Damilare Dosunmu

Lagos

African Reporter at Rest of World

africa reporter @restofworld. formerly @techcabal @almonitor. moonlight as a cat. [email protected] or send a dm.

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Articles

Elon Musk’s Starlink is taking over Nigeria’s internet market

1 week ago | restofworld.org | Damilare Dosunmu

In the sprawling electronic market of Lagos’ Computer Village, an item is flying off the shelves: the Starlink kit. These satellite dishes, with their distinctive white faces and plug-and-play simplicity, represent more than just easy internet availability in Nigeria. They symbolize a technological coup in Africa’s most populous nation, where terrestrial broadband or wireless options are unreliable or inaccessible.
Tesla arrives in Saudi Arabia after Musk’s tumultuous history

2 weeks ago | restofworld.org | Damilare Dosunmu |Indranil Ghosh

Tesla is finally set to debut in Saudi Arabia, years after a dramatic fallout between Riyadh and Elon Musk. The electric vehicle company will open showrooms in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam on April 11, entering a market that’s undergoing an energy transition through the ambitious Vision 2030 plan, aimed at veering the economy away from oil.
Nvidia and Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava to built AI Factory in Africa

4 weeks ago | restofworld.org | Damilare Dosunmu |Jane Seidel

Africa just scored a major tech coup. On March 24, Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies announced a partnership with Nvidia to build Africa’s first artificial intelligence factory. This isn’t just another data center — it’s a specialized powerhouse designed specifically for AI computing. Cassava plans to use Nvidia’s cutting-edge AI technology in South Africa by June 2025, with expansion planned across Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria. It has not given a timeline.
Dodai, Ethiopia’s fastest-growing EV startup, bets big on battery swapping

1 month ago | restofworld.org | Damilare Dosunmu

In energy-starved Ethiopia, where electricity reaches less than half of the population, a local startup’s unconventional bet on battery-powered motorcycles has hit the spot. In less than a year of launch, Dodai has emerged as the East African nation’s fastest-growing electric vehicle maker, selling 850 units in the face of regulatory and supply-chain challenges.
Africa’s startup funding crisis deepens as Mastercard Foundation exits top VC firm

1 month ago | restofworld.org | Damilare Dosunmu

Mastercard Foundation has pulled out of a commitment to invest $100 million in a leading African venture capital firm at a time when tech startups on the continent are struggling to woo Western funders.
Nigerians are building affordable alternatives to AWS and Google Cloud

1 month ago | restofworld.org | Damilare Dosunmu

Nigerian entrepreneur Fara Ashiru built her fintech platform, Okra, on Amazon Web Services in 2020. She would pay AWS in dollars even as Okra earned in naira because American cloud providers did not accept payments in local currency at the time. The bills were staggering. … This model was unsustainable. The payments to AWS gradually skyrocketed as the naira depreciated around 70% against the dollar between 2020 and 2024. “The bills were staggering,” Ashiru told Rest of World.
Starlink is now cheaper than leading internet provider in some African countries

Jan 10, 2025 | restofworld.org | Khadija Alam |Damilare Dosunmu

Starlink, launched in 2019 by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has become the leading satellite internet provider in the world. Now available in more than 100 countries, Starlink can also be a relatively affordable option for users trying to log on in countries with limited internet service providers. Across Africa, for example, Starlink is sometimes the cheapest way to get online.
The little ride-hailing app that could catch Uber and Bolt in Kenya

Jan 7, 2025 | restofworld.org | Damilare Dosunmu

Peter Mutei, a ride-hailing driver in Nairobi, gets his gigs through Uber and Little, a Kenyan ride-hailing platform. Uber gives him more business overall, but he still prefers Little, as it helps him make more money and offers better convenience. “Little stands out for me because the rates are much better than those other apps, and the clients are mostly mature because they consider and respect the waiting time,” Mutei told Rest of World.
The unexpected global tech winners of 2024

Dec 6, 2024 | restofworld.org | Viola Zhou |Lam Le |Daniela Dib |Damilare Dosunmu

Lesser-known tech companies were rewarded by changing headwinds outside the West this year. India’s homegrown EV industry, a Chinese video game that became a soft power success, and a U.S.-based walkie-talkie app that proved unexpectedly popular in Kenya are some of Rest of World’s most surprising winners in global tech in 2024.
How 2024 tech trends changed lives around the world

Dec 2, 2024 | restofworld.org | Lam Le |Damilare Dosunmu |Viola Zhou

In 2024, Rest of World covered some of the biggest shifts in the tech industry that have changed lives around the world: the rise of AI, Chinese companies expanding overseas, the widespread adoption of EVs, the evolving creator economy, more startups becoming regional champions, and growing scrutiny of the activities of Silicon Valley tech giants around the world. Our reporters have spoken with people who experienced these changes firsthand.