What’s happened this Week:

• Ghana Revenue Service begins 1st phase of E-Vat

• Shuttlers raises $4 million in funding round

• and more!

This week, Ghanaians got the news that there was a “new” levy on their ride transportation services.

In an email from Uber to customers, the company stated there were introducing a “Digital Transport Fee” (DTF) on all rides. Riders would see a 1 GHC fee on their receipt at the end of each ride.

Turns out, this new DTF is being applied to all ride-sharing companies thanks to a directive from Ghana’s Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA).

According to multiple sources, this new fee is supposed to help the DVLA maintain a database of drivers amongst other things.

Ghanaians are social media were not too happy about this. There’s been so much backlash that the DVLA actually decided to “pause” the rollout until further notice.

With the E-Levy, there’s been a lot of digital taxes on Ghanaian wallets.

A few years back, Ghana’s Ministry of Finance and Ghana Revenue Service were looking for ways to impose an “online tax” on e-commerce. So Ghanaian’s be surprised if that ever comes to fruition.

In The News This Week:

Ghana Revenue Authority to Begin Phase One of E-VAT Syste

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is set to begin phase-one of onboarding 600 businesses onto its electronic value added tax (e-VAT)

Moni Launches Community-Powered Business Loans For African SMEs

Moni, a digital platform that leverages social trust and group responsibility to deliver financial services in Africa, has launched a new range of business loans that enables SMEs in Africa to take advantage of the power of their communities to access the working capital they need to run and scale their businesses

Kenya To Launch Observation Satellite On April 10

The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) is ready to launch its first operational Earth observation satellite “Taifa-1” satellite on April 10.

The launch is in partnership with the SpaceX company aboard its Falcon 9 rocket.

Nigerian Mobility Company Shuttlers Raises $4 Million In New Funding

Shuttlers, a Nigerian shared mobility company that allows individual and corporate passengers to take rides on multiple bus routes via an app, has raised $4 million in a new funding round

Spiro To Spur Growth With Plans To Introduce 140,000 EV Bikes In Uganda Over Next 5 Years

Spiro (Formerly known as MAUTO) plans to plans to significantly scale up operations by rolling out 140,000 electric motorcycles in Uganda over the next five years.

The company has already put 4,500 electric motorcycles on the road in Rwanda, Benin, and Togo.

South Africa Fintech Peach Payments Raises $31 Million In Series A

Peach Payments, a South African fintech company, has raised $31 million in a Series A funding round led by Apis Partners

Story Features

Lyrical Wars Is Aiming To Be The Best Online Battle Rap Platform In Africa

Battle rap, a sub-genre of Hip Hop, has also been on the rise in recent years, with many leagues springing up globally

In Ghana, a new online rap league is trying to build on this trend. Lyrical Wars, a Ghanaian-based battle rap league that has gained a reputation for providing quality content and organizing rap battle events in Ghana.

Africa Ecosystem Funding Activity

• Goodwell Investments, Oxfam Novib launch $22m fund to support East African SMEs - Disrupt Africa

• African tech startup funding dramatically declines in Q1 2023 - Disrupt Africa

• SA earned wage access startup Paymenow secures $14m debt facility - Disrupt Africa

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