Innovation Village Weekly Roundup: Issue 49/26

In partnership with

Every week, Africa’s tech and business landscape reveals how innovation is really taking shape — not just through funding announcements or big-name partnerships, but through the quiet strengthening of the systems that power modern products. This week, activity across fintech, infrastructure, AI, digital payments, and regulation points to a continent moving beyond experimentation and into a phase where reliability, scale, and intelligence matter more than hype.

Much of this momentum is happening beneath the surface. Banks are reinforcing their digital rails. Telecom operators are expanding the backbone that supports data-heavy services. AI is shifting from novelty to utility, becoming embedded in workflows, identity systems, and engagement layers that software depends on to function at scale. At the same time, policy and compliance pressures are increasing, forcing companies to rethink how they build, deploy, and govern technology across African markets.

That context is why this week’s Founder Snapshot focuses on Immanuel, founder of Savvy AI Solution. His work sits at the intersection of several themes shaping the ecosystem right now: AI-native infrastructure, identity, compliance, and intelligent engagement. As more products rely on autonomous systems and distributed software, the question of how AI operates safely, intelligently, and within real-world constraints becomes critical — and it’s a problem Immanuel is building for at the infrastructure level.

As you move through this week’s roundup — from market movers and investment activity to emerging signals and opportunities worth watching — a clear pattern emerges. Africa’s next phase of innovation will be defined less by surface-level features and more by the invisible layers that make technology dependable: identity, governance, interoperability, and trust. This week’s stories reflect a continent steadily assembling those layers — and the builders designing them from first principles.

🌍The Movers — Who set the agenda this week?

• Egyptian startup Tactful AI partners with Valu-
  This partnership highlights how AI-powered customer engagement is becoming a competitive differentiator in financial services, especially as BNPL and consumer credit platforms scale across MENA.

• Absa’s new CEO Kenny Fihla unveils four-pillar strategy-
  Leadership transitions at large banks are now closely tied to execution clarity, digital maturity, and regional relevance rather than broad expansion narratives.

• WeBuyCars faces storm of challenges-
  Competitive pressure, changing consumer behaviour, and macro headwinds are testing whether scale alone is enough to defend margins in used-car marketplaces.

• DSTV subscription growth surges in Ghana- While pay-TV stagnates in some markets, Ghana’s growth underscores how pricing, content mix, and local demand still matter deeply at market level.

• T2 loses 2,700+ subscribers in three months-
  Subscriber churn is becoming a visible stress signal for telecom operators as consumers become more price-sensitive and alternatives expand.

💰 Recent Funding Highlights

• Flutterwave acquires Mono -This is a strategic consolidation play aimed at owning more of the fintech infrastructure stack, not just merchant-facing payments.

• Japanese startup SORA Technology raises $2.5m -The funding reinforces growing investor interest in AI-driven public health and drone-based solutions tailored for African contexts.

• AFC secures $753m for Lobito Atlantic Railway corridor- Large-scale infrastructure financing signals renewed confidence in logistics corridors as enablers of trade and industrial growth.

• BII commits $37m to Egypt’s Abydos II solar project - Energy storage paired with renewables is becoming a priority as Africa moves beyond generation into grid reliability.

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

This is the easiest way for a busy person wanting to learn AI in as little time as possible:

1. Sign up for The Rundown AI newsletter

2. They send you 5-minute email updates on the latest AI news and how to use it

3. You learn how to become 2x more productive by leveraging AI

Sign up to start learning.

📡 Signals

• Galaxy Backbone unveils Government Cloud
  Governments are moving from digitisation to sovereign cloud infrastructure, signalling deeper state involvement in national digital stacks.

• Starlink shuts down in Uganda before elections
  Satellite internet is emerging as both a connectivity tool and a political variable, raising questions around control, timing, and regulation.

• Zimbabwe introduces 15% digital services tax
  More African governments are asserting fiscal authority over global tech platforms, signalling a tougher operating environment ahead.

• NCC sets out draft spectrum plan for Nigeria
  Spectrum planning clarity is a long-term signal for 5G, rural coverage, and investor confidence in Nigeria’s telecom sector.

• Nigeria data consumption surges 35%
  Exploding data usage reinforces the urgency around infrastructure investment, pricing models, and network resilience.

🌱Opportunities to watch (and act on)

• Thunes & Sterling Bank cross-border payments partnership
  Diaspora-focused financial flows remain under-optimized, creating space for value-added FX, compliance, and remittance tooling.

• Samsung doubling Gemini-powered devices
  An explosion of AI-native devices will create downstream opportunities in apps, services, and localized AI use cases.

• Osusu’s flexible food layaway platform
  Embedded finance for everyday essentials opens new models for affordability, logistics, and consumer credit innovation.

• Gabon’s satellite-powered rail connectivity
  Transport-linked connectivity creates room for smart logistics, IoT, and mobility data platforms.

See you next Saturday. 😉

Jessica C. Adiele