Author: Akin Naphtal

The world’s first global summit on AI safety will take place this week at Bletchley Park in Southern England from Nov 1st to 2nd November, hosted by Britain to explore the dangers of the rapidly expanding technology and initiate a global conversation on how to regulate it. There would be around 100 guests, including world leaders, tech company executives, academics and nonprofits to grace the grand occasion along with reputable sponsors like OMDIA, Reply, IBM, Italian Trade Agency, Shell, Domino Data Lab, Technology Innovation Institute, Cambridge Consultants, Deloitte, and many more. Also, the event will be attended by many distinguished…

Canada has banned the use of the Chinese messaging application, WeChat, and Russian antivirus program, Kaspersky, on government-issued mobile devices, citing concerns about privacy and security. The removal of these applications from government-issued mobile devices commenced on Monday, 30th October, and future downloads will be blocked for users. The ban follows a comprehensive assessment held by Canada’s chief information officer, Catherine Luelo, found that the applications posed an “unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” according to the Treasury Board of Canada, responsible for public administration oversight. WeChat, owned by Tencent, and applications developed by the Moscow-based company Kaspersky,…

Preparations are in top gear as leaders in digitization will be honoured at the 8th Africa Digital Economy Awards on 10th November 2023 at the Emara Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. Following 7 successful editions in West Africa, ADEA moves to Kenya in its 8th edition to engender Pan-Africanism in digitalization. Themed, “Celebrating Digital Excellence,” ADEA in its 8th year will celebrate and honour Africa’s digital champions, innovators, creativities, and inventions across multiple areas whose contributions have significantly impacted the digital growth and security of the African economy during the gala night. ADEA is in alignment with the digital…

UK telecoms group, Vodafone, is set to sell its Vodafone Spain to Zegona Communications for 5 billion euros ($5.30 billion), as CEO, Margherita Della Valle, works to increase the telecom giant’s growth in mature markets. Since she assumed her position in January 2023, Margherita Della Valle, has made a commitment to enhance Vodafone’s profitability. She has focused on turning around underperforming markets, announcing 11,000 job cuts in May, and the merger of Vodafone’s British unit with CK Hutchison’s Three in June. Della Valle highlighted that the deal with Zegona Communications was a strategic move that would allow Vodafone to concentrate…

Maisha Meds, a Kenyan health tech company, has successfully raised $5 million in funding to support the expansion of its mobile software platform. The investment comes as a significant boost to the company’s mission of improving access to affordable and quality healthcare in Kenya. Maisha Meds offers a mobile-based platform that focuses on the management and distribution of essential medicines in Kenya. The platform connects healthcare providers, patients, and pharmacies, allowing for the efficient tracking of medical inventory, patient prescription data, and medication adherence. This innovative solution has been instrumental in addressing critical healthcare challenges in Kenya. The $5 million…

In the third quarter of 2023, two of Nigeria’s leading telecom companies, MTN and Airtel made a combined N403.2 billion from providing data services to their customers. Between July and September this year, MTN, Nigeria’s biggest telecom operator by number of subscribers, made N279.5 billion from data services, a 38.9 per cent increase from the N201.1 billion it earned in the same quarter last year. Data subscriptions generated N123.7 billion ($157 million) for Airtel Nigeria in the quarter that ended in September 2023, according to Airtel Africa’s financial result. This was a 29.3 per cent growth in data revenue for…

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc recorded a revenue of N614.2 billion in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, indicating a 21.4% year-on-year increase from the same period in 2022. The telecom giant however faced a significant decline in its profit margins for the third quarter of 2023 despite the increase in revenue generation, its profit before tax witnessed a severe decline of 75.7% year-on-year. This has been associated with the removal of the fuel subsidy, currency devaluation from forex liberalisation, and impacts of the 2023 Finance Act which led to rising inflation rates. The group’s revenue for the first nine months…

In a groundbreaking move towards technological advancement, President William Ruto launched the country’s first-ever smartphone assembly plant in the country East Africa Device Assembly Kenya (EADAK) located in Mavoko, Machakos County in a joint venture of local mobile network operators including Safaricom, Jamii Telecommunications and Chinese business Shenzhen TeleOne Technology. The launch of the smartphone assembly plant aligns with the Kenyan government’s broader agenda to drive technology and innovation in the country. It complements ongoing efforts to provide affordable and accessible internet access to all Kenyan citizens, fostering digital inclusion. EADAK has a capacity to produce up to 3 million…

Japanese electronics company, Seiko Epson, has turned its sights to the Middle East and Africa regions due to diminishing demand of its products in Japan, and other developed nations, its Chief Executive, Yasunori Ogawa says. The company, which happens to be among the world’s largest manufacturers of printers, enjoyed a surge in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic due to remote work increasing the demand for personal printers. However, Seiko Epson anticipates prolonged stagnation in mature markets as declining populations and the digitalization trend persist. Ogawa has emphasized the vast untapped potential for their products in the Middle East, especially since…

Bolt Kenya is awaiting an update on the renewal of its operating licence from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), with a decision expected today. The renewal process has been delayed, but Bolt has said it is in “constant engagement and collaboration” with the NTSA. One issue in the renewal process is a 5% booking fee that Bolt has now suspended. The fee was introduced in November 2022, after the Kenyan Ministry of Transport directed e-cab firms to reduce their commission to 18%. Bolt and Uber introduced booking fees to help offset the reduction. Uber charges a maximum booking…