Innovation Village Newsletter
Posts
🤝Nigeria, Denmark Sign MoU to Boost Digital Innovation

🤝Nigeria, Denmark Sign MoU to Boost Digital Innovation

Plus: 💰 NVIDIA invests in Cassava

Innovation Village
October 27, 2025

In partnership with

‘

Welcome to a new week 😊

A new week always feels like a reset button, a moment to take a breath before diving back into the swirl of updates, innovations, and quiet power plays shaping the tech and business world. Last week may have felt like a blur between product shifts, leadership moves, and new funding rounds, but that’s the rhythm of the digital age: fast, unpredictable, and full of lessons.

Mondays remind us that even in the middle of that chaos, there’s always space to pause and pay attention. To look beyond the headlines and think about what these shifts mean for how we build, connect, and work. The conversations are changing fast, from AI and automation to data privacy and digital finance and somehow, each story feels like a piece of a much bigger picture.

So as we step into this new week, think of this edition as your pulse check, a way to stay grounded in what matters, inspired by what’s next, and curious enough to keep watching where all of this goes.

Let’s dive in👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

🤝 Nigeria, Denmark Sign MoU to Boost Digital Innovation
🤖 ECOWAS Adopts AI to Boost Regional Security and Crime Analysis
🏘️ Yakeey Secures Up to $7 Million from IFC to Transform Morocco’s Real Estate Market
💰 Cassava Technologies Receives Investment from NVIDIA to Accelerate Africa’s AI Revolution
🧑🏽‍💻 MTN Uganda Opens Inclusive ICT Lab in Lira City
📲 WhatsApp Introduces Username Reservation Ahead of Major Privacy Update

🤝 PARTNERSHIP

Nigeria, Denmark Sign MoU to Boost Digital Innovation

Nigeria just sealed a major digital deal with Denmark and it’s all about the future.

Both countries have signed an MoU to team up on innovation, AI, broadband, and digital governance. Basically, they’re joining forces to boost tech growth, expand internet access, and create more opportunities for Nigerian digital talent — including exchange programs with Danish companies.

The move will open doors for Nigerian innovators and help build a more inclusive, tech-driven economy. Denmark’s State Secretary for Trade also confirmed her country’s commitment, adding that they’ll support Nigeria with knowledge sharing and €12 million (through the EU) to strengthen the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program.

It’s a big win for Nigeria — and another sign that Africa’s digital ecosystem is catching the world’s attention....…..…continue reading

The AI Insights Every Decision Maker Needs

You control budgets, manage pipelines, and make decisions, but you still have trouble keeping up with everything going on in AI. If that sounds like you, don’t worry, you’re not alone – and The Deep View is here to help.

This free, 5-minute-long daily newsletter covers everything you need to know about AI. The biggest developments, the most pressing issues, and how companies from Google and Meta to the hottest startups are using it to reshape their businesses… it’s all broken down for you each and every morning into easy-to-digest snippets.

If you want to up your AI knowledge and stay on the forefront of the industry, you can subscribe to The Deep View right here (it’s free!).

🤖 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

ECOWAS Adopts AI to Boost Regional Security and Crime Analysis

At a recent workshop in Dakar, the regional body announced plans to use artificial intelligence to track, predict, and respond to crime across West Africa. Instead of waiting for incidents to happen, ECOWAS wants to use data and machine learning to spot criminal patterns early and coordinate faster cross-border responses.

The idea is to move from reactive policing to smarter, tech-powered security — tackling everything from human trafficking and drug trade to gender-based violence. Officials say it’s all about keeping the region safer and more stable through innovation.

By embedding AI into its Early Warning Systems, ECOWAS isn’t just upgrading its tools — it’s redefining what regional security looks like in the digital age...…..…continue reading

🏘️ PROPTECH

Yakeey Secures Up to $7 Million from IFC to Transform Morocco’s Real Estate Market

Morocco’s real estate scene is getting a serious tech upgrade — and leading the charge is Yakeey, a young proptech startup that’s about to receive up to $7 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group.

So, what’s the big deal? Yakeey wants to fix one of the oldest problems in Morocco’s property market: trust. Buyers don’t trust sellers, sellers don’t trust agents, and the whole process has been messy and outdated. Founded in 2023 by real estate veteran Karim Beqqali, Yakeey’s goal is to rebuild that trust using — you guessed it — technology.

Unlike regular listing sites, Yakeey works more like a managed marketplace, bringing together buyers, sellers, banks, and notaries all in one digital space. It’s designed to make the whole experience smoother, faster, and way more transparent.

What makes Yakeey really interesting is its hybrid model: tech does the heavy lifting (think data-driven valuations and verified listings), while trained human advisors — called YakeeyPROs — guide clients through every step, from viewing to closing. These advisors get ongoing training, marketing support, and legal help so they can give clients the confidence that every deal is legit.....…..…continue reading

💰 INVESTMENTS

Cassava Technologies Receives Investment from NVIDIA to Accelerate Africa’s AI Revolution

The Pan-African tech giant just added NVIDIA to its list of powerhouse investors, joining names like Google, IFC, and Afreximbank. While the investment amount wasn’t disclosed, the move signals something big: Cassava is no longer just laying digital pipes; it’s building the foundation of Africa’s AI future.

Cassava first built the essentials — fiber networks, data centres, and secure cloud infrastructure. Now it’s moving to phase two — AI factories. The first NVIDIA-powered one is expected to go live in South Africa by June 2025, with others planned in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, and Egypt. These won’t be regular data centres; they’re designed to handle AI workloads — training models, running inference, and crunching massive datasets locally.

For African startups, researchers, and governments, this means faster, cheaper, and more secure AI development — no more relying on overseas servers. Cassava’s approach is simple but bold: build local compute power for local problems and local solutions.......…continue reading

🧑🏽‍💻 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

MTN Uganda Opens Inclusive ICT Lab in Lira City

Through the MTN Foundation, the company just opened a fully inclusive ICT lab at St. Mary Goretti Ngetta Girls Primary School in Lira City. The new lab isn’t just for tech-savvy students — it’s built for every learner, including those with disabilities. It’s equipped with assistive software, sound amplifiers, printers, and even a year of free internet, giving all 970 pupils (including 76 with special needs) a real shot at digital learning.

This project is part of MTN’s UGX 1 billion Digital Access Project, which is setting up 11 ICT labs across Uganda — five of them fully inclusive. The goal? To make sure every child, no matter their background or ability, can access quality education and digital tools.

As MTN’s Brian Kagwisagye put it, “Every child deserves access to digital tools that can empower them to learn, innovate, and thrive.”.....…continue reading