Africa Tightens Grip on Tech and Business as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Angola Roll Out Major Changes
African countries are advancing significant regulatory and economic shifts: Nigeria is investigating tech giants Meta and X over their impact on local media, while Ghanaian fintech Zeepay addresses ongoing legal reports regarding a substantial refund claim. Concurrently, Kenya has introduced new licensing for app-based delivery services, and Angola is undertaking a landmark IPO for its dominant telecom, Unitel, as part of its state privatization program.
Nigeria has launched a major investigation into global technology companies, including Meta, X, Alphabet (Google) and several generative AI firms, over allegations that their business practices are harming the country's media industry.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC)opened the probe following a petition by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which accused the companies of using copyrighted news content to train AI models without permission or compensation, dominating digital advertising markets, and failing to negotiate fair commercial agreements with local publishers. The investigation will also examine possible violations of Nigeria's competition laws.
The probe comes as governments worldwide intensify scrutiny of big tech companies over the use of news content and market dominance. Nigeria's latest action builds on the $220 million administrative fine imposed on Meta in 2024 over consumer protection and data privacy violations, broadening regulatory attention to include copyright, competition, and AI.
If upheld, the outcome could reshape how technology platforms compensate Nigerian publishers and source data for artificial intelligence models, positioning Nigeria among countries pushing for stronger protections for local media.
Elsewhere across Africa, Ghanaian fintech company Zeepay has rejected reports suggesting a final court ruling in an $11.6 million legal dispute, insisting the matter remains before the Court of Appeal while assuring customers that its operations remain unaffected.
In Kenya, authorities have introduced a new licensing framework for app-based delivery platforms such as Uber, Bolt and Glovo, creating a separate regulatory category for digital courier services.
Meanwhile, Angola has launched the initial public offering of a 15% stake in Unitel, the country's largest telecommunications company, marking one of the biggest milestones in its privatisation programme as it seeks to deepen capital markets and reduce state ownership of key enterprises.