Author: Kaluka wanjala

IZI has today announced significant milestones in its mission to electrify Rwanda’s public transport sector. In just four months of operation, IZI’s initial fleet of five electric buses has demonstrated remarkable success. The buses have travelled over 74,000 electric kilometres, carried more than 250,000 passengers, saved operators 38% in running costs ($34,000 saved in diesel costs alone), and mitigated over 60 tonnes of CO2 emissions. This impact data is tracked in near real-time via the IZI Connect platform, providing unprecedented transparency to client fleet operators and investors. Alex Wilson, CEO of IZI, stated, “These results validate our E-Mobility-as-a-Service model. We’re…

Airtel TV Services has officially been discontinued. The telco announced this a few days back saying the service is no longer available as it was discontinued on 30th September 2024. “We wish to inform all Airtel Networks Kenya Limited customers that Airtel TV services were discontinued on 30th September 2024,” the company said in a statement. “Access to TV channels and content will no longer be available.” The app was launched back in 2020 allowing Airtel subscribers to watch shows and movies on their phones. The service was supposed to offer a wide range of content from Movies, Drama, Documentaries,…

Vertiv has announced that it is releasing a complete 7MW reference architecture of the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 platform, co-developed with NVIDIA, that will enable customers to transform traditional data centre architectures into AI factories capable of powering AI applications across the enterprise. The reference architecture will accelerate the deployment of the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 liquid-cooled rack-scale platform and supports up to 132kW per rack. The architecture takes an end-to-end approach to infrastructure design to optimise deployment speed, performance, resiliency, cost, energy efficiency and scalability for current- and future-generation data centres. “We are proud to deepen our collaboration with NVIDIA to enable AI-driven data centres of…

M-Pesa Fuliza, for those who don’t know, is an overdraft facility for M-Pesa users in Kenya. Fuliza was first released back in 2019 and is not a loan facility but an overdraft facility. There are charges associated with using Fuliza and the exact amount varies depending on the amount. You can get any amount between Ksh 1- 70,000. With Fuliza, you can complete M-Pesa transactions even when you have insufficient funds in your account. Most of us have been in that situation where you want to buy or pay for something only to realize you don’t have enough in your…

Infinix is set to launch its thinnest smartphone yet later this month. This phone, the Infinix Hot 50 Pro+, is set to be the slimmest smartphone with a curved display in Kenya at just 6.88mm thick. Getting a phone to be this slim is impressive and quite hard to accomplish. The launch of the Hot 50 Pro+ comes a few weeks after the launch of yet another smartphone from the company, the Infinix Hot 50i. As the name suggests, the Hot 50 Pro+ comes with more advanced specs and should be a bit more expensive than the Hot 50i which…

Octavia Carbon, a Kenyan direct air capture (DAC) company, has successfully raised $5 million in seed funding to advance its innovative direct air capture (DAC) technology, which aims to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere using geothermal resources, particularly waste heat. The technology permanently stores CO2 in geological formations, setting it apart from traditional carbon capture methods, which focus on emissions at their source. Founded in 2022, Octavia Carbon is building and deploying DAC machines in Kenya, positioning the country to become the most cost-effective hub for CO2 removal by 2025. The company’s pilot project, known as Project Hummingbird,…

The European Investment Bank (EIB Global) and KCB Bank Kenya have today announced a €230 million (KShs. 32 billion) partnership to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs), youth and women in Kenya. €115 million will be a credit line from EIB Global to KCB, matched by €115 million from KCB’s own funds. Through the ‘Investing in Young Businesses in Africa’ (IYBA) initiative, a total of €30 million (KShs. 4.1 billion) will go to women-led/owned microenterprises. The package will also see €100 million (KShs.14 billion) dedicated towards working capital and new investments of small and medium enterprises specifically targeting businesses owned…

Binance has announced that users in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Togo and Senegal can purchase crypto directly through mobile money payments enabled through local partnerships. This comes a few weeks after Binance announced that users in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia can now buy and sell crypto assets using mobile money. This new functionality further strengthens Binance’s commitment to providing simple and secure access to cryptocurrency for users across the continent, reinforcing the platform’s vision of financial inclusion. Samantha Fuller, Spokeswoman for Binance says “We remain focused on advancing financial inclusion and delivering user-friendly solutions for…

Ampersand has opened a new manufacturing facility in Nairobi for its electric motorcycles. The company says with the opening of this new facility, it will triple its production capacity in the country. Josh Whale, CEO, Ampersand, said, “Our new Nairobi factory is a major step forward in both scale and impact. It reflects our dedication to providing sustainable, affordable EV solutions that directly benefit riders and the environment. With this expanded capacity, we’re in a stronger position to support the electrification of Africa’s commercial motorcycle transport and to scale Ampersand’s proven business model.” This facility will help Ampersand meet the…

Yellow Card has closed a $33 million Series C equity financing round led by Blockchain Capital, with participation from Polychain Capital, Third Prime Ventures, Castle Island Ventures, Block, Inc., Galaxy Ventures, Blockchain Coinvestors, Hutt Capital, and Winklevoss Capital.  This financing marks a significant milestone for the company and the African FinTech industry as a whole, as it validates the vision and progress for stablecoins on the continent and practical applications for the technology worldwide. “This fundraise not only demonstrates our resilience, but also highlights the vital role of digital assets for businesses across Africa,” said Chris Maurice, CEO and co-founder…