Author: Akin Naphtal

In maintaining its leadership status as Nigeria’s most innovative bank, Access Bank has unveiled two new consumer credit cards: the Access Bank American Express Gold Card and the Metal Platinum Card. These are the first American Express cards to be issued in Nigeria and West Africa. By launching these cards, Access Bank has improved its overall offering to its retail and private bank customers, who can now enjoy the Membership Rewards loyalty programme and a wide range of travel and lifestyle benefits. In 2019, Access Bank signed an agreement with American Express to start acquiring merchants, enabling businesses across the…

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions,has announced the official opening of its African head office and state-of-the-art Customer Experience Centre, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to Wojtek Piorko, the recently appointed managing director for Vertiv Africa, the formal opening of the South African premises forms an important part of Vertiv’s ‘Africa for Africa’ initiative, and underscores the organisation’s investment in the region. “Vertiv is placing a strong business focus on Africa, as well as expanding our local network of authorised partners and service providers. Our ‘Africa for Africa’ project also emphasises the importance of…

QCell, a mobile operator in Gambia, has introduced the country’s inaugural commercial 5G service. Initially, the service is accessible only in selected areas within the capital city of Banjul, including Kairaba Avenue, Bakau-Fajara, Senegambia, and Brusubi Turntable. According to the QCell website, 5G technology will deliver download speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G, but users are cautioned that it may lead to faster consumption of data packages. The operator stated that several device vendors, such as Apple, Huawei, and Techno, have collaborated with QCell to support the 5G network in Gambia. Many devices are initially locked, but as…

The new CEO of social media firm Twitter, Linda Yaccarino, has outlined her plans for “Twitter 2.0.”, after taking over from Elon Musk a week ago. She says the company is “on a mission to become the world’s most accurate real-time information source”. Since Mr Musk bought Twitter last year, it has faced criticism over its approach to tackling disinformation. In the last month, the company lost its head of trust and safety and pulled out of the EU’s disinformation code. In a series of tweets, which was also emailed to employees, Ms Yaccarino echoed Mr Musk’s goal, that Twitter…

Oman – The OMPay Merchant App, a mobile-based business platform providing cashless payment solutions for local businesses, has been launched in Oman. With the help of the one-stop app, merchants can digitise their billing processes without any extra-added or hidden costs. OMPay empowers its users with useful payment APIs such as a personalised dashboard, QR codes and payment link generation for sharing through chat portals, ease of view of transaction history, and enhanced data privacy and security. READ ALSO: Digital transformation ‘becomes a necessity,’ says Ahmad Hanandeh at FinTech Conference The app enables merchants to expand their services beyond POS…

The World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, have announced a $157.4 million equity investment to bring affordable, reliable internet and mobile services to millions more in Ethiopia. According to the IFC’s statement,the fund is part of the ongoing expansion of Safaricom Ethiopia’s telecom network, a landmark development expected to boost the country’s digital connectivity landscape. As part of the funding agreement, IFC will make a $157.4 million equity investment in Global Partnership for Ethiopia and a $100 million A-loan to its wholly owned subsidiary, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia Private Limited Company – Safaricom Ethiopia. In the…

Leading digital infrastructure company, Equinix, is planning to open a futuristic data center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the first quarter of 2024. Equinix has made announcements indicating its entry into Johor, Malaysia, highlighting the country’s emergence as a strategic regional hub for digital interconnection between businesses. The country’s growth in cloud services and e-commerce adoption, along with 5G technology investments has earned the country a spot as one of the fastest-growing data center markets in the ASEAN region. The firm aims to meet the rising demand from both local and global companies expanding their operations in Malaysia. KL1, the…

Apple has reportedly acquired Mira, a Los Angeles-based startup specializing in augmented reality (AR) headsets. Although the financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed, sources cited by The Verge confirm the deal. Mira, founded by entrepreneur Ben Taft in 2016, has been manufacturing AR headsets for the US military and other companies. The acquisition comes just after Apple’s recent launch of its highly anticipated Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset priced at $3,499. The exact amount paid by Apple for Mira remains unknown. Notably, Mira had previously raised approximately $17 million in funding and had former Apple design chief…

LinkedIn, the professional social networking platform, has rolled out its identity verification feature for users in India. The feature aims to enhance trust and authenticity within the professional community by verifying users’ government-issued IDs. In a blog post, Ashutosh Gupta, LinkedIn India’s Country Manager, explained that the verification process involves having users’ government IDs validated by one of LinkedIn’s verification partners. The verification will be conducted by HyperVerge, a third-party company that utilizes DigiLocker, a digital wallet for storing government IDs such as Aadhaar. Indian users with a valid Aadhaar number and a registered Indian phone number will be eligible…

IR4LAB, a Saudi-based company specializing in disruptive technologies such as Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence, announced its expansion into Africa during Gitex Africa, held in Morocco. The move demonstrates IR4LAB’s commitment to the African continent and its aim to drive innovation in deep technologies, implementing use cases using their Blockchain solution, DocCerts, and other offerings. Majd AL AFIFI, CEO and Co-Founder of IR4LAB, recognized the growing presence of blockchain entities in Africa and expressed gratitude for being the first from Saudi Arabia to establish a base in the region with the support of their leadership. IR4LAB’s participation in Gitex Africa follows…