Author: Kaluka wanjala

Summary The third season of Tanzania’s Digital Accelerator Program has come to an end with a Demo Day event. This was a three-month acceleration program was in partnership with MassChallenge and Huawei. The program featured workshops, mentorship sessions, and most recently a learning tour in Shenzhen, China, experiencing cutting-edge technology and 5G networks. The Demo Day event, held in collaboration with various ventures and accelerators, underscored the growth, scope, and diversity of Tanzanian startups. The Digital Accelerator Program started with 20 startups, and from these, seven finalists emerged. These are MITz Kits, Afya ya Mnyama, Mkanda Salama, Go Go App,…

 d.light has closed a new securitization facility that will purchase $176 million of receivables in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. This financing is provided by social impact-focused asset management company African Frontier Capital. With this new facility, d.light’s total securitized financing has a total purchasing value of $718 million. This is for all the 5 separate facilities since 2020. It has previously set up four facilities, beginning in 2020 and including two in Kenya and one each in Nigeria and Tanzania. In February, d.light announced that its $110 million securitization facility, Brighter Life Kenya 1 Limited (BLK1) successfully repaid its entire senior debt…

About 600 stakeholders from over 30 countries in Africa and beyond came together from July 8 to 10 at the inaugural Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference in Abuja, Nigeria, to discuss education technology for resilient and inclusive learning in Africa. Participants reached a consensus that integrating technology into learning systems in Africa is now a necessity, not a luxury. Hosted in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, the conference concluded with a collective call to action on 10 recommendations for governments and other EdTech stakeholders. “Investing in education in Africa is not only about Africa; rather, it is about investing…

Young Scientists Kenya [YSK], has received 1,780 project abstracts for its 7th edition of the National Science and Technology Annual Exhibition 2024. Speaking at this year’s exhibition launch event, National Director, Dr. Eng. Victor Mwongera, says this represents a 138 percent increase in submissions compared to last year. This year’s exhibition is scheduled to take place between 19th to 23rd of August 2024. “This year, we are keen on sustainability under our theme – ‘Using STEM to Champion Climate Change Solutions”, said Dr. Mwongera. “The exhibition will have 200 students and 100 teachers showcasing their projects, with an additional 1,300…

Liquid C2 has announced the expansion of its Cloudmania business into the Egyptian channel partner ecosystem. Cloudmania is Liquid C2’ award-winning distribution business unit for cloud and cyber security solutions with operations in 35 countries across the Middle East and Africa. Cloudmania’s strategic partnership with Microsoft has allowed it to equip numerous partners with cloud and cyber security services and solutions, including Microsoft 365 and Azure solutions, within a fully supported ecosystem. “Extending Cloudmania’s reach to Egypt reflects our confidence in the Egyptian economy following the launch of Liquid C2 in Egypt a year ago. We see Egypt as the anchor country of…

The Samsung Neo QLED 8K and AI TVs were recently unveiled in Kenya and are currently available on pre-order. You can pre-order the Neo QLED 4K TV in 85″, 75″, and 65″. Those who pre-order get the following: You can pre-order the Samsung Neo QLED 8K TV here . Samsung has a number of retailers who can facilitate the pre-order. The pre-order period runs till tomorrow. Samsung’s AI Innovation Witness the power of AI that transforms your viewing experience: Also Read: 2024 Samsung 85 Inch 8K Neo QLED TV (QA85QN800DU) Specifications and Price in Kenya

Last week, Samsung unveiled its latest foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Fold 6 and Flip 6. You can pre-order the new foldables from Samsung here. At the same event, the company also unveiled its latest wearables, the Samsung Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra. According to Samsung, these wearables are designed to provide end-to-end wellness experiences for everyone.   These new additions to the wearables portfolio are central to Samsung’s vision for Galaxy AI to enhance digital health, delivering personalized insights and tailored health experiences that enable a more comprehensive understanding of yourself through a holistic approach to everyday wellness. Obtaining…

Uncover has successfully closed a $1.4m Seed II funding round led by EQ2 Ventures and IgniteXL Ventures, with participation from Chui Ventures, Samata Capital and Altree Capital. As part of the round, Uncover also facilitated a significant secondary transaction to accommodate investors’ demand.   The round brings together global and local investors to support the Uncover team in their plans to further build their tech platform, launch new products, expand to new markets and continue to leverage data to build the leading skincare brand made with melanin rich skin in mind. Uncover has seen demand for their products not only from…

Last week, Samsung officially launched its latest foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6. Both phones will be available in Kenya next month for ksh 264,000 and Ksh 148,000 respectively. You can pre-order either phone right now through this link and have the phone delivered as from July 31st. Pre-orders can be done through a number of authorized retailers across the country. Those who pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will receive a slim S-pen case while those who pre-order the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will receive a flip suite case set.   Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6…

Digital taxi drivers in Nairobi are on a go-slow today, demanding better pay and enforcement of the rule that requires digital taxi platforms to take only an 18% commission for every ride. The drivers are protesting in Nairobi, but I understand that the protest isn’t organized by the association meant to represent them but by the drivers themselves. Many drivers I spoke to argue that they cannot trust the association leaders as they can be compromised. According to a driver I interviewed, one of their demands is for the enforcement of the Ksh 300 minimum per trip. He said this…