Author: Kaluka wanjala

HOSTAFRICA has announced the acquisition of GO54 (formerly known as WhoGoHost). GO54 is one of Nigeria’s most prominent web hosting companies with a domain market share of over 20%. This marks a significant milestone in HOSTAFRICA’s strategic expansion across the continent. It solidifies its commitment to empowering African businesses through cutting-edge technology. HOSTAFRICA entered the Nigerian market in 2021 under the brand DomainKing.ng. It introduced hosting solutions designed for Nigerian businesses. The acquisition of GO54 which manages over 100,000 domains strengthens HOSTAFRICA’s position as a market leader in Nigeria’s tech sector. GO54’s local expertise and infrastructure will integrate into HOSTAFRICA’s…

Kenyan e-commerce startup Kapu has raised an undisclosed amount in a pre-Series A funding round. The funding round was led by BlackWood and other existing investors and will be used to scale its operations across Africa. Kapu is a B2C e-commerce platform that offers essential products through a community of agents. This helps the company address the challenges of fragmented retail and logistical complexities in the region. The company says it has delivered $1 million in savings and serves 100,000 households per month while processing 2 million customer orders annually. The pre-series A round also saw the participation of Giant…

Datacentrix has achieved Cisco Internet of Things (IoT) Specialisation. This certification underscores Datacentrix’s expertise in the deployment of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions, empowering industries – such as manufacturing, automotive, energy, oil and gas and critical infrastructure clients – to accelerate their digital transformation journeys. According to Statistica, the African IIoT market is anticipated to maintain a robust annual growth rate of 15.33 percent between 2024 and 2029, culminating in a market value of US$8.14 billion by 2029. However, with this growth and widespread adoption of smarter technologies comes an expanding attack surface for cyberthreats. “As the industrial sector increasingly…

Equity Bank has received dual ISO certifications – ISO 27001:2023 for Information Security Management and ISO 20000-1:2018 for Service Management. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a globally recognized, independent organization that sets and publishes international standards. ISO certification is a vital benchmark for any organization, validating adherence to best international practices across various fields, including quality management, information security, environmental sustainability, and more. The ISO 27001:2023 and ISO 20000-1:2018 certifications are particularly significant in ensuring that an organization meets the rigorous standards of security and service management. The ISO 27001:2023 certification reinforces Equity Bank’s comprehensive and systematic approach to…

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) has selected Nokia to deliver advanced network protection capabilities against DDoS threats and attacks. With Nokia Deepfield DDoS security, LINX becomes the first UK-based IXP to offer advanced DDoS protection with trusted performance, scale and mitigation granularity, ensuring minimal impact on member connectivity and services.  DDoS is malicious traffic that aims to deny access, degrade services or stop connectivity for individual users, internet hosts and service provider network infrastructure. The Nokia Threat Intelligence Report, released in October 2024, found that the number and frequency of DDoS attacks have grown from one or two a day to…

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) is calling for innovators to join its 3rd cohort. Funded by the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Endless Foundation, HELP  Logistics–a subsidiary of the Kühne Foundation, Sanofi’s Global Health Unit and Chemonics, i3 will offer select startups 3 critical resources to prepare themselves for expansion: flexible grants, introductions to potential customers and tailored counsel to close partnership deals.  i3 is selecting a total of 15 leading startups for this cohort: Early-stage startups will receive a $50K grant and growth-stage startups will receive a $225K grant to unlock major partnerships that can expand patient access across the continent.…

SC Ventures, Standard Chartered’s innovation, fintech investment and ventures arm, and Yabx Technologies have signed a set of shareholder and technology collaboration agreements to formalise their joint investment in Furaha. SC Ventures has invested $ 7 million, while Yabx BV has contributed through technology transfer, resulting in a combined investment of $10 million in Furaha. Incubated by SC Ventures, and co-founded by Yustus Aribariho and Ian Fernandes, Furaha is a purpose-driven lending platform aiming to make finance accessible across sub-Saharan Africa, with its first offering being in the education financing space. Furaha is headquartered in UAE’s Dubai International Financial Centre…

KCB Bank has partnered with Mastercard to launch Kenya’s first multi-currency prepaid card that supports 11 hard currencies. This card is designed to simplify international transactions for customers by enabling seamless spending across various destinations.  The card supports an extensive range of currencies including the Kenyan Shilling, US Dollar, British Pound Sterling, Euro, Swiss Franc, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Indian Rupee, Japanese Yen, South African Rand, and Chinese Yuan. This card is tailored to meet the diverse needs of students, athletes, online shoppers, businesses, and corporates. It offers a cost-effective method for managing international transactions by reducing high transaction fees…

PAIX Data Centres has announced the construction of a new state-of-the-art data centre in Dakar, Senegal. This development marks an important strategic milestone for PAIX Data Centres as it continues to expand its network in West Africa to meet the growing demand for high-quality digital infrastructure. PAIX Data Centres is already operational in Accra, Ghana, Nairobi, Kenya and Djibouti. Benefits for the region and customers Four submarine cables are already connected to Dakar (ACE, MainOne, SAT3, SHARE) and more cables are currently being installed (2Africa), making the data centre a key access point for customers looking to serve the region’s…

Foreign exchange (Forex) trading is gaining momentum in Kenya as more traders seek to capitalize on the global currency markets. However, the success of any trader largely depends on the choice of a reliable FX broker. With a plethora of brokerage firms available, selecting the right partner can be a daunting task. Traders must consider various factors, including regulation, trading conditions, fees, and available tools like trailing stop orders to optimize their trading experience. Choosing a trustworthy FX broker ensures a secure and efficient trading environment, minimizing risks associated with fraud, poor execution, and unfair pricing. Additionally, an effective broker…