UrbanGeekz

Media mogul Mo Abudu has opened EbonyLife Place London, a permanent home for Black and African film, culture, and artists in southwest London. The venue opened during the London Film Festival, with Mayor Sadiq Khan and other notable figures from the U.K. and Nigeria in attendance. The multi-story cultural center brings together a cinema, a Nigerian restaurant, a boutique with pieces from Black and African designers, and an art collection.  Abudu funded EbonyLife Place almost entirely through her EbonyLife Group, determined to give African storytelling a dedicated home in London.  Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/eVAUTmG7

When Nadiyah Johnson first started studying computer science, she was often the only Black woman in her classrooms. Now, as a professor, entrepreneur, and community advocate, she is determined to open the doors of the technology industry wider for the next generation.  As founder of the Milky Way Tech Hub, Johnson is putting that vision into action with Wisconsin Tech Month, a statewide celebration of technology and innovation that brings together Black and Brown communities across generations. Founded in 2021 in partnership with Latinos in Tech, the initiative was formally recognized through a proclamation from Gov. Tony Evers. Now in its sixth year, Wisconsin Tech Month features more than 100 events across Milwaukee Tech Week, DEV Week, Women in Tech Week, and Midwest Tech Week. Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/eeGVMjUx

Burkina Faso has suspended beauty pageants nationwide and launched a national science competition to recognize and nurture female scientific talent. This decision by the country’s military-led government signals a shift towards promoting education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In June 2026, Burkina Faso announced a temporary suspension of all beauty pageants while authorities develop new rules governing the contests. Two months later, the country introduced a new academic competition designed specifically for young women. Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/epun89UA

Mastercard and Moovn Technologies have signed a five-year strategic agreement to expand digital payments across Kenya, Tanzania and other African markets. The partnership will combine Mastercard’s global payments network with MoovnPay’s digital wallet ecosystem, adding prepaid cards, online payment acceptance, peer-to-peer transfers and eligible cross-border remittances to Moovn’s mobility, logistics and commerce platforms. The rollout will give consumers, drivers, merchants and small businesses more ways to pay, receive payments and move money. Initial efforts will focus on Kenya and Tanzania, with further expansion planned as Moovn scales across the region. Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/e_P5Cc_V

The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC), scheduled for late October in Anaheim, California, has been canceled. Hosted by AnitaB.org, GHC is recognized as the largest gathering of women and non-binary technologists. Organizers canceled the event two weeks before it was set to begin, citing a funding shortfall after registrations and sponsorship commitments fell below expectations. The cancellation has left thousands of attendees, speakers, and corporate partners scrambling to cancel travel plans. Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/eh_rmjUE

For our latest in-depth multimedia feature for UrbanGeekz, we spoke with young people navigating a job market being reshaped by AI, alongside experts in science, computing 💻, and entrepreneurship. Their experiences reveal a complicated picture: a difficult entry-level job market, strong longer-term prospects, and growing pressure to combine technical knowledge with AI skills, adaptability, and critical thinking. Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/egeWeqwq This work was supported by URL Media, Content Creator Nicholas Jackson, PhD created two videos as part of the partnership. Like and Repost!

Solo Nnanna believes that African talent, delivered globally, is one of the most underleveraged assets in the modern economy.  The Nigerian entrepreneur is the founder of REACH Support, a talent outsourcing company that connects African professionals with small, Black-owned businesses across the U.S. The benefits are twofold: creating employment opportunities across the continent by opening access to the U.S. market, while helping Black startups scale with affordable talent. Alongside REACH Support, the serial entrepreneur is also at the helm of  Reach Group, a 360° marketing agency, and saharaJETS, a private air charter broker. Nnanna is also a co-founder and investor in hospitality company Vitality Leisure Group.  Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/grciX9km

Solo Nnanna believes that African talent, delivered globally, is one of the most underleveraged assets in the modern economy.  The Nigerian entrepreneur is the founder of REACH Support, a talent outsourcing company that connects African professionals with small, Black-owned businesses across the U.S. The benefits are twofold: creating employment opportunities across the continent by opening access to the U.S. market, while helping Black startups scale with affordable talent. Alongside REACH Support, the serial entrepreneur is also at the helm of  Reach Group, a 360° marketing agency, and saharaJETS, a private air charter broker. Nnanna is also a co-founder and investor in hospitality company Vitality Leisure Group.  Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/grciX9km

Lagos Run, a free browser-based game created by Nigerian 🇳🇬 frontend engineer Opeyemi Adeniran, went viral in late September after letting players navigate the city’s notoriously chaotic traffic behind the wheel of a virtual yellow danfo minibus. Within two days, more than 7,000 people had played the game, according to African technology platform Innovation Village. A week later, that figure had climbed past 140,000 players across 145 countries, TechNext24 reported. Built in just four to five weeks using AI tools, including Anthropic’s Claude, the game has captured players' attention in Nigeria and beyond. Its popularity has also inspired another Nigerian developer to create a Lagos-themed simulation game, highlighting the growing potential of AI-assisted game development. Read the rest of the UrbanGeekz story here https://lnkd.in/eCgXtrrq