Author: Akin Naphtal

Threads haven’t launched a web version yet, but the app has shipped a new update to give more prominence to reposts on the social network. Meta has changed two things regarding reposts on the app. First, there is now a dedicated “Reposts” tab on the profile page, so people can quickly scan through all reposts by a user. Earlier this month, the company rolled out a new option on the settings page to let users look at their own liked posts. Second, users can now see reposts in the reverse-chronological “Following” feed as well. Prior to the latest update, you…

Effective October 1, this year, no cyber security entity, service provider or professional can offer service to a public sector institution in Ghana without licensing and accreditation from the Cyber Security Authority (CSA). This is in compliance with Cybersecurity 2020 (Act 1038) and guidelines for licensing of cyber security service providers and accreditation of cyber security entities and professionals. The CSA commenced a mandatory licensing regime for cyber security service providers and professionals on March 1, 2023. It had so far registered 448 cybersecurity professionals, 25 entities and 92 service providers. This was announced at a media engagement on collaborations…

Telecom Egypt has released its financial report for H1 2023, showing a net profit of E£6.7 billion ($217 million), a growth driven by its 75% year-on-year growth in wholesale revenue and strong retail performance. Per the report, Telecom Egypt’s total revenue grew to E£28.1 billion ($909 million), a 38% growth compared to H1 2022. There was also an increase in its customer base across the board. It reached 12.6 million mobile customers during this period—a 7% year-on-year growth. The number of fixed voice subscribers and fixed-broadband internet customers increased by 5% and 8% respectively. The company’s EBITDA for the first…

Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) has hosted one hundred (100) selected participants from various regions of the 2023 National Girls-In-ICT Initiative at the NCA Tower in Accra. This was part of an Open Day activity organised by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD) to provide the opportunity for the selected girls to acquire knowledge, in the field of ICT of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Welcoming the girls on behalf of the Director General of the NCA, Mr. Joe Anokye, the Director for Consumer and Corporate Affairs Division, Mrs. Nana Defie Badu applauded the MOCD for empowering the girls…

MTN Ghana has launched the 2023 MoMo Season in Accra on the theme “Addressing the barriers to digital payments adoption in Ghana”. The season, which is celebrated in the months of August and September, is to create awareness of the various opportunities MoMo offers in the digital economy and celebrate valued partners and customers. It is also to celebrate and highlight the importance of the MTN mobile money service to the Ghanaian economy, bring the service to the doorsteps of a lot more Ghanaians, and celebrate and recognize its valued partners and the over 11 million subscribers who use MTN…

The U.K. has created an investment vehicle to back growth-stage financial technology companies until they can go public, in a bid to bolster Britain’s global image as a fintech investment hub. In the statement, the initiative which is backed by the likes of Mastercard Barclays and the London Stock Exchange Group, the Fintech Growth Fund aims to invest between £10 million to £100 million into fintech companies, ranging from consumer-focused challenger banks and payments tech groups to financial infrastructure and regulatory technology. The fund, which is being advised by U.K. investment bank Peel Hunt, looks to support companies at the…

Nokia and Eastlink have joined forces to establish a multi-year strategic access network partnership in a significant move aimed at advancing mobile network capabilities. This collaboration is poised to revolutionize Eastlink’s mobile network, with the integration of Nokia’s AirScale portfolio, including the pivotal 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) technology. The collaboration is set to usher in an era of swifter speeds, heightened performance, and an augmented network capacity for Eastlink’s users. The heart of this collaboration lies in Nokia’s pioneering AirScale 5G portfolio, which encompasses baseband, remote radio heads, and massive MIMO antennas. This ensemble enables extensive 5G capacity, expansive…

In a startling turn of events, startup funding in North America is stumbling, gasping for breath after an exuberant run. How far down? For the second quarter of 2023, investors put $31.8 billion into seed- through growth-stage rounds for U.S. and Canadian startups, according to preliminary Crunchbase data. That’s the lowest quarterly total in more than three years. In a recent report, it was quoted that venture capital funding of start-ups has plunged by more than 50 per cent in the past 12 months, and without the Microsoft transaction with OpenAI, the first quarter of 2023 would have been the…

Safaricom has launched its mobile money service, M-PESA, in Ethiopia. This move comes three months after obtaining a Payment Instrument Issuer Licence from the National Bank of Ethiopia. The three months saw M-PESA complete a demanding three-month pilot and testing phase, complete technical readiness, secure significant bank partnerships, and hire, train, and onboard M-PESA agents. A report in July stated that Safaricom would roll out M-PESA in Ethiopia by September 2023 to help increase revenue from its Ethiopian operations and support its goal of turning a profit by 2027. The cost of launching operations in Ethiopia caused Safaricom’s core earnings…

MTN South Africa is targeting 99% network availability during stage-6 load shedding, Ralph Mupita, CEO of parent MTN Group, said this week. Mupita, speaking to journalists at a press conference following publication of the group’s results for the six months to end-June 2023, said the mobile operator has invested billions of rand into making its network more reliable during Eskom’s regular power cuts that have been bedeviling the economy for more than a decade. Load shedding has intensified dramatically in the past year, making it difficult for mobile operators – including MTN South Africa and its rivals, Vodacom South Africa…