E-Business
African Start-ups Bag $195m in Funding for 2017

Funding in African tech start-ups has surged 51% to reach $195 million in 2017 as compared to figures of same period in 2016.
This is according to a newly released report from African entrepreneurship news portal, Disrupt Africa. The Disrupt Africa Tech Start-ups Funding Report 2017 states that the record amount of funding was secured over the course of 2017, by the highest number of start-ups to date in the same period.
Gabriella Mulligan, co-founder of Disrupt Africa, says the firm is proud to document the rise of the African ecosystem. “More start-ups were given more funding than ever before. There can be no clearer validation of the quality of innovation and businesses being built from within Africa.”
According to the report, which is in its third year of publication – tech ventures in the region raised an estimated $129 million in 2016, while 125 tech start-ups managed collect $186 million in 2015.
“The number of African tech start-ups to raise funding hit 159 – up from 146 companies in 2016 and 125 in 2015. South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya proved to be the top three destinations for tech investors in 2017, both in terms of numbers of deals and total amount of funding, although, for the first time since tracking began, the amount of funding secured by Nigerian start-ups overtook SA,” noted the report.
Fintech ventures proved to be the most popular yet again, with 45 start-ups raising an estimated third of the total funding figure for 2017. In 2016, the sector raised 24% ($31.4 million) of the overall funding. The e-commerce sector saw the biggest percentage growth as compared to the previous year – leaping 350% to raise $16.7 million while agri-tech also gained some traction.
Roger Bezuidenhout, head of marketing at SNAPnSAVE – a local cashback coupon app start-up that received R14 million in funding last year – says the increase in funding is an indication that investors are starting to understand the African market better.
“The market is definitely not getting any easier to navigate, I would say investors are getting a better grip on the African market and are better able to see opportunity as well as guide start-ups better.
The start-up market is tough and investors want to see things are working and the people in charge or founders, have the attitude and skills to take their money and grow it. We are no longer competing just locally or regionally, we are competing globally and that means we need to keep up and adapt.”
Dr Sumarie Roodt, chairperson and director of Silicon Cape, adds that it is encouraging to see a decline in hesitation to invest in Africa, “It is encouraging to see that venture capitals are more open to investing in Africa and are relooking at their investment strategies for the continent,” she says.
“There is, however, always room for improvement especially when it comes to diversity issues. As much as there is a massive growth in funding, we need to take a closer look and any of the start-ups are 100% female owned or if there is a fair representation of people of colour and so forth.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.
GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.
In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.
Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).
GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.
E-Business
Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”
Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.
A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.
Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”
Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.
“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.
He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.
This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.
GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.
The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”
As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.
With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.
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