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This Week: Kenya mandates coding in schools

By Ngozi Chukwu Aug 13, 2022

Image source: Techcabal

Editor’s Note

Week 32, 2022
Read time: 5 minutes

It feels like we are in precarious times. In spite of the looming global economic recession, Africa’s tech ecosystem is still raising capital, however difficult things are. But they say it is precisely in times like this that great things are born.

Rest assured this weekend. ❤

Immaculata Abba, Senior Editor, TechCabal.

Editor’s Picks

	Kenya mandates coding lessons Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, is ending his tenure on a high note. He has announced the addition of coding as a subject to Kenya’s primary and secondary school curricula. Kenya is the first African country to do so. With this, what would Kenya look like in 20 years? Read more on TechCabal.
	Interswitch moves all its APIs to one platform Finally, a one-stop shop for Interswitch’s APIs. The fintech unicorn, Interswitch, has bundled its 20+ APIs into one platform. Now you can call any of its APIs without calling its customer support. Learn more on TechCabal.
	Nigeria tells Google to block IPOB With the 2023 election in view, the Nigerian government has directed Google to ban certain groups it has labelled as terrorists—particularly the Indigenous People of Biafra and its affiliates—from communicating via Youtube and its other platforms. More details are on TechCabal.
	How African investors are responding to the economic downturn While startups around the world are downsizing, African founders and investors think the African tech ecosystem will remain unshaken. Compared to the $4 billion African tech startups raised last year, they have already raised $2.78 billion so far, and in a global economic crisis, no less. Learn why on TechCabal.
	The future of car subscriptions in South Africa Vehicle rental company Planet42, thinks the future of car subscriptions is bright in South Africa. Despite the stiff competition, Planet42, which raised $30 million last year, thinks it has what it takes to improve social inclusion for South Africans by increasing access to mobility. Read the interview on TechCabal.

	Airtel Africa signs a $125 million loan Fifteen months after signing a $500 million loan facility with some international banks, Airtel signed another—a $125 million credit facility—with Citigroup Inc. The $125 million is a revolving loan that will expire next year. The news is on TechCabal.

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Disney introduces an ad-supported plan

Beating Netflix to it, Disney has announced that it will launch an ad-supported plan for its streaming platform on December 8, 2022. Simultaneously, the price of Disney+ without advertising will rise by 38% to $10.99. Disney says it’s giving customers a choice. We say, “Well played.”

More details are on Techpoint.

QED makes its first investment in Africa through TeamApt

Venture capital fund QED, which has over 312 fintech investments, $5 billion in assets under management and 27 unicorn exits, has made its first investment in the African fintech sector—a $50 million investment in TeamApt, one of Nigeria’s largest fintechs.

More details are on TechCabal.

Samsung heir gets presidential pardon from bribery charges

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol granted a presidential pardon to Samsung heir Lee Jae Yong, who was convicted of bribery. Apparently, the billionaire was allowed to return to business activities so that he could contribute to overcoming the ‘economic crisis’ of the country.

Learn more on People’s Gazette.

Who brought the money this week?

This week, South African startup, DataProphet, completed a $10 million Series A round led by Knife Capital.
Kenyan fintech startup FinAccess raised $500,000 from Cape Town-headquartered venture capital (VC) firm HAVAÍC.
Ugandan tourism-tech startup Tripesa raised an undisclosed amount in pre-seed funding.
Kenyan HR startup Crew HR &Payroll has rebranded as FaidiHR after it received an undisclosed amount of funding from SprintX.
South African logistics startup Droppa closed an undisclosed Series A funding round led by logistics company SkyNet Worldwide Express.