March 12, 2026 - Page 2 of 3

6 minute read

Japan’s African Bet: How Tokyo Became the Continent’s Fastest-Growing Startup Investor

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

Japan recorded the sharpest increase of any investor geography in African tech in early 2026. Behind that data point is a deliberate strategic pivot — not aid, but venture capital with a distinctive industrial logic.

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5 minute read

Ethiopia Mandates 1.5% Telecom Levy to Fund Rural Connectivity

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

Ethiopia has mandated a 1.5% telecom revenue levy to fund rural connectivity. The policy affects Ethio Telecom and Safaricom Ethiopia — and signals a new approach to financing digital inclusion in Africa’s second-most populous nation.

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6 minute read

Africa’s Satellite Internet Price War Is Arriving — What It Means for SME Connectivity Costs

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

The satellite internet price war has arrived in Africa. Starlink, OneWeb, and regional players are competing — and the pressure on pricing is real. Here’s what it means for SME connectivity costs across the continent.

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5 minute read

Ghana Admits 11 Crypto Firms to Regulatory Sandbox — The VASP Act 2025 Is Now Operational

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

Ghana has admitted 11 crypto firms to its regulatory sandbox under the VASP Act 2025 — making it one of the first African countries to operationalise a formal virtual asset regulatory framework.

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5 minute read

South Africa’s Crypto Reporting Regime Is Now Live — What CASPs Must Do

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

South Africa’s crypto asset reporting framework is live. Every CASP operating in the country now has mandatory reporting obligations to SARS. Here’s what the new regime requires and who it applies to.

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7 minute read

AU-Google AI MOU: Can Partnership With a Tech Giant Deliver Sovereign AI for Africa?

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

The African Union and Google have signed an MOU on AI. It’s the continent’s most significant tech partnership of 2026 — and a test case for whether Africa can build AI sovereignty through, rather than despite, Big Tech.

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Policy & Regulation

5 minute read

The 27-Year Truce Ends: What the WTO E-Commerce Moratorium Expiry Means for Africa

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

The WTO’s 27-year moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions has ended. For Africa’s digital economy — still building the infrastructure to compete — the timing could not be worse.

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6 minute read

Congo’s €8.7B Digital Bet: 30,000 Towers, an AI Academy, and a Race Against Its Own Infrastructure Gap

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched an €8.7 billion national digital plan for 2026–2030 — 30,000 new towers, a national AI academy, and universal broadband by 2030. Whether it can execute is another question entirely.

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Technology

6 minute read

Africa First: MTN and Huawei’s AI Antenna Deal Is Rewriting the Rules of Network Operations

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

At MWC Barcelona 2026, MTN and Huawei signed an MOU to deploy AI-native antenna networks starting in Ghana. The deal reframes how African telecoms think about network operations — and who controls the AI layer.

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Technology

6 minute read

AfDB and UNDP Launch $10 Billion AI Initiative to Create 40 Million Jobs Across Africa by 2035

UphivaBETAR
March 12, 2026

The African Development Bank and UNDP have jointly launched a $10 billion AI initiative — the largest multilateral AI investment targeting Africa. The goal: 40 million new jobs by 2035 across a three-phase roadmap.

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Day: March 12, 2026

Japan’s African Bet: How Tokyo Became the Continent’s Fastest-Growing Startup Investor

Ethiopia Mandates 1.5% Telecom Levy to Fund Rural Connectivity

Africa’s Satellite Internet Price War Is Arriving — What It Means for SME Connectivity Costs

Ghana Admits 11 Crypto Firms to Regulatory Sandbox — The VASP Act 2025 Is Now Operational

South Africa’s Crypto Reporting Regime Is Now Live — What CASPs Must Do

AU-Google AI MOU: Can Partnership With a Tech Giant Deliver Sovereign AI for Africa?

The 27-Year Truce Ends: What the WTO E-Commerce Moratorium Expiry Means for Africa

Congo’s €8.7B Digital Bet: 30,000 Towers, an AI Academy, and a Race Against Its Own Infrastructure Gap

Africa First: MTN and Huawei’s AI Antenna Deal Is Rewriting the Rules of Network Operations

AfDB and UNDP Launch $10 Billion AI Initiative to Create 40 Million Jobs Across Africa by 2035

Africa’s Solar Record Masks a $186 Billion Financing Chasm

Africa’s First Battery Gigafactory Is in Morocco. Europe Gets the Batteries.

Africa’s $40 Smartphone Dream Has a Memory Problem

One Licence, Two Markets: Kenya and Rwanda Just Redrew East Africa’s Fintech Map

AfDB Backs Saviu Ventures — Development Finance Enters Francophone Africa VC

Morocco’s ‘Digital X.0’ Law: North Africa’s Most Ambitious AI and Data Governance Framework Explained

Rwanda’s 1.5% Digital Services Tax Joins a Growing Continental Wave

Spiro’s $50M Debt Round Signals Africa’s Battery-Swap Model Has Reached Infrastructure Scale

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Africa’s Solar Record Masks a $186 Billion Financing Chasm

Africa’s First Battery Gigafactory Is in Morocco. Europe Gets the Batteries.

Africa’s $40 Smartphone Dream Has a Memory Problem

One Licence, Two Markets: Kenya and Rwanda Just Redrew East Africa’s Fintech Map