All about Tech.
Written by TOM JACKSON South African ed-tech startup FoondaMate is enabling students with limited internet access to study online using just WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. Basically, by sending a text to the startup’s number on WhatsApp you can search anything you are confused by, get help with maths, and download practice questions and memos. For…
Written by Furqan Shahid It seems like Google is having a hard time staying on its feet as the company has now been hit with another fine for alleged anti-competitive practices. This time in South Korea. According to the news outlet Korea Herald, the latest fine is 207.4 billion won (~$177 million). The company is being fined for…
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 Claire Huxley When does an app become more than an app? When it starts thinking about its brand. Did you know Growth Quarters is taking the stage this fall? Together with an amazing line-up of experts, we will share key insights into entrepreneurship during TNW Conference 2021. Secure your ticket now! Former Spotify boss…
Written by Janet John Video conferencing platform Zoom, is continuously creating new features to help users connect with teams and customers, share ideas, and get more done together. The company plans to expand its support for automatic live transcriptions with the addition of live translation, among other new changes coming to the platform. The company…
Written by Alex Wilhelm This afternoon Intuit confirmed persistent rumors that it was in the process of buying Mailchimp, detailing a $12 billion transaction that will bring the well-known email infra company to its corporate remit. Intuit is not a well-known player in the email marketing space. The company is instead best known for its TurboTax software…
Written by Daryn Kara Ali Speedtest issued on Wednesday its most recent Global Index report exploring speeds from July 2019 till July 2021, revealing that download speeds have globally escalated in the past year regarding mobile and fixed broadband, and 200 percent faster than 2017. A drastic change has occurred in the world’s internet performance as…
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 Yinka Okeowo Focussed on catalysing dramatic change via disruptive tech investments in emerging markets, the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG), has announced the launch of a unique profit and purpose fund aimed at investing in early-stage tech innovation startups across Africa. The GIIG Africa Fund, a Curaçao-based private investment fund, will invest annually in the…
Glovo, a Spanish on-demand delivery service, has announced that it will invest $60 million over the next 12 months to extend its footprint in Africa, including Ghana and Tunisia. “Our mission is to provide everyone simple access to anything in their city, and our platform is at its best when it is linking users and…
Written by TOM JACKSON The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) and Villgro Africa have opened a call for healthcare innovators with the potential to improve optimal health outcomes or make healthcare more, with the best solutions to be awarded cash prizes and access to other resources. The Kenya Healthcare Innovation Programme awardees will be given the opportunity…
Written by Luis Monzon One of South Africa’s big four telcos, Vodacom has announced the installation of new solar-powered sites in Polokwane, Vereeniging, and Bloemfontein as part of its energy and carbon management strategy and commitment to reducing its impact on the environment. Vodacom, in a statement today, says it has invested over R8-million ($564K)…
Written by Russel Ayugi Alliance Microfinance (AMAS) has signed a grant agreement with Norad, based on an application form submitted in partnership with Norwegian Church Aid, Norwegian tech company Bakken & Bæck, and a leading industrial conglomerate in Ethiopia East African Group. AMAS is the lead partner and grant manager running the project and aims to provide farmers across…
Written by Luis Monzon A collaborative project in Botswana is getting essential and emergency healthcare products to remote communities quicker than ever before through leveraging unmanned drones. The Drones for Health project sees a partnership between the country’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), the United Nations Population…
Written by Luis Monzon According to an announcement made by South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla, digital vaccination passes will be issued to all eligible vaccinated South Africans in less than a week. The country’s Department of Health says that currently, the digital vaccine certificates are “under development.” According to Mia Malan, editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa Health Journalism…
The Stories realize the vision that Snap’s Spectacles dreamed Written by Lucas Matney Facebook’s first pair of smart glasses doesn’t feel like much of a Facebook product. You won’t find the Facebook logo emblazoned on them or even its name in small print by the serial code. They aren’t “Facebook Stories” or “Ray-Ban’s Facebook Stories” or…
Written by Victoria Fakiya Emeka was eight years old when he dropped out of primary school. He couldn’t read and write at the time, and his environment was not conducive for learning. “When I was in primary school, I used to think I wasn’t cut out for school. And the fact that I was living…
Written by Luis Monzon The way we communicate socially has changed, thanks to social media and mobile technology. For many, this has also translated to changes in the way we communicate professionally this digital world. Digital has removed the typical boundaries associated with geography and time zones, and people expect to be able to use…
Written By George Dascalu Microsoft Power Apps Suite’s default permissions are flawed In an unexpected data leak, more than 38 million records from 47 organizations using Microsoft’s gateway platform Power Apps were accidentally published online, according to The Hacker News. The unfortunate incident resulted in the leakage of sensitive information on servers of corporations such as Microsoft,…
These open banking startups are driving the next wave of fintech innovation in Africa Written by TOM JACKSON All of a sudden, open banking is a very real phenomenon in Africa, with entrepreneurs and investors alike betting on the long-term opportunities within the nascent space. First of all, what is it? Open banking is a…
3 Most Common Cyberscams that Compromise Business Emails Written by Luis Monzon Online security firm Kaspersky reports that its cybersecurity experts are increasingly observing BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks online. Between May and July 2021, Kaspersky says that its security products prevented more than 9,500 BEC attacks globally, including those against businesses in air transportation, industry,…
Largest-Ever Data Centre Expansion in Africa to Cost $500M Across 10 Countries Written by Luis Monzon Africa Data Centres, one of the continent’s leading carrier-neutral co-location data centre providers, has announced plans to build large hyperscale data centres throughout Africa, including the North African countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. According to a statement today released…
How Digitisation Can Lead to Real Change in Africa’s Competition Laws Written by Luis Monzon Digitisation has ushered in an era of hyper-connectivity, marked by disruptive digital platforms that operate on a global scale. A recent Baker McKenzie report – Competition in the Digital Economy – an African Perspective – shows that, in Africa, this dynamic evolution…
Nigeria’s Ustacky is getting Africans career market-ready with tech-focused digital micro-degrees Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian ed-tech startup Ustacky is teaching Africans industry-relevant IT skills and providing them with micro-degrees at an affordable price to make them job-ready. Launched in 2019, Ustacky delivers training in programming through its website and mobile app using high-quality instructor-led video courses…
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…
Make accessibility part of your startup’s products and culture from day one Written by Joe Devon The world of accessibility has experienced a tipping point thanks to the pandemic, which drove people of all abilities to do more tasks and shopping online. For the last year, the digital world was the only place brands could…
Barbershop technology startup theCut sharpens its platform with new $4.5M round Written by Christine Hall TheCut, a technology platform designed to handle back-end operations for barbers, raised $4.5 million in new funding. Nextgen Venture Partners led the round and was joined by Elevate Ventures, Singh Capital and Leadout Capital. The latest funding gives theCut $5.35…
4 Ways Haller Farmers App Helps Fight East African Climate Change Written by Luis Monzon Africa is warming much faster than the global average, according to the IGAD Climate Predication and Application Centre (ICPAC). Major cities in East Africa have witnessed increased temperatures that almost double the 1.1-degree warming average that the rest of the globe…
Absa Launches Search for Digital Partners Across Africa By Luis Monzon Absa Group, one of the largest financial service providers in Africa, is strengthening efforts to grow its digital partnerships ecosystem across the continent with the appointment of HYBR and SystemicLogic, which will help Absa identify potential collaboration partners. “We believe in the substantial mutual…
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…