Stay ahead of the continent’s fast-moving tech scene with our no-fluff roundup of the biggest headlines, deals, and opportunities shaping African innovation and venture capital.

In this episode

• Nigeria’s Bosun Tijani becomes ITU Council vice-chair for 2025-26, ending a 50-year leadership gap

• Mastercard × Enza team up to embed payments for African fintechs, driving digital inclusion

• Sabi pivots to TRACE, a blockchain platform tracing minerals and agri-exports for ESG compliance

• Chpter scales into 11 new markets via Flutterwave and launches Pluto, its AI chat-commerce tool

• Swypex rolls out Approval-based Limits Card for SMEs in Egypt’s cash-heavy economy

• Wetility raises 30 m USD to add 16 MW of solar capacity and power 1 m homes and businesses

• Nawy, Octane, PaidHR, and Open Access Energy close fresh rounds to fuel regional expansion

• LemFi acquires UK-licensed Pillar, while iSchool buys SEEDS to boost bilingual STEM and AI courses

• Endeavor Catalyst launches a 300 m USD fund backing Series A-C startups across emerging markets

• Opportunity Radar: Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards open until 24 June 2025

🎧 Listen now to get the full context, founder names, and strategic takeaways in under 5 minutes.

👉 Follow, rate, and share Startup Researcher Africa to stay plugged into the continent’s VC and startup pulse every week.

#AfricaStartupNews #VentureCapital #Fintech #SolarEnergy #Blockchain #StartupFunding