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Meet the 11 Disruptive Startups Selected for Cohort 3 of ASIP Accelerator Program

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Startupbootcamp AfriTech,  Africa’s leading tech Accelerator, together with founding partner and leading telecom giant, Telecel Group have selected the participants of the much-coveted Accelerator Program, the Africa Startup Initiative Program (ASIP).

Startupbootcamp AfriTech 3s

The intrinsic value of startups in Africa lies in their ability to build fast and effective solutions to pressing challenges. Over the years another key aspect has come to the fray; scaling across borders. The ASIP Accelerator has managed to help founders fine-tune their business models while also facilitating entry into new markets such as Senegal.

This has been possible through a historic partnership with DER/FJ, which was established to advance Entrepreneurship for Women and Youth in Senegal by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Macky Sall. Giving a keynote at the event, Senior Innovation Lead Adrien Schwarz said; “We are impressed with the work that the ASIP and Startupbootcamp AfriTech are doing and are excited that there were three times more Francophone founders compared to the previous years. This validates the caliber of startups in Francophone countries and shows that their exposure to acceleration has improved. It is also wonderful to see the progress that the past Senegalese startups namely Proxalys, Parcsmart, and Yobante have made”

Founded by telecom giant Telecel, the Africa Startup Initiative Program (ASIP) aims to support the next generation of early-stage African tech startups that are disrupting key industry verticals that include FinTech, InsureTech, AgriTech, Climate-tech, eCommerce, Digital Health, and CleanTech, Mobility, Micro-leasing, and digitizing the informal economy.

Eleanor Azar, Executive Deputy of the Group and ASIP Director said:” we are very proud of the great effort that was put into this cohort 3 of the ASIP Accelerator Program powered by SBC AfriTech – we have exceptional startups with innovative and positively disruptive ways of treating the African challenges that they have set out to solve and build their Startups around. We are also exceptionally proud that the number of female founders has increased. And to those who did not make it into the top 10, we wish you all the luck, you should be very proud that you have come out on top of more than 2,000 applications received into the program in cohort 3.

Other partners include the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO), AWS, Freshworks, Google, and Firstbase.

Participants will receive an intensive three-month coaching and support program to accelerate their growth and benefits worth $750,000 USD. Startups will also have access to the global Accelerator Squared platform which has a complete library of content, group workshops, 1:1 mentoring, collaborative sessions with Entrepreneurs in Residence, and invite-only discussion forums with founders from around the globe.

The program will take place in Dakar, Senegal and startups will be hosted at the D-hub, – a space commissioned by DER/FJ.

“We’re excited by the quality of startups in this cohort,” commented Program Director Henry Ojour. ”About 30% of them have applied before, 60% applied on the recommendations of an alumni founder and 50% of them have monthly revenues above $50,000.00. Cohort 3 companies are building in over 12 verticals we have a 30% female-founder ratio. It’s going to be 13 weeks of far-reaching progress & impact.” He added.

We are honored to announce that the following startups will be joining the 2023 ASIP cohort 3:

Kyanda Africa; is a revolutionary Kenyan fintech platform that provides businesses and individuals with convenient and reliable money transfer solutions. The startup has a network of agents, API gateway, and various access channels such as USSD, Mobile App & WhatsApp Chatbots making the services customizable dependent on the users’ needs

PharmaServ; is a Nigerian SaaS product, which automates the process of sales orders, tracking sales team performance, and reconciling incoming purchase orders, payments, and invoices for health brands. This is a labor-intensive process that is still predominantly manual for most local companies in emerging markets.

Sodishop; is a Malian marketplace, an online sales and purchase platform, present in 4 countries in West Africa, we deliver thousands of orders per month across Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire.

BD Waste; is a Ghanaian GreenTech startup that combines fintech and sustainability to recover Plastic waste from communities. Their Digicycle product allows customers to directly deposit plastic waste into their digital wallets and receive credit for it. This credit can be used to purchase data packages, airtime, food items, stationery, and health insurance.

Limawa; whose Senegalese founder operates in Côte d’Ivoire aims to tackle the issues of food conservation and transportation through solar-powered split air conditioners that can reach -2°C (designed in CI by our team). Limawa offers an innovative and cost-efficient alternative to industrial compressors for the cold chain industry. This solution is suitable for trucks, containers, and trailers.

Parkwell; is a Nigerian online sharing platform that matches drivers with available, safe parking spaces and helps property owners list their parking spaces for optimum use. The digital parking platform integrates parking facilities and connects it to mobile for a seamless experience.

Jand2Gidi; also from Nigeria, offers ‘Logistics As A Service’ to B2B and B2B2C customers whose users are engaged in cross-border trade. They have built shipping APIs to provide the same hassle-free, transparent, and trackable shipping services to their B2B merchants to enable them grow faster after nearly a decade of building robust, cutting-edge freight forwarding and last mile delivery services

Moja Ride; from Côte d’Ivoire has made its mission to enable better and cleaner mobility services to African cities by making financing easy and accessible for all transportation professionals. Drivers and transport companies can easily qualify for new car loans and car repairs by simply working with Moja Ride’s advanced digital fare payment and booking technologies.

SafeTrack; is a Moroccan technology startup that allows a 75% reduction in water consumption for irrigation at 20% of the price of its competitors. Their IoT solution of geolocation and monitoring is 100% mobile, has simple maintenance and does not require any IT infrastructure. Composed of revalued smartphones and sensors and other affordable devices, and a cloud software platform developed internally.”

Chestify AI Labs; from Ghana provides an AI platform that gives a highly accurate algorithm for diagnosing chest X-Ray pathologies. Two-thirds of the world’s population of over 5 billion people with no access to a radiologist and radiologic diagnostic support tools and Chestify’s mission is to aggressively tackle the socio-economic and health distress created by inadequate radiology Infrastructure and the presence of fewer radiologists in Africa.

Yoonema; is a Senegalese social e-commerce platform that offers a frictionless, unique, and simplified experience to e-buyers who desire quality products and B2B players who offer a full global e-commerce experience to their clients.

The ASIP Accelerator powered by SBC AfriTech will culminate in a Demo Day on 25 May 2023 where startup founders will pitch their disruptive solutions to a broad audience of media, investors, corporate partners, and industry stakeholders.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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NCC Orders Telcos Inform Subscribers of Data Breach within 48 Hours

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Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecom operators in the country to notify affected customers of any data breach within 48 hours ( that is two day) of detecting such unauthorised infringement.

NCC Orders Telcos Inform Subscribers of Data Breach within 48 Hours

This directive was  contained in the revised Internet Code of Practice 2026 by the NCC, on Friday.

The document seeks to define the rights and obligations of telecom operators in handing the rights of internet users to an open internet.

In the move to protect customer information, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are to take necessary measures to protect customers’ data from unauthorised use, disclosure, access or breach.

Telecom operators must now notify affected customers within 48 hours of detecting a compromise through text message, email or any other effective means. As contained in Chapter 3.4 of the regulation titled “Data Breach Notifications,”

The telecoms companies are also directed to notify the NCC of such a breach not later than 48 hours after determining such a breach.

Where full details of the breach are not immediately available, the provider shall issue a preliminary notification within the same period and furnish a comprehensive update within Fourteen (14) days thereafter, or within such extended period as the Commission may approve,” part of the section reads.

The guidelines, according to NCC, are in tandem with the provisions contained in the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023 and Part VI of Schedule 1 of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2024.

The regulation also joins other agencies’ policies, ensuring protection. Agencies such as the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) protect consumers against misuse of personal data, identity theft, financial loss, and reputation damage.

The review comes at a time when privacy becomes core amid frequent breaches and illegal harvest of data such as biometric, national IDs, financial information, traffic and usage, and others.

Regulations are necessary for the proper handling, consent, and regulatory compliance regarding sensitive data, ensuring it is only processed for legitimate purposes.

Under Chapter 3.5, the Internet Code of Practice 2026 addressed the handling of harvesting of transactional data by notifying and getting approval from the NCC of any usage by a third party. It noted that the NCC approval will be defined by a review and assessment of such access and “its potential effects on national considerations, consumer information and personal data.”


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Globacom Promotes Valentine Gifting with Huge Discounts on Smartphones

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Globacom has announced a Valentine Smartphone promotion, which provides incredible savings on a variety of high-end smartphones from top manufacturers including Tecno, Samsung, and Infinix.

Starting on February 9, the promotion provides substantial price reductions on a number of Samsung models, including the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy A07, Galaxy A56 5G, Galaxy A36 5G, and Galaxy A26 5G. Customers who buy any of the phones will also receive a complimentary travel pouch and charger, as well as up to 18GB of extra data for six months, only available on the Glo network.

Along with other Infinix models, Tecno devices are also offered at attractive discounts, giving customers a large range of smartphones to fit a variety of tastes and price ranges.

The goal of the Glo Valentine promotion is to provide customers with the best possible deals on carefully chosen smartphones that are renowned for their cutting-edge technology, stylish designs, and dependable performance. The offer, which includes alternatives to suit a range of budgets and lifestyles, reaffirms Globacom’s dedication to customer happiness, digital adoption, greater data usage, and client centricity.

The company revealed that the promotion aligned with customers’ expectations during celebratory seasons, when demand is highest for quality smartphones at affordable prices. The company added that its partnership with trusted global and regional brands such as Samsung, Infinix, and Tecno ensures that customers enjoy premium features without compromising on value.

“The Valentine season is about connection, and what better way to stay connected than with a smartphone that fits your needs and aspirations,” the company stated. “This promo gives our customers the chance to get their dream smartphones at some of the best prices of the year, along with generous data bonuses to keep them connected,” the company disclosed.

Customers are encouraged to visit Gloworld outlets nationwide to take advantage of the Valentine Smartphone Promo while stocks last.

 


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GBB Expands Broadband to 13 Underserved Communities In 2025

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Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has recorded a significant milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey by advancing broadband connectivity to 13 underserved institutions and communities nationwide in 2025, reinforcing its position as the nation’s digital backbone and a trusted partner in national development.

Guided by its mandate to enable a digitally inclusive Nigeria, GBB deliberately extended connectivity to locations within reach of its infrastructure footprint, particularly institutions with strong potential for productive use but limited readiness for immediate commercial engagement. Through this effort, the organisation continues to unlock opportunity, stimulate innovation, and support sustainable growth across critical sectors of the economy.

The expansion reached three Federal Universities, two Local Government Areas, and eight Federal Secretariats, strengthening digital capabilities in education and public administration while enhancing service delivery across the country.

GBB also extended reliable broadband connectivity to strategic and cultural landmarks such as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, underscoring its commitment to supporting national infrastructure that drives economic activity, mobility, and global connectivity.

These deployments highlight Galaxy Backbone’s resolve to bridge the digital divide and empower institutions that shape Nigeria’s future. They demonstrate the measurable national impact of GBB’s infrastructure investments and reflect the tangible progress of the Integrated Digital Transformation Strategy (IDTS), further solidifying the organisation’s role as the platform upon which government institutions and communities can confidently build their digital future.

More importantly, the milestone illustrates that GBB’s work extends beyond technology by enabling education, improving governance, supporting economic participation, and connecting citizens to opportunity.

The initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s broadband penetration objectives and complements national programmes such as Project 774 – Universities’ Hostel Connectivity, ensuring coordinated, scalable, and sustainable impact across the country. Commenting on the achievement, Galaxy Backbone noted that every new connection brings Nigeria closer to a more inclusive digital economy while reinforcing the infrastructure required for innovation and national competitiveness.

As implementation continues, GBB remains committed to expanding access, pushing boundaries, and delivering on the promise of a fully digital nation, with further updates expected as additional phases of the deployment progress.

Galaxy Backbone Limited is the Federal Government’s digital infrastructure and shared services provider, dedicated to delivering secure, reliable, and scalable ICT solutions that support efficient governance, innovation, and sustainable national development.

 


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