Author: Akin Naphtal

Commvault has appointed Darren Thomson as its new Field Chief Technology Officer, EMEA & India. With over 30 years of industry experience, Thomson will contribute to shaping Commvault’s cyber resilience offerings, emphasizing data protection, threat detection, and rapid recovery capabilities. His extensive background includes leadership roles at One Identity, CyberCube, and Lloyds of London, as well as senior executive positions at Symantec and Veritas. ”I am incredibly excited to join a company that is truly redefining modern data protection and putting cyber resilience first,” said Thomson. “The recent unification of the Commvault Cloud platform powered by Metallic AI allows us…

Samsung Electronics has unveiled the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24, unleashing new mobile experiences with Galaxy AI. The Galaxy S series leads the way into a new era that will forever change how mobile devices empower users. AI amplifies nearly every experience on Galaxy S24 series, from enabling barrier-free communication with intelligent text and call translations, to maximizing creative freedom with Galaxy’s ProVisual Engine, to setting a new standard for search that will change how Galaxy users discover the world around them. “The Galaxy S24 series transforms our connection with the world and ignites the next decade…

Ghana’s Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has officially launched the National Communications Authority (NCA) Five-Year Strategic Plan (2024-2028), aimed at making the Authority a more effective communications regulator. A press release posted by the NCA noted that the five-year plan, launched on 16th January 2024 at the NCA Tower, was developed in accordance with Section 3(b) of the NCA Act, 2008 (Act 769). Section 3(b) aims to “formulate a strategic plan”, which in turn sets clear goals and measurable steps for the Authority. During her keynote address, Hon. Owusu-Ekuful noted the necessity of the NCA’s regulatory work over…

Ukheshe, a South African fintech company, has disclosed to the public it has acquired the entire stake in EFT Corporation (EFTCorp), a payment solutions provider, from Loita Transaction Services (LXS) with the support of Development Partners International (DPI). This was revealed after Ukheshe acquired a South African startup, Oltio — the Masterpass developer — from Mastercard in 2020. Following this, Ukheshe and EFTCorp will continue to operate independently without losing their brand identities. Also, EFTCorp’s management and CEO, Stephen Enderby, will retain their involvement. Ukheshe Technologies, founded in 2018, is a financial services enabler that works with banks, telcos, and…

Google has announced a $1 billion investment in building a data centre just outside of London to address the growing demand for internet services in the region. The data centre will be situated on a 33-acre site in Waltham Cross, approximately 15 miles north of central London, which Google acquired in 2020. The investment is seen as a strategic move by the US technology giant to bolster its presence in the UK. The British government views Google’s investment as a “huge vote of confidence” in the country. The investment aligns with the government’s efforts to attract business investments, especially in…

Amazon Prime Video plans to layoff staff and cut content in Africa and the Middle East to focus primarily on European originals, as part of the restructuring efforts to improve its international business. Shows from the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region that have already been greenlit or contracted will proceed as planned, but there may be a halt in greenlighting local originals in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa. Prime Video will continue to operate in these regions, but redundancies in local teams are anticipated. Simultaneously, the European team will be divided into two segments, both…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted telco, Globacom, an additional 21-day grace period to resolve and settle outstanding interconnect fees owed to MTN, which has saved the telco from a phased disconnection. The NCC announced the extension in a press statement revealing that both MTN and Globacom, popularly known as Glo, “have now reached an agreement to resolve all outstanding issues between them.” The release also added that the NCC “expects MTN and Glo to resolve all outstanding issues within the 21 days.” On 8th January, the NCC issued a disconnection notice to Glo, granting MTN the authority to…

The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has granted Telecom Egypt its license to install and operate fifth generation (5G) networks for mobile phones at a cost of USD 150m. The 5G license will be valid for a 15-year period. Telecom Egypt stated that 5G “will ultimately benefit the entire economy and improve Egypt’s international ranking in the ICT sector”. It added the network technology would enable domestic enterprises to better analyse large volumes of data and scale up their operations. 5G technology will provide lower latency, higher capacity, and increased bandwidth, which will improve the overall customer experience thanks to…

London’s technology sector demonstrates resilience and sustained growth, according to the recent data from London & Partners and Dealroom. The data shows that London continues to lead as Europe’s number one tech hub with London’s startups having raised almost as much investment in 2023 as the next three European cities combined (Paris, Stockholm, and Berlin). According to the report, London-based climate tech startups raised $3.5bn (£2.75bn) of funding in 2023, the second-highest globally and ahead of the San Francisco Bay Area. London was beaten only by Stockholm for climate tech funding, with startups based in the Swedish capital city securing…

Rwandan President Paul Kagame recently engaged in discussions with Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises. The talks majorly centered on the ongoing investments made through Airtel Rwanda, with an emphasis on the partnership with Reed Hastings. This initiative aims to provide affordable smartphones and data access to over 50,000 citizens, contributing to digital inclusion and connectivity in Rwanda. The meeting focused on the ongoing investments made through Airtel Rwanda, with an emphasis on the partnership with Reed Hastings. They discussed strategic initiatives undertaken by Airtel Rwanda to enhance telecommunications infrastructure and services within the country. Airtel…