Tech Trends

29 Nov 2024 - Human Mobile Devices (HMD) has officially introduced the HMD Fusion to the Kenyan market. For KES.34,499 HMD says the smartphone redefines versatility and style with a sleek, rugged design and cutting-edge features. Modular design is the way to go and HMD is taking this seriously with the HMD…

29 Nov 2024 - Equity has signed a trade credit financing agreement with BpiFrance, the public investment bank of France, to strengthen support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across Kenya and the broader East African region. The partnership was signed and unveiled during French Week 2024, jointly…

29 Nov 2024 - Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer theories or thing that we hope, and wish will happen in the future. AI is here with us, unfolding and presenting humanity with a wide range of opportunities, but only those who care and have the curiosity to explore will benefit. There is no doubt that it…

28 Nov 2024 - Google is testing a new feature for the Play Store to ensure users download the best-quality apps and avoid low-quality apps by warning them if they are subpar. Google is working on improving the user experience and promoting higher app standards for users and developers. the tech giant will…

28 Nov 2024 - The Earthshot Prize (TEP) has officially opened entries for its 2025 cohort with MultiChoice once again being an official Africa nominator for TEP. This follows a landmark year of record-breaking nominations and the first-ever awards ceremony held the African continent.  TEP seeks innovative…

28 Nov 2024 - The total mobile subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa will grow at an annual rate of 4 percent, increasing from 950 million in 2023 to 1.2 billion by 2030. This is according to the November 2024 edition of the Ericsson  Mobility Report released on Thursday. According to the report, the strongest…

28 Nov 2024 - Orange has announced that it will partner with OpenAI and Meta to fine-tune AI Large Language models (LLMs) to understand regional languages in Africa that today are not understood by any GenAI model. This innovative project aims to develop custom AI models capable of allowing customers to…

28 Nov 2024 - NCBA Group disbursed KES 751 billion in digital loans in the third quarter of 2024, an 8% increase compared to the same period in 2023. NCBA revealed this during the release of its Q3 2024 financial results on Wednesday.  The bank attributed this achievement to its partnerships with telcos, which…

28 Nov 2024 - While it’s true that every company is a potential target for distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, cybercriminals will often exploit security challenges and develop customised attack patterns that target the unique characteristics of specific vertical sectors. For the first half of 2024,…

28 Nov 2024 - Passwords have been a bulwark of our digital security for decades, locking out unwanted intruders from emails, bank accounts, social media, and a multitude of other online services. Technology, though, has a way of outrunning these due to a specific group’s malicious intent. That was once the pride…

27 Nov 2024 - NCBA Group’s Q3 2024 profit after tax grew 3.0% to KES 15.1 billion compared to KES 14.6 billion reported during a similar period in 2023. The Group has reported profit before tax of KES 18.4 billion with the Kenya Bank business remaining a key driver contributing 83 per cent of this profit. The…

27 Nov 2024 - Bolt Food has launched an Early Cashout feature which allows courier partners to receive their earnings before the regular payout cycle. Bolt Food Courier partners in Kenya can now get their earnings in up to two businesses, compared to a full week without Early Cashout. The feature helps courier…

27 Nov 2024 - Uber contributed an estimated KSh 14.1 billion in revenue to Kenya’s economy. This is according to the ride-hailing app’s Kenya Economic Impact Report released on Tuesday. Commissioned by Uber and conducted by Public First, the report outlines Uber’s economic impact on local businesses, drivers,…

27 Nov 2024 - Safaricom PLC has received regulatory approval from the country’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) to launch its second money market fund product. Known as ZiIdi, the product will be offered in partnership with three fund managers, Standard Investment Bank, ALA Capital Limited, and Sanlam Investments…

27 Nov 2024 - Pan-African telecommunications and network services provider, Paratus Group has expanded to Kenya. The company has expanded into the country through a joint venture with Nairobi-based IT and ISP company, MoveOn Telecoms Ltd. The newly formed company will primarily focus on providing and installing…

27 Nov 2024 - In this episode of our TechTrends Podcast, we speak to Dina H. Sherif, Executive Director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Earlier this month,, the Legatum Center led its 2024-2025 Foundry Fellows on an ecosystem tour of…

27 Nov 2024 - Airtel Money Kenya has signed a partnership with Naivas Supermarket that will allow Airtel Money customers to deposit and withdraw cash across Naivas branches countrywide. In a statement on Tuesday, Airtel said the deal is part of its mobile money service proactive strategy to expand its agent…

27 Nov 2024 - For wildlife photographer Paras Chandaria, every journey into the wilderness is a quest to capture the raw beauty and untold stories of nature. Recently, Paras had the unique opportunity to test the EOS R1 at an exclusive event organized by Canon in Austria, and his experience with this…

26 Nov 2024 - Kenya will host the 61st Biannual Plenary Session on the FinTech Revolution in Africa on December 1st, 2024.  The plenary will be hosted by The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), in collaboration with the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). AERC is a leader in policy-oriented economic research…

26 Nov 2024 - There is no doubt that wearable trackers and monitors (such as smartwatches) are increasingly popular and sophisticated among users around the world. Now than ever people, people living with heart conditions and other illnesses can get important information about their status. Smartwatches have…

26 Nov 2024 - Google has revealed that its products and services provided an estimated $900 million of economic activity for businesses, nonprofits, publishers, creators, and developers in Kenya in 2023.  In a report dubbed The Digital Opportunity of Kenya released on Monday, Google noted that the insights from…

26 Nov 2024 - The latest flagship and midrange devices from Xiaomi from next year will ship with the company’s self-designed chipsets as the company plans to enhance self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers like MediaTek and Qualcomm. Xiaomi is set to begin mass production of its own mobile…

26 Nov 2024 - Telegram’s messaging platform is reporting strong growth according to the company’s unaudited financials for the half year of this year. The company whose founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, was detained in August in Paris by French authorities, reassured investors that this legal battle hasn’t…

26 Nov 2024 - NCBA last week received the 3rd overall award in Kenya at the 2024 Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) Sustainable Finance Awards.  This announcement was made during the inaugural Banking Industry Sustainable Finance Summit & 2024 Catalyst Awards, by the KBA in Nairobi. The event brought together…

25 Nov 2024 - With Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner, we’re entering a high-risk period for cybersecurity. A recent Sophos report highlights that malicious emails were the second most common root cause of ransomware attacks in critical sectors, responsible for 25% of cases. During peak shopping…

25 Nov 2024 - New research examining legal and policy frameworks governing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Mauritius, and Zambia has called for immediate legislative action to keep pace with AI adoption on the continent. “It is evident that without swift and…

25 Nov 2024 - South Africa accounts for 22% of cyberattacks on the continent and 25% of all dark web messages target organisations in the country, with a particular focus on government entities. This is according to a recent report by Positive Technologies, a cybersecurity firm, which analysed the current…

25 Nov 2024 - Kenya’s leading betting firm Odibets has announced that it will be giving out 100 goats daily to lucky winners.  The promo dubbed, ‘Pepea na mbuzi ya Krisi’ will run from November 22, 2024, to 1st January 2025.  Each Mbuzi will be worth Ksh5,000 and will be rewarded to the lucky customers via their…

25 Nov 2024 - Safaricom has unveiled a tech re-skilling program to train young Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in digital skills to improve their employability. Safaricom says this new initiative is part of its efforts to promote inclusivity and embrace developments in the digital world. Currently in the pilot…

22 Nov 2024 - Musa lives in a bustling city in Nigeria. He uses his smartphone daily to make payments, send money to relatives, and even save for his children’s future through a mobile banking app. When Musa needed a loan to expand his small electronics shop, he easily applied online and received the funds…

22 Nov 2024 - Uber Eats celebrated excellence in the hospitality sector during the Uber Eats Merchant Awards. The event brought together small, medium, and large restaurant businesses, as well as non-food merchants such as supermarkets, grocery players, pharmacies, liquor merchants and more who have gone above…

22 Nov 2024 - Absa Bank Kenya on Friday announced that it has revised its transaction limits for account-to-mobile wallet transfers, reducing the maximum per transaction amount to Ksh.150,000 from the previous Ksh.500,000. In a notice to its customers, the bank also announced a reduction in the daily transaction…

22 Nov 2024 - SEACOM, a leading African connectivity and cloud services provider, together with Forefront, a cybersecurity managed services firm, have announced a new collaboration with Cloudflare. The partnership seeks to strengthen cybersecurity across Africa by offering Cloudflare’s advanced security…

22 Nov 2024 - Projections indicate that the online brokerage market will reach $18.02 billion by 2028, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.7%. According to Research and Markets, the anticipated growth during the forecast period can be attributed to global economic trends, supportive regulatory…

21 Nov 2024 - Schneider Electric East Africa has launched an eCommerce platform to streamline procurement for its full product range, targeting a wide and diverse market. The target market includes tier 2 channels (resellers, indirect panel builder and indirect system integrators, Industry maintenance teams,…

21 Nov 2024 - Kenya has cancelled the controversial KShs 95.68 Billion (USD 736m) deal with Adani Energy Solutions for the development of transmission lines and sub-stations. The cancellation comes just a few hours after Gautam Adani was charged with fraud in the US. Adani has been accused of orchestrating a $…

21 Nov 2024 - The fintech industry worldwide is witnessing unprecedented growth, driven by the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI).  According to market forecasts, AI in fintech market is expected to reach a staggering USD 70.1 billion by 2033, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of…

21 Nov 2024 - Senegal’s eMobility solutions provider and energy startup Solarbox Africa on Thursday announced the closing of its $1m Pre-Seed round. The funding was led by early-stage investors Digital Energy Facility (a collaborative initiative led by Agence Française de Développement, IetP and Gaia Impact Fund…

21 Nov 2024 - African climate tech startups are pulling in more money than ever before, overtaking fintech as the continent’s hottest investment sector. By September 2024, these startups had raised $413.9 million, making up a third of all startup funding in Africa. The shift shows investors are betting big on…

21 Nov 2024 - ICANN, the nonprofit managing the Domain Name System (DNS), has announced the launch of the Applicant Support Program (ASP) for the next round of New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). The New gTLD Program: Next Round is an initiative that will enable the introduction of new gTLDs (including those…

21 Nov 2024 - Today, OPPO launched its Find X8 series for the global market. The company plans to bring the flagship smartphone series to the Kenyan market.  The OPPO Find X8 series are camera smartphones. The base model features three 50MP cameras at the back housed in the Cosmos Rimg design camera island,…

21 Nov 2024 - M-PESA GO, Old Mutual and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) have today unveiled a financial literacy online toolkit, targeting students in junior and senior schools. This learner’s toolkit comes after the launch of a teachers’ training platform in June this year to empower…

21 Nov 2024 - Tatu City has announced the successful completion of a National Construction Authority (NCA) accreditation exercise, certifying 500 skilled workers and site supervisors.  In a statement, Tatu City said this milestone underscores its unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards in…

21 Nov 2024 - The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) have launched a real-time livestock monitoring app. This app, part of the African Asian Dairy Genetics Gains Project (AADGG), aims to boost livestock productivity and support…

20 Nov 2024 - African filmmakers have boundless ability, and they stand ready to usher in a new era of significant change.  With access to new technologies, small, portable and user-friendly, they can now reach diverse audiences with their powerful African grassroots storytelling. Paradoxically, today’s new tech…

20 Nov 2024 - NCBA has expanded its presence in Kenya with the launch of yet another branch in Kerugoya Town, Kirinyaga County The branch located at the Oasis Building in Kerugoya town will provide residents with the opportunity to access personalised banking services near them.  The launch brings the total…

20 Nov 2024 - Last week, journalists from various media houses in Kenya benefited from a comprehensive financial education training programme hosted by Old Mutual Group.  This is in a bid to address the growing need for financial literacy to enhance public awareness.  The training, aimed at enhancing the…

20 Nov 2024 - LG Electronics (LG) has garnered significant recognition for its smart life solutions at the CES 2025 Innovation Awards, securing over 20 awards, including three prestigious Best of Innovation Awards. The CES Innovation Awards program, presented annually by the Consumer Technology Association,…

19 Nov 2024 - Roam, a Kenyan tech-driven electric mobility company, is set to establish 10 additional solar-powered Roam Hubs in Nairobi with funding from ENERGICA, a European Union-supported initiative under Horizon 2020.  The project aims to accelerate the adoption of clean, resilient transportation solutions…

19 Nov 2024 - On one hand, phone theft has been a growing concern in many countries across Africa whereas on the flipside smartphone usage is on the rise in Sub-Saharan Africa with adoption rates reaching 61% in Kenya, 31% in Uganda and 24-25% in Rwanda and Burundi.  According to Google, phone theft can be a…