TechTrends Media

04/11/2025

Kenya’s Tax Appeals Tribunal has ruled that payment switch companies like Kenswitch are exempt from VAT, siding against KRA’s claim that their services fall under ICT. The decision redefines how digital payments are treated in law and could influence future tax policy.

It’s a quiet but consequential moment for Kenya’s financial infrastructure, where technology and regulation often pull in different directions.

The ruling may seem technical, but it cuts into the wiring of Kenya’s financial system, where software meets banking and the law still struggles to catch up.

04/11/2025

Absa is partnering with Huawei to build a private cloud that will host its banking systems across African markets. The move brings data management and compliance back under the bank’s control while strengthening reliability for customers.

It’s a step toward greater technological independence in African banking, as institutions look for ways to modernize infrastructure without surrendering oversight to global cloud providers.

Absa’s deal with Huawei shows a bank trying to rebuild its digital core on its own terms.

04/11/2025

CMC Networks has partnered with Bridgepointe Technologies to connect global enterprises across Africa and the Middle East through a unified network platform. The deal links Bridgepointe’s U.S. enterprise clients with CMC’s extensive regional infrastructure, aiming to simplify cross-border operations.

It’s a move that reflects how global firms are beginning to treat African connectivity not as an obstacle, but as a strategic advantage.

CMC Networks and Bridgepointe aren’t chasing scale for its own sake. They’re testing whether local experience can finally keep pace with global ambition.

04/11/2025

The Medusa submarine cable has reached Tunisia, linking Bizerte to Marseille in what could become one of the Mediterranean’s most important digital routes. The 1,050-kilometre segment expands Tunisia’s bandwidth capacity and deepens its role in regional connectivity.

Read more:

In Bizerte, the landing brings technical ambition and political calculation into the same frame

04/11/2025

Morocco’s telecom market has moved back into growth after a rough start to the year. Mobile connections rose in the second quarter, reversing earlier losses, while fibre subscriptions expanded at their fastest pace yet.

The numbers suggest a market learning to grow differently — steadier, more deliberate, and increasingly shaped by how households choose between mobile data and home broadband.

https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/11/04/morocco-telecom-market-rebound-fibre-growth-2025/

04/11/2025

MTN has completed a large-scale rebuild of its data platform, moving its Enterprise Value Analytics system to Microsoft Azure. The new cloud-based setup processes billions of records daily, giving MTN faster, smarter ways to manage its network and services.

It’s a major step for one of Africa’s biggest telecoms, as data management becomes central to how operators compete and adapt in an increasingly cloud-driven industry.

MTN’s cloud rebuild is pushing its engineers into new territory, where control feels different and every decision about data has real weight

04/11/2025

Wingu Africa has partnered with Africa Data Centres to link its East African hubs in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Tanzania with ADC’s wider footprint across the continent. The agreement turns two regional networks into one platform spanning major African markets.

It’s a step that reflects how regional data operators are beginning to think beyond borders, connecting Africa’s emerging digital economies more directly.

Wingu Africa has partnered with Africa Data Centres, the operator of the continent’s largest network of interconnected facilities.

04/11/2025

After two difficult years of shutdowns, valuation drops, and investor caution, funding is returning to Africa’s startup scene. But this recovery looks different, steadier, more focused, and built on stronger fundamentals.

On The TechTrends Podcast, Andrew Fassnidge of Africa Tech Summit discusses how the downturn became a reset for founders and investors alike.

Spotify: https://spti.fi/koF6ZCn

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4hQ11aA

04/11/2025

Kenya’s 5G rollout is starting to reshape how people connect at home. Safaricom and Airtel are offering different versions of that future — one focused on steadier uploads and easier setup, the other on price and portability. The real difference shows in how each fits into everyday use.

Read the full comparison:
https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/11/01/5g-router-comparison-safaricom-vs-airtel/

04/11/2025

Kenya’s High Court has ruled that any tax assessment or objection filed outside the iTax platform is invalid. The decision, born out of a billion-shilling dispute, tightens how the country’s digital tax system operates. It also raises questions about access and fairness in an era where software now determines what counts as lawful compliance.

Read the full story:

What began as a billion-shilling fight over paperwork has turned into a reckoning over whether technology is clarifying Kenya’s tax law or quietly tightening it.

04/11/2025

Kenyan banks are quietly reopening branches — not because digital banking failed, but because people still want places that feel real. Trust has become the currency no app can fully replicate.

Even as online services expand, banks are rediscovering the value of presence and familiarity in an increasingly digital economy.
Read more: https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/11/03/kenya-banks-branch-expansion-digital-banking-trust/

04/11/2025

Kenya’s internet advertising market is expanding faster than any in the world, according to PwC’s latest outlook. The report projects $470 million in revenue by 2029, driven by mobile use and changing media habits. It’s a sign of how digital attention is turning into one of the country’s most dynamic economic forces.

Read more: https://techtrendske.co.ke/2025/11/03/kenya-internet-advertising-growth-2029-digital-economy/