Author: Kaluka wanjala

Absa has partnered with Huawei to launch a Private Cloud Solution. This move accelerates its transition into a digital-first, cloud-native bank.  The platform will enable Absa to offer personalised, data-driven banking experiences, while maintaining local data sovereignty and meeting regulatory requirements in its Pan-African markets. “This partnership reflects our ambition to lead with technology that delivers real impact,” said Charles Russon, Absa Group Executive for Africa Regions. “By building a secure, cloud-native foundation designed for Africa’s unique realities, we’re creating the ability to serve customers better with experiences that are faster, safer, and truly reflective of the communities we operate…

Jumia Kenya has officially kicked off its Black Friday 2025 campaign. It plans to offer shoppers across the country discounts of up to 70% on millions of products. The month-long event will run from October 31 to November 30, 2025. According to Vinod Goel, CEO of Jumia Kenya, this year’s Black Friday coincides with a period of rapid growth in online shopping in Kenya. “Jumia Kenya is growing at neckbreak speed with an influx of new customers and more frequent shopping by existing customers, proving the trust Kenyans have in Jumia,” said Goel. “Black Friday, a month-long event offering up…

Safaricom, through the M-PESA Foundation, has unveiled a new education initiative dubbed “Citizens of the Future”. This programme aims to transform Kenya’s education and training outcomes over the next five years. The programme will invest about Ksh 30 billion to upgrade infrastructure in more than 600 basic and tertiary institutions, offer over 10,000 scholarships and equip teachers with digital skills to better prepare students for a rapidly evolving world driven by technology. “We have developed education interventions that seek to bridge the gap through innovation and material support. Under the Citizens of the Future Programme, we are consolidating our initiatives…

Safaricom has partnered with Naivas Supermarket to make its 5G Home Internet devices available across all Naivas outlets nationwide.  The collaboration coincides with Safaricom’s 25th anniversary and aligns with Naivas’ 35th anniversary. “We are proud to partner with Naivas Supermarket to bring our internet connectivity closer to customers. It marks a major milestone in our journey as Safaricom to expanding access to high-speed internet through both traditional and alternative channels,” said Fawzia Ali, Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom. Through this partnership, customers will now be able to purchase Safaricom’s 4G and 5G routers retailing at KES 2,999 from any…

Yesterday, Meta announced that it has chosen Safaricom as its landing partner for a new submarine cable connecting Kenya and Oman. The deal was signed through Meta’s subsidiary Edge Network Services Limited, marking Meta’s second major undersea cable investment in Kenya. Safaricom has long dominated Kenya’s mobile voice, data and mobile money markets. Yet, as competition intensifies and growth slows in its traditional segments, the company has been actively repositioning itself as a full-fledged technology company. Its Vision 2030 strategy is built around this transformation and the Meta partnership fits squarely within that vision. By becoming a landing partner for…

dLocal has announced the launch of BNPL Fuse. This, the company say,s is the world’s first Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) aggregator designed specifically for emerging markets. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. BNPL Fuse aims to simplify how merchants offer flexible payments by bringing together multiple BNPL providers under one platform. With a single API and contract, merchants can now reach over 500 million underbanked buyers across eight countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Many consumers in fast-growing economies lack access to credit cards or sufficient…

M-PESA Ethiopia has announced the completion of its integration with EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national payment network. This latest development comes a few months after M-PESA Ethiopia hit 10 million customers.  This integration makes it possible for M-PESA customers to send money directly from their wallets to any bank account linked to EthSwitch. Customers can also make payments to merchants using bank-issued EthQR codes. Bank customers without M-PESA accounts can send money to M-PESA wallets or pay M-PESA merchants by scanning M-PESA EthQR codes through their mobile banking apps. The new feature is powered by EthSwitch’s secure national infrastructure. It ensures real-time…

Jiji has launched a free online business course dubbed “Zero to Profit: The Essentials of Business Building.” The new initiative aims to equip young Kenyans with the skills needed to turn business ideas into profitable ventures in the fast-changing digital economy. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. The course is available through the newly established Jiji Academy,  launched at Mount Kenya University (MKU), Thika. Speaking during the launch, Maureen Naliaka, PR & Marketing Manager at Jiji Kenya, said the company’s goal goes beyond just being an e-commerce platform. “At Jiji, our…

Standard Chartered Uganda has entered into an agreement with Absa Bank Uganda for the sale of its Wealth and Retail Banking (WRB) business. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is in line with Standard Chartered’s global strategy to focus on areas where it offers a distinct client advantage. The move will see Standard Chartered’s WRB clients and employees transition to Absa, while its Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) operations remain unaffected. Kariuki Ngari, Managing Director and CEO for Standard Chartered Kenya and Africa, said the sale marks an important milestone for the bank’s strategy. “In November last year,…

Kenyan engineer Elly Savatia has been named the winner of the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. He created Terp 360, an AI-powered sign language translation app that converts speech into sign language using lifelike 3D avatars. If you have a startup you want featured on TechArena, let us know through this contact form here. The announcement was made during the Africa Prize live final in Dakar, Senegal. “I’m totally grateful for this and it is a testament to the innovative assistive technology work that is coming from Africa,” said Savatia. “I’m really looking forward to the excellence that will come out of…