Author: Akin Naphtal

Second-largest streaming platform in Africa, Netflix, has released its first biannual report detailing viewership patterns for the period from January to June 2023 globally, with the report covering over 18,000 titles and more than 100 billion hours of streaming. The report showed the first season of South African series, Unseen, topping the charts for Africa, and ranking 229th globally. Unseen has accumulated over 60 million viewing hours on Netflix so far. South Africa also dominated the top 10 most-streamed movies in Africa with eight representations, while Nigeria had two with Shanty Town and Far From Home ranking 750th and 2,088th,…

African e-commerce giant Jumia has announced the impending shutdown of its food delivery business, Jumia Food, by the end of 2023, as part of a broader cost-cutting initiative as the company focuses on core business segments with higher potential for profitability. With a reported loss of $19 million in Q3 2023, Jumia has been realigning its strategic focus under the leadership of CEO Francis Dufay, who assumed the role last year. Dufay cited challenging unit economics and substantial losses in the food delivery segment as key reasons for its closure. He also attributed the decision to increased competition and rising…

In a significant move toward fostering digital transformation across the African continent, Smart Africa has signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Economy of Trust Foundation. The agreement aims to empower African policymakers and decision-makers through a range of initiatives. These include capacity building, forums, training programs, events, and networking opportunities bridging Africa and Europe. This strategic collaboration marks a key step in advancing the digital landscape and connectivity in Africa. It reflects a commitment to supporting the journey of digital transformation by providing crucial resources and fostering meaningful exchanges between key stakeholders. The partnership is poised to…

Susan Bowen, the former Hewlett Packard executive, has been appointed as the new CEO of Digital Catapult, a business support organization, effective from March 2023. Bowen joins the not-for-profit from cloud provider Aptum Group, where she held the role of president and chief executive. She replaces Dr Jeremy Silver, who held the chief executive role from June 2016. Brief Profile of Susan Bowen Susan Bowen is a Senior Advisor to DigitalBridge and the Chief Executive Officer of Aptum. Ms. Bowen has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry and understands the importance of transformational leadership to stay at…

Infinix has officially introduced the HOT 40 SERIES Free Fire Limited Edition, developed in collaboration with Free Fire, the world’s most downloaded mobile battle royale game. Comprising the HOT 40 Pro and HOT 40, the series features significant upgrades in processor, camera, display, and software performance, carefully designed to provide its users with an unparalleled gaming experience. “We are excited to continue our collaboration with Free Fire and announce the HOT 40 SERIES, which features unique combinations of characters and pets in our co-branded lineup. The series offers outstanding performance and an exceptional gaming experience for mobile gamers worldwide, all…

With the rapid growth of digitalization and the race by governments not to be left out in the fourth industrial revolution, African countries such as Kenya have placed key priority on ICT and digitalization – The Kenyan government has in the recent past invested in the ICT and Digitalization sector, the sector takes centre stage in the East African Nation’s government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation agenda – with the Digital Super Highway. Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies are at the forefront of the Kenyan Digitalization Agenda one such is the Kenya ICT Authority – a State Corporation established in August 2013 under the…

The Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB)has officially relaunched its GCB Mobile App, aligning with the digitisation drive that Ghana currently advocates, and helping the country’s banking sector evolve. Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Ernest Addison, attended the ceremony, held Thursday, 14th December, and spoke on the importance of banks investing in and enhancing their cybersecurity infrastructure to fortify resilience against cyber-attacks in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Noting that the rise of digital technologies has increased cyber-attacks and breaches, the Governor warned that if not adequately managed, these breaches could negatively impact technological advancements in the banking industry.…

Telkom has announced plans to launch electric vehicles in a recent statement after the South African Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition unveiled the government’s plans to launch its first EV in 2026. With plans to launch more in 2024, the telco has unveiled six EVs, known as Telkom T-Connect vans, which are still in the proof-of-concept stage. According to the announcement, it is locally manufactured by South African company MellowVans. The vans will offer digital services to beachfronts, office parks, gated communities, and events in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape. Even though the South African telco is the…

Basic internet access is the gateway to the digital world, creating opportunities to transform individuals’ lives, companies’ prospects, and society’s sustainability.In the telco industry, the major obstacles to ubiquitous broadband access are well understood: they range from gaps in coverage to expensive handsets to data unaffordability, to low levels of digital literacy. In the past few years, there has been notable progress to address these barriers to internet access for all. For example, the GSMA says the coverage gap in sub-Saharan Africa narrowed to 17% in 2022 from 50% in 2014. This is no doubt encouraging, except if you are…

Rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) could create new risks for the U.S. financial system if the technology is not properly supervised, a panel of regulators warned in a recent statement. The Financial Stability Oversight Council, which comprises top financial regulators and is chaired by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, flagged the risks posed by AI for the first time in its annual financial stability report. While the group said AI could spur innovation or efficiencies at financial firms like banks, the rapidly advancing technology requires vigilance from both the companies and their watchdogs. “AI can introduce certain risks, including safety…