Good day..... Here are the tech stories worth your attention this Saturday, 24 October 2026.

1. Nigeria retakes Africa's startup funding lead

Nigerian startups raised $635 million in the first nine months of 2026, around 2.6 times the $247 million raised over the same period last year, according to data from the funding tracker Africa: The Big Deal reported by Nairametrics. That puts Nigeria back at the top of the continent.

ā€¢ Egypt: $445 million, up 10% year on year.

ā€¢ Kenya: $201 million, down 73%, partly because the e-mobility company Spiro was reclassified as a pan-African venture.

ā€¢ South Africa: $182 million, down 58%.

A handful of big deals drove Nigeria's total: Moove ($250 million), Flutterwave ($100 million), Jumia ($50 million) and Yellow Card ($40 million) made up about 69% of it. There's also a shift in where money is going: logistics and transport ($780 million) overtook fintech ($760 million) as Africa's most-funded sector this year.

Ā Ā 

2. Chip stocks are having a rough October

The PHLX Semiconductor Index fell 6.7% on Thursday and was down 15% for the month, according to Charles Schwab. AMD dropped 8% and Nvidia 4% that day. Lam Research fell almost 12% even though its results beat expectations, and investors also sold ASML and TSMC after both reported strong quarters.

The worry is that the AI spending boom may be slowing. Meta kept its spending guidance unchanged and Tesla cut its full-year capital spending guidance by 20%, which some analysts read as a sign that AI investment may have peaked.

3. SpaceX wants access to 80,000 US cell towers

SpaceX is reportedly in talks to lease access to up to 80,000 US cell sites as it pushes Starlink into mobile service. Tower companies jumped on the news: Crown Castle rose about 12% and SBA Communications about 8%, while Verizon fell after the report.

Also this week

Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, went on sale on 23 October starting at $1,999. Preorders sold out quickly and new orders are reportedly shipping in January. Read our full iPhone Duo review on AmassTechHub.

The bottom line

Money in tech is getting choosier. African investors are backing logistics and a few proven names, while public markets are punishing chipmakers whose outlook doesn't promise ever-bigger AI budgets. See you tomorrow.