Digital Economy

Digital EconomyOpinion

Africa’s mobile money platforms are failing their festive stress test

With mobile money transactions peaking in December, weak encryption and simple PINs provide opportunities for cybercriminals targeting Africa's digital payments
The exterior of a shop offering mobile money services in Kampala
Digital EconomyEconomyTechnology sector

Bank of Uganda governor’s speech at the 2025 Kampala Blockchain Summit

Governor addresses stablecoin risks of monetary substitution and foreign exchange exposure, and outlines path from regulatory uncertainty to clear framework
Michael Atingi-Ego, governor of the Bank of Uganda, addresses the 2025 Kampala Blockchain Summit.
Art & CultureDigital EconomyTechnology sector

Why news influencers matter more in Africa than Europe – and what that means for journalism

Traditional news outlets dominate legacy platforms like Facebook, but face growing competition from creators on video-heavy networks like TikTok and Instagram
A close-up of a smartphone displaying social media icons on its screen.
Digital Economy

Internet services disrupted as Cloudflare suffers major outage

Widespread failures have hit X (formerly known as Twitter), OpenAI, and gaming platforms as infrastructure provider investigates widespread 500 errors affecting customers around the world
Cloudflare office entrance area
CompaniesDigital EconomyTechnology sector

SafeBoda promised safety – but its riders are under pressure to speed

At its core, the ride-hailing model, which classifies riders as independent contractors doing poorly paid 'gig work' rather than as employees earning a wage, undermines its own safety ambitions
Boda boda cyclists in Kampala, February 2020
CompaniesDigital EconomyMarketsMergers & Acquisitions

MTN Uganda plans to spin off mobile money business

The telecom giant MTN Uganda plans to restructure its mobile money business by separating it from its direct ownership and transferring the unit to a newly formed company through a merger
The head offices of MTN Uganda in Kampala
Digital EconomyScience & Technology

Media often tout fintech as answer to Africa’s problems, overlooking its downsides

African headlines often praise fintech as solving the continent's economic problems, but some political economists and social theorists challenge this narrative
Three communications and politics researchers wondered whether African journalists were uncritically talking up fintech or were warning of its risks. They analysed news coverage and looked at journalism published between 2016 and 2021 by leading newspapers in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, as well as through the AllAfrica news aggregator. Based on their initial examination of 368 articles, they identified nine themes or frames that appeared frequently in news coverage of fintech.
CompaniesDigital EconomyTechnology sector

Jumia to close food delivery business

In a bid to cut losses, Jumia is downsizing, cutting costs, and shutting down its unprofitable food delivery business
A Jumia delivery motorcylist on his way to deliver an order. The ecommerce group with operations across Africa announced on 13 December that it would close its unprofitable food delivery business by the close of 2023 and focus on the delivery of physical goods and its digital wallet. It said it had determined that Jumia Food was not suited to “the current operating environment and macroeconomic conditions in its markets” and would be shut down in all seven countries where it is offered. Jumia Pay has failed to turn a profit since its launch in 2013, the company said.
Digital EconomyEconomy

Remarks by BoU DG Atingi-Ego at second National Financial Inclusion Strategy launch

NFIS II aims to tackle financial exclusion and barriers to access, empower consumers through protection and education, and increase the use of affordable financial products
The exterior of a shop offering mobile money services in Kampala
Digital EconomyInfrastructurePolitics & PolicyTechnology sector

Uganda seeks $146mn Chinese loan for national fibre-optic project

China also funded the first three phases of the national fibre-optic backbone infrastructure project
Servers in a data centre
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