Author: Akin Naphtal

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…

Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh emphasized the urgent need for digital transformation, innovation, and creativity to keep pace with global technological advancements. Speaking at the Middle East Financial Technology Summit, Hanandeh highlighted Jordan’s significant progress in the digital economy, particularly in digital infrastructure. The rapid growth of digital technology and advancements in smart devices, data processing, and artificial intelligence have brought about revolutionary changes in global economies. Various sectors, including finance, agriculture, industry, healthcare, and security services, are increasingly leveraging digital technologies like artificial intelligence. The government of Jordan is committed to matching these developments and capitalizing…

During his visit to Washington, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a groundbreaking announcement, unveiling plans for the world’s first summit on artificial intelligence (AI). With a goal to position the UK as a global leader in addressing the potential risks associated with AI technology, Sunak aims to ensure its safe and secure development while harnessing its transformative potential to improve lives. Emphasizing the UK’s track record in leveraging innovative technologies for the benefit of humanity, Sunak stressed the need for collective action to regulate and protect citizens. He also advocated for London to become the headquarters of a future…

Microsoft has announced that it will deploy OpenAI’s generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot to US federal agencies through its Azure cloud service. By utilizing the generative AI capabilities of Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, government agencies have the potential to improve productivity, efficiency, and gain new insights from data. Microsoft has incorporated support for OpenAI’s advanced large language models (LLMs), including GPT-3 and the latest GPT-4, into Azure Government. To ensure stringent security requirements for government cloud operations, Microsoft has developed a new architecture that allows government agencies to securely access the large language models in the commercial environment from Azure…

Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, has extended its partnership with WEMART, a prominent Middle Eastern supermarket chain, to implement Alibaba Cloud’s proven security solution, Web Application Firewall (WAF). As the importance of safeguarding sensitive data continues to grow in the digital landscape, the Middle East is experiencing a rise in cybersecurity awareness. The collaboration between Alibaba Cloud and WEMART has already yielded significant results for the UAE-based e-commerce platform. During the COVID-19 pandemic, WEMART leveraged Alibaba Cloud’s online-to-offline shopping solutions, enabling seamless digital transformation and improving the online shopping experience for customers. As the…

When Google Marketing Live started in 2013, the ad industry was in the midst of a major shift: the move to mobile. Fast forward ten years and AI is similarly transforming our industry. AI is foundational to Google Ads. For many years, it has been quietly helping in the background, supporting advertisers in maximizing their time and return on investment. It’s fundamental to many of the products we’ve built over the last decade, driving growth for businesses of all sizes, from features like Smart Bidding to fully AI-powered products like Performance Max. Today at Google Marketing Live, we’re sharing how…