Hi, welcome to Tech This Evening, an After-Work Tech Newsletter from Techparley Africa. Sure, there is a lot to unpack right now. Sit back, while I walk you through.
Top Story: From Tech Reformer to Governorship Aspirant: Is Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami Preparing to Lead Gombe State?
Speculation is growing within political and policy circles that Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, PhD, FCIIS, FBCS, FNCS, one of Nigeria’s most accomplished technology policymakers may be considering a run for the governor of his home state, Gombe.
While no formal declaration has been made, the conversations have drawn renewed attention to Pantami’s profile in Nigerian politics, as a technocrat-turned-public office holder whose influence was shaped more by digital reform than traditional power structures.
With a career that has spanned academia, national digital governance and international leadership, Pantami’s candidacy, if confirmed, would mark one of the most striking shifts from technocratic public service to frontline state politics in recent Nigerian history.
For many political watchers, the question is not simply whether Pantami will run, but how his deep expertise in digital policy, infrastructure and innovation could translate into governance at the subnational level, particularly in an economy like Gombe’s, which is still heavily reliant on agriculture, civil service employment and low-tech market activities.
Other Tech News Stories You Should Read:
Egypt’s Engazaat Plans $100m Expansion to Scale Water, Energy and Food Infrastructure Across Africa and Middle East. Read now.
Cybersecurity Startup, Outtake, Raises $40m to Pioneer AI-Led Fight Against Digital Identity Fraud. Read now.
XSML Capital Raises US$142M for Fourth African Fund, Surpassing Target in Strong Vote of Confidence for SME Financing. Read now.
On Startup Spotlight:
South African Fintech, Lula, Raises Secures $21 Million Funding from FMO to Scale SME Lending Across South Africa
South African fintech startup, Lula, has secured $21 million funding injection from Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO, as it moves to scale its lending-as-a-service platform and expand access to finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Founded in 2014 by Trevor Gosling and Neil Welman, Lula began as an online provider of short-term business funding before rebranding in 2023 and expanding into neobanking.
Today, the company positions itself as a full-service financial platform for small businesses, offering instant access to credit, business bank accounts, and advanced financial analysis tools.
“Over the next three years, this capital will allow us to scale our impact exponentially, reaching thousands of additional entrepreneurs and helping them transition from survival to long-term resilience,” said Gosling.
Quadri Adejumo brings you all the details. Read here.
Also Read:
Egypt’s Bosta Unveils Middle East’s Largest Automated Sorting Machine to Power Egypt’s E-commerce Boom. Yakub Abdulrasheed brings us the details, here.
Quote of the Day:
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke.
Thank you for joining me yet again this evening. Stay safe, and see you tomorrow for the next tech newsletter.
Best, Quadri
