Author: Insider Editor

Turning creativity into a sustainable career is rarely straightforward for writers across Africa. Challenges like payment processing hurdles, limited audience reach, and tools that don’t reflect local realities often make it difficult to grow. Iko Africa was created to remove those barriers. The platform provides a suite of products that let writers operate as creative entrepreneurs, giving them access to audience insights, community networks, and monetisation pathways tailored to Africa’s unique landscape. Since launching in 2023, Iko Africa has grown to support over 20,000 users. But the platform’s mission goes beyond numbers or social engagement; the real challenge for African…

South African non-profit focused on upskilling, has partnered with the International Association of Volunteer Effort and IBM SkillsBuild to roll out Phase Two of Reskilling Revolution Africa in South Africa. The initiative seeks to equip women and young people with future-ready skills as automation reshapes entry-level jobs across industries. Participants complete structured learning pathways on IBM’s free digital platform, earning globally recognised certificates in areas like digital literacy, AI, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and soft skills. The program combines online courses with mentorship, volunteering, and community projects to build practical experience. “At IBM, we believe that access to technology skills is a…

Conversation around innovation and regulation took centre stage on Saturday, February 28, at the Zikoko Citizen Townhall themed, “Who shapes the Nigerian life?” Held at Four Points by Sheraton Lagos, the event brought together founders, investors, and policy experts to unpack a pressing question: how do you build innovative businesses in an environment where the rules can change overnight? When Innovation Feels Like Disruption Speaking during a panel session titled “Innovation under pressure: How politics shapes what can be built in Nigeria,” Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, Managing Partner at DigitA, pushed back on the idea that innovation must always move faster…

For many Nigerians, accessing and using cryptocurrency remains unnecessarily complicated. Multiple apps, confusing interfaces, and slow withdrawals often make transactions frustrating. Sollo is simplifying the process by bringing crypto directly to WhatsApp. Sollo, an AI-powered WhatsApp crypto wallet, was created by Emeka Nwonye and developed by Ellvara X Limited, co-founded by Nwonye and Onyegwu Divine. The platform lets users send, receive, swap cryptocurrency for naira, and withdraw funds to their bank accounts all through simple WhatsApp messages. Built entirely inside WhatsApp, Sollo taps into the platform used by 95% of Nigeria’s 31.6 million social media users. “We want to revolutionise…

LoftyInc Capital has co-led a $4 million seed round in Moroccan fintech startup WafR, marking one of the first investments from its newly launched Alpha Fund and signaling a stronger focus on North Africa. The round was co-led alongside Attijariwafa Ventures and Almada Ventures, with additional participation from UM6P Ventures and First Circle Capital. Morocco’s startup ecosystem has been gaining attention, raising $58 million in 2025 and ranking seventh on the continent for capital raised. Investors like LoftyInc are increasingly backing fintechs that integrate financial services into informal retail networks, reflecting a regional strategy that goes beyond national borders. Founded…

An electric mobility company Spiro is building battery-swapping networks for motorcycles, has secured $50 million in debt financing to expand its footprint across Africa. The new funding backed by Afreximbank, Nithio, and Africa Go Green Fund comes just months after the company raised $100 million in October 2025. The back-to-back capital injections highlight how infrastructure-heavy Africa’s electric mobility sector is becoming, particularly for companies building physical networks of batteries and swap stations. Scaling beyond pilots Africa’s electric two-wheeler market is moving past small pilots into large-scale deployments. In this phase, access to long-term financing is critical. Companies that can fund…

A Kenyan electric bus startup BasiGo, is piloting a scheduled commuter service in Nairobi, marking a shift beyond its core business of supplying electric buses. Instead of simply selling vehicles to operators, the company is now testing fixed-route services that connect residential estates directly to key business districts such as Westlands and Upper Hill. BasiGo has integrated electric mid-sized buses into existing matatu Saccos (transport cooperatives), introducing non-stop routes with set schedules. The aim is to bring structure to a public transport system that is often unpredictable and fragmented. By using demand data to determine viable routes and departure times,…

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said its biometric verification rules, not religion were responsible for a viral dispute involving a candidate’s hijab during registration for Nigeria’s main university entrance examination. The board, which conducts the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for millions of candidates each year, explained that requests for candidates to slightly adjust their hijabs or other head coverings are strictly technical requirements tied to biometric photo capture. The clarification follows a viral video alleging that a candidate at a registration centre at Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, was asked to remove her hijab before…

Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence-technology startup known for building drones and surveillance software, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), the military-run defence manufacturer. The agreement will see both parties establish a joint venture company (JVC) focused on producing advanced security systems locally. The new entity will operate as a subsidiary of DICON and will be jointly owned and promoted by the two organisations. The move comes at a time when insecurity remains a pressing national concern. A 2024 policy brief by the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) noted that…

Nedbank Group has moved a step closer to taking control of NCBA Group after securing a key regulatory waiver in Kenya, clearing a major hurdle in its bid to acquire about 66% of the East African lender. Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) granted the South African bank an exemption from rules that would have required it to make a mandatory offer for 100% of NCBA once it crossed certain ownership thresholds. In a statement issued on February 19, 2026, Nedbank said it had received the approval and formally notified shareholders and noteholders of the development. The waiver preserves the structure…