Nigeria’s tech ecosystem has come in for praise over the past decade given the rise of startups solving problems and serving addressable market needs using technology. Investment—running into hundreds of millions of dollars—has flowed in and several startup and tech hubs have launched, ensuring a pipeline of innovative ideas.
There was an almost four-fold increase in total startup funding received for African startups in 2018. The number of funding deals more than doubled and startups on the continent are increasingly being recipient of big ticket rounds of over $5 million. In total, African startups raised a record $725.6 million across 458 deals, the 2018 venture investment report by WeeTracker shows.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s first ever democratic transfer of power since its independence from Belgium in 1960 is not happening without incident.
The global claim to fame for Nigeria’s Nollywood movie industry has typically been its volume of production, ranked behind only India’s Bollywood.
Egypt has been selected to host of the 2019 edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON)—the continent’s biggest soccer competition.
Gabon’s army took over the national radio station today (Jan. 7) and announced the establishment of a “restoration council,” in an apparent attempt to overthrow president Ali Bongo. Military forces behind the coup attempt have self-declared as the Patriotic Movement of the Defence and Security Forces of Gabon.
Tens of millions of Africans will go to the polls this year in the hope of using the ballot to deepen the quality of democratic governance. From the rural hinterlands to major cities, from the continent’s south to the north, at least 20 nations will hold presidential (Nigeria, Tunisia, Mauritania), parliamentary (Guinea, Cameroon, Mali) and council polls (Ghana, Niger).
In covering the continent, Quartz Africa pays keen attention to innovators on and from the continent who are breaking barriers. That thinking has informed an annual compilation of Quartz Africa Innovators lists in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Here’s a teaser of just a few of the most exciting young talent we’re keeping an eye on in 2019, they are all breaking ground in their respective fields and they’re are all under 30.
Growing smartphone and internet penetration across many African countries saw global streaming companies make a deeper play for audiences here this year.
Elections should usher in change, but in too many cases they highlight how entrenched political shortcomings are in contemporary African democracies.
This year, as is the case almost every year, the availability of funding proved a major talking point among African tech founders and innovators.
The African Union’s (AU) long held ambitions for a fully integrated continent is closer to becoming reality this year thanks the vision of one particularly ambitious airline and more governments tweaking their visa policies for fellow Africans.
Four months after it became embroiled in its latest dispute with Nigerian authorities, MTN is in the clear.
The United Nations is shining the spotlight on rampant drug abuse and trafficking across African cities.
There’s a statistic that highlights just how bad things are at Nigeria’s seaports: despite its vast import-dependent economy, the country is no longer home to be leading container port in West Africa.
More than half a century after the idea was first birthed by Leopold Senghor—the first president of Senegal, the Museum of Black Civilizations is finally a reality.
In less than a week, Nigeria’s military has railed against two major international organizations operating in the country.
Nigeria’s latest brain drain is happening in its tech industry.
Having the best conditions for e-commerce to thrive does not translate into actual online sales in most of Africa.
Anti-immigrant rhetoric stemming from far-right movements and politicians in the US and Europe has grown increasingly vocal in recent years. But, as it turns out, a majority of people in some of Africa’s largest economies do not want more immigrants either.
One month before the anniversary of Arab Spring protests that toppled long-time president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, Egypt is taking steps to avoid a repeat.
Fintech companies in Africa are increasingly playing in spaces dominated by traditional financial institutions.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the global capital for road traffic deaths.
The “Africa Rising” narrative has been hinged on the continent’s middle class—but the methods used to defined the size of that population has been inconsistent to say the least.
