Tech Bahari

Global medical technologies company Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT) has opened its Africa headquarters and regional training centre in Nairobi, marking a significant boost for the continent’s efforts to modernise blood management and expand technical capacity.

Google Photos 2025 Recap rolls out with smarter highlights.

Expanded Stats: In addition to familiar metrics like top people and total photo count, users now see a selfie count.

Gemini Integration (U.S. only): For users with Gemini features enabled, Recap highlights standout hobbies and top moments from the year.

Hide & Regenerate: Users can now hide specific people or photos and instantly regenerate a new version of their Recap.

MKBHD Announces End of Panels Wallpaper App and Plans to Open-Source Code. Panels will officially shut down on December 31, 2025. After that date, it will be removed from the App Store and Google Play Store, marking the end of active development and distribution.

South African agritech startup SwiftVEE has secured R173m ($10.1m) in a Series A funding round to support its expansion into financial services, alongside its core marketplace.

The round was led by African venture capital firm HAVAÍC and private equity firm Exeo Capital. Notably, Iain Williamson, the former CEO of insurance giant Old Mutual, joined the round, bringing valuable experience from the traditional financial services sector.
Other existing investors, such as fund managers Mike Kirsten and Carlo Dickson, as well as private investment vehicle Zire Africa, also participated in the funding round.

This funding comes at a time when vertical marketplaces across Africa are increasingly integrating embedded finance to enhance margins and customer retention. Initially focused on digitising livestock auctions, SwiftVEE now intends to leverage the new funds to expand into fintech, insurance, and data products, all of which will be added to its trading platform.

Equity Group Holdings has been named the winner of the CIO100 Award 2025 in the PlusOne Banking Sector Category, recognising the institution’s leadership in digital banking and enterprise technology. Recognised for initiatives in technology infrastructure modernisation, digital banking enablement, data governance, and the integration of AI into its operations.

Black Swan, a Mauritius-based FinTech startup, emerged as the winner of the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2025.

YouTube debuts new Recap feature.
Available now for North American users, YouTube Recap will roll out to the rest of the world this week.
Check comments on how to get your 2025 Youtube recap.

Women leaders urged to claim leadership and ownership across Kenya’s technology value chain, with a renewed push to shift from being end-users of digital tools to becoming architects, investors, innovators, and governors of the systems shaping the country’s future.

The call was made by Athena Patron Ambassador Dr. Monica Juma, during the 15th edition of Quantum Quest, Athena’s flagship Mentorship and Leadership convening in Nairobi. The event also marked the organisation’s fifth anniversary since its official launch.

India has ordered all new smartphones to come pre-loaded with a state-run cybersecurity app, sparking privacy and surveillance concerns.

Under the order - passed last week but made public on Monday - smartphone makers have 90 days to ensure all new devices come with the government's Sanchar Saathi app, whose "functionalities cannot be disabled or restricted".

It says this is necessary to help citizens verify the authenticity of a handset and report the suspected misuse of telecom resources.

ChatGPT May Soon Start Showing You Ads:

OpenAI appears to be preparing an advertising system for ChatGPT, based on new details discovered in the latest ChatGPT Android beta. As spotted by Tibor Blaho on X, the beta version 1.2025.329 includes references to an “ads feature,” with strings like “bazaar content,” “search ad,” and “search ads carousel.”

While these code references don’t guarantee a public rollout, they strongly suggest that OpenAI is internally testing ad formats and placements within the app.

New appointment:
iColo, a carrier-neutral data centre provider, has announced the appointment of Wanja Muriithi as its new General Manager, a move aimed at accelerating business growth in Kenya and strengthening Digital Realty’s footprint across East Africa. Her role will also support integration efforts and enhance collaboration with Digital Realty’s joint ventures across Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, and South Africa.

Thousands of Airbus planes had to be grounded for a software update after it was discovered that intense solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers.

Around 6,000 A320 planes were thought to be affected - half the European firm's global fleet - but many were able to fly again within hours after undergoing the update.