Our guest on this episode is Temitope Adeyemi, Founder and CEO of insurtech startup, Pay-U. He joins our reporters as they discuss some of the trending stories in the African tech ecosystem this week.
MultiChoice and Canal+ have been doing the news rounds since last month, and this week, news came of the French TV giant upping its stake in the South African company to 40.01%.
And here”s a fun fact about MultiChoice for you: The South African company has seen its revenue increase by an average of 4% between 2019 and 2023. It made the most money in 2023 — R59.1b.
Now we come to other stories we discussed on this episode.
This week, Kenyan startup, Pula, announced a $20m Series B raise to offer insurance to 100 million farmers in Africa. The startup aims to protect farmers from losses caused by pests, diseases, and extreme weather conditions.
Part of its offerings, also includes insurance protecting farmers from banditry, a problem Temitope believes is better left to the government than individuals.
He cites the possibility of prices of premiums being out of reach of a lot of farmers and also issues with determining payouts.
Then we come to Starlink and it’s increasing travails in Africa.
In Zimbabwe, the telecom regulator, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) has ordered Starlink to cut off users in the country from its roaming service.
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Same story goes for users in Ghana, South Africa, and Botswana. The company sent emails to customers on its roaming service in those countries that by the end of April 2024, it will be disconnecting them due to backlash from regulators.
All four countries are yet to approve Starlink use in the country, with users resorting the roaming service or in Zimbawe’s case, hiding kits as everyday use items like outdoor lighting and solar panels.
Last, but not least, is a quick update on Sim Shagaya’s The Honey Badger Fund.
You can read all about the fund here and Sim’s lessons from running Konga here.
Catch up on the conversation on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and anywhere you get your podcasts. You can also send your questions and observations to podcast@techpoint.africa or share your thoughts using the hashtag #TechpointAfricaPodcast.
