Kenya Archives

MTN War Chest Q2 2026: Acquisition Pipeline Update

Business

6 minute read

MTN War Chest Q2 2026: 90 Days In, the Acquisition Pipeline Has Changed

UphivaBETAR
April 21, 2026

MTN Group committed $1.2bn of its $2bn fintech war chest to IHS Towers infrastructure. Moniepoint — the most speculated acquisition target — bought its own Kenyan bank. BETAR tracks what the pipeline actually looks like 90 days on.

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COMESA clears Vodacom Safaricom 55% stake East Africa telecoms 2026

4 minute read

COMESA Clears Vodacom’s Safaricom Stake: What 55% Ownership Means for East Africa’s Telecoms Map

UphivaBETAR
April 12, 2026

COMESA’s unconditional clearance of Vodacom’s Safaricom stake increase — raising ownership to 55% — marks the first time a South African telco holds majority control of East Africa’s dominant operator. BETAR analyses the strategic, regulatory, and market implications.

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Airtel-Starlink direct-to-cell satellite connectivity Kenya pilot 2026

5 minute read

Airtel-Starlink Direct-to-Cell in Kenya: The End of the Coverage Excuse

UphivaBETAR
April 11, 2026

A March 2026 Kenya pilot confirmed that direct-to-cell satellite connectivity works on ordinary smartphones — no hardware needed. BETAR analyses what Airtel and Starlink’s breakthrough means for Africa’s operators, regulators, and tower economics.

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Ethiopia-Kenya EAPP Power Interconnector — East Africa Energy Trade 2026

Energy & Climate Tech

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7 minute read

Ethiopia Is Selling Electricity to Half of East Africa. Here Is What That Actually Means.

UphivaBETAR
April 6, 2026

The Ethiopia-Kenya HVDC interconnector is live. Tanzania and Uganda are next. Ethiopia’s 45 GW hydro potential is becoming a regional trade asset — but the economics, the politics, and the grid risks are more complicated than the development finance pitch suggests.

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Africa reality TV format economy — Big Brother Naija sponsorship, format fees, production economics

Creative Economy

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9 minute read

Africa’s Reality TV Format Economy: Inside the Business of Big Brother Naija, Format Fees, and the Sponsor Arms Race

UphivaBETAR
April 6, 2026

Big Brother Naija Season 9 headline sponsorship: N4 billion. Production cost: N5.5 billion. Implied margin: 50%. We map Africa’s reality TV format economy — who owns the IP, how sponsorship tiers work, and what the Idols SA cancellation signals.

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Olkaria geothermal power plant in Kenya Rift Valley — Africa geothermal energy baseload

Technology

9 minute read

Kenya Generates 35% of Its Power From the Earth. The Rest of Africa’s Rift Valley Has Built Almost Nothing.

UphivaBETAR
April 6, 2026

The Great Rift Valley carries volcanic heat sufficient to power Africa’s most reliable low-carbon grid. Kenya has proved the model works. Five Rift Valley neighbours share the same geology but have built almost nothing.

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Africa video game development studio economics — app store cuts, developer salaries, unit economics

Creative Economy

7 minute read

Building a Game Studio in Africa Costs $3,000 a Month. Publishing One Game Costs Three Times That.

UphivaBETAR
April 6, 2026

Africa has 349 million gamers. It has fewer than 200 commercially active game studios. The gap is a unit economics problem — app store fees, ARPU, bandwidth costs, and publisher deal structures all working against African developers.

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Airtel Starlink direct-to-cell Kenya satellite connectivity 2026 — BETAR.africa

Technology

5 minute read

Airtel-Starlink Direct-to-Cell in Kenya: The End of the Coverage Excuse

UphivaBETAR
April 6, 2026

Airtel Africa’s Starlink Direct-to-Cell pilot proves the technology works on unmodified 4G handsets in rural Kenya. The CA-Kenya audit will determine whether it is allowed.

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Airtel Starlink direct-to-cell Kenya coverage 2026

Technology

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5 minute read

Airtel-Starlink Direct-to-Cell in Kenya: The End of the Coverage Excuse

UphivaBETAR
April 4, 2026

Airtel Africa’s Starlink Direct-to-Cell pilot proves the technology works on unmodified 4G handsets in rural Kenya. The CA-Kenya audit will determine whether it is allowed.

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AfDB BEEP carbon finance clean cooking Africa 2026

Energy & Climate

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6 minute read

Africa’s First Carbon-Financed Clean Cooking Programme: How AfDB Is Using Carbon Credits to Replace Charcoal

UphivaBETAR
April 4, 2026

The AfDB’s SEFA has backed a $10M blended vehicle to deploy 115,000 electric induction cookers in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia — the AfDB’s first-ever carbon finance transaction for electric cooking.

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Kenya

MTN War Chest Q2 2026: 90 Days In, the Acquisition Pipeline Has Changed

COMESA Clears Vodacom’s Safaricom Stake: What 55% Ownership Means for East Africa’s Telecoms Map

Airtel-Starlink Direct-to-Cell in Kenya: The End of the Coverage Excuse

Ethiopia Is Selling Electricity to Half of East Africa. Here Is What That Actually Means.

Africa’s Reality TV Format Economy: Inside the Business of Big Brother Naija, Format Fees, and the Sponsor Arms Race

Kenya Generates 35% of Its Power From the Earth. The Rest of Africa’s Rift Valley Has Built Almost Nothing.

Building a Game Studio in Africa Costs $3,000 a Month. Publishing One Game Costs Three Times That.

Airtel-Starlink Direct-to-Cell in Kenya: The End of the Coverage Excuse

Airtel-Starlink Direct-to-Cell in Kenya: The End of the Coverage Excuse

Africa’s First Carbon-Financed Clean Cooking Programme: How AfDB Is Using Carbon Credits to Replace Charcoal

MTN War Chest Q2 2026: 90 Days In, the Acquisition Pipeline Has Changed

Nigeria Bank M&A Wave 2026: Who Acquires the Recapitalisation Failures and at What Price?

Nigeria Bank M&A Wave: Who Acquires the Recapitalisation Failures — and at What Price?

COMESA Clears Vodacom’s Safaricom Stake: What 55% Ownership Means for East Africa’s Telecoms Map

Airtel-Starlink Direct-to-Cell in Kenya: The End of the Coverage Excuse

Nigeria BRIDGE Fibre Rollout: How the World Bank’s Pay-for-Results Architecture Is Funding Africa’s Biggest Broadband Project

Nigeria BRIDGE Fibre Rollout: How the World Bank’s Pay-for-Results Architecture Is Funding Africa’s Biggest Broadband Project

GITEX Africa 2026 Day 2: STAR Summit — AI, Cybersecurity and Fintech Take Centre Stage

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MTN War Chest Q2 2026: 90 Days In, the Acquisition Pipeline Has Changed

Nigeria Bank M&A Wave 2026: Who Acquires the Recapitalisation Failures and at What Price?

Nigeria Bank M&A Wave: Who Acquires the Recapitalisation Failures — and at What Price?

COMESA Clears Vodacom’s Safaricom Stake: What 55% Ownership Means for East Africa’s Telecoms Map