SOUTH AFRICA – Homes & Villas by Marriott International, Marriott International’s curated and growing collection of premium and luxury whole-home rentals, announces that almost 300 exclusive Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban homes have been added to the platform, marking the collection’s debut in South Africa. Launched in May 2019, Homes & Villas by Marriott International boasts over 50,000 premium and…
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TOGO – FinDev Canada has announced a US$20 million loan to Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, the parent company of the Ecobank Group, to strengthen its digital finance operations and help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa to grow, maintain or create jobs as they build prosperity. At least half of the loan will be used in low-income countries within the…
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AFRICA – Husk Power Systems, a leading rural clean energy services leader and operator of the largest fleet of solar hybrid mini-grids, has announced the signing of an Energy Compact with the United Nations to scale the rural clean energy market in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Energy Compacts are voluntary commitments to Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access…
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KENYA – Tullow Oil has projected that it will spend US$5 million in capital expenditure for oil development in Kenya in 2022. In its January 2022 Trading Statement and Operational Update, the multinational oil and gas exploration firm estimates capital expenditure for 2022 will total US$350 million. Tullow says under the Project Oil Kenya JV Partners, it is still seeking…
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KENYA – Budget carrier Jambojet, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways, will start cargo operations beginning February 2022 after receiving regulatory approvals from the aviation regulator Kenya Civil Aviation Authority to fly goods on its passenger flights on both local and regional destinations. The airline said that cargo operations starting in the second week of February will target regional routes such…
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TUNISIA – InstaDeep, a Tunisia-founded enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) startup, has raised a US$100 million Series B funding round to further develop its tech, grow its team, and accelerate the launch of disruptive AI products across various sectors. In May 2019, InstaDeep had raised US$7 million in Series A funding, buts its Series B suggests significant development since, with the…
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KENYA – EkoRent Africa (EkoRent), a business supported by Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company InfraCo Africa and EEP Africa, a clean energy financing facility, has signed a Solar Charging Project Collaboration Agreement with Strathmore Energy Research Centre through Strathmore Research and Consultancy Centre, establishing a framework for setting up Kenya’s first Nopea SolarHub Electric Vehicle Charging Station. EkoRent operates NopeaRide, an all-electric taxi-hailing service in the city…
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SOUTH AFRICA – B2B delivery-as-a-service (DaaS) startup Orderin, has raised ZAR71 million (US$4.7 million) pre-Series B funding to help it scale its infrastructure and enhance its last-mile delivery service. Founded in 2013, Orderin is one of South Africa’s leading on-demand delivery services, providing delivery services for the likes of McDonalds and Pick n Pay. The money raised in this latest round of…
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AFRICA – The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) has partnered with Power Africa to enable clean, reliable and affordable electricity generation for households, essential services and businesses, as well as help unlock the necessary financial resources for the DRE market to expand. Mark Carrato, Power Africa Coordinator, said the partnership with ARE reinforces their shared commitments to increase access to…
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EGYPT – MNT-Halan, an Egyptian fintech startup, has added a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) feature to its digital ecosystem, which also includes business lending, payments, consumer finance, bill payments, e-commerce, and delivery, backed by Neuron, the company’s proprietary technology. Having begun life as a ride-hailing app for two- and three-wheeler vehicles back in 2018, MNT-Halan has morphed into a super app of…
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