“I’ve been unable to open the One Bank app for over five days,” a Sterling Bank customer who asked not to be named told TechCabal. 

While the bank notified customers about possible service disruptions due to the upgrade, it did not provide specifics. 

“A core banking application is a critical tool for all financial institutions, so an upgrade of this nature is a big deal,” said a software expert at a Nigerian bank who asked not to be named.  

Building these systems is time-consuming, expensive, and risky. A botched system upgrade at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in 2012 left over 6 million customers unable to access their accounts. The bank was later fined £56m by regulators. 

SEABaaS, its new software, was built to Sterling Bank’s specification, three people with knowledge of the matter told TechCabal. A Google search shows that SEABaaS is also a product by Bazara Tech Inc., a Nigerian software company, suggesting that they may have developed the new software.

According to Bazara Tech Inc. ’s website, “SEABaaS is a future-proof, platform-agnostic core banking SaaS solution designed to elevate user experience for enterprise customers. Its architecture features microservices, APIs, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud. It also spans a unified 360-degree customer view, AI and machine Learning capabilities, and intuitive user interfaces.”

Bazara Tech Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comments. 

Sterling Bank previously used Temenos T24, a banking software used by Keystone Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria. Finacle is another popular core banking software option First Bank, Stanbic IBTC, UBA, and FCMB use. 

Changing its banking application could be driven by cost considerations, difficulties in integrating with existing legacy systems, or attempts to avoid vendor lock-in. 

Sterling Bank did not respond to a request for comments. 

Sterling Bank will share details of the new banking software and migration process next week after it solves the current downtime, two people with knowledge of the process said. The bank considers the development of its custom banking software a major move in Nigerian banking, the same people said. 

Before that grand rollout to the press, it will need to pacify customers, many of whom could still not use the One Bank app at the time of this report, so as not to jump ship while it continues its migration. 

According to Starlink’s website, the hardware will cost $350 with a $50 monthly subscription and Starlink mini for $200 and a $30 subscription. Unlike in other African countries where Starlink offers local currency pricing, customers in Zimbabwe will be charged in dollars. 

Starlink’s launch in Zimbabwe comes as the satellite internet service continues to make inroads into African countries despite regulatory troubles. In August, the company launched in Botswana—its sixth country in southern Africa.

In September 2023, Zimbabwe’s regulator the Postal & Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) announced that Starlink applied for a license. The regulator would later crack down on unregistered users smuggling in Starlink devices from neighbouring Zambia, warning that they were breaking the law.

In October 2023, some Zimbabwean legislators argued that Starlink’s operating license should be rejected because Musk’s other comapny, X, was being used to allegedly disparage the country’s leadership, including President Emerson Mnangagwa.

In May 2024, President Mnangagwa said the telco regulator approved the licence and a local company, IMC Communications, was appointed the official sole and exclusive reseller.

TikTok is taking new steps to protect its growing African user base by launching its first-ever Safety Advisory Council on the continent. This move comes as the ByteDance-owned platform continues to surge in popularity, especially among Africa’s young and tech-savvy population. 

With smartphones becoming more accessible and internet use skyrocketing, Africa has become a key battleground for social media platforms. With growth comes responsibility, and TikTok is under pressure to address the spread of misinformation and protect its youngest users from online dangers. Governments across Africa are pushing for tighter control over digital spaces, which TikTok’s new council aims to ensure.

Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, TikTok’s Director of Government Relations & Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa, stressed the shared responsibility of making TikTok a safe space. 

The platform’s #SaferTogether campaign, which has already reached thousands in Kenya and Nigeria, is part of this effort, educating users on how to protect themselves online.

“This part of the campaign will speak directly to the TikTok community, to join us in making TikTok a safer space for all by ensuring they follow the Community Guidelines and use the safety features made available to them,” she said. 

“With the additional layer that the Safety Advisory Council presents, we believe that safety can be achieved, collectively.”

The new safety advisory council, unveiled in Nairobi, Kenya, last week brings together a diverse group of experts, including academics, digital rights advocates, and local content creators. These members will provide critical insights and guidance on how TikTok can navigate the unique challenges faced by African users. 

Among them, Professor Guy Berger from South Africa, known for his work on media freedom, brings critical insight into balancing content moderation with free expression. 

Dennis Coffie, a content creator from Ghana, offers a perspective rooted in the everyday realities of TikTok users, ensuring the platform stays in touch with its grassroots community.

Aisha Dabo from Senegal, who co-founded AfricTivistes, provides a strong voice for digital activism and justice, ensuring that TikTok’s policies protect and empower its users. 

Lillian Kariuki, who leads Kenya’s Watoto Watch Network, will focus on child safety, a pressing issue as younger users flock to the platform. The council also includes Nigerian expert Dr. Akinola Olojo, whose experience in countering violent extremism will help TikTok tackle the more dangerous content that can spread online. 

Ethiopian academic Prof. Medhane Tadesse brings a deep understanding of peace and security, adding another layer of expertise to the council. 

Berhan Taye, an Ethiopian researcher known for her work on digital rights, ensures that the council’s decisions respect users’ freedoms while keeping them safe.

TikTok’s popularity in Africa has skyrocketed, turning users like Kenya’s Azziad Nasenya into household names.

Her “Utawezana” dance challenge not only went viral but also opened doors to major brand partnerships, showcasing the platform’s power to transform lives. But with this fame comes the need for robust safety measures, especially as more young people seek to replicate such success. For many young Africans, content creation on platforms like TikTok isn’t just a hobby—it’s a livelihood. With traditional employment opportunities often limited, the ability to earn a living through social media has become increasingly important. 

TikTok, with its vast reach and engaging format, has become a significant platform for these digital entrepreneurs, making the work of the new Safety Advisory Council even more crucial.

Meanwhile, Africa is on the brink of a digital transformation and its fledgling e-economy is taking shape, driven by progressive policy reforms and the influx of budget-friendly smartphones. These developments rapidly increase internet access across the continent, setting the stage for nearly complete digital connectivity within just over a decade. 

This widespread smartphone penetration is empowering Africa’s youth, who are not only consuming content at unprecedented rates but also creating it, turning platforms like TikTok into major sources of employment and influence.

Fintechs and e-commerce startups were still the darlings of VCs. Investments into climate and agri tech were low, while founders who managed to raise funds had to contend with lower valuations than other sectors.

Rhea, which collects and analyses soil samples to help farmers choose fertilisers and seeds suitable for their farms, is part of a constellation of African startups that caught the attention of investors at the just concluded AfricaArena climate summit in Nairobi. Rhea was awarded the best climate tech startup at the two-day event.

“It was challenging to attract investors because the focus on soil health improvement wasn’t mainstream. However, as we demonstrated traction in our core market and aligned with the growing focus on climate change, impact investing, and agricultural technology, we’ve seen more interest from both local and international investors,” Priscilla Wakarera, Rhea Co-Founder and CEO told TechCabal.

While VC funding for startups has been on a general decline, the proportion of money flowing to climate mitigation and adaptation startups is growing. Since 2019, the sector has raised over $3.5 billion.

In 2024 H1, the sector received 45% of the $325 million raised by African startups, reflecting the growing interest in the area. Climate tech firms offer solutions for water and sanitation, renewable energy, carbon removal, and land restoration.   

“The funding raised by everything related to agritech, climate mitigation and adaptation solutions is growing. This is the only sector that holds many promises for the future of African tech,” said Christophe Viarnaud, founder and CEO AfricArena, a tech accelerator.

Solutions such as clean energy, circular economy, predictive infrastructure and sustainable agriculture are attracting significant interest from VCs–and event donor funding. Since 2022, for example, the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC), a non-profit organisation, has raised over $150 million in funding for small enterprises in the sector.

Gerishom Manyengo, a KCIC business analyst, told TechCabal that over 3,000 small businesses in its network are benefiting from a surge in funding for solutions in subsectors such as solar energy, waste management and reforestation.  

“There is strong interest in scaling up adoption and use of solar energy, and that’s why KCIC with support from Moot Foundation is implementing a solar energy programme in horticulture, dairy and aquaculture in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania,” Manyengo said.

Climate VCs in Africa believe the continent has more potential as they expand their scope of interest to include food production and disaster management. Funding to the sector rose from $340 million in 2019 to $959 million in 2022, hitting $1.1 billion in 2023, according to The Big Deal.

Climate subsectors that have received more funding this year include logistics and transport ($215 million) and energy and water ($132 million).  Josh Romisher, CEO and co-founder of Holcene–an African-focused climate VC–believes that deals in the sectors will continue growing in the coming years.

“Africa is about to grow, it is about to consume and become a massive part of the global conversation on climate issues because we have to grow it differently and better. There are massive innovation opportunities that can be unlocked today,” Romisher said.

The initial fiber duct project, which kicked off in 2020, was delayed due to contractual disputes between Lagos State and the contractor, Western Telecoms and Engineering Services Limited. 

Alake declined to comment on the specifics of the disagreement.

“The department handling the project is not under my ministry, but there are plans to relocate them to the Ministry of Science and Technology,” he said. 

Western Telecoms had previously laid 2,700km of fiber duct and cables between 2020 and 2022. The company secured connectivity deals with major telecom operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Liquid Telecom, MainOne, Dolphin Telecoms, Swift, and Spectranet. Over 1,000 MTN and Airtel base station sites were successfully connected to the fiber infrastructure. 

However, the project failed to meet its 2023 deadline for completion.

Fidelity Bank and other financial institutions provided the initial funding for the 6000km project, estimated to cost $200 million. Alake did not disclose the cost of the expansion which will be funded by WIOCC and IHS.

A WIOCC spokesperson confirmed the talks but declined to comment on the financial commitments involved.

IHS did not immediately respond to requests for comments. 

Home to over 521 startups and headquarters of different multinationals, improving internet quality is vital for the economic growth of Lagos. However, with only 7,864.50 km of fibre deployed out of the needed 36,000 km, high-speed internet remains a challenge. The state aims to attract more investment using fibre ducts to protect the infrastructure.

The Lagos State fiber duct project is part of a broader “Dig-Once” policy launched in 2020 to solve inconsistent fiber deployment by telecom and utility companies. 

Frequent vandalism of fibre cables and cuts from road construction have plagued the existing network. With the dig-once framework in place, construction workers in the state can avoid damaging fiber installations, enhancing the reliability of telecom services.

Popular in regions like the Eurozone and the U.S., and gaining traction in emerging markets, dig-once policy aims to install robust, long-lasting ducts that protect fiber cables. Fiber cables typically last 20 to 25 years, but the ducts themselves can endure for 25 to 50 years, providing a cost-effective and sustainable solution for future infrastructure.

Lagos is not alone in embracing the dig-once policy. Osun State, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Cross River State have adopted similar strategies. 

For Alake, the time is ticking as the project needs to be delivered by 2027 when the current administration leaves office. 

The misconduct allegations, filed by an anonymous complainant, made headlines earlier this week and reportedly led to several members of the company’s executive team threatening to resign.

One of the allegations was that Mupita  transferred responsibilities of MTN South Africa’s CEO to the unnamed executive.

The investigation found no evidence of improper conduct, and attempts to engage with the complainant were unsuccessful, MTN said in a statement on Friday.

“In its deliberations, the board accepted the report finding and is of the view that the matter has been addressed and is now closed. The board further expressed its full support for the Group Chief Executive Officer and the MTN strategy.”

The outcome of the investigation is a sigh of relief for Mupita who has come under fire over the favouritism allegations which raised serious questions about corporate governance at Africa’s biggest telco. On Tuesday, Mupita assured employees that MTN had governance processes in place to address their concerns.

Mupita also reportedly garnered the support of ten of the company’s 15  following the allegations.

Since 2021, MTN’s South Africa subsidiary has seen numerous high-ranking executives leave the company. These include CEOs Charles Molapisi, Godfrey Motsa, CTO Giovanni Chiarelli, chief strategy officer Marco Gagiano, chief sales and regional operations officer Phillip Besiimire, chief technology and information officer Michele Gamberini and chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer, Jacqui O’Sullivan.