Airtel Africa is urging for stronger collaborations across the industry to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data centers identified as crucial catalysts for the continent's next growth phase. This call was made at MWC25 Kigali by Airtel Africa’s Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Taldar, who stated that Africa is entering a new era of connectivity driven by data, innovation, and partnerships.

• Airtel Africa is focusing on deploying AI and expanding its data center footprint, including major hubs in Nigeria and Kenya.
• Sunil Taldar, CEO of Airtel Africa, highlighted that AI will improve network efficiency, customer experience, and mobile money security.
• The company is already utilizing AI for SMS spam detection, customer onboarding, fraud prevention, and energy optimization.

BuuPass, a Kenyan mobility technology company, achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first African startup to be ranked among the Top 3 finalists at the Startup World Cup 2025 Grand Finale in San Francisco, competing against over 90 regional winners for a $1 million investment prize.

• BuuPass secured the No. 3 global position, demonstrating the growing strength of Africa's innovation ecosystem.
• Sonia Kabra, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of BuuPass, stated that their vision is to "make travel seamless and power the next billion journeys across Africa and the world’s fastest-growing markets."
• BuuPass digitizes transport operations, enabling online and mobile booking for bus and train tickets, having facilitated over 25 million trips and achieved an annualized revenue run rate of $5 million.
• The Startup World Cup judging panel included global venture heavyweights from Samsung, Andreessen Horowitz, and Salesforce Ventures.
• Silicon Xchange, in collaboration with the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), coordinated Kenya's participation.

Comstor, a division of Westcon-Comstor, will participate in Cisco Connect 2025 Southern Africa as a Diamond Sponsor. Cisco Connect 2025 is a flagship regional technology event for IT leaders and innovators to explore new technologies driving digital transformation.

• Westcon-Comstor Southern Africa Comstor Director Dorio Bowes emphasized the event as an opportunity to showcase their ecosystem strength and commitment to enabling partners.
• Rakesh Parbhoo, CEO of Westcon-Comstor Sub-Saharan Africa, will deliver a keynote session titled "The Power of Partnership."
• Comstor, as Cisco's dedicated value-added distributor, provides specialized training and support to partners for Cisco's secure, cloud-first solutions.