https://readthestak.comTheStak reports on technology, AI, marketing and innovation, starting from Nigeria and Africa and keeping the world in view: what changed, why it matters and what to do about it.enhttps://readthestak.com/articles/how-much-water-does-one-ai-prompt-usehttps://readthestak.com/articles/how-much-water-does-one-ai-prompt-useSat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakEstimates run from a few drops to a few litres. Most of the gap comes down to what each company or research team decides to count.https://readthestak.com/articles/south-africa-digital-skills-r2-5-billion-askhttps://readthestak.com/articles/south-africa-digital-skills-r2-5-billion-askSat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTInnovationYellowwoods says R2.5 billion ($152M) from existing skills funds could put 20,000 more young people into digital jobs by 2028.https://readthestak.com/articles/cashafrica-chicken-republic-tap-to-pay-nigeriahttps://readthestak.com/articles/cashafrica-chicken-republic-tap-to-pay-nigeriaSat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakCashAfrica's phone tap-to-pay starts at select Lagos outlets, then Abuja, Ibadan and Ogun. It wants contactless at 5% in 18 months.https://readthestak.com/articles/meta-bans-tiktok-ads-seven-markets-egypthttps://readthestak.com/articles/meta-bans-tiktok-ads-seven-markets-egyptSat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTBrand StoriesMeta now blocks TikTok and ByteDance ads, and ads that link to them, in seven markets. Egypt is the only African one.https://readthestak.com/articles/cascador-sterling-200-million-sme-loan-backstophttps://readthestak.com/articles/cascador-sterling-200-million-sme-loan-backstopSat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTStartupsThe fund shares default risk with Sterling Bank so Nigerian startups and small firms can borrow. It aims to back up to $1B in loans.https://readthestak.com/articles/cbn-holds-line-on-2027-payment-data-deadlinehttps://readthestak.com/articles/cbn-holds-line-on-2027-payment-data-deadlineSat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakBanks and fintechs must host Nigerian payment data at home by 1 January 2027. The CBN says the date will not move.https://readthestak.com/articles/ghana-banks-collect-20-percent-digital-services-taxhttps://readthestak.com/articles/ghana-banks-collect-20-percent-digital-services-taxSat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTGrowth StakFrom 15 October, Ghana's banks collect the 20% on Netflix, ChatGPT and more. The GRA says the tax itself is not new.https://readthestak.com/articles/xiaomi-18-fold-vs-iphone-duo-who-copied-whomhttps://readthestak.com/articles/xiaomi-18-fold-vs-iphone-duo-who-copied-whomFri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTBrand StoriesXiaomi showed its 18 Fold two days before Apple announced the iPhone Duo. The resemblance is real, but the copying story is more complicated.https://readthestak.com/articles/apple-homeview-299-smart-home-screenhttps://readthestak.com/articles/apple-homeview-299-smart-home-screenFri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakA 7-inch display on a speaker base, for the kitchen counter or the wall. It ships on 13 November, and it comes with conditions.https://readthestak.com/articles/afdb-undp-10-billion-africa-ai-planhttps://readthestak.com/articles/afdb-undp-10-billion-africa-ai-planFri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTInnovation$1 billion a year for ten years, starting in five countries and growing to 20 by 2027.https://readthestak.com/articles/ai-interviews-greenhouse-surveyhttps://readthestak.com/articles/ai-interviews-greenhouse-surveyFri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakA Greenhouse survey found 47% of UK job seekers have sat an AI interview, and 30% walked away from one. What it says about hiring.https://readthestak.com/articles/use-ai-at-work-without-leaking-company-datahttps://readthestak.com/articles/use-ai-at-work-without-leaking-company-dataFri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakMost leaks are not hacks. They are a pasted spreadsheet. Here is a set of rules a small team can adopt this afternoon.https://readthestak.com/articles/kenya-senate-committee-rejects-ai-billhttps://readthestak.com/articles/kenya-senate-committee-rejects-ai-billThu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakConcerns about fines of up to KSh5 million and a powerful new regulator. The committee heard from 143 stakeholders.https://readthestak.com/articles/african-startups-raise-2-49-billion-nine-monthshttps://readthestak.com/articles/african-startups-raise-2-49-billion-nine-monthsThu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTStartups315 deals so far in 2026. Nigeria leads, with Egypt, Benin, Kenya and South Africa behind it: the money is spread wider than the headlines suggest.https://readthestak.com/articles/tesla-roadster-0-to-60-in-one-secondhttps://readthestak.com/articles/tesla-roadster-0-to-60-in-one-secondThu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTBrand StoriesThe number is Tesla's own claim, and nobody outside Tesla has checked it. The car was first shown in 2017.https://readthestak.com/articles/how-to-read-an-ai-launch-posthttps://readthestak.com/articles/how-to-read-an-ai-launch-postThu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakEvery new model arrives with a leaderboard and a chart. Here is how to tell what has been shown from what has been claimed.https://readthestak.com/articles/asml-record-quarter-ai-chip-demandhttps://readthestak.com/articles/asml-record-quarter-ai-chip-demandThu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTInnovationNet sales of €11.7 billion and net income of €5 billion, as chipmakers keep buying the machines that make AI chips.https://readthestak.com/articles/gemini-4-argon-google-frontier-modelhttps://readthestak.com/articles/gemini-4-argon-google-frontier-modelWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakThe model is broadly available from 13 October. The introductory price runs to 30 November, then doubles. The benchmark claims are Google's own.https://readthestak.com/articles/airtel-money-global-pay-card-kenya-mastercardhttps://readthestak.com/articles/airtel-money-global-pay-card-kenya-mastercardWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTBrand StoriesThe Airtel Money Global Pay Card is already live in three countries. A Kenyan launch date has not been announced.https://readthestak.com/articles/62-percent-ai-duties-no-title-or-pay-changehttps://readthestak.com/articles/62-percent-ai-duties-no-title-or-pay-changeWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakOyster's survey of HR leaders finds the job description grew while the paperwork stayed put.https://readthestak.com/articles/openai-anthropic-back-binding-ai-rules-ukhttps://readthestak.com/articles/openai-anthropic-back-binding-ai-rules-ukWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakAt a UK parliamentary hearing on 13 October, two leading AI labs backed legal rules, including mandatory incident reporting. Two others were more cautious.https://readthestak.com/articles/first-1000-users-on-campushttps://readthestak.com/articles/first-1000-users-on-campusWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTGrowth StakYour first 1,000 users are sitting in a hostel. Here is the five-step playbook for reaching them before anyone else does.https://readthestak.com/articles/one-page-launch-plan-for-a-small-producthttps://readthestak.com/articles/one-page-launch-plan-for-a-small-productWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTGrowth StakBefore the logo and the landing page: six questions a launch should answer.https://readthestak.com/articles/bitcoin-slips-below-82000-hot-inflationhttps://readthestak.com/articles/bitcoin-slips-below-82000-hot-inflationWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakCore prices rose more than expected. Crypto fell, and one analyst says an October hike is back on the table.https://readthestak.com/articles/microsoft-patches-record-1413-vulnerabilitieshttps://readthestak.com/articles/microsoft-patches-record-1413-vulnerabilitiesWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakMore fixes than in all of 2025. The article's explanation: AI is finding bugs faster than people did. Update now.https://readthestak.com/articles/nvidia-250-million-uk-ai-safety-computehttps://readthestak.com/articles/nvidia-250-million-uk-ai-safety-computeWed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTInnovationIt is five years of donated computing time, not cash. About $50 million a year, delivered through UK-based partners.https://readthestak.com/articles/nigerian-startup-funding-fell-97-percenthttps://readthestak.com/articles/nigerian-startup-funding-fell-97-percentTue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTStartups$364.1M in August, $11.3M in September. One deal explains most of the gap, and the deal count tells a calmer story.https://readthestak.com/articles/google-picks-15-south-african-ai-startupshttps://readthestak.com/articles/google-picks-15-south-african-ai-startupsTue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTStartupsEach can receive up to R1 million, from more than 1,000 expressions of interest. The aim is to support 50 South African startups by 2028.https://readthestak.com/articles/kenya-fastest-growing-digital-ad-market-pwchttps://readthestak.com/articles/kenya-fastest-growing-digital-ad-market-pwcTue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTGrowth StakAbout 14% a year through 2030, according to PwC's Africa outlook released on 13 October.https://readthestak.com/articles/east-africa-foods-26-million-series-bhttps://readthestak.com/articles/east-africa-foods-26-million-series-bMon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTStartupsPIDG's InfraCo led the Series B, part of a $40 million round. The company buys from more than 28,000 farmers and plans to enter Kenya.https://readthestak.com/articles/cac-and-payback-in-nairahttps://readthestak.com/articles/cac-and-payback-in-nairaSun, 11 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTGrowth StakCAC, payback and LTV, with naira and no jargon. Then plug in your own numbers and see where you stand.https://readthestak.com/articles/safaricom-pesapal-mpesa-tap-and-scan-to-payhttps://readthestak.com/articles/safaricom-pesapal-mpesa-tap-and-scan-to-payThu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI and Tech StakSafaricom and Pesapal are rolling out three new ways to pay in shops: tap your phone, scan a code or photograph a receipt. Target: 500,000 outlets in a year.https://readthestak.com/articles/whatsapp-per-reply-charge-kenya-businesseshttps://readthestak.com/articles/whatsapp-per-reply-charge-kenya-businessesThu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTGrowth StakAbout KES 0.52 per reply on the paid Business Platform. The free WhatsApp Business app is not affected.https://readthestak.com/articles/africa-ai-sovereignty-depends-on-big-techhttps://readthestak.com/articles/africa-ai-sovereignty-depends-on-big-techThu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTInnovationAfrica has about 18% of the world's people and less than 1% of its data centre capacity. A look at who supplies what, and what control really means.