Tech Moran

Microsoft has appointed Angela Nganga as its Country Lead for East Africa, putting an experienced regional executive at the helm as the technology giant expands its focus on artificial intelligence, digital transformation and local innovation.

NCBA Group and HEVA Fund have launched a KES 20 million ($154,000) financing facility for startups and small businesses in Kenya’s creative economy, offering capital without collateral at a 9% interest rate. The Start-Up Incubator facility is the first financing product introduced under the organizations’ strategic partnership. It targets individuals and registered small and medium-sized enterprises operating across the creative industry value chain.

Afrikrea is returning as the consumer-facing marketplace for African and diaspora fashion, art and crafts, while parent company ANKA focuses its other products on business-to-business commerce services. The move marks the 10th anniversary of Afrikrea, which was founded in 2016 to connect independent creators across Africa and the diaspora with customers around the world.

I’ve been tracking Africa’s digital entertainment evolution for 18 years, and the transformation still catches me off guard. Back in 2007, I remember trying to load a single YouTube video and giving up after 47 minutes. Fast forward to today and we’ve got sophisticated virtual platforms processing millions of transactions daily across the continent. Nobody saw it coming this fast.

NCBA Group and electric mobility company BasiGo have partnered to finance 1,000 electric vehicles in Kenya, expanding access to leasing as public transport operators and businesses seek to overcome the high upfront cost of switching to electric fleets. The partnership will enable PSV SACCOs, established transport operators and institutions including schools and hospitals to access financing for BasiGo electric vans through asset finance and leasing.

Samsung Updates: Galaxy A52s, A33, and Tab S9 FE Upgraded to Android 14 Samsung gained market share in the Middle East and Africa during the second quarter as a 10% decline in regional smartphone shipments and a memory-component shortage squeezed manufacturers concentrated in the entry-level segment.

HassConsult is betting that wellness and community-driven living can become a bigger source of value in Kenya’s residential property market, as a global wellness real estate sector worth $876 billion increasingly reshapes how developers design, market and operate homes. The Nairobi-based developer is expanding its Enaki model with Elevate by Hass, a resident experience platform built around fitness, wellness, dining, entertainment, work and community programming.

Google is expanding access to its AI-powered learning tools across Africa, offering eligible higher education students in 27 countries one year of Google AI Plus at no cost. The offer gives university and college students 12 months of access to Google AI Plus, including Gemini Omni, higher usage limits in Gemini and 400 GB of cloud storage across Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos.

Dotun Olowoporoku Managing Partner and Kola Aina Founding Partner Compare Credit Cards Discover more Access Online Encyclopedias Business Businesses African early-stage investor Ventures Platform has closed its second institutional fund at $84 million, surpassing its $75 million target as new investors including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Norfund and Alphatron joined its limited partner base.

Discover more Businesses fintech financial technology Google Cloud is expanding its enterprise artificial intelligence offering with two new industry-specific products designed to automate complex workflows in financial services and legal work. The company announced Gemini Enterprise for Financial Services and Gemini Enterprise for Legal, the first in a planned series of specialized industry solutions built on its Gemini Enterprise platform.