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Amini Secures $2m to Solve Africa’s Environmental Data Gap

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Amini Environmental Data Gap

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

An early-stage company focused on solving Africa’s environmental data gap, Amini, has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding in an oversubscribed round led by Pale Blue Dot, a leading European Climate Tech fund.

The firm intends to deploy artificial intelligence and satellite technology to provide reliable and trustworthy data, which has held back Africa’s development for decades by hampering business decisions and capital allocation as well as making it difficult to measure the impact of climate change.

Other investors that pumped funds into Amini were Superorganism, RaliCap, W3i, Emurgo Kepple Ventures and a network of angel investors from the global technology community.

Amini was designed to address Africa’s data scarcity, facilitate capital investment, promote climate resilience, and accelerate economic development opportunities in the region.

It has found its first customers in the agricultural insurance sector, using the platform’s granular, verifiable, and actionable data for enhancing farmers’ resilience through parametric agricultural insurance coverage.

With a focus on regenerative agriculture, this collaboration aims to support both African farmers and global food chains.

Within the first six months of operation, the company has developed a robust data aggregation and analytics platform capable of collecting, unifying, and processing satellite data, weather data, and other types of data down to a square meter.

The platform provides access to valuable environmental data analytics, including drought, flood, soil and crop health. This data can be processed to forecast crop yields for millions of smallholder farmers in mere seconds, as well as measure the impact of natural disasters across the region.

Africa, home to 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated fertile land and 30 per cent of its mineral resources, accounts for only 3% of the global GDP.

“The scarcity of high-quality environmental data in Africa is a concern as it prevents others from building important climate solutions such as for example, improving farmer insurance, monitoring climate risk or supply chains.

“When meeting the team behind Amini, we were blown away by their ambition and expertise, and we believe they are best positioned to fill the environmental data gap of Africa,” the General Partner for Pale Blue Dot, Heidi Lindvall, said.

The founder and CEO of Amini, Kate Kallot, said, “We are building the single source of truth for environmental data across Africa. Data has the potential to transform livelihoods by enabling everything from climate resilience to sustainable value chains. Should Amini reach its full potential and solve this problem, we are setting up Africa for tremendous transformation and development over the next decade.

“It’s a long way to get there, but the early customer success and interest from global enterprises, governments and international organizations are showing us that we’re on the right track.”

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

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At 68, Dangote’s Golden Hairs Shine

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Dangote host media

By Abiodun Alade

At sixty-eight, a legacy stands tall,

A testament to vision, strength, and resolve.

Aliko Dangote, a name renowned,

A builder of empires, a force unbound.

By hard work, you carved your way,

With perseverance that turned night to day.

Through trials and triumphs, you have grown,

A titan whose empire is deeply sown.

In realms of business, you lead with grace,

A mind that sees the future, a steady pace.

Cement, oil, fertiliser—and ventures galore,

Each triumph a legend, each success a lore.

Your wisdom, like a river, flows deep,

In markets and minds, your influence keeps.

With each brick laid, with each step taken,

A legacy of progress, never shaken.

At sixty-eight, your journey’s clear,

A tale of triumph, without fear.

For wealth is more than gold and gain—

It’s a legacy, a lasting reign.

Aliko Dangote, you stand as a guide,

A figure of dignity, with nothing to hide.

May your influence grow, spreading all around,

For your life is a story, in gold, profound.

As you celebrate this milestone, so grand,

May your light shine bright, across the land.

For your life is a tale of the brave, the wise,

A legacy that forever will rise.

Abiodun, a communications specialist, writes from Lagos

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BBC Yoruba Report: Ifo Local Government Distances Self from Fake Tax Collectors

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Ifo local government chairman idris Olalekan Kusimo

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The chairman of Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mr Idris Olalekan Kusimo, has described the officials who extorted the crew of BBC Yoruba some days ago as fake, dissociating his administration “from this shameful act.”

In a statement he signed, Mr Kusimo stressed that the alleged council officials were not authorised to collect fees and taxes on behalf of the council despite operating on the premises of the local government secretariat.

On Tuesday, April 7, 2025, BBC Yoruba posted on its Facebook page and website about the ordeal of its crew in the hands of persons believed to be working for the local government.

The media platform’s vehicle was stopped, and N60,000 was fined for not having a Joint Tax Board (JTB) levy. The fine was negotiated to N45,000, and when it was time to pay, the council officials demanded cash and not a transfer, which raised suspicion.

Apparently embarrassed by the reactions to the report and comments by other victims of the extortion, Mr Kusimo released a statement exonerating the council from the alleged fraud.

He described those who stopped the crew as “some unscrupulous individuals” who “falsely presented themselves as officials of Ifo Local Government and unlawfully accosted motorists, including your reporter, along the Ojodu-Abiodun axis.”

According to him, the persons “do not represent the council in any capacity” as Ifo Local Government does not sanction, condone, or benefit from their illegal activities, which include the forceful removal of vehicle number plates and extortion of motorists.”

“While the accused persons operate from a rented space within the Ojodu-Abiodun Office Complex, their actions are entirely self-motivated and criminal,” he noted, adding that a “thorough investigation into the activities of these impostors” has been initiated.

Mr Kusimo urged “affected motorists, including the BBC Yoruba team, to provide further details to assist in prosecuting these fraudsters,” advising members of the public “to report any such incidents directly to the council or security Agencies and to request proper identification from anyone claiming to be an official of Ifo government.”

He stated that Ifo Local Government remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.”

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Lagos Seals 13 Markets in Ketu, Mile 12 Over Poor Waste Management

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Mile 12 Market

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Lagos State government has sealed 13 markets across the state for persistent violations related to illegal waste disposal in the Ketu area and its environs in an effort to promote environmental cleanliness and safeguard public health.

The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the closure of the affected markets in a statement on his X handle on Friday.

Mr Wahab said the enforcement actions were in line with the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017, aimed at ensuring responsible waste management and maintaining public order.

Notably, Ketu and Mile 12 markets were sealed last night due to consistent violations, including the improper disposal of waste on roads, medians, and highways.

The 13 markets shut down by the government were Erukan Market, Mile 12; Oja Oba Market, Ketu; Owoseni Tundas Market; Oba Ogunjobi Market, Mile 12; Shops Owners (BRT Terminal), Mile 12; and Mile 12 Bus Stop Shops; Ketu Terminal Market (6 plazas); Ifesowapo Shop Owners Market, Mile 12; Demurin St Plaza Shops, Ketu; The Occupant, 6 Demurin Road, Ketu; Ifelodun Market, Ketu; Ibadan Unit 1 Park (in-between Babajide Sanwo-Olu Market and Ikosi Fruit Market); and Ketu Tipper Garage.

The closure of the market was necessary to restore cleanliness and public safety in these busy commercial areas, according to Mr Wahab.

The Lagos State government emphasized that market stakeholders must take full responsibility for proper waste management going forward to avoid further disruptions.

“These enforcement actions are necessary to safeguard public health and restore order to our public spaces,” Mr Wahab was quoted as saying.

The Lagos State government also called on residents and market stakeholders to collaborate in building a cleaner, safer, and more responsible Lagos.

The enforcement is part of ongoing efforts to ensure the city remains livable and sustainable for all.

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