Author: Akin Naphtal

The National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) have organised a joint training session for their staff on cybercrime and cybersecurity awareness as part of their ongoing collaboration to develop and implement the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038). The training session, held on Wednesday, 15th November, aimed to equip both NCA and CSA staff with the fundamental knowledge and appreciation of cybersecurity, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the NCA and the CSA under the law. The session covered topics on the types and trends of cybercrime, the best practices and standards of cybersecurity, protection…

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has announced that the Nigerian federal government has set up a $609 million fund for tech entrepreneurs in Nigeria for the next four years. Speaking at the 2023 Nordic Nigeria Connect event in Lagos, Dr. Tijani stated that telecommunication is the biggest contributor of services in Nigeria, and that the country needs to build partnerships that would help its citizens achieve that. “In a connected world, our role is to build relationships with countries, organisation with innovation and a body of knowledge. Nigeria doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel…

Kenya’s Principal Secretary of the State Department for ICT and the Digital Economy (ICT&DE), Eng. John Tanui, has advocated the digitisation of library services during an official visit to the Ministry Library on Wednesday, 15th November. The Ministry Library, located on the 7th floor of the TelePosta Towers, serves as a resource centre for the Ministry staff and the public. Eng. Tanui was welcomed by the Director of Library Services, David Kengere, and his team of librarians, who gave him a tour of the library and its facilities. Eng. Tanui appreciated the work of the library staff, and commended them…

Under the Imbuto Foundation’s Edified Generative Scholarship Programme, IHS Towers is providing financial support for 150 students in Rwanda to enable them to pursue quality education and cover their extra educational costs. The scholarship programme is part of the partnership between IHS Rwanda and the Imbuto Foundation, which was established in 2015. The partnership aims to support the education of young and talented Rwandans, especially those from economically vulnerable backgrounds. Tuition fees, school materials, and other educational expenses for the selected students who are enrolled in boarding schools across the country will be covered by the scholarship. The students are…

Multichoice’s streaming platform, Showmax, has delayed Showmax 2.0’s launch from November 2023 to February 2024, but promises new shows and films from global production companies including NBC and Paramount, with a streaming engine powered by Peacock. The delay also comes with details about reorganized subscription tiers, addressing customer complaints following the discontinuation of Showmax Pro. Showmax 2.0 introduces three plans: While the revamped platform brings new subscription options, certain limitations from the existing Showmax platform will persist: Despite these limitations, Showmax’s popularity has continued to grow in Africa, currently boasting 1.8 million subscribers as of 2022, with a significant majority…

Nigeria’s Federal Government has joined forces with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to offer paid internships to 3,000 participants enrolled in the 3 million Technical Training (3MTT) initiative. The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, officially announced the partnership, setting the launch of the program’s inaugural cohort on 15th November 2023. Despite one million applications, the first phase of the 3MTT program, which aims to train three million Nigerians within the next four years, will start with an initial figure of 30,000. Notifications for the selected participants are expected to be sent out soon. Dr.…

London internet exchange, LINX, has recently announced a new strategic partnership with IXAfrica, a Nairobi-based data centre provider, to launch a new interconnection hub for Kenya and East Africa. The new hub, named LINX Nairobi, will be LINX’s first physical presence in Africa, and the first interconnected, multi-site internet exchange point (IXP) in the region. LINX Nairobi aims to provide the region with future-proof interconnection solutions for global networks, with the ability to scale alongside Kenya’s fast-growing digital landscape. The new hub will offer resilience for networks peering there, and will also enable low latency routes to and from Europe,…

The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, launched the re/Start initiative at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE) with the support of the World Bank to train 10,000 young people and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Digital Skills to help them harness the limitless potential of emerging technologies and digital skills. Speaking at the launch in Accra, the Director-General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE), Dr. Collins Yeboah-Afari, disclosed that the re/Start initiative is an AWS digital skills programme, a collaboration between the Smart Africa Digital Academy…

The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in collaboration with stFoundation), have launched a digital skills training programme for visually impaired teachers in Ghana. The programme, which is part of the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) project, aims to equip the teachers with the knowledge and skills to train other visually impaired persons in their communities on how to use computers and the internet. The project, called “Introduction to Computer Basics for the Visually Impaired (ICBVI)”, aims to teach both sighted and visually-impaired teachers how to train visually impaired students in the basic skills…

German automaker, Mercedes-Benz is set to deploy 127 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in South Africa (SA), investing $2.13 million in the initiative, as SA witnesses a growing demand for electric vehicles. The country currently boasts over 400 public and private charging stations, with plans underway to significantly increase this number. Other electric vehicle manufacturers, distributors, and charging network managers have announced their intentions to install additional stations, aiming to bring the total to 700 in 2024. This surge in electric vehicle adoption in South Africa is surprising given the nation’s persistent energy challenges. Since 2007, South Africa has…