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.
Africa’s Business Heroes Names 20 Entrepreneurs From 12 Countries for 2026 Semi-Finals
Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) has selected 20 entrepreneurs from 12 African countries for the 2026 semi-final stage, moving the founders closer to competing for a share of the competition’s $1.5 million prize pool. The cohort spans a wide range of sectors, including agritech, healthcare, fintech, manufacturing, climate technology, education, biotechnology and digital services.
Egypt has the largest representation with four entrepreneurs: Ahmed Shaaban, founder of industrial technology company Simplex CNC; Farah Emara, founder of agricultural supply-chain company FreshSource; Nour El-Assal, founder of climate technology company Tagaddod; and Salma Tammam, founder of healthtech and biotechnology company Reme-D. Nigeria and Kenya follow with three entrepreneurs each, while Morocco is represented by two founders and several other African countries have one representative each.
Nigeria’s representatives are Affiong Williams, founder of food processing company ReelFruit; Ikechukwu Anoke, founder of digital health company Zuri Health; and Kelvin Umechukwu, founder of commerce technology company Bumpa. Kenya’s representatives are Joseph Mungai of AceleAfrica Limited, Louisa Gathecha of Bottle Logistics East Africa, and Naom Monari of BENA CARE / Renal Roads, covering business services, circular economy and healthcare.
Morocco is represented by Meriem Benabad, founder of retail technology company z.systems, and Nidal Tafah, founder of agritech company MIRRIAH. The wider cohort includes Rwanda’s eFiche, Benin’s BIO PHYTO, Madagascar’s SOLIDIS S.A., South Africa’s BluLever Education, Tanzania’s Dawa Mkononi, Ghana’s Crux Global, Ethiopia’s Thur Biotech and Côte d’Ivoire’s Green Agro Valley CI. The entrepreneurs will now compete in Nairobi for 10 places in the Grand Finale and a share of the $1.5 million prize pool.
GoMed Nigeria Launches Digital Self-Care Platform With UNFPA for University Students
Nigerian healthtech company GoMed Nigeria has launched a digital self-care platform in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Lagos State Government to improve university students’ access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. The initiative was initially launched at the University of Lagos, providing students with digital access to health information, professional guidance and reproductive health products through discreet campus delivery.
The platform is designed to address several barriers young people face when seeking reproductive healthcare, including cost, social stigma, limited access to reliable information and concerns over confidentiality. By moving parts of the process online, GoMed aims to allow students to access available services and products without having to rely on traditional healthcare channels for every request.
Eligible users can access free contraceptives and other sexual and reproductive health commodities supplied through the Lagos State Ministry of Health and UNFPA. Products can be delivered discreetly to selected locations around the university campus and student accommodation, giving students a more private way to access available healthcare services.
The platform also connects students with professional support through UNFPA’s SoftLife 247 and U-Plan platforms, where users can communicate with qualified family planning providers. Students can also receive confidential consultations from GoMed’s registered pharmacists. The University of Lagos rollout is expected to serve as an initial implementation phase, with the partners planning to use the results to refine the model and explore expansion to other university communities in Lagos and across Nigeria.
Tanzania’s Dawa Mkononi Secures Investment From Africa Health Ventures
Tanzanian healthtech startup Dawa Mkononi has secured investment from Africa Health Ventures, an investment firm focused on early-stage healthcare startups across Africa. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but the funding will support the company’s expansion and strengthen its digital pharmaceutical distribution platform in Tanzania.
Dawa Mkononi is building a digital platform that connects healthcare providers with trusted medicine suppliers, allowing pharmacies, clinics and other healthcare facilities to source pharmaceutical products digitally. The startup aims to make procurement faster, more transparent and more reliable while addressing inefficiencies created by fragmented pharmaceutical supply chains.
The company was founded by Tanzanian entrepreneurs Joseph Paul, Clemence Exaudi and Asorael Ayo. Its technology is designed to simplify pharmaceutical procurement by allowing healthcare providers to search for and order medicines digitally from trusted suppliers, reducing the complexity associated with traditional purchasing processes and improving access to pharmaceutical products.
The new investment comes as Dawa Mkononi seeks to scale its model across Tanzania and improve the efficiency of medicine distribution. The deal also highlights growing investor interest in African healthtech companies working on the infrastructure behind healthcare delivery, particularly digital solutions addressing pharmaceutical procurement and supply-chain challenges.
Africa50 Secures $50 Million to Boost Early-Stage Investment in Climate-Resilient Projects
Africa50 has secured US$50 million in investments from international financial institutions to boost early-stage investment in climate-resilient projects across Africa. The funding is intended to help projects obtain the capital required during their early development stages and move closer to investment readiness and large-scale implementation.
Africa50 is a specialist investor in African infrastructure, focusing on developing, de-risking and delivering projects designed to unlock economic growth across the continent. It combines a continental-scale project pipeline, government relationships and financial structuring capabilities to develop investment-ready projects and scalable platforms.
The organisation currently has 38 shareholders, including 33 African countries, the African Development Bank, the Central Bank of West African States, Bank Al-Maghrib, the Public Investment Corporation and the African Reinsurance Corporation. Two new development finance institutions have also joined its shareholder base: Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and Proparco, the private-sector financing arm of the Agence Française de Développement Group.
Africa50’s first close reached US$118 million in August 2025, attracting investors including the African Development Bank, German Development Cooperation through KfW, the West African Development Bank, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Soros Economic Development Fund and the African Climate Foundation. The latest investment is expected to strengthen Africa50’s ability to support early-stage infrastructure projects focused on climate resilience and sustainable development across African markets.
Nigeria’s Clea Launches Vendor Payments for International Supplier Transactions
Nigerian fintech Clea has launched Vendor Payments, a new capability designed to simplify international supplier payments for African businesses. The stablecoin-powered cross-border payments platform allows companies to pay international suppliers, vehicle auction platforms and shipping companies directly through their Clea accounts.
Clea provides African businesses with access to foreign currency and enables faster, compliant payments to international suppliers. The company combines stablecoin-based settlement with enterprise compliance and a growing range of trade-focused financial tools designed to help businesses conduct transactions across global markets more efficiently.
The startup surpassed US$20 million in transaction volume within six months of emerging from stealth in December 2025. Since its pilot launch, Vendor Payments has already been adopted by more than 50 businesses, indicating demand for tools that simplify international supplier payments as African companies expand their cross-border operations.
The new feature allows customers to select supported vendors and enter payment references such as buyer numbers, lot numbers or invoice details before authorising the transaction. Clea has preconfigured vendor information within the platform, enabling payments to be completed quickly, while additional suppliers and payment destinations are expected to be added as the service expands.
South Africa’s Tennsa Becomes First Investment of AI-Focused Pre-Seed Fund Oakvale Invest
South African startup Tennsa, an AI-powered business intelligence platform for SMEs, has become the first portfolio company of Oakvale Invest, described as Africa’s first AI-focused pre-seed fund. The Cape Town-based startup has received more than ZAR1 million, or approximately US$61,000, from the fund as it develops its AI platform for small and medium-sized businesses.
Tennsa is building AI designed to work around people, with its first product, Tennsa OS, acting as an operational intelligence layer connected to the systems a business already uses. The platform reads information across those systems as one environment, identifies issues requiring decisions and explains why they need attention, helping business owners streamline daily operations.
Founder Rivar Maharaj said Tennsa’s approach is focused on building AI around people rather than replacing them. The company aims to help business owners spend less time keeping track of every aspect of their operations and more time on the work they actually want to do. The startup is positioning its technology as a practical operational layer rather than simply another standalone AI tool.
Herman Ekdahl of Oakvale Invest said the fund was created to back AI companies across Africa at a stage when capital is particularly difficult to access. He described Tennsa as a strong fit because it has an African founder, a product designed for the local market and the ability to move quickly into businesses. The investment represents Oakvale Invest’s first deal as the fund begins building its portfolio of African AI startups.
Kenyan Fintech Cloud9 Acquires Chpter to Combine Banking and Commerce
Kenyan fintech Cloud9 has acquired Chpter, a conversational commerce platform, in an all-stock transaction designed to combine banking, payments and digital commerce for African businesses. The acquisition expands Cloud9’s offering beyond financial services by integrating commerce capabilities into its business banking platform.
Founded by Kenyan entrepreneur Tesh Mbaabu, Cloud9 is a Nairobi-based stablecoin-native digital banking platform providing multi-currency accounts, cross-border payments, treasury services and other financial tools for businesses. Chpter, founded by Tesh Mbaabu and co-founders in 2020, enables businesses to sell and communicate with customers through WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and other digital channels.
Chpter has served more than 4,500 businesses and processed over one million transactions. Following the acquisition, Cloud9 has sunset the standalone Chpter platform and integrated its conversational commerce capabilities into Cloud9 Business Banking, bringing customer engagement, sales and financial operations into the same environment.
The combined platform is designed to allow businesses to manage customer interactions, sales, payments, cash flow and financial operations from one place. The transaction also expands Cloud9’s distribution across African markets and reflects a broader trend among African fintech companies toward combining banking, payments and digital commerce tools into integrated platforms for businesses.