TechCabal Daily – Bike-Hailing startups reach potential $500k agreement with Lagos transport unions

What’s the gist?

The Lagos State government, RTEAN and NURTW have agreed to an “operating fee” for bike-hailing services operating in Lagos. The fee has been months in the making.

How much will it cost GoKada, Max.Ng and OPay?

Believe it or not, the costs could go up to $500k per year. Read all the deets by Abubakar, who spoke to NURTW officials familiar with the negotiations.

In the past week, a fair bit of the news coverage has been about startups in Africa closing some eye popping funding rounds. Is there a danger that we could begin to see funding as a measure of success?

The short answer is yes…the longer, more interesting version is in this brilliant conversation by panellists at the Africa Early Stage Investment Summit in Cape Town.

MTN Nigeria has just concluded a trial of their 5G network connectivity in Abuja, Nigeria. It makes Nigeria the first country in West Africa to give 5G a spin.

What’s in it for Nigerians?

Find out the 5 things that matter about MTN’s 5G trial here.

We’re not sure you need an extra reason to attend the TC Townhall but here’s one: the law firm, Odujirin & Adefulu is holding legal consultations for startups and other stakeholders.
Book a session with them by filling this form- it takes just a few seconds! 

When & Where?

The TC Townhall Edtech & the Future of Work will hold on November 29, 2019, at Zone Tech Park, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos.

Why should you be there?

We are bringing together regulators, government agencies, investors, entrepreneurs, NGOs, social enterprises and schools to set a strong agenda about how to use technology to leapfrog Africa’s education challenges and prepare our citizens for future jobs.

To attend the Townhall, click here to buy your tickets. To enjoy our discounts for companies/individuals buying at least 5 tickets, please click here.

The Jollof road crew are in now in Mali and boy what a trip it has been so far. If you’ve not already checked on their progress, here’s a hint of what they’re seeing right now: a lot of dust. 

Catch up with them right away!

What is the role of tech hubs in the African startup ecosystem? This brilliant report by AfriLabs and Briter Bridges is great for deepening your knowledge.

But in the present, Kenya is trying to figure out Safaricom’s Network outage.

31.8 million Kenyans couldn’t call or text when Safaricom experienced a network outage over the weekend.

Was there foul play?

While the telecoms company has provided an explanation for the outage, Kenya’s communications authority isn’t quite buying it and will launch an investigation into the incident.

Code LN, an automated tech recruitment platform has launched its Talent Marketplace platform to help companies hire African Software Engineers “with one click”.

It is an ambitious promise in a scene where it usually takes 2-3 months to fill tech roles. With $100, a recruiter can post an opening, receive recommendations for ideal candidates and conduct an online test to determine competency.

It sounds nifty, you should totally check them out here.

Three finalists have been selected for the DOEN Land Restoration Prize. 

What is the DOEN Land Restoration Challenge?

“This challenge aims to find and award the best tech(-enabled) solutions in the land restoration and land degradation space. The challenge aims to find environmental, social and financial startups that are focusing on land restoration activities.”

What’s The Prize?

$10,000!

During the Seedstars Summit Africa in Johannesburg, the top 3 selected – Zafree Papers (Ethiopia), Green Fingers Mobile (South Africa), and Lono (Ivory Coast) – will compete to win a USD 10K grant in front of over 400 Africa key ecosystem builders.