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Nigerian startup Seamfix plans expansion into five African countries

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Nigerian digital identity startup, Seamfix, has concluded plans to expand its operations into five African countries, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia and Uganda, after securing $4.5 million investment funding.

Co-founder and CEO of the platform, Chimezie Emewulu, who made the announcement in a statement, the plans are parts of the long term ambition of the startup to take its operations to the wider African market.

“By leveraging technology to make digital identity easy, Seamfix helps thousands of businesses around the world offer better services to millions of end customers,” Emewulu said.

“From financial participation and efficiency in government services to public health and job creation, digital ID and verification systems are a fundamental driver of economic growth on the continent, and Seamfix has been at the forefront of delivering cutting-edge end-to-end digital ID and credentials solutions for connecting businesses and individuals to the disparate identity databases in Africa and across the world,” he added.

Seamfix which was founded in 2007 by the duo of Emewulu and Chibuzor Onwurah, provides identity management, data capture and process automation solutions for large businesses and government agencies across the world.

The company has been consistent in delivering a wide range of solutions for organisations such as Veremark, Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), MTN, Glo, Airtel 9 Mobile, United Bank for Africa, Interswitch, and Union Bank, enabling them and their customers globally to seamlessly create, verify and access trusted digital identities and services.

Delving into the history of the startup, Emewulu said Seamfix was focused on building custom products that digitised the workflow of organisations.

It wasn’t until 2010 that it pivoted to building identity management solutions.

“A client project, which involved building a university ID impersonation solution, made us realise the identity problem on the continent,” said Emewulu.

“Digital identity remains an issue in Africa, with over 542 million people without identity cards. This means digital ID and verification systems are crucial to unlocking significant economic value across Africa’s growing and increasingly digital societies.

“A recent report suggests that African countries that implement effective digital ID systems can boost their GDP by up to 13 per cent.

“Our goal is to provide a central hub for identity management in Africa to power trade within the region and with Africans. Using it, governments, corporate organisations, and individuals can verify the identities of entities it transacts with.

“Seamfix’s key achievements include the successful development of a digital solution enabling widespread access to National Identification Numbers (NINs) for more than 100 million Nigerians, while it has also helped Nigerian telecommunications services providers to register and verify a database of over 200 million Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) to comply with Nigerian Communications Commissions regulations.

“We currently work with major telcos across Africa on SIM registration, verification and linkage to national identities. Thousands of fintechs and SMEs rely on Seamfix’s verification APIs for KYC checks during customer onboarding and employee background checks,” Emewulu added.

Emewulu said the capital would be used to scale the technology infrastructure that underpins Seamfix’s solutions, improve data flow crucial for continental trade and integration, and kickstart the expansion of its digital ID and credential services into five new African countries.

“The new funding represents our first institutional investment and it will enable us to expand our services to Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia and Uganda,” he said.

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Bolt invests $107m in Nigeria to boost safety standards

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Ride-hailing platform, Bolt, has announced an investment of $107 million in its bid to boost safety and service quality in Nigeria’s ride-hailing sector, with a special technology enhancing safety standards for both drivers and passengers.

Lola Masha, Bolt’s Regional Manager for North and West Africa, who made the announcement in a statement, said the “investment will fund new safety technologies, accident prevention measures, customer support upgrades, and public safety awareness campaigns, underscoring Bolt’s commitment to providing a secure and reliable platform.”

She revealed that as part of its quality check, the company had removed more than 5,000 drivers from its platform in 2023 so as to cleanup its database cleanup effort and will continue to implementing a driver score system to maintain quality standards.

“The driver score evaluates performance by monitoring how frequently drivers accept ride requests, successfully complete trips, and respond to passenger feedback. Essentially, it rates drivers based on their performance over their last 100 trips,” she noted.

Masha emphasized that the move came as a result of complains by the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUTON) which raised concerns about the potential downsides experienced by users and the psychological stress on drivers, which could negatively affect their performance.

According to her, among the upcoming features are a four-digit trip pickup code and a trip counter, both aimed at making rides more secure and dependable for all users.

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Egyptian VC Flat6Labs partners ITIDA to launch programme for tech startups

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Egyptian Venture Capital firm, Flat6Labs, has partnered with Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) to launch an InvestIT programme which will offer tech startups in the country, particularly at the seed or pre-Series A stages, access to consultancy, tools, and investor connections to help them scale operations and enhance global competitiveness.

The programme, according to Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr Amr Talaat, will be run by the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), a subsidiary of ITIDA, and will support startups across various governorates, encouraging innovation and growth in Egypt’s digital economy.

“Through two phases, it will prepare startups for investment with tailored training sessions and workshops, followed by connecting them with local and international investors,” Talaat said in a statement.

“The Egyptian government remains steadfast in its dedication to cultivating a thriving tech startup ecosystem. We are rolling out diverse initiatives to equip entrepreneurs with essential skills, attract global incubators, and facilitate connections between startups and investors.

“By establishing Digital Egypt innovation hubs nationwide, we empower innovators to transform their ideas into successful ventures.

“Alongside this, we are streamlining processes and investing in advanced digital infrastructure, positioning Egypt among the top three countries in the Middle East and Africa for tech startup investments,” the Minister said.

Flat6Labs founder and chairman Hany El Sonbaty, who also spoke on the initiative, said the launch of the InvestIT programme has further expanded his company’s support for Egyptian entrepreneurs.

“This programme is not just about preparing startups for investment; it’s about equipping them with the tools and connections to scale their impact.

“Through our collaboration with ITIDA and TIEC, we’re committed to building a strong, vibrant ecosystem where startups can make a real impact on the tech landscape in Egypt,” he said.

The programme, he said, will support 12 startups over six-to-eight months with each startup receiving tailored consultancy services to enhance their investment readiness and assist with setting up data rooms and preparing for investor engagements.

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