Good morning. 
Amazon has launched Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper). While it was first announced in 2019, Project Kuiper didn’t make a sound until its Federal Communications Commission licence forced Amazon to start the launch and operate at least half its satellites by mid-2026.
With Starlink’s hold on under-served regions slowing down, will Leo take its place? That remains to be seen.
In today’s edition of Francophone Weekly by TechCabal, we spoke to Mathias LĂ©opoldie, CEO and co-founder of Julaya, an Ivorian fintech that serves Francophone West Africa, about why debt matters for growth-stage startups. Don’t miss it.
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Zia.
Let’s get into it!
mobility
Uber introduces EVs in South Africa
Ride-hailing platform Uber just rolled out its first EV fleet in Johannesburg, starting with 70 cars and targeting 350 by the end of January 2026. The fleets are all Henrey Minicar four-seaters imported from China and supplied through Valternative Energy, an e-mobility startup.
Here’s how it’ll work: EVs change the economics for drivers. Instead of struggling to buy a vehicle, drivers will be able to rent an EV, plug into Valternative’s charging ecosystem, and eliminate the cash drain from daily fuel spend. In this new EV push, drivers will be paid weekly lump sums with zero weekly fuel interference, making their earnings more predictable and reducing the stress of volatile pump prices.
Not an open field: In 2021, Bolt announced plans to roll out electric vehicles in South Africa, following the introduction of e-bike food delivery services in the country. Local startups like EcoRide Africa are also pushing cleaner mobility in South Africa’s ride-hailing sector.
Zoom out: Operating an EV ride-hailing service in South Africa comes with real constraints, as there exists limited public charging infrastructure. Uber’s partnership model, which entails outsourcing vehicle ownership, charging, and maintenance to Valternative, is a turnaround. For now, this structure enables Uber to enter the EV race without spending a lot of money on infrastructure.
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Telecoms
Cell C’s IPO lands with a thud, now what?
Cell C finally went public, but the debut didn’t hit the numbers the operator had expected.
The telco planned to raise over $444 million in its long-anticipated Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listing, announced earlier in November. Instead, investors bought 102 million of the 182.92 million available shares, which is just 55.8% of the offer, pulling in a little over $155 million at $1.53 per share. This puts Cell C’s valuation at about $500 million, although the true market cap will only settle once trading opens on 27 November.
The miss is hard to ignore: Cell C had already revised its valuation ambitions earlier this month by cutting billions off its initial targeted valuation and trimming its price range from $1.70–$2.05 to the eventual $1.53. Even then, investor appetite didn’t match the pitch.
What does this mean? The underperformance could signal caution from investors who have watched Cell C’s struggles with debt and market share losses, as well as delays in turnaround for years. Entering the public markets with less financial firepower than planned could limit how aggressively Cell C can chase growth in a brutally competitive telecoms market.
Still, the IPO offers Cell C a public listing that it desperately needed to cement its recapitalisation, settle bits of its debt, and formalise its ownership structure.
Enjoy smooth payments while you’re home this Detty December
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Companies
M-KOPA hits $1.6 billion in credit disbursed in Kenya
M-KOPA Kenya, the local subsidiary of the pay-as-you-go financing company, has now disbursed over $1.6 billion in loans to customers in the country. Starting over a decade ago by selling solar systems to rural areas, it has grown to become one of the country’s largest lenders for low-income households. The company has served 4.8 million customers.
What does this mean? M-KOPA has become deeply embedded in Kenya’s economy. Its main product is now smartphones, with 4.5 million devices sold, helping 2.1 million people own their first phones.
Beyond lending, M-KOPA has a significant footprint: it’s a major taxpayer, operates a large phone assembly plant in Nairobi, and employs thousands directly and through a vast agent network. It has also expanded into financing electric motorbikes, using the same pay-as-you-go model.
What next? While M-KOPA’s growth highlights its impact, its future relies on navigating concerns about consumer debt and its device-locking feature, which disables phones for missed payments.
As it grows, an ability to balance financial inclusion with consumer protection will be important to its long-term success in Kenya and the rest of the continent.
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COOL STUFF!
Paying for anything international is a hassle that consumers in African countries can unfortunately relate to; this includes paying for your preferred streaming service, which probably requires a debit or a credit card.
People who use mobile money and not cards are deprived of their favorite songs by a simple barrier to a payment method. It’s pretty cool to see Afreekaplay bridge that gap by allowing users to pay for songs with mobile money wallets. With a 100% catalogue and mobile money payment integration across 13 countries, the streaming service offers an alternative to piracy that benefits both consumers and artists.
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CRYPTO TRACKER
The World Wide Web3
Source:
|
Coin Name |
Current Value |
Day |
Month |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bitcoin |
$88,222 |
+ 1.67% |
– 20.83% |
| Ether |
$2,943 |
+ 5.69% |
– 25.50% |
| XRP |
$2.25 |
+ 10.42% |
– 18.87% |
| BNB |
$865 |
+ 3.15% |
– 22.92% |
* Data as of 05.35 AM WAT, November 25, 2025.
Opportunities
- The Growth Talent Accelerator Programme (GTAP) is alGROWithm’s flagship training experience designed to turn ambitious professionals, operators, and teams into world-class Growth Engineers. If you’re an individual looking to upskill and become indispensable in 2026, or a company looking to strengthen your team, optimise operations, and increase revenue, GTAP 2026 is the right place to start. Apply for the Lite stream as an individual or nominate your team for the Pro stream
- Every startup has a story worth hearing. My Startup in 60 Seconds by TechCabal offers founders a one-minute spotlight to share their vision, challenges, and achievements. Beyond visibility, it connects you to investors, customers, and Africa’s tech ecosystem. Apply to be featured or explore other TechCabal advertorial opportunities. This is a paid opportunity.
- Founder Institute Lagos, the Lagos chapter of the world’s largest pre-seed accelerator, is set to graduate its 12th Cohort at a physical ecosystem gathering themed “Build. Impact. Scale: Fueling Africa’s Growth through Scalable Innovation.” The event will celebrate 18 founders who have completed a rigorous and rewarding 14+ week virtual accelerator program, joined by operators, investors, and key ecosystem players. Register here to attend.
Written by: Opeyemi Kareem, Fancy Goodman, and Zia Yusuf
Edited by:Ganiu Oloruntade
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I am the CEO of 9JAGISTLAND.My name is Adedeji Timothy and my co-owner is Oyekola Damilare.This blog is born out of our passion to educating to people in all aspect of internet life.We are enthusiastic about writing posts and articles online.
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