Technology
The Evolution of Digital Communication: How Modular Platforms Are Changing Business Efficiency
In today’s corporate world, the lines between personal communication and professional production have been blurred into non-existence. As working remotely becomes the norm, not the exception, businesses are seeking ways of making their workflows streamlined in the Apps that their employees are already using.
This change has led to the appearance of powerful third-party clients like Nicegram, which allow users to fill in the gap between simple message brokers and elaborate task managers. By scraping the cream of the crop into interfaces that we’re familiar with, these tools are not only changing the way that we chat, but they are fundamentally changing the ROI of digital communication.
The History of the Super-App Philosophy
The technosphere has been pursuing the vision of the so-called Super-App – one ecosystem where a user can bank, shop, work, and be social. Where the Western market has been lagging behind the Eastern in devoting itself to a single monolithic App, we are witnessing a new form of evolution, that of the modular development of existing ones.
It is becoming apparent to the business leaders that there is fatigue that results when you attempt to make your employees cross a series of fifteen tabs (CRM systems up to project management boards). Such a mental burden may lead to a 40% loss of 40%. The solution? Taking the tools to the conversation instead of making the conversation compatible with the tools.
The Dynamics of Messaging Infrastructure to Business
The last competitive advantage in the year 2026 will be the speed of information. Agile startups tend to be too slow on traditional email, whereas specialized enterprise software can be too strict to facilitate creativity. Instant messaging networks have bridged this divide and emerged as a trade-off in the relationships between immediate, persistent, and available.
Nevertheless, in many situations, off-the-shelf messaging Apps lack the scalability and controls to be used professionally. This is the point of intersection of business and tech, and this is where the interesting part appears. Improved client access is beginning to be exploited by modern companies:
- State-of-the-art multi-accounting. Important to social media managers and consultants who are involved with various clients.
- Built-in translation tools. Enabling transnational communication between localised teams without turning off the chat interface.
- Encryption layers and privacy. Securing confidential proprietary information during transit.
The Security Imperative
The more business logic we include in our channels of communication, the greater the risk of security increasing. Cybersecurity is no longer the business of the IT department; it is a fundamental building block of business. In adopting digital tools, organisations are making a statement regarding transparency and sovereignty of the information.
The tendency is in favor of open source foundations and API based enhancements. This enables the businesses to authenticate the security measures of the business communication tools and yet access the custom functionality to enhance productivity daily.
With platforms being set upon enforced and dependable protocols, the firms can always have the best of both worlds: reliability of a worldwide giant combined with the adaptability of a niche, productive package.
Artificial Intelligence integration: the Best Frontier
AI is a vital part of tech and business that cannot be discussed. The biggest advancement in the history of communication technology in the recent past has been the inclusion of the Large Language Model (LLM) on chat windows. To illustrate this, suppose that the manager of a project was endowed with a complicated brief that was brought to him by a message. AI-boosted clients can now type a summary of it or make a calendar appointment instead of doing it manually:
- Write long lines into lists that you can;
- create expert replies depending on the distinct tone of the user;
- program the scheduling with natural language.
The tools that we employ to encrypt our information, to generate our daily reminders, and even the way we are automating our lives through the tools that we consume, determine how rapidly we are maturing. With the adoption of the strength of the improved messaging ecosystem, companies may assist in building a more connected, effective, and secure future.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Applications for a 12-week AI First hybrid programme, designed for Series A startups based in Africa or building Africa-centric solutions with AI and machine learning, have opened at g.co/acceleratorafrica.
This is an initiative of Google and it reenforces the tech giant’s commitment to accelerating AI-driven scientific and technological breakthroughs across the continent.
The programme, known as the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, is in its 10th edition in 2026 and it is targeted as AI-driven scientific breakthroughs.
Entries for the cohort began today, Thursday, February 5, 2026, and will close on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, with the hybrid programme starting in April 2026 for 12 weeks.
A statement from the organisers disclosed that participants will benefit from access to Google’s AI expertise and technical resources, alongside mentorship from seasoned AI professionals and invaluable networking opportunities.
Since its inception in 2018, the Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa program has supported 180+ startups from 17 African countries. Collectively, these startups have raised over $350 million in funding and created more than 3,700 direct job opportunities in the region.
“Africa’s tech landscape is seeing a vibrant shift toward deep-tech innovation. For Class 10, we are focusing on the potential of AI to drive health and societal benefits, providing the infrastructure and expertise to turn these startups into the research labs of the continent,” the Head of Startup Ecosystem for Africa, Folarin Aiyegbusi.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Redtech Limited, a Nigerian financial-technology company backed by Nigerian businessman, Mr Tony Elumelu, is considering to raise about $100 million in the next two years to expand its footprints across Africa.
This comes as it announced processing N30 trillion ($20.6 billion) in total transactions over the 2025 financial year, over 100 per cent more than the N12 trillion achieved in 2024, placing the company among the highest-volume processors in Nigeria.
The milestone was driven by strong growth across its payment platform, RedPay – including POS network, merchant collections, and digital payment channels.
According to the firm’s chief executive, Mr Emmanuel Ojo, the milestone marks a decisive shift from capability building to operating at national scale, reflecting sustained trust in Redtech’s infrastructure under high-volume conditions, alongside consistent adoption across sectors.
“This milestone reflects trust from businesses that rely on us to collect and move money at scale, and from partners who expect reliability every single day. We have built Redtech around durability, strong governance, and regularity alignment, so SMEs, enterprises, and regulated clients can grow on our rails without worrying about downtime or friction. With that foundation in place, we are ready to take this approach into more African markets,” he said.
According to a statement, the firm’s transaction volumes have been driven by a mix of SMEs, enterprise customers, and financial institutions across retail, hospitality, insurance, energy, public-sector-linked services, and banking. This highlights Redtech’s ability to support complex transaction flows, including batch processing, reconciliations, and always-on uptime across different sectors.
Redtech plans to expand beyond Nigeria into 29 African countries by January 2027, building towards an Africa-wide payments capability that can support businesses operating across borders, sectors, and payment types.
The company will then consider the Series A funding round, Mr Ojo told Bloomberg.
The startup has so far deployed more than 30,000 point of sale devices and started a payment gateway which helps businesses move money at scale through secure, reliable, and scalable systems that reduce payment failures, downtime, and reconciliation failures while meeting the compliance needs of enterprises and regulated sectors.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
From Wednesday, January 28 to Friday, January 30, 2026, several experienced and budding innovators were at the inaugural Innovation Product Demo Day put together by one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, Interswitch.
The event was organized as a celebration of ingenuity and a catalyst for collaboration, as well as the company’s renewed commitment to building scalable digital solutions and infrastructure that power Africa’s evolving digital economy.
The programme brought together product managers, software engineers, and developers from across the Interswitch ecosystem, alongside student innovators from select tertiary institutions, to spotlight ideas, experiments, and early-stage solutions shaping the company’s next frontier of growth.
They all converged on the Interswitch Innovation Lab Co-Working Space in Lagos. The firm used the occasion to showcase how innovation is built at Interswitch, through structured experimentation, rapid iteration, and cross-functional collaboration.
Over the course of three days, teams unveiled a wide range of working prototypes, new product features, and emerging concepts, engaging in open dialogue that encouraged idea exchange, integration opportunities, and customer-centric problem solving.
The event also featured student innovators from Landmark University and Redeemer’s University, who presented solutions developed through the Interswitch Discovery Series, an initiative designed to nurture future-ready technical talent and strengthen Africa’s innovation pipeline. The students showcased products built from the skills and insights gained through the programme, underscoring Interswitch’s long-term investment in talent development and ecosystem sustainability.
Each presentation opened the floor for robust discussion, with participants offering feedback, asking critical questions, and sharing perspectives on how solutions could be refined, strengthened, and scaled. This collaborative environment reinforced Interswitch’s approach to innovation as a continuous learning process, grounded in execution, accountability, and real-world impact.
“The Interswitch Product Demo Day is more than a showcase. It’s a space where our teams can test ideas, learn from one another, and see the real-world impact of their work. It strengthens collaboration, builds technical capability, and inspires both our people and the wider tech community to keep shaping the future of technology,” the Chief Innovation Officer, Interswitch, Ms Adaobi Igwe-Okerekeocha, said.
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