Author: Insider Editor

Uber is exiting Tanzania, telling riders it will stop operating from 30 January 2026 after years of clashes over fares, commissions, and regulatory control. The move highlights the challenges of running a global ride-hailing model that relies on flexible pricing in a market with strict state-set fare rules. Uber’s departure reduces options for riders in Dar es Salaam and other cities, opening more space for local and regional apps like Little and Bolt, which have adapted more easily to Tanzania’s regulatory framework. “After careful consideration, Uber has made the difficult decision to discontinue the Uber App services in Tanzania from…

Nigeria’s telecom regulator is set to impose penalties totaling about ₦12.4 billion ($8.85 million) on operators for breaches of service standards, representing one of the strongest enforcement actions in recent years. The move comes as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) updates its enforcement regulations to ensure that fines and sanctions continue to deter poor performance and address gaps in the current legal framework. The push for stricter accountability follows a directive from the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, instructing the NCC to introduce automatic penalties for network failures. Under revised Quality of Service regulations issued in…

Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy has directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to impose automatic penalties on telecom operators for network failures within 90 days, signaling a move from voluntary compliance to stricter regulatory accountability in a sector long plagued by service disruptions. Public frustration with telecom services has reached a peak. In 2025, MTN alone recorded 1.62 million customer complaints, citing dropped calls, slow data, and repeated outages. These issues have persisted despite repeated regulatory assurances. “The expectation is clear: Nigerians must experience tangible improvements in the quality, reliability, and value of telecommunications services,”…

Moroccan-French mobility startup Enakl has secured $2.3 million in seed funding to expand its shared transport services and launch a new Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for operators and policymakers. The funding round, finalized in December 2025, follows a $1.4 million pre-seed round in 2024 and brings together new Moroccan investors including Azur Innovation Fund, Witamax, and MFounders alongside returning backers Catalyst Fund and Digital Africa. Founded in 2022 by Samir Bennani and Charles Pommarède, Enakl aims to tackle urban congestion through its bus-sharing service, which allows commuters to book pre-planned rides on minibuses following fixed routes. By limiting…

PayPal is officially back in Nigeria, this time partnering with local fintech Paga to allow Nigerians to receive international payments, settle them in naira, and access its global payments network. The move comes as the Nigerian digital economy has matured, with mobile wallets, instant payments, and API-driven platforms making cross-border commerce more feasible than ever. Paga, which connects wallets, merchants, and remittance compliance, provides the infrastructure PayPal needs to support inbound payments at scale. Users can now link their PayPal accounts to Paga wallets, receive money from over 200 countries, withdraw funds instantly in naira, or shop globally while keeping…

Heirs Insurance Group (HIG), is calling on university and polytechnic students to take part in the inaugural Heirs Insurance Hackathon, a technology-driven innovation programme aimed at shaping the future of insurance through Artificial Intelligence and digital solutions. The Hackathon invites students to develop solutions for real-world challenges across the insurance value chain, including customer experience, claims processing, underwriting, distribution, data, and operational efficiency. The programme offers a unique opportunity for young innovators to apply emerging technologies to the insurance sector while gaining mentorship and exposure to real business problems. Registrations close on February 16, 2026, with the grand finale scheduled…

Across Ghana and Nigeria, a growing number of entrepreneurs are beginning to move beyond talking about artificial intelligence to actually using it in their businesses. That shift is being driven by SmartScale, a hands-on AI training programme by Ghana-based entrepreneurship support organisation The Pitch Hub, which has now completed its pilot phase in both countries. The programme was built to help founders, small business owners, and creatives apply AI tools to real business challenges, rather than simply learn the concepts. SmartScale combined virtual learning with in-person implementation labs held in Accra and Lagos, where participants moved from identifying problems to…

Paystack has reorganised its business under a new holding company called The Stack Group (TSG), marking a clear shift toward more structured growth beyond payments. The new group brings together Paystack’s core payments business, its consumer payments app Zap, Paystack Microfinance Bank, and a venture studio under one umbrella. The move signals Paystack’s intention to build a broader financial services ecosystem while keeping its core business focused and strong. Although Stripe’s $200 million acquisition made Paystack a wholly owned subsidiary, TSG introduces a different ownership structure. The holding company is jointly owned by Paystack’s co-founder and CEO Shola Akinlade, Stripe,…

The Nigerian financial technology company is quietly reshaping how public revenue is managed by building digital payment infrastructure designed specifically for government use. At the core of its work is a simple idea: transparency strengthens trust, and trust improves compliance. PlugdPay’s platform replaces manual processes and disconnected systems with a secure, unified digital framework that allows government agencies and stakeholders to track revenue in real time. Payments made by citizens flow directly into approved government accounts, removing intermediaries and reducing opportunities for diversion. What sets the platform apart is visibility. Through real-time reporting, automated reconciliation, and centralized dashboards, officials can…

In Lagos, traffic is not just a daily inconvenience. It is a shared experience, a slow-moving river of cars where commuters spend hours watching brake lights flicker and tempers rise. For Levvy Box, that endless gridlock is not wasted time it is prime real estate. Every day, millions of Lagosians sit in traffic with little to do but observe their surroundings. Levvy Box saw what many had ignored: captive attention. Instead of fighting the chaos of Lagos roads, the company decided to work with it, transforming delivery bikes and vehicles into moving billboards that travel through the city’s busiest corridors.…