🚙 May Day Strike: 5,000 Ride-Hailing Drivers to Protest in Lagos

Today’s Menu ☕️

🚙 May Day Strike: 5,000 Ride-Hailing Drivers to Protest Against Bolt, Uber, others in Lagos
🚐 IZI Electric Unveils Impala E30: Africa’s First Electric Coach with 10-Year Battery Warranty
🚀 MEST Africa and Mastercard Foundation Unveil 12 Startups for 2025 EdTech Fellowship in Ghana
📱Meta Launches ‘Edits’, a Free Video Creation App to Rival CapCut
📱How Instagram Uses AI to Spot Teens Lying About Their Age

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🚙 RIDE-HAILING SERVICES

May Day Strike: 5,000 Ride-Hailing Drivers to Protest Against Bolt, Uber, others in Lagos

Ride-Hailing drivers in Lagos, operating under the Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), are gearing up for a city-wide 24-hour strike on May 1, 2025. The planned action, coinciding with International Workers’ Day, is a bold protest against what they call “anti-labour practices” by leading ride-hailing platforms, including Uber, Bolt, inDrive, Lagride, and Rida.

The strike is expected to disrupt mobility across Lagos, a city where many commuters rely heavily on ride-hailing services for daily transportation. At the heart of the protest are long-standing grievances: poor wages, sudden driver deactivations, insecurity, unfair commissions, and exploitative work policies. Drivers are also pushing back against issues such as mandatory facial recognition and the lack of proper rider identity verification........…continue reading

🚐 ELECTRIC VEHICLES

IZI Electric Unveils Impala E30: Africa’s First Electric Coach with 10-Year Battery Warranty

IZI Electric has unveiled the Impala E30, a 30-seater electric coach engineered specifically for Africa’s public transport needs. Purpose-built to endure the continent’s terrain and climate, the Impala E30 sets a new benchmark for electric mobility in Africa with its industry-first 10-year/1-million-kilometer battery warranty—a major leap forward in both trust and financing confidence.

Powered by CATL’s BC5 battery system, the Impala E30 stands out not just for its technology, but for how well it meets the region’s unique operating conditions. According to IZI Electric CEO Alex Wilson, the long battery warranty addresses one of the largest concerns of fleet operators and investors: long-term battery performance......…continue reading

🚀 STARTUPS

MEST Africa and Mastercard Foundation Unveil 12 Startups for 2025 EdTech Fellowship in Ghana

MEST Africa, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, has announced the second cohort of 12 dynamic startups selected for the prestigious Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship in Ghana. This six-month acceleration program, now in its second year, is aimed at empowering Africa’s most promising EdTech ventures with funding, expert mentorship, and training grounded in the science of learning.

Following the success of its inaugural cohort—which impacted over 136,000 learners—the Fellowship is doubling down on its mission to address critical educational gaps across Ghana through innovation, inclusion, and technology.

The selected companies reflect the diversity and depth of Ghana’s educational needs—ranging from AI-driven teacher support tools to inclusive STEM hubs in underserved communities. Over the next six months, the startups will receive hands-on guidance from education experts, access to specialized content, and equity-free grants to help them scale their products sustainably and reach more learners..........…continue reading

📱SOCIAL MEDIA

Meta Launches ‘Edits’, a Free Video Creation App to Rival CapCut

Meta has officially launched Edits, a powerful, all-in-one mobile video editing app aimed at giving creators greater control, flexibility, and creative freedom. Available globally on iOS and Android, Edits is positioned as a direct competitor to ByteDance’s CapCut, with several key differences—most notably, no watermark on exported videos and complete access to features at no cost (for now).

Designed with creators in mind, Edits allows users to capture, edit, manage, and publish short-form videos using a suite of tools built specifically for mobile storytelling. The app was developed in close collaboration with content creators, many of whom participated in early testing and feature feedback loops...........…continue reading

 📱SOCIAL MEDIA

How Instagram Uses AI to Spot Teens Lying About Their Age

Meta announced on Monday that Instagram uses AI to spot teens who are lying about their age. To safeguard younger users, the network is taking strong action against phony ages. This action attempts to make Instagram a safer place for teenagers in light of the growing concerns about internet safety. Even if an account has an adult birthday listed, Meta will still enroll the user in a restricted Teen Account if it suspects the account is that of a teen.....continue reading

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