Author: Akin Naphtal

In a momentous occasion, the Ministry of Education and UN Women joined hands to launch the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) in Rwanda, an initiative funded by Siemens. In line with the country’s commitments at the Generation Equality Forum on advancing Technology and Innovation, the initiative aims to equip young girls with coding skills, spark their interest in ICT and set them on a path to pursue careers in the field. The Ministry of Education selected fifty girls between the ages of 17-25 to participate in the initiative, based on their high performance in science, technology, education and mathematics…

The National Communications Authority (NCA) in Ghana has implemented technology neutrality to foster fair competition among telecom operators and enable non-Significant Market Power (SMP) companies to deploy 4G networks without hefty licensing fees. Traditionally, technology neutrality allowed the use of all spectrum for either GSM or CDMA networks. However, under the new regime, non-SMP telcos like Vodafone and AT Ghana can repurpose their existing spectrum slots in the 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 2100MHz bands for 4G rollout, paying an annual premium to NCA instead of the traditional licensing fee. In a statement on the NCA’s website, this approach is identified as…

Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, launched Catalyze, a new partnership program aimed at accelerating access to renewable energy across the global semiconductor value chain. Unveiled during SEMICON West 2023, Catalyze is a first-of-its kind program of collaboration among key semiconductor and technology industry leaders to address the supply chain emissions within their industry. The program joins other Schneider Electric supply chain partnership initiatives that seek to leverage the power of supply chain cohorts, including the Energize program for the pharmaceutical industry, and Walmart’s Gigaton PPA program. Intel, one of the world’s leading…

The UAE has ranked first globally in mobile internet speed for the month of June, with a download speed of 204.24 Mbps and an upload speed of 22.72 Mbps, according to the Speedtest Global Index published by Ookla, a web service that provides analysis of Internet access performance metrics. According to the index, the UAE topped the global rankings during the first half of 2023 (January, February, March, May, and June), while it ranked second in April. READ ALSO: Spark appoints Ericsson as 5G Core supplier for its 5G Standalone network As for fixed broadband speed, the UAE ranked second…

Ericsson announced that Spark, one of New Zealand’s largest telecommunications and digital services providers, has appointed Ericsson to supply its 5G Core solution to power Spark’s 5G Standalone (SA) network in New Zealand. This marks a major milestone in the partnership to create the potential for new monetization opportunities from the network slicing, network automation and edge computing capabilities of Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core. The appointment follows the successful completion of a three-month 5G SA trial in 2022, demonstrating the ease with which cloud-native core network solutions – to support 5G SA – can be deployed. The 5G SA trial was…

Visa is now accepting applications for start-ups to participate in the first cohort of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program. The program is focused on startups operating in Africa and will run over 12 weeks twice a year with up to 20 startups per cohort.Startups up to Series A stage are encouraged to apply through the Visa website for a chance to gain unparalleled expertise, valuable industry connections, cutting-edge technology, and potential investment funding. Applications will close on August 25 th and the first cohort will be announced in September. READ ALSO: Exness expands its Fintech Scholarships program to KenyaIn line…

Safaricom, a leading telecom company in Kenya, has unveiled plans to launch its own satellite Internet service in the country, directly competing with SpaceX’s Starlink offering. The telecom giant will collaborate with AST SpaceMobile, a US-based competitor of Starlink, to provide the service. The primary objective of Safaricom’s satellite Internet service is to enhance its broadband offerings, including Wi-Fi, cellular networks, and fibre optic cables. By leveraging AST SpaceMobile’s satellite technology, Safaricom aims to improve connectivity in remote areas and deliver affordable broadband access to rural communities. AST SpaceMobile is developing a unique network that employs a constellation of satellites…

IDT Corporation, a global fintech company, announced the expansion of its BOSS Money app into Francophone Africa – Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Democratic Republic of Congo. The BOSS Money app now enables app users to send, receive, carry, and exchange money in multiple local currencies across Francophone Africa. The app also enables direct receipt of BOSS Money remittances within minutes from friends and family in the US. “We are excited to expand our BOSS Money services and bring our transformative fintech solutions to Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Democratic Republic of Congo” said Nat Robinson, BOSS Money Africa, CEO. “We’ve…

Exness, a multi-asset broker is pleased to announce it is extending its popular Fintech Scholarships program to Kenya. The scheme will be in partnership with the United States International University (USIU), one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Kenya. Exness Fintech Scholarships aim to support outstanding university students in a STEM field. The program in Kenya is open to third and fourth year USIU undergraduates in Data Science, Analytics, and Software Engineering or students who have accepted an offer for the MSc in Information Technology course starting in September 2023. The scholarship will cover the full amount for tuition…

Leading global hospitality and property technology company GuestReady has officially launched in Saudi Arabia with the opening of its Riyadh office. This expansion means that GuestReady now offers short-term rental property services in more than 63 cities worldwide, with Riyadh being its second office in the Middle East after Dubai. The decision to expand to Saudi Arabia was driven by the country’s thriving real estate sector and the rapidly growing travel and tourism industry. With domestic tourism already strong in the kingdom and international travel set to play a larger role due to Vision 2030, GuestReady sees significant opportunities to…