A recent survey conducted at the request of Kaspersky by Toluna research agency observed the technical challenges families faced during mandatory remote learning following lockdown measures that were implemented globally at the onset and continued in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of Nigerian families (58 percent) with two or more children…
The Blockchain Industry Coordinating Committee of Nigeria (BICCoN) has questioned the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recent actions in imposing a new ban on user accounts linked to crypto-related activity. In a news release, the blockchain collaborative body criticized the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recent “overreach.” Remember that the CBN ordered banks to stop processing cryptocurrency-related…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed that the country’s digital currency will be implemented in four stages, culminating in the eNaira’s interoperability with those of other central banks. Mrs Rakiya Mohammed, Director of the CBN’s Information Technology Department, stated this at the licensed payment service providers’ engagement session in Lagos on Monday, as…
Kenyan startups have been invited to apply for grants of up to EUR100,000 (US$113,000) from the develoPPP Ventures programme’s second cohort. DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH – launched the develoPPP Ventures program earlier this year on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. It aims to empower startups by…
GoDaddy has disclosed that the domain registrar experienced a security breach that allowed attackers access to the data of over 1 million active and inactive Managed WordPress users. Demetrius Comes, GoDaddy’s chief information security officer, stated in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that the company discovered suspicious activity in its Managed…
On May 15, 2021, I received a message from a lending company informing me that Mrs. X, whom I met during my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2020, had not repaid a loan they had taken. I was supposed to be listed as an emergency contact. I was told not to believe this person…
In India, WhatsApp has added two new safety features: flash calls and message level reporting. Users can report accounts by flagging a specific message in the latter. The flash call feature is an addition to the SMS verification option required during the WhatsApp registration process. According to WhatsApp, these two features have been added to…
SIMcontrol, a leading mobile data connectivity platform for African enterprises, has announced the release of its fully-managed mobile APN product, which connects company data SIM cards through a private and secure virtual network. The new APN-as-a-Service allows data to be pooled across multiple mobile networks. This enables businesses to more effectively manage deployed mobile data…
Treepz (formerly Plentywaka), a Nigeria-based Mobility-as-a-Service platform, has acquired Ugabus, a Ugandan bus company that aggregates inter-city bus operators. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Treepz CEO and co-founder Onyeka Akumah told TechCrunch that the acquisition was funded with a recent $1.5 million raise that served as an extension to a previous…
Mecho Autotech, a Nigerian startup, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from venture capital firm Ingressive Capital in order to improve the quality and reliability of auto care services. Mecho, founded in 2019 and launched in April of this year, is a car technician matching platform that enables car owners to easily maintain and…
WhatsApp has rolled out new beta updates for both desktop and Android users. The desktop beta introduces new Privacy Settings for WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp for Desktop users. Privacy Settings have long been available on the WhatsApp app, and the feature has now been added to the desktop version as well. The desktop privacy settings…
El Salvador plans to build the world’s first “Bitcoin City,” initially funded by Bitcoin-backed bonds, President Nayib Bukele announced on Saturday, doubling down on his bet that the cryptocurrency will fuel investment in the Central American country. Speaking at the end of a week-long Bitcoin promotion in El Salvador, Bukele stated that the city planned…
Olarm, a home and business security startup, provides users with easy control over their alarm systems via its app. The Olarm app allows users to remotely view and control their alarm system from their smartphone, just like a traditional key panel, but it also includes additional features such as alarm status such as arming, disarming,…
A delegation from Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms recently visited Nigeria to inspect the depth of E-government implementation in Nigeria, which was developed and implemented with the assistance of the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and to tour the level of infrastructure invested in achieving the heights Nigeria has achieved thus far….
17th November 2021: In February 2022, Saudi Arabia will host the largest technology event ever launched, LEAP, bringing together the global technology community under one roof to tackle the world’s most pressing socio-cultural challenges. LEAP, which will take place in Riyadh from the 1st to the 3rd of February 2022, is set to become a…
According to Cellulant, the growth seen in Kenya is reflective of the payments landscape in the rest of Africa, with a noticeable shift in consumer behavior. As more consumers prefer digital platforms as their primary payment method, digital payments have evolved from a nice-to-have for businesses to a requirement. According to Faith Nkatha, Cellulant’s Kenyan…
The doors to the exhibition halls of Gallery B57 are open a few streets away from Eko Atlantic City, revealing a black and white portrait of Instagram Influencer, Sanchan. During the global lockdown last year, Ade Adekola, a Nigerian-born international visual artist, put out an open call on Instagram for people interested in having their…
Did you know that your company’s data privacy practices can be a differentiator in the marketplace? Typically, competitive differentiators revolve around the level of service you provide, the quality of your products, or even the price point for your solutions. However, regardless of industry, if you participate in the personal data ecosystem, how you handle…
It’s a Silicon Cape to Cairo, as Egypt’s rapidly growing startup population and ability to attract growth capital sees the north African country take its place in a north-south, east-west startup “axis.” Egypt’s arrival also introduces new competition to the more well-known startup ecosystems of Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya. Egypt has appeared out of…
Evolve Credit, a Nigerian lending marketplace, has launched Configure, a new cloud lending software that it claims will power thousands of new loan providers over the next five years. The Evolve Credit marketplace connects lenders and borrowers in one location, making comparison easier. Just over a year ago, the startup raised pre-seed funding and has…
Traka, the global leader in intelligent key and equipment management solutions, today opened its first Experience Centres in Brisbane, Australia, and Johannesburg, South Africa, within the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (APACMEA) division. The Centres will provide an environment for Traka employees, technology partners, and end-users to immerse, educate, empower, and innovate through industry…
Black Friday sales are a fantastic experience for both shoppers and retailers. Shoppers receive massive discounts on products, while retailers smile from ear to ear as a result of massive sales. According to an online poll, the average customer is prepared to spend N62,250 during this year’s Black Friday sales. This is approximately 58 percent…
Telegram has announced the introduction of Sponsored Messages on its platform, a tool that will allow anyone to promote their channels and bots. Sponsored Messages will be visible in Telegram public channels with over a thousand subscribers. It will also be limited to 160 characters. The feature is currently in testing mode. The app will…
With the holiday season quickly approaching, South Africans and consumers worldwide may find fewer gift options on store shelves as a result of product shortages and delays caused by pandemic-related closures of ports and factories. According to a new global Oracle retail consumer research study, more shoppers are concerned that supply chain and delivery delays…
A group of state attorneys general is investigating Instagram and its effects on children and young adults, alleging that its parent company Facebook — now known as Meta Platforms — ignored internal research about the physical and mental health risks it posed to young people. A bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky,…
Career 180, a Cairo-based ed-tech platform, has raised US$200,000 from EdVentures to expand its services and user reach. Career180, which was founded in 2016, assists young people in developing their skills for the labor market through counseling services, workshops, and theoretical or practical training programs in a variety of specialties. The startup, which provides career…
“Something good is a frontier; something better is also a frontier and something excellent is just another frontier! You can always go beyond these frontiers! And so what is excellent? Just a frontier!” — Mehmet Murat ildan “There exist limitless opportunities in every industry. Where there is an open mind, there will always be a…
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $150 million facility for ETC Group Limited to address the company’s working capital needs and to develop its agriculture value chain, which will benefit smallholder farmers. The AfDB stated that the investment would take the form of a trade and agri-finance package, including a $75 million…
MTN Group announced today that it is ceasing operations in Yemen, in the Middle East. The company has been steadily withdrawing from its Middle Eastern operations, having left Syria in August due to “intolerable” operating conditions. MTN is also in talks to sell its operations in Afghanistan. MTN’s exit from Yemen, according to the company,…
Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that Apple is pushing to launch its electric car as early as 2025 and refocusing the project on full self-driving capabilities, citing people familiar with the matter. Following the report, the iPhone maker’s stock rose nearly 3% to a new high. According to the report, Apple’s ideal car would lack…