Author: Kaluka wanjala

Itana, Africa’s first Digital Special Economic Zone, has announced the launch of its Digital Residency Launchpad, a curated programme designed to connect founders, business owners, and diaspora professionals to strategic opportunities across the continent. Applications are now open. The initiative is targeting Africa-based entrepreneurs and aims to expand across borders, and diaspora professionals seeking to re-engage with the continent through investment and business ventures. Successful applicants will gain access to a private community, regulatory guidance, and operational support tailored for scaling in African markets. “The Digital Residency Launchpad is designed for builders and investors who want more than just a…

Truecaller just crossed 100 million users in the Middle East and Africa bringing safer, smarter mobile experiences to a growing wave of smartphone users across the region. Truecaller, the caller ID and spam-blocking app, has officially surpassed 100 million monthly active users across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). This is a19% growth from the same period last year. Truecaller’s caller ID & Spam Blocking feature makes it easier for users filter out unwanted calls. They can easily identify who is calling before they answer even if the individual is not in their contact list. Its mobile-first design is also…

Zoho today announced the launch of its proprietary large language model, Zia LLM, along with new AI tools such as Zia Agent Studio, over 25 pre-built AI agents, and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. The announcements were made during Zoholics Kenya, the company’s annual user conference held in Nairobi. The company also revealed an impressive 39% year-over-year revenue growth in Kenya. What was Announced At the heart of the announcement is Zia LLM, Zoho’s in-house AI model built specifically for business use cases like summarization, data extraction, RAG (retrieval augmented generation), and code generation. The LLM comes in three…

Ghana has issued an ultimatum to MultiChoice, demanding a 30% reduction in DStv subscription prices by August 7, 2025 or face a suspension of its broadcasting licence. This has sparked debate even in Kenya where DStv subscribers are also reeling from recent price hikes that kicked in earlier this month.  Should Kenya consider following Ghana’s lead? The directive was announced by Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George. It comes amid growing concerns about pay-TV affordability. George accused MultiChoice of hiding behind exchange rate losses, arguing that the Ghanaian cedi has stabilized and no longer justifies high pricing. “My fidelity lies with…

Safaricom has announced a KES 3 million sponsorship for the 8th edition of the National Science and Technology Exhibition hosted by Young Scientists Kenya (YSK). The week-long event is currently underway at Moi Educational Centre in South C, Nairobi, running from August 5 to 9. This latest funding, channeled through Safaricom Hook, the company’s youth engagement platform. This brings Safaricom’s total investment in YSK to KES 65 million since 2018. “We believe that Kenya’s future lies in the hands of its young people,” said Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi, Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom. “By supporting platforms like Young Scientists Kenya, we…

Visa has announced the opening of applications for the fifth cohort of its Africa Fintech Accelerator. This program is designed to fast-track the growth of innovative startups across the continent. Applications are open until August 15, with selected startups set to join a 12-week intensive virtual program that includes mentorship, product development support, networking, and funding opportunities. Visa also unveiled 22 startups joining the fourth cohort of the accelerator. These represent 12 countries and diverse fintech innovations ranging from AI-powered payments and digital wallets to climate insurance and DeFi infrastructure. The Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator was launched in 2023 and…

Paymentology has announced the launch of PayoCard, a mobile-first, plug-and-play card management platform. This targets digital banks and fintechs enabling fast, secure rollout of real-time card features. This platform reduces operational overhead while reaching underserved customers Key Takeaways Delivering responsive, mobile card services can be complex and costly for banks and fintechs. This is so as it often requires heavy infrastructure and long development cycles. PayoCard is powered by Paymentology’s cloud-first platform and simplifies that process with a plug-and-play platform that allows issuers to rapidly offer secure, self-managed card features, from real-time balance updates to PIN resets, card freezes, and…

Nutanix has been recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Multicloud Container Platforms, Q3 2025. This marks its debut in the report showing its growing reputation in the cloud-native space. The recognition follows the launch of the Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) which was announced at last year’s .NEXT conference after the company acquired D2iQ’s Kubernetes platform. This acquisition enabled Nutanix to offer a robust, integrated solution for managing containerized applications across hybrid and multicloud environments. Earlier this year, Nutanix expanded its container innovation with Cloud Native AOS, extending its enterprise-grade storage and data services to hyperscaler Kubernetes services and…

Absa Bank Kenya, in partnership with GirlCode, has announced the 2025 edition of GirlCodeHack. This is a Pan-African women-in-tech hackathon aimed at empowering 100 young women in Kenya to solve real-world challenges in FinTech, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. Set for October 11 – 12, 2025, the 30-hour innovation sprint will run concurrently in seven African cities, including Nairobi, and targets women aged 18 to 35 from university students and recent graduates to young professionals. This year’s theme, “Future-Proofing Africa: Innovation at the Intersection of…

Kenya’s tech sector has seen tremendous growth from mobile money to cloud computing. Even as the country enjoys a reputation as a leader in digital innovation, there are millions of Kenyans mostly in rural and underserved areas that are still disconnected from the digital economy. This is where the Universal Service Fund (USF) comes in. It is a government initiative administered by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). Its main mission is to bridge the digital divide. The USF helps finance ICT infrastructure and services in areas that private companies may find commercially unviable. At this point you may be…