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🔋Odyssey Raises $7.5m for Nigeria Mini-Grids

🔋Odyssey Raises $7.5m for Nigeria Mini-Grids

Plus: 🤖 World's 1st AI Minister to tackle corruption

Innovation Village
September 15, 2025

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Happy New week valued subscribers👋

A new week is here, and with it comes a clean slate. Mondays can feel heavy, but they’re also the reset button, the chance to set the tone for everything that follows.

While you ease into the day, we’ve lined up the stories you’ll want to know. Think of this as your starter pack for the week: quick updates, fresh perspectives, and a few things worth keeping on your radar.

Let’s get into it.👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

🏢 How to Build a Startup in Nigeria: A Step-by-Step Guide
💊 NAFDAC Seizes ₦1.2 Billion Worth of Fake Malaria Drugs in Lagos Raid, Warns of Wider Counterfeit Threat
🔋Odyssey Energy Secures $7.5 Million Boost from BII to Accelerate Mini-Grid Rollout in Nigeria
🔐 Nucleon Security secures €3M to scale AI-powered cybersecurity across Africa
🤖 Albania Appoints World’s First AI-Generated Minister – Diella – to Tackle Corruption
🏦 Standard Bank Group Appoints David Hodnett as CEO of Standard Bank South Africa
💰 Carlyle to acquire FPSO portfolio from Altera Infrastructure in strategic energy investment

If you haven't subscribed, join over 7,000 people curious about Innovation, New Products, New Technologies in Africa.

🏢STARTUP

How to Build a Startup in Nigeria: A Step-by-Step Guide

Nigeria offers unmatched opportunity but comes with tough hurdles—220M+ people and huge youth demand meet FX swings, power cuts, and unpredictable regulation. Success requires solving real pains (payments, mobility, food), validating ideas cheaply, and formalizing early with CAC and compliance.

Founders must attract resilient teams, secure hard-to-get funding through angels, grants, or accelerators, and master distribution beyond Lagos. The key is resilience: Nigeria punishes the unprepared but rewards those who adapt, hustle, and solve problems at scale.......…continue reading

The Business Brief Executives Actually Trust

In a world of sensational headlines and shallow analysis, The Daily Upside stands apart. Founded by former bankers and seasoned journalists, it delivers crisp, actionable insights executives actually use to make smarter decisions.

From market-moving developments to deep dives on business trends, The Daily Upside gives leaders clarity on what matters — without the noise.

That’s why over 1 million readers, including C-suite executives and senior decision-makers, start their day with it.

No fluff. No spin. Just business clarity.

Subscribe free.

🔋RENEWABLE ENERGY

Odyssey Energy Secures $7.5 Million Boost from BII to Accelerate Mini-Grid Rollout in Nigeria

British International Investment (BII) has provided $7.5M to Odyssey Energy Solutions to boost Nigeria’s electrification drive. Odyssey, the digital backbone of the government’s DARES program, will channel the funds to solar mini-grid developers, easing financing and procurement bottlenecks.

The move supports plans to deliver reliable power to 17.5M Nigerians through 1,500 mini-grids and 1.5M solar home systems, positioning Odyssey as a key player in Africa’s clean energy scale-up......…continue reading

💊 HEALTHCARE

NAFDAC Seizes ₦1.2 Billion Worth of Fake Malaria Drugs in Lagos Raid, Warns of Wider Counterfeit Threat

Nigerian authorities intercepted 277 cartons of counterfeit malaria medicines falsely declared as spare parts and traced them to a Lagos warehouse. The drugs, smuggled from China, highlight the growing threat of fake medicines in Nigeria’s supply chain. NAFDAC has been cracking down—recently destroying ₦100B worth of fake drugs and issuing alerts on falsified malaria tablets, contraceptives, and other products.

While enforcement is intensifying, the battle against counterfeit medicines remains a major public health challenge, with lives at stake each time fake drugs reach pharmacies.....…continue reading

🔐 CYBERSECURITY

Nucleon Security secures €3M to scale AI-powered cybersecurity across Africa

Morocco-based Nucleon Security has raised €3M ($3.5M) in seed funding to expand across Africa and advance its AI-driven Zero Trust platform. Backed by NewFund Capital, Orange Ventures, Axian Group, LoftyInc Capital, and Morocco’s 212Founders program, the startup is tackling Africa’s rising cyber threats amid a global shortage of security talent.

Founded in 2019, Nucleon already serves 100+ clients across the continent and will use the funding to strengthen R&D and grow its suite of automated, agentic AI-powered defense tools......…continue reading

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🤖ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Albania Appoints World’s First AI-Generated Minister – Diella – to Tackle Corruption

Albania has made history by appointing Diella, an AI-powered virtual assistant, as its new overseer of public tenders and government contracts. Prime Minister Edi Rama says the move aims to make procurement “100% corruption-free and transparent” in one of the country’s most corruption-prone sectors.

While critics warn of bias and accountability risks, the experiment positions Albania at the forefront of AI-driven governance—and could set a precedent for other nations.....…continue reading

🚙 AUTOMOBILES

Yango Motors launches in Côte d’Ivoire to transform mobility

Yango Group, best known for its ride-hailing app, has launched Yango Motors, debuting in Côte d’Ivoire as its first automotive market. Headquartered in Dubai, the new division aims to make mobility more affordable and sustainable, with its official launch set for the Abidjan Auto Show 2025. Yango Motors will distribute Chinese brands Bestune and Kaiyi, offering competitive pricing, flexible financing with local banks, and full after-sales support.

The move comes as Côte d’Ivoire’s auto industry thrives, with 24,633 new vehicles registered in 2024, supported by rising purchasing power and pro-new car policies. Yango Motors seeks to challenge Japanese market leaders while expanding Yango’s mission of delivering tech-driven solutions across Africa’s transportation ecosystem....…..continue reading