Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and eighth largest population in the world with a booming 200+ million people, 53.2% of whom fall into the active population of 15 to 65 years- indicating abundant vast human capital. She parades some of the World’s most ingeniously innovative minds, industry champions and technology leaders scattered within her population….
To demonstrate further the UK’s commitment to support the growth of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem through the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub and its Digital Access Programme (DAP), Ben Llewellyn-Jones OBE, the British deputy high commissioner in Lagos, hosted Ms Catriona Laing CB, the British high commissioner to Nigeria and tech leaders to a reception on the 20th of September. The UK-Nigeria Tech…
Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, has been named Leadership Person of the Year by the Leadership Newspaper Group in Nigeria. “In appreciation of his immaculate public service record and extraordinary accomplishments in promoting the expansion and development of the African Development Bank Group,” the award was presented. “In the…
Lagos-based media and experiential marketing agency, Bedouin Nation has reaffirmed plan to focus on strengthening long-term competitiveness in African creative and technology industries by completing its rebranding as Bedouin Group. The new move includes the introduction of a new operating structure, additions to its leadership structure and a renewed mandate as a strategic branding and…
The World Health Organization (WHO), a South African consortium and partners from COVAX, are working to set up a technology transfer hub for mRNA vaccines in South Africa to help boost and scale up vaccine production in Africa. The initiative marks “a major advance in efforts to build vaccine development and manufacturing capacity that will…
Written by GILEAD EDELMAN, WIRED.COM One case in Turkey cuts to the heart of the search giant’s power. Being a global company has its perks. There’s a lot of money to be made overseas. But the biggest US tech companies are finding out that there’s also a downside: Every country where you make money is…
Written by Luis Monzon Standard Bank and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced an expansion of their strategic relationship to drive the growth of Africa through digital infrastructure, digital ecosystems, and future-ready solutions that empower our customers and our partners. Building on a relationship that enabled Standard Bank’s migration to the cloud, Standard Bank will collaborate…
Written by Adeyemi Adepetun Only 19 African countries are signatories to multilateral cybersecurity agreements The United Nations (UN), arm in charge of global telecommunications, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has called on governments in Nigeria and other parts of Africa to deepen Internet safety. The UN observed that as the world continues to recover from…
Written by Anibe Idajili To achieve her goal of impacting 10,000 women in 2021 and 5 million women across Africa by 2030 through the Women Techsters initiative, Tech4Dev – a non-profit social enterprise working to provide access to decent work for Africans through digital and technology skills empowerment and advocacy – launched the #IAmAWomanTechster Campaign…
Written by Janet John Online marketplace, Jiji, has completed an extensive rebranding effort to align with accelerated company growth, development, and vision for the future. The company aims to strengthen its young, friendly, and extraordinary corporate image. At the heart of this rebranding is a change of the company’s vision, mission, and position. And that’s…
Written by Michael Egbejule The Centre for Global Eco-Innovation University of Benin (CGE-Nigeria) has stressed the need for Nigerians to embrace new strategies, especially anaerobic digestion (AD) technology for waste management to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It stated this at the weekend during a RECIRCULATE stakeholders’engagement it organised for secondary school students with…
Written by Joan Aimuengheuwa Focused on metamorphosing sustainable and resilient changes in the African tech ecosystem, Google for Africa plans to develop an environment where the internet would be more beneficial to individuals, businesses, and organisations in Africa. The ultimate goal is to keep unlocking the benefits of the digital economy globally, while simultaneously accelerating…
The winners of the inaugural US$1.5 million Heifer International AYuTe Africa Challenge were announced today: Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, founder and CEO of ColdHubs, a Nigerian company that provides solar-powered walk-in coolers for smallholder vegetable farmers, and Jehiel Oliver, founder, and CEO of Hello Tractor, a Kenyan company that has become known across Africa as the “Uber…
Written by Yinka Okeowo The #TwitterBan in Nigeria is no news anymore, as the country hits 100 days post-Twitter ban. On Monday, September 13, Nigerians would have witnessed 100 days of #TwitterBan by the Federal Government. The measure taken by the government declaring the platform suspended has been heavily criticized as undermines Nigeria’s corporate existence; a…
Written by Luis Monzon Kenya’s job sector took a serious blow last year, having contracted for the first time in over 20 years. Overall, 737,500 jobs were lost as Kenya’s economy shrunk for the first time since 1992 as a result of COVID-19 induced lockdowns and restrictions, reports Business Daily. Kenya Bleeds Jobs in 2020 According…
Written by Luis Monzon Facebook is collaborating with Nigerian companies Big Cabal Media and Comic Republic to launch the #NoFalseNewsZone educational campaign aimed at helping individuals identify fake news and educate them on how to minimise the spread of false information across Nigeria’s internet and otherwise. “We are super excited to be working with Big Cabal Media and Comic…
Written by Yinka Okeowo Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has referred Digital Media as one of the key enablers of Digital Economy, according to him, awareness is fundamental for the growth and development of any nation. Abdullahi said this while playing host to Colonel Aliyu Yusuf, the commandant of the…
Written by Yinka Okeowo Female representation in senior management and executive roles in companies around the world remains low, however in South Africa it is stagnant. Worse still, women make up a mere 10% of CEOs at the world’s biggest tech firms, so one can only imagine how low the number is in South Africa. This is…
Written by Natasha Mascarenhas When you’re in the mood for a pep talk, who better to turn to than a well-networked, optimistic mentor who is naturally in your corner? That friendly shoulder is the role that “Masters of Scale” wants to play. Inspired by LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner Reid Hoffman’s hit podcast, the new…
Written by Luis Monzon UK-based mobile tech firm Africell announced yesterday that it was ending its operations in Uganda, where it has been unable to supersede its competitors in the country, namely local units of massive telecom firms such as South Africa’s MTN and India’s Airtel. “Africell … will end operations in Uganda on 7…
By Luis Monzon The mobile money service of Kenya’s largest telco has officially reached 50-million active users across Africa, according to an announcement by Safaricom. M-PESA is now, by the sheer size of its active user base, the most popular mobile money platform on the continent and the largest financial technology in Africa, according to TechWeez. The…
Endeavor Nigeria has unveiled the inaugural cohort of entrepreneurs for its new 10-week Endeavor ScaleUp Program that aims to support Nigeria’s most promising, high-impact business leaders. Leveraging Endeavor’s extensive global network, participating entrepreneurs will have access to mentorship, fundraising support, partnerships and a strong peer network of high impact entrepreneurs who have built and run successful…
MTN Ghana Donates $1.6-Million to Girls in ICT Program Written By Luis Monzon MTN Ghana, the Ghanaian arm of Africa’s largest telecom, has donated $1.6-million (GHS10-million) to support the Girls in Information Communication Technology (ICT) Project. A Ghanaian initiative hoping and aimed at exposing the ICT sphere to young women. According to Business Ghana, the donation is…
World Bank hints on how Nigeria can save $432,600,000 before December Written by David Oladele The World Bank has hinted that Nigeria could save about $432.6m from May 2020 to December 2021 through the debt service suspension initiative. The Bank disclosed this in a statement on COVID-19: Debt Service Suspension Initiative updated on its website. The organisation, in…
UCT GSB Solution Space, Ayoba launch E-Track Programme for startups across Africa Written by TOM JACKSON Applications are now open for the upcoming E-Track Programme, which is designed to support startups from across Africa with scalable businesses and global potential. The E-track Programme is a three-phase venture acceleration programme developed by the UCT GSB Solution…
Data: The next great resource Forget oil, gas, or rare-earth elements. In the coming years, data is set to become the world’s most valuable resource. Advances in technology, from robotics to artificial intelligence, are transforming industries across the world. Industry 4.0 is the next phase in digitalization. It is driven by a sharp rise in…
Rwanda’s new SIM registration, Somalia’s Trade Information Portal, Cellulant’s partnership with GAINDE 2000 Written by Victoria Fakiya Rwanda’s new SIM registration directives What’s the news? Telecom operators will implement new SIM card registration procedures. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), Rwanda’s telecom regulator, claims it will help reduce fraud. According to RURA, anyone who wants to get…
Zip acquisition of Payflex means Africa is ripe for BNPL disruption Writen by Tage Kene-Okafor Australian buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Zip this week acquired South Africa-based BNPL player Payflex for an undisclosed amount. It’s a piece of news that once again highlights the hype around BNPL services and the quest for global dominance among the…
Nigerian government orders telcos to shut down mobile services in Zamfara to curb banditry Written by Ejike Kanife The federal government has ordered telecom operators in the country to shut down all communications sites in Zamfara State and in neighbouring states that could provide telecommunications services in Zamfara State. This was contained in a memo reportedly sent…
The eighth natural wonder of the world is getting a partnership with TikTok Written by Conrad Onyango Kenya is turning to a global youth audience to showcase the eighth natural wonder of the world—the great wildebeest migration—as Africa goes all out to ramp up international tourism numbers. The east African country’s tourism board on Aug. 24 announced…