Enterprise from Nigeria is addressing post-harvest losses by connecting smallholder farmers to…

As demand for mobile connectivity, digital services and mobile financial solutions continues to grow, Airtel Kenya has expanded its customer access network across Nairobi with four new customer touchpoints. The new locations, comprising customer care shops at Development House in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD), Freedom Heights in Lang’ata, Magunas Superstores – Utawala, and at Garden City Mall, are intended to improve service accessibility across some of Nairobi’s fastest-growing residential and commercial corridors. The expansion forms part of Airtel Kenya’s broader strategy to double its customer service footprint across the country before the end of the year in a bid…

Flutterwave has announced a strategic partnership with Tempo to introduce stablecoin-based settlement options for cross-border payments across the continent.  Flutterwave will integrate Tempo as a settlement network across both its consumer remittance product, Send App and its enterprise solution, Flutterwave for Business. Cross-border payments in Africa remain expensive and slow. Remittance fees to Sub-Saharan Africa average around 7%. This is higher than the global average and well above the United Nations target of 3%. With this integration, Flutterwave will expand its payments infrastructure to include Tempo as an additional settlement rail alongside its existing systems. The main goal is to…