African startups are making significant progress. In this context, the digital economy platform FollowICT highlights the top startup news across Africa over the past week.
– NALA Secures up to $50M Credit Facility From MUFG-Backed Liquidity to Pre-Fund Stablecoin Payment Corridors
Tanzanian payments infrastructure company NALA has secured an initial $25 million credit facility from Liquidity, the AI-driven private credit provider, with an option to scale to at least $50 million , capital the company says it needs to pre-fund customer accounts and keep pace with demand that has at times outstripped its balance sheet.
The facility was arranged through Mars Growth Capital, the joint venture between Liquidity and MUFG Bank, Japan’s largest bank. It provides working capital for NALA’s stablecoin-powered payments infrastructure without requiring the company to raise additional equity. NALA confirmed it still holds more than half of the $40 million equity round it raised in mid-2024, meaning the debt facility can be deployed strategically without accelerating shareholder dilution.
The financing marks a notable development for a company that has grown from a Tanzania-founded remittance app into a global stablecoin infrastructure provider, connecting businesses and consumers across the US, Europe and emerging markets. It also reflects a broader market shift: stablecoin payments, particularly in business-to-business corridors, have grown sixfold in eighteen months, with monthly volumes surpassing $30 billion by early 2026, according to data from Artemis Analytics and McKinsey cited by payments firm BVNK.
– StartupsSouth African HealthTech Startup “Mia Healthcare” Raises $910K
South African dental health startup Mia Healthcare Technologies has raised $910,000 (around R15 million) in funding from the Vumela Fund as the company looks to expand access to affordable dental and orthodontic care across Southern Africa.
The investment comes from the Vumela Fund, a growth financing vehicle backed by First National Bank (FNB) South Africa Business Banking and Edge Growth, and will support the startup’s plans to scale its network of dental clinics while strengthening local manufacturing capabilities for its orthodontic products.
Founded in 2021 by dentists Dr. Zane Stenning and Dr. Karishma Soni, Mia Healthcare is building a healthcare model designed to make dental treatment more accessible in markets where affordability, infrastructure limitations, and geographic barriers continue to restrict access to oral healthcare services.
The company currently operates a combination of fixed and mobile dental clinics, allowing it to provide care directly to schools, workplaces, and underserved communities across South Africa.
– South African Fintech Flagship Yoco Buys Restaurant Software Platform Dyner.ai
Yoco, the Cape Town-based payments platform that serves more than 200,000 small merchants, has acquired Dyner.ai, a South African startup that has built an AI-powered operating system for independent restaurants. The deal marks a significant step in Yoco’s effort to evolve from a card-payments provider into a broader commerce and operations platform , and comes just days before a newly appointed German chief executive takes charge.
Founded by actuaries Thalentha Ngobeni and Chris du Plessis, both formerly of Discovery, Dyner has spent the past year quietly developing software that helps restaurant owners manage inventory, supplier workflows, reporting, margins and day-to-day operations. Several of its early customers, including coffee chain Plato Coffee, were already Yoco merchants, creating what both companies describe as a natural fit.
– Germany-Backed develoPPP Ventures Opens Applications for €100K Non-Dilutive Funding for East African Startups
develoPPP Ventures has officially opened applications for Cohort 11 of its East Africa startup support program, offering €100,000 in non-dilutive funding to early-stage startups across Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
The initiative, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by DEG Impulse, aims to support impact-driven startups that have already achieved proof of concept and are preparing to scale commercially
– Tomato Jos Secures USD 2 M Debt Facility From Sabou Capital To Expand Local Processing
Sabou Capital has provided a USD 2 M impact-linked debt facility to Tomato Jos Farming and Processing Limited to expand its farmer network and increase processing capacity in Kaduna State.
Founded in 2014 by Mira Mehta, Tomato Jos operates a vertically integrated agribusiness that sources from more than 3,000 smallholder farmers, 60% of whom are women, and manufactures tomato paste for the West African market.
The financing from Sabou Capital comes as Nigeria seeks to boost local production following a ban on imported tomato paste. Structured around impact targets such as farmer inclusion, women-led sourcing, and rural employment, the facility is designed to lower borrowing costs as the company achieves agreed social and economic outcomes.
