All about Tech.
South Africa’s water system is in trouble. In the 2020/21 financial year alone, there were over 55,800 pipe bursts, over a third of reservoirs have supply problems, and years of underfunding of infrastructure replacement and maintenance have drastically reduced the lifespan of around a quarter of the country’s asset base. If there’s one lesson we can…
South African startup abela is supporting the informal economy with the same autonomy and security that banks offer to the formal economy via a QR code-enabled system. Launched in August 2020, abela started as a QR code-enabled payment platform offering users without a bank account the ability to receive tips and payments digitally. Since then, it has…
China, the most populous nation in the world, passed its first significant data privacy legislation in August. Moving forward, any global business or aspiring startup doing any type of trade or offering services online likely will be affected because they’ll be engaging with Chinese residents covered by the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL). Although this seems like…
Last week, the Wall Street Journal published internal research from Facebook showing that the social media company knows precisely how toxic its own product is for the people who use it. But tonight, we learned how the Journal obtained those documents: A whistleblower named Frances Haugen, who spoke with CBS News’ 60 Minutes about the ways Facebook is poisoning…
In July, video conferencing mainstay Zoom announced that it was stepping into its first major acquisition buying cloud call centre service provider Five9 for $14.7-billion in an all-stock transaction. The deal was supposed to be finalised within “the first half of 2022.” Now, CNBC reports that Zoom’s agreement with Five9 has fallen through after Five9’s shareholders rejected the deal….
WhatsApp banned over 2 million accounts in the month of August to curb abuse and prevent harmful behaviour on the platform. The latest transparency report from WhatsApp, published to comply with the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, reveals that it banned a total 20,70,000 accounts in one month….
A Nigerian e-Commerce website developed by a startup, Oaklinks.NG has launched its range of services into the market on the month that the nation is celebrating its 61 years of independence with a promise to offer Nigerians top range of goods and services, particularly gadgets. In a statement issued today, October 1st, to launch the e-Commerce website, Mr….
The Internet Society Foundation has launched a new grant program to advance Internet access and connectivity around the world. Known as the BOLT program, these grants aim to support teams of creatives, technologists, researchers, and social/cultural workers to develop solutions to Internet connectivity, particularly among communities where current technologies are unavailable or inaccessible. US$200,000 grants will be awarded to…
The NFT space has had quite the year, and while it can be difficult to separate the billions of dollars in crypto speculation from the potential infrastructure shifts, plenty of mainstream tech companies are dipping their toes into the space and signaling future interest. This time it’s TikTok’s turn. The fast-growing social media platform, which…
General Motors is rolling out Ultifi, a new end-to-end software platform in vehicles starting in 2023 that executives say will usher in a sweeping set of capabilities, including giving drivers access to in-car subscription and using over-the-air updates to offer new apps and services. The software platform can be used to give owners greater access…
Vodacom, one of SA’s leading network providers, has announced a partnership with mobile payments cybersecurity company, Evina, in a major step forward in mobile user safety. According to a statement from Vodacom, mobile users in Africa’s most advanced economy will now join the ranks of the tens of millions of consumers globally that are protected…
We’ve heard a lot about the role of technology in pandemic education, and for good reason: Digital solutions enabled school communities to maintain learning through uncertainty and interruption none of us could have imagined. However, the triumphs of edtech have been paired with critical challenges. Since the pandemic closed schools in March 2020, school districts…
Night School Studio, the independent game developer known for narrative-driven titles like “Oxenfree,” announced today it has been acquired by Netflix. This makes it the first games studio the streaming giant has purchased. In Netflix’s announcement, Mike Verdu, vice president of game development, wrote Night School’s “commitment to artistic excellence and proven track record make…
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Wall Street Journal : Facebook has come under increasing fire in recent days for its effect on young users and its efforts to create products for them. Inside the company, teams of employees have for years been laying plans to attract preteens that go beyond what is publicly known, spurred…
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has launched the pan-African payment and settlement system (PAPSS), a financial market infrastructure, to enable cross-border payments in local currencies across different markets in the continent. The Afreximbank, in a statement made available on its website on Tuesday, September 28, said PAPSS will underpin the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade…
The 2Africa consortium, comprised of China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, STC, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC, announced today the addition of a new segment to its subsea cable system – the 2Africa PEARLS branch – extending to the Arabian Gulf, Pakistan and into India. This extension will bring the total length of the…
A major new consumer and market insight report from multinational networking and telecommunications firm Ericsson titled Mobile Financial Services on the Rise reveals that nearly half of all consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa use mobile financial services in 2021 – a more-than three-fold increase in the last six years. The Mobile Financial Services on the Rise report also highlights the impact of…
Egyptian startup Sa3ar Technology Solutions, a platform that digitises auto-auctions deals, has been acquired by automotive marketplace Contactcars, a subsidiary of Contact Financial Holding. Founded by Adham Hosny and Hussein Hosny, Sa3ar Technology Solutions provides car valuation technology and a dealer-specific auction platform. The startup has just been acquired by Contactcars, Egypt’s leading automotive marketplace, in…
Zoom has added a new feature called ‘stop incoming video’ that allows users to block video feeds of other participants in a meeting. With the latest feature, Zoom users in a meeting can easily disable all incoming videos. If you are using a restricted connection, this feature will help preserve bandwidth for shared content. Zoom has…
Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, has published research, “Phishing and Malware Actors Abuse Google Forms for Credentials, Data Exfiltration,” describing how cyber attackers – from entry-level scammers to advanced adversaries – abuse Google Forms to implement a wide range of attacks, targeting both organizations and individuals. “The extent to which cyberattackers abuse Google Forms…
YouTube is currently testing an official way to download videos on your desktop web browser saving you the hassle (and danger) of having to install sketchy 3rd party mods and having to go through 3rd party websites just to download your favourite songs. Users who want to see if they are eligible to be part…
Absa, one of South Africa’s largest banks and a pan-African lender, has officially launched facial recognition technology in its Android and iOS apps, which some users will need to utilize to authenticate certain transactions through facial scans. “Technology is leaping ahead faster than ever, and it’s up to us to ensure that you stay right…
Thirty-one African tech startups have been selected to take part in the Smart Cities Innovation Programme, which will help them scale up their products and services to boost urban transformation. Launched by the Rwandan Ministry of ICT and Innovation and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fu?r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the six-month Smart Cities Innovation Programme is designed to help…
Nigerian startup NucleusIS is building the technology to deepen insurance adoption, drive access to healthcare and improve health outcomes. Founded in 2019, NucleusIS has built a robust enterprise technology base for health insurance companies and care providers, which has so far on-boarded seven clients. The startup is also leveraging this technology to distribute health insurance via distribution …
When it comes to online calendars and calendar apps, services like Google Calendar and Outlook from Microsoft rule the roost with hundreds of millions of users globally. Now another company is hoping to ruffle some feathers with its own move into the space. TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Yahoo is working Day, a new standalone…
Developing an innovation process can boost the long-term value of a company. Businesses are more than ever realizing the importance of the innovation process. The creation of an imaginative idea or even the alteration of an existing idea to create a modified solution is both examples of innovation. The value of innovation to a company’s long-term…
Mastercard has announced the creation of a new Sustainability Innovation Lab, which will lead the company’s continued development of environmentally sensitive digital products and solutions. As the global economy quickly digitizes, the Lab will focus on methods to empower businesses and consumers to revolutionize how they produce, distribute, and purchase products and services, guaranteeing that both people…
Making sure you stay safe online when shopping should be a lot easier thanks to a new update coming to Google Chrome. The company has revealed that the next build of its web browser will offer an upgraded security system when it comes to managing online payments. Google Chrome 95, which is in beta now, will include a new…
In November 2021, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) summit will take place in Glasgow, UK, where world leaders will discuss the need to transition to a low carbon society by reducing CO2 emissions and preserving natural resources. Innovations in digital technology will play a key role. Uganda’s oil and gas (OGC) industry is expanding…
Unicorn Group, a pan-African, investment company targeting innovative ideas, start-ups, and early-stage companies in the technology and technology-enabled sectors across Africa has launched the Unicorn Incubation campus in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Unicorn incubation and innovation campus aims to host an entrepreneurial ecosystem under one roof and help African entrepreneurs bring their ambitious ideas to…