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Twitter’s India Rival, Koo, Woos Nigerians By Putting Buhari On Social Media Advert

Indian social media platform, Koo, has featured President Muhammadu Buhari on its social media advert page for Nigeria, in what appears to be the President becoming a special brand ambassador to the medium. Koo placed Buhari’s image on its social media advert with the app promising to provide “exclusive updates from him only on Koo…

Published 4 years ago in
Twitter’s India Rival, Koo, Woos Nigerians By Putting Buhari On Social Media Advert

Indian social media platform, Koo, has featured President Muhammadu Buhari on its social media advert page for Nigeria, in what appears to be the President becoming a special brand ambassador to the medium.
Koo placed Buhari’s image on its social media advert with the app promising to provide “exclusive updates from him only on Koo App.”

The app Koo, similar to Twitter, came into the Nigerian market in June. This was soon after the Nigerian government banned Twitter and its operations within the country.
Twitter was banned two days after the platform removed a tweet by President Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists in the South-East region of the country.
Koo’s popularity subsequently surged as the official Federal Government social media platforms stopped tweeting and migrated to Koo.
Top government functionaries, presidential aides, agencies, and other pro-government individuals also took to Koo.
According to reports in India, Koo was built following the Asian government’s constant disagreements with Twitter.
Koo co- Founder, Aprameya Radhakrishna, who earlier confirmed that the platform was available in Nigeria, said they were working on adding Nigeria’s local languages.
He said: “A very warm welcome to the official handle of the Government of Nigeria on @kooindia! Spreading wings beyond India now”.
“Koo is now available in Nigeria. We are thinking of enabling the local language there as well. We are considering introducing a local Nigerian language into the Koo app.
“Nigeria is similar to India in terms of language diversity. It has hundreds of regional languages. Koo has a global outlook and will enable micro-blogging in countries that need it the most.”
The Nigerian government had stated that all social media platforms operating in Nigeria must be registered as a business entity locally henceforth. The same condition was laid down as one of the preconditions for the lifting of the ban on Twitter.
The Indian microblogging site has since moved in to cash in on the development, preparing to establish a physical presence in Nigeria while connecting with top influencers.
Within days of the Twitter ban, Koo was available on Apple and Google’s app stores and job openings had been posted on LinkedIn searching for local language speakers.
The latest advertorial of Buhari as the face of Koo in Nigeria was condemned by civil society organisation, Center for Democracy and Development, CDD.
“It’s a shame the #TwitterBan has persisted till now, despite the economic disaster it has proven to be for youths who depend on #twitter for their livelihoods.
“For obvious reasons, we find this ad by #koo, another microblogging platform, both immoral and distasteful. KeepitOn,” CDD tweeted on Sunday.

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Apple

South Africans can now buy Apple, Alphabet shares as digital tokens on Luno

From early August, Luno, a cryptocurrency and digital investment platform, will allow its users in South Africa to invest in tokenised stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), making global equities like Apple and Alphabet accessible for as little as R20 ($1.13). The move positions Luno as a multi-asset investment platform and marks what it says is

Published 3 days ago in
South Africans can now buy Apple, Alphabet shares as digital tokens on Luno

From early August, Luno, a cryptocurrency and digital investment platform, will allow its users in South Africa to invest in tokenised stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), making global equities like Apple and Alphabet accessible for as little as R20 ($1.13). The move positions Luno as a multi-asset investment platform and marks what it says is a first-of-its-kind offering in South Africa’s fast-evolving financial landscape.

Tokenised stocks are digital representations of real shares, backed 1:1 by actual securities. By enabling access via rands, Luno is removing longstanding barriers such as currency conversion costs, high fees, and trading-hour restrictions for retail investors in emerging markets.

“Until now, access to global financial markets has been locked behind red tape and legacy systems,” said Christo de Wit, Luno’s country manager for South Africa. “With tokenised stocks, we are offering South African investors easy access to global investments any time of the day or night.”

The platform will support over 60 U.S. companies and market indices, including Apple, Alphabet, NVIDIA, and the S&P 500. These tokenised products are made available through partnerships with infrastructure providers like Kraken’s xStocks and Backed Finance, which Luno says will ensure regulatory compliance, secure custody, and alignment with global financial standards.

How Luno tokenised stocks work

Customers can start investing with as little as R20 ($1.13), even in companies like Apple and Google. Instead of paying nearly R4,000 ($226) for a full Apple share, they can buy just a piece. These tokens are digital versions of real stocks, and customers trade them through blockchain. 

“This represents a fundamental shift in how we think about investing,” explained de Wit. “We are not just digitising old processes, we are reimagining what is possible when you combine improved technology with investor needs.”

Launched in 2013, Luno has grown to become one of Africa’s leading crypto exchanges, but now it’s adding tokenised stocks and ETFs. South Africa remains one of the continent’s most active crypto markets. Over 5 million South Africans are estimated to own crypto, with digital asset ownership expected to grow by nearly 8% annually through 2031.

Luno competes with platforms like VALR, Binance, AltcoinTrader, and wealthtech apps like EasyEquities and Satrix that focus mainly on traditional stocks and ETFs. 

Still, the expansion into tokenised equities could bring Luno under closer scrutiny. As digital tokens backed by real-world financial instruments, these offerings may fall within capital market regulations, including investor protection and transparency requirements. South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is already in the process of licencing crypto asset providers and building a clearer framework for digital securities.

Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com

Sakhile Dube Associate Reporter

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Crypto summer on 1xBet: iPhone 16 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and other gadgets in the draw

Updated 18 July 2025 at 10:54 IST The rapid pace of cryptocurrency adoption has a significant impact on our daily lives. While in 2010, paying for two pizzas with bitcoins was a meme within the geek community, today you can use digital coins in online stores like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Shopify, as well as deposit

Published 1 week ago in
Crypto summer on 1xBet: iPhone 16 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and other gadgets in the draw

Updated 18 July 2025 at 10:54 IST The rapid pace of cryptocurrency adoption has a significant impact on our daily lives. While in 2010, paying for two pizzas with bitcoins was a meme within the geek community, today you can use digital coins in online stores like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Shopify, as well as deposit
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House Republicans block Democratic maneuver to force release of Epstein files

House Republicans on Monday night voted against attaching a Democratic amendment to landmark cryptocurrency legislation that would force the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.Why it matters: It’s the outcome Democrats anticipated, and one they plan to gleefully cite as President Trump continues to grapple with the MAGA fallout over the DOJ’s handling

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House Republicans block Democratic maneuver to force release of Epstein files

House Republicans on Monday night voted against attaching a Democratic amendment to landmark cryptocurrency legislation that would force the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.Why it matters: It’s the outcome Democrats anticipated, and one they plan to gleefully cite as President Trump continues to grapple with the MAGA fallout over the DOJ’s handling of the documents.”The question with Epstein is: Whose side are you on?” Rep…
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Microsoft trolls Apple’s new Liquid Glass UI for looking like Windows Vista

Some of Microsoft’s social media accounts recently poked fun at the upcoming “Liquid Glass” user interface design language Apple unveiled at WWDC this week. Although the Cupertino giant has hailed the update as a major innovation, many immediately began comparing it to Microsoft’s nearly two-decade-old Windows Vista UI.Read Entire Article…

Published 2 months ago in
Microsoft trolls Apple’s new Liquid Glass UI for looking like Windows Vista

Some of Microsoft’s social media accounts recently poked fun at the upcoming “Liquid Glass” user interface design language Apple unveiled at WWDC this week. Although the Cupertino giant has hailed the update as a major innovation, many immediately began comparing it to Microsoft’s nearly two-decade-old Windows Vista UI.Read Entire Article…
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