Nigeria's Interswitch Makes Big Moves for a Payment License
Vodafone Ghana rebrands and PalmPay adds new features
What’s happened this Week:
Vodafone Ghana rebrands to Telecel Ghana
Interswitch acquires license as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO)
and more!
In The News This Week:
Fintech Company Unlimit Secures Payments Licence in Tanzania
Unlimit, the global fintech company, has announced its entry into the Tanzanian market and the receipt of the Bank of Tanzania (“BOT”) license.
Vodafone Ghana Officially Rebrands To Telecel Ghana
Vodafone Ghana has officially transitioned to Telecel Ghana. The rebrand was officially unveiled at a public launch event at Labadi Beach Hotel
Interswitch Merges With M-Kudi In Step Towards Acquisition Of Payment Service Bank License
Nigerian payments company Interswitch, backed by Visa, has merged with M-Kudi, a provider of mobile money services.
This strategic move by Interswitch is a step towards securing a Payment Service Bank (PSB) license from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
In the rest of the news:
Interswitch Will Enter Nigeria’s Telecommunications Sector As A Mobile Virtual Network Operator
PalmPay Announces Unlimited Free Transfer and Target Savings Feature In Nigeria
Announcing Our Collaboration With The “Building Bytes” Podcast Show
Deep Dive
What You Need To Know About Kenya’s New Maisha Digital ID Cards - Kenya is one of the many countries that are implementing digital ID systems to replace the existing physical identity cards.
The country launched a new card called “Maisha” Card in 2023, in a bid to revolutionize the process of issuing identification documents
How It Works: As part of the pilot scheme, all Kenyans turning 18 years old across the country will be issued a Maisha Card from November 2023. This approach identifies and rectifies potential errors or issues before a full-scale launch.
Applicants seeking to replace defaced or lost IDs will also be given new cards.
Issues and Challenges: The project has faced legal, ethical, and logistical challenges since its inception.
In 2021, the High Court of Kenya ruled that the rollout of NIIMS was illegal because there was no clear documentation of the data privacy risks.
The government announced that from January 2022, applicants would have to pay 100 Kenyan shillings (about $10) for a new or replacement ID card. A petition filed by a surgeon challenged the legality of the charge and argued that it would make ID cards inaccessible to many ordinary citizens
PODCAST: Iwájú and the State of African Animation with Kugali Media
On today’s episode, we talk to the founders of the African Animation Studio, Kugali Meda. The studio created the new Disney+ animated series “Iwájú” which has received critical acclaim for its depiction of a futuristic Lagos.
We talked to the founders about the inspiration behind the creation of their studio, how the Iwájú project came to be, and the current state of African animation on the continent.
You can learn more about the company on their website and social media pages: https://kugali.com/
Africa Ecosystem Activity
SA earth observation startup Simera Sense raises $14.8m growth funding round - Disrupt Africa
Ring Capital launches new $55m fund for early-stage impact startups - Disrupt Africa
Flat6Labs, Organon launch 2nd cycle of Women’s Health Accelerator Programme - Disrupt Africa
Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Join our WhatsApp channel to get news on tech in Ghana and Africa on your phone:
Stat of The Day
This month is International Women’s Month. For our stat of the day, we took a look at women in politics in Ghana.
According to a UNDP report, the representation of women at most levels of government is still very low.
In Parliament, women represent only 14.55% of 275 constituents. At the Government Ministerial level, only 21.18% are women and at the Government Agency level, only 15.57% are female heads.