Last year in China, humans raced robots and won by almost three hours. In the same race on Sunday, the winning robot beat humans by over 10 minutes. If you look closely, this is an extended metaphor for how fast technology is closing gaps that once felt impossible.

Now imagine what this could unlock in our part of the world—reaching flooded areas faster, moving supplies across rough terrain, responding to emergencies, and okay, maybe finally getting your package delivered on time. I’m low-key curious: what would you use a super-fast robot for? —Opeyemi Terra announces Ghana drone factory Kenya’s draft targets transport sector Egypt’s smart city plan South Africa wants telcos to share resources World Wide Web 3 Job Openings Startups Hello Ghana, Nigerian defence-tech Terra Industries is coming with a drone factory Image Source: Terra Industries A good old jollof rice banter might divide two countries only separated by a one-hour flight, but a Nigerian drone manufacturer is willing to share its toys.

Terra Industries, the Nigerian defence-tech startup that has raised $34 million this year, is heading to Ghana with a 34,000-square-foot drone factory in Accra, with plans to launch in June. Terra is scaling: The company has had a remarkable year so far, and this is only the latest icing. Announced on Monday, the Accra plant, named Pax-2, will expand its current 15,000 km factory in Abuja, Nigeria, as it scales its drone production capacity.

Terra, which currently produces unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ground vehicles, and sensory towers, plans to produce 50,000 drones by 2028. At that scale, it could become the largest hardware manufacturer in the defence-tech sector. State of play: Terra has slowly embedded itself into Nigeria’s military operations.

In February, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the defence corporation run by the Nigerian Armed Forces to create a unit that assembles arms and trains local talent. While the same partnership scale with Ghana might not be on the cards yet, the company’s posture is leaning toward training and expanding talent. Its new facility will employ about 120 engineers and deepen Ghana’s defence-tech talent layer.

Operating both the Nigerian and Ghanaian markets, Terra could end up sitting at the centre of West Africa’s emerging defence manufacturing capacity, moving talent, skills, and production know-how across borders while both governments lean on it to reduce reliance on imported systems. 20+ Markets. One API. Fincra connects your business to Africa’s payment rails without building market by market.

For collection, payout, FX, and settlement through a single integration. See what this means for your business. Policy Kenya wants to prevent data breaches; its new policy draft targets transport sector Immaculate Kassait, Data Commissioner of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) in Kenya.

Image Source: CIO Africa. After watching data breaches unfold across various sectors in Africa—and facing a few (okay, maybe billions) threats itself—Kenya is trying to prevent the situation from going from bad to ugly. The country wants to tighten customer data storage guidelines for operators in its transport sector, including public buses (matatus), railway companies, airlines, and ride-hailing apps like Uber and Bolt.

New rules: The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC), the country’s data protection watchdog, is now requiring all transport companies that collect and process customer data to store those assets locally or ensure they keep a copy that can be accessed within the country. What companies are being asked to do: They now have to fully account for how data moves through their systems from the moment it is collected to when it is stored, used, shared, or deleted. They must clearly define why they are collecting personal data and ensure it is only used for that purpose.

The regulator is also mandating affected companies to formally register their status as either data controllers or processors, in an attempt to hold operators responsible when they suffer breaches. Companies must also appoint a data protection officer to oversee compliance and track cross-border data transfers to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. Failure to comply with these new rules could result in a fine of up to KES 5 million ($38,700) or 1% of annual turnover, or two years in jail.

Why this matters: Transport companies process passenger identities. Every trip generates data about where you went, when, how often, and how you paid. Over time, that builds a detailed picture of people’s movements and behaviour.

In the hands of the wrong hacker, that is a powerful surveillance tool that encroaches on people’s lives, risking their safety. Kenya is getting ahead of that risk by forcing structure