Google was fined $40,155 on Monday for failing to delete content deemed illegal by a Moscow court, as part of a larger dispute between Russia and the Alphabet-owned US tech giant. In October, Russia threatened to fine Google a percentage of its annual Russian turnover for repeatedly failing to remove banned content from its search…
A startup founded by university friends that pivoted away from its initial model to find product-market fit in the logistics space, to the point where it was accepted into prestigious accelerator programs. Swoove from Ghana has an interesting backstory. Swoove connects businesses with network logistics services to enable them to reach customers across the continent,…
The MEST Express accelerator programme is now accepting applications from early-stage Ghanaian startups looking to scale their operations. MEST Express is one of three programs that MEST is currently running in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, along with Pre-MEST and MEST Scale. The 20-week accelerator program aims to provide early-stage ventures with the skills and…
A mega yacht has been sold for a whopping $650,000 in the Sandbox virtual gaming world. This virtual luxury ship, which is part of the metaverse, is called the “Metaflower Super Mega Yacht,” and it has two helipads, hot tubs, and a DJ booth, among other lavish amenities. The Metaflower yacht has become the most…
“This was my decision,” Dorsey explained to his coworkers in a note. Jack Dorsey Resigns as Twitter CEOJack Dorsey is stepping down as Twitter CEO. On Monday, the Big Tech entrepreneur tweeted an email announcing his departure from the company. The message stated: “After almost 16 years of having a role at our company… from…
Even though it lacks a few key capabilities, Samsung’s Internet browser improves with each iteration. We revealed earlier this month that Samsung is testing a few features with the beta version of the browser, but there was no indication of when they would be made available to everyone. It appears that today is the day…
FJDynamics, created by DJI’s former head scientist Wu Di, has secured a $70 million Series B round to further its objective of empowering workers in the hardest environments with robotic technologies. When I asked Wu what makes his company’s farming robots unique, he responded in a way that would make any PR sweat: “I don’t…
A start-up needs investments in order to reach out to its numerous customers especially when the demand for their product or service is high. The major reason for investments in start-ups is the steady growth experienced. Start-up founders need to understand that an investor is not a friend but an enabler with financial capability to…
MediSpark, a Nigerian startup, bills itself as the “Truepill for Africa,” and the business is hard at work developing an ecosystem of APIs and SaaS solutions to synchronize data across Africa’s disparate healthcare systems. Ugo Nwokoro and Gbenga Oyeniyi, who have known and worked together since 2016, created MediSpark. Nwokoro and his family have been…
Authorities in Beijing announced on Saturday that Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi will develop a plant in Beijing capable of producing 300,000 vehicles per year for its electric vehicle segment. The plant will be erected in two stages, and Xiaomi will also establish its vehicle unit’s headquarters, sales, and research offices in the Beijing Economic and…
All On, a Shell-backed impact investing organization, has invested $1 million in Salpha Energy, a Nigerian producer of clean and affordable solar energy solutions. The company has an active distribution network of over 350 persons, cooperatives, and dealers around the country, thanks to substantial agreements with payment collection enablers such as InfiBranches, Paga, and Interswitch….
Google has released a new cybersecurity report warning about how compromised Google Cloud instances are being leveraged by cryptocurrency miners for cryptocurrency mining. Threat intelligence observations from the Threat Analysis Group (TAG), Google Cloud Threat Intelligence for Chronicle, Trust and Safety, and other internal teams were used to create the “Threat Horizons” report. According to…
Africa Data Centres (ADC), the continent’s largest network of interconnected, carrier- and cloud-neutral data center facilities, has opened its new 10MW data center facility in Lagos, Nigeria. According to the firm, the new facility will pave the path for Africa Data Centres‘ hyperscale customers to implement digital solutions to West Africa. According to Stephane Duproz,…
Fleeti, a Senegalese fleet management startup, has raised $1.1 million in a seed round headed by Newfund, Groupe Clim, Janngo, SkalePark, Mapinvest, and a new investment group. Fleeti, launched in July 2020 by Iban Olçomendy and Gabriel Delerue, brings a new dimension to Africa’s fleet management market. Its technology, for example, helps firms to save…
Prof. Pat Utomi, a political economist and management specialist, and professionals in the integrated marketing communication industry have urged businesses to reconsider their strategies and business models, as well as work within legal frameworks, in order to weather the volatility of the Nigerian economy. This was revealed by experts during the second edition of Brandcomfest…
African Tech Vision, an entrepreneurial and mentorship initiative to encourage the growth of female-founded firms, is now accepting applications. The six-week African Tech Vision program will begin in January and will be led by an experienced volunteer team from around the world. The program was designed to be truly founder-centric, with founder growth defining its…
Once upon a time, artificial intelligence (AI) was the stuff of science fiction. However, it is becoming more common. It is employed in mobile phone technologies as well as automobiles. It powers agricultural and healthcare tools. However, questions have been raised concerning the responsibility of AI and associated technologies such as machine learning. Timnit Gebru,…
In the run-up to Black Friday, there was an increase in phishing assaults that looked like e-payment pages. From September (627,560) to October 2021 (1,935,905), the overall number of financial phishing attacks disguised as e-payment systems more than doubled, representing a 208 percent rise. This and other discoveries are included in Kaspersky’s paper, ‘Black Friday…
The winners of Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) 2021 were announced during a virtual live Grand Finale, with the top ten finalists getting a grant of US$1.5 million. Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH), the principal charitable program of the Jack Ma Foundation, strives to foster an inclusive and dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa. The annual competition, now…
Sabi, a B2B marketplace, has announced the completion of a $6 million bridge round to support its continuing rapid expansion in Nigeria and beyond. Sabi, which was founded last year as a spin-off from energy startup Rensource, is optimizing Africa’s informal commerce sector by providing merchants and resellers with selected business tools and services that…
In an age when the internet has become a go-to forum for many people to express themselves, the issue of mental health difficulties remains a sensitive one. However, a promising Nigerian health care startup, Mytherapist.ng, is capitalizing on the situation by harnessing technology to provide Nigerians with accessible, cheap, and stigma-free mental health care services….
The Fintech Association of Nigeria (FintechNGR) organized the World Fintech Festival (WFF), Nigeria, on November 11, 2021, in collaboration with the Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF). The event, TechSpark 3.0, Leveraging Emerging Technology for Digital Economy, was one of the breakout events held by important FinTech centers around the world. Ade Bajomo, President of FintechNGR, gave…
WhatsApp is said to be iterating on the rumored message reactions functionality. This has previously been discovered, and it appears to allow users to respond to a single message in a chat. A new reaction info page has been discovered in development, allowing users to simply identify who reacted to a message. Message reactions are…
Apple has announced that a new self-service repair program for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models would be available in early 2022, with an emphasis on common repairs such as damaged screens, battery problems, and camera issues. Users will be able to purchase repair components and tools directly from the company. Customers will soon…
OnePipe, a Nigerian fintech startup, has acquired $3,500,000 in seed funding to expand operations throughout Africa, bridge financial gaps, and improve the customer experience for businesses. OnePipe received funding from a variety of sources, including African impact-focused venture capital firm Atlantica Ventures, which co-led the seed round with Tribe Capital and V&R Associates. Canaan Partners,…
Burkina Faso’s government has prolonged the countrywide ban on mobile internet access for another 96 hours. This comes just days before opposition protests are scheduled. According to a statement issued by the administration of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the extension was granted under a legal clause linked to national defense and public safety. Authorities…
MojaPay, a South African fintech firm, has released a new app with the goal of changing the way people pay, receive, and save money. MojaPay, formerly known as digiToken and launched last year to assist customers in purchasing items such as power and airtime online, has rebranded and improved to provide seamless transactions and payments…
According to Absa Group, its cloud incubator effort is on track to exceed its objective of teaching 1,500 staff employees across Africa with cloud computing capabilities this year. Absa launched the cloud incubator program in March to help it along its digital transformation journey. According to Absa, 1,496 individuals successfully completed the training by the…
Aside from money, African female entrepreneurs want access to high-impact mentors who are eager to share their network and teach what they know. Eloho Omame and Odunayo Eweniyi unveiled their female-focused angel investment fund a few weeks into January this year. The angel fund, appropriately dubbed FirstCheck Africa, is on a mission to “advance equity,…
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, South Africa’s Minister of Communications, says the government is considering plans to ensure that all South Africans have access to connectivity at home by 2024. Speaking at the annual Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC), Minister Ntshavheni stated that the European Union has committed to delivering 1 terabyte to the home…