Author: Akin Naphtal

Organized cybercrime is set to pose a threat to Canada’s national security and economic prosperity over the next two years, the National Signal Intelligence Agency has said. The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) in a report identified Russia and Iran as cybercrime safe havens where criminals can operate against Western targets. Ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure such as hospitals and pipelines can be particularly profitable, the report said. Cybercriminals continue to show resilience and an ability to innovate their business model, it said. “Organized cybercrime will very likely pose a threat to Canada’s national security and economic prosperity over the next…

At the IFA 2023 press conference, Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest innovations for the connected home, demonstrating its commitment to enhancing the user experience. The company’s vision for SmartThings is to empower consumers across Europe to focus on topics that matter to them, such as energy conservation, heightened security, and seamless access to entertainment. The SmartThings ecosystem, currently utilized by a staggering 285 million people, offers users the ability to adapt and personalize their homes. This is achieved by controlling multiple appliances and devices via a single, user-friendly app. This innovation is a testament to Samsung’s dedication to creating a…

Tecno unveiled the latest product of its R&D labs this week- the rollable smartphone concept Phantom Ultimate. It expands sideways, increasing the display from 6.55” to 7.11” in 1.2-1.3 seconds. This second concept device by Tecno is very similar to the Vision V only without the folding part. The Phantom Ultimate has a single-drive motor system that expands the device at the press of a button, positioned on the top right side of the phone. When the device is rolled, it is a basic 6.55” smartphone, with the extra screen sitting on the back, acting as an Always-On Display. Specs-wise,…

Nigerian Fintech company, Moniepoint, has announced that its monthly transactions now valued at $12 billion. This is even as the company has announced its entry into Personal Banking to fast-track financial inclusion in Nigeria. This was declared recently during a chat with journalists in Lagos, by the company’s acting Managing Director, Babatunde Olofin. He attributed the success to the cash scarcity incidence that occurred early this year, which pushed more businesses and individuals to go cashless. Olofin revealed that in the first three months after entering the personal banking market, Moniepoint, that presently serves over 1.6 million enterprises, plans to…

MTN Group has announced the promotion of Marina Madale to Group Executive: Sustainability & Shared Value, effective 1 September 2023. Prior to this, Marina served as the General Manager: Sustainability and Shared Value, MTN Group. In her new role, she will be responsible for setting the strategic direction for the management of Sustainability and Shared Value and the work of our foundations across MTN Group markets. Marina has a wealth of experience across multiple sectors globally, including oil & gas, energy, banking, and property development across multiple countries such as Qatar, Mozambique, Botswana, Gabon, South Africa, and Australia. She played…

Young, female and breaking barriers in ICT Today’s blend of young women is breaking barriers. They are not holding back on taking up careers in industries and fields that are traditionally male-dominated. In technology, in particular, many young women are blazing the trail set alight by global tech leaders like former META COO and author of the book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg. This is despite the fact that women make up less than 28% of the global technology workforce and just 17% of CEOs. While the stats may not reflect the strides women are making in tech, the sector is…

Ellies Holdings has been given the green light by the Competition Commission to buy Bundu Power, a deal that Ellies has described as critical to its turnaround plans. The JSE-listed company said in February that it had agreed to buy 100% of Bundu Power, a company founded in 2005 that specialises in alternative power solutions, for a maximum R202.6-million. Ellies said at the time that it was buying Bundu Power, whose companies include Magetz Electrical and Power On Wheels, from owners Heidi, Nicholas and Suzanne von Broembsen, and Colin Sykes. Bundu Power focuses on the distribution and rental of generators…

At this year’s Hot Chips event, Intel has taken the stage to offer an in-depth preview of its forthcoming Intel Xeon product lineup, ushering in a new era for the renowned processor series with a groundbreaking platform architecture. The platform marks a significant advancement for Intel Xeon as it introduces two distinct architectures, namely the Efficient-core (E-core) and Performance-core (P-core) architectures, with the codenames Sierra Forest and Granite Rapids, respectively. These groundbreaking products are poised to revolutionize the landscape of critical workloads, including artificial intelligence. The introduction of Intel Xeon processors with E-cores (Sierra Forest) signifies a pivotal shift towards…

Merkle, dentsu’s leading customer experience management (CXM) company, has created the UK’s largest Google Technology Practice by integrating Google Marketing Platform and Google Cloud Platform teams across the dentsu group. This launch addresses the pressing need for seamless integration of capabilities in digital analytics, ad tech, data engineering, AI, and data strategy, fulfilling marketers’ evolving demands for comprehensive customer experience solutions, and privacy-centric measurement. The new practice will also see the launch of Accelerator, a new leading technology built natively in the Google environment. Accelerator will deliver unparalleled time-to-value by automating configuration, deployment and activation of advanced marketing analytics solutions.…

Digital lending in Kenya has grown over the years. Digital lenders offer loans to Kenyans primarily via mobile apps and USSD codes. The quick loans mostly with zero collateral have proved profitable and successful for the digital lending entities. For example, Safaricom indicated that that the government’s credit facility Hustler Fund had brought back 2 million users to M-Pesa. Recently, the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) disclosed data showing the market share for the various digital lenders. M-Shwari, an NCBA Kenya and Safaricom product accessible via Mpesa takes the lead with 34%. Fuliza, another credit facility under Safaricom comes in…