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📺 MultiChoice Drops Decoder Prices Again — Will Viewers Return?

📺 MultiChoice Drops Decoder Prices Again — Will Viewers Return?

Plus: 🏍️ Chowdeck Just Hit One Million Orders

Innovation Village
November 04, 2025

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Good Morning Valued Subscribers👋

Some milestones just hit differently and Chowdeck reaching one million orders is one of them. It’s more than a headline; it’s a reminder of how far Nigeria’s homegrown tech ecosystem has come. In a market where reliability, logistics, and trust can make or break a business, Chowdeck’s achievement shows what happens when local innovation meets consistency and customer understanding.

Think about it, a startup that began as a scrappy food delivery platform is now redefining convenience across major cities, proving that scaling in Nigeria isn’t impossible, just demanding. It takes grit, timing, and a team that knows how to turn daily chaos into organized growth.

As we head into today, there’s something inspiring about that kind of progress. It reminds us that the next big story might already be simmering somewhere in a small kitchen, a co-working space, or a bright idea that just won’t quit.

Let’s dive in👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

📺 MultiChoice Slashes Decoder Prices Again — But Can Cheaper Boxes Win Back Viewers?
🗼Coleman Wires Lights Up Nigeria with Africa’s Biggest Fibre Optic Factory
📶 MTN and Ericsson Team Up to Supercharge Nigeria’s 4G — and Prep for 5G!
🏍️ Chowdeck Just Hit One Million Orders
💰AfricInvest Backs Arrow Holding to Power Africa’s HR Tech Revolution
🤖 OpenAI and AWS Team Up in a Massive $38B Deal to Power the Future of AI

📺 MEDIA

MultiChoice Slashes Decoder Prices Again But Can Cheaper Boxes Win Back Viewers?

MultiChoice is back with yet another price slash — and this time, it’s hitting even harder. Starting November 1, 2025, DStv and GOtv decoders are getting major discounts just in time for the holidays. The DStv HD decoder now goes for ₦7,900 (down from ₦10,000), while the GOtv decoder drops to ₦6,500 (from ₦9,900).

Officially, MultiChoice says it’s part of a “Festive Campaign” to make entertainment more accessible for families. But let’s be honest — this feels like more than just holiday cheer. The company’s been struggling with a wave of subscriber losses, especially in Nigeria, where inflation and tough economic times have made premium TV subscriptions harder to afford.

It’s also the second major price cut in just five months, signaling that MultiChoice is betting big on getting more people through the door — even if it means losing money on decoder sales. The real goal? Get more Nigerians back onto DStv and GOtv subscriptions, even if they only pay for short periods........…..…continue reading

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🗼INFRASTRUCTURE

Coleman Wires Lights Up Nigeria with Africa’s Biggest Fibre Optic Factory

Big news for Nigeria’s tech and industrial scene — Coleman Wires just flipped the switch on Africa’s largest fibre optic cable factory in Sagamu, Ogun State, and it’s a total game-changer for the continent’s digital future.

The massive 350,000-square-meter facility can churn out over nine million kilometres of fibre cable every year, enough to meet half of Africa’s demand! The launch wasn’t just about size — it marked Coleman’s 50th anniversary and Nigeria’s growing ambition to stop importing what it can build at home.

President Tinubu (represented by Minister Jumoke Oduwole) called the factory a “strategic national asset”, while Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun hailed it as a turning point for jobs and digital inclusion. The plant also comes with Africa’s first Fibre-Reinforced Plastic (FRP) production line, a big deal for local cable manufacturing.........…continue reading

📶 TELECOMS

MTN and Ericsson Team Up to Supercharge Nigeria’s 4G and Prep for 5G

MTN Nigeria just teamed up with Ericsson to roll out something seriously cool — the Ericsson AIR 3284, a next-gen radio system that’s smaller, smarter, and way more energy-efficient than what’s currently on most towers.

Think of it as a network power-up: it combines multiple 4G bands into one compact unit, cutting power use, saving tower space, and slashing maintenance costs — all while making your internet faster and more stable.

In fact, early tests show the new setup delivered over 3× faster downloads, 4× better uploads, and more than 50% boost in user speeds — especially in those high-traffic areas where everyone’s streaming or gaming at once.......…continue reading

🏍️ FOOD DELIVERY

Chowdeck Just Hit One Million Orders

Chowdeck is officially on fire! The Nigerian food delivery startup just crossed one million customer orders in a single month, proving it’s not just surviving in West Africa’s tough delivery market — it’s thriving.

From starting with a few hundred users back in 2021, Chowdeck now serves 1.5 million+ customers across 11 cities in Nigeria and Ghana. On a good day, they handle over 40,000 deliveries, with riders zipping around Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt like clockwork.

While international players like Jumia Food and Bolt Food have bowed out, Chowdeck has doubled down on local flavor — think jollof rice, suya, and other everyday Nigerian favorites. That “built-for-us” model has clearly paid off.

They’ve also been busy expanding behind the scenes. The company recently acquired Mira, a restaurant management startup, and raised $9 million to speed up deliveries and grow its quick-commerce arm. Basically, they’re moving from just delivering food to powering the entire restaurant ecosystem.........…..…continue reading

💰ACQUISITIONS

AfricInvest Backs Arrow Holding to Power Africa’s HR Tech Revolution

Big moves in Africa’s HR tech space! AfricInvest, one of the continent’s biggest private equity players, has just snagged a minority stake in Arrow Holding — a fast-rising HR and staffing group shaking up how companies hire, pay, and manage people across Africa and the Middle East.

The deal, made through AfricInvest Fund IV, is all about helping Arrow go digital and scale faster. With this new backing, Arrow plans to roll out its AI-powered HR platform (Arrow AI Hub), make strategic acquisitions across the continent, and push for smoother, more ethical cross-border employment.

Arrow’s CEO, Mohamed El Derwy, called it a “transformative milestone” — one that’ll supercharge how African talent connects with opportunity. Meanwhile, AfricInvest says they’re all in on Arrow’s mission to modernize HR, making the hiring process smarter, fairer, and more connected across borders........…..…continue reading

🤖ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

OpenAI and AWS Team Up in a Massive $38B Deal to Power the Future of AI

In one of the biggest cloud deals ever, OpenAI just inked a $38 billion partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) — and it’s all about building the muscle behind the next generation of artificial intelligence.

The deal gives OpenAI access to AWS’s massive global data centers, packed with NVIDIA GPUs and millions of CPUs, to handle the mind-blowing compute power needed to train and run AI models like ChatGPT.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called it a move to “bring advanced AI to everyone,” while AWS boss Matt Garman said it cements Amazon’s spot in the AI infrastructure race — a direct challenge to Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud..........…continue reading