Author: Akin Naphtal

Angola Cables and Orange have entered into an agreement to share infrastructure for the Djoliba Network in West Africa. This collaboration aims to provide businesses with improved access to efficient and secure digital and cloud services, addressing the growing demand in the gigabyte economy By gaining access to the Djoliba network and leveraging Angola Cables’ robust submarine infrastructure, businesses will benefit from enhanced connectivity for accessing international markets. The agreement offers expanded traffic destinations across West Africa and other regions globally, enabling greater connectivity and facilitating business growth. READ ALSO:Lentra Launches SaaS-Based Loan Management System on Google Cloud Platform IOSCO…

Fintech company Lentra has announced the launch of its software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based loan management system, called 1LMS, on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The platform utilizes microservice architecture, where features like KYC and collateral are treated as independent microsystems. This architecture allows for a more agile and nimble system compared to traditional monolithic architectures, enabling financial institutions to launch new products more efficiently. Previously, Lentra’s loan management system was hosted on a different cloud provider. However, with its expansion into Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, Lentra sought to scale up its infrastructure. By partnering with Google and leveraging…

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) made an announcement on Tuesday, unveiling a proposal for the world’s first unified regulation of cryptoasset markets. This move comes in response to concerns raised by the collapse of the FTX exchange last year, which highlighted the need for enhanced consumer protection measures. IOSCO, aiming to address various issues in the financial sector, has presented a set of standards as part of its proposal. The cryptocurrency industry has been advocating for a global regulatory framework, as different jurisdictions currently enforce their own rules, often limited to anti-money laundering checks. READ ALSO:Kenyan AgriTech Startup…

iProcure, a leading agricultural inputs supply company based in Kenya, has announced its expansion into Tanzania through a strategic partnership with the Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA). This expansion follows a successful Series B funding round of $10.2 million aimed at supporting iProcure’s entry into new markets. FtMA, a consortium of public and private institutions focused on empowering smallholders and improving the entire agricultural value chain, will collaborate with iProcure to launch its technology platform in Tanzania. READ ALSO:MTN Cameroon’s Mobile Money Corporation Granted Payment Services Provider License Nvidia Collaborates with University of Bristol-led Consortium to Build Isambard 3 Supercomputer…

The French Permanent Mission in Geneva, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum have organized a high-level panel discussion on the sustainability of mRNA technology vaccines and regionalized vaccine manufacturing. The event, held at the World Economic Forum headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, brought together global leaders, experts, and delegates from various countries, including Kenya. The Kenyan delegation actively participated in the panel discussions and gained valuable insights into the best way forward for their country’s involvement in the vaccine manufacturing space, particularly leveraging the new technology transfer around mRNA technology. The discussions emphasized the importance of adopting comprehensive strategies and…

MTN Group has made a significant move to promote financial inclusion in Africa by announcing that Mobile Money Corporation (MMC), the fintech subsidiary of MTN Cameroon, has obtained a Payment Services Provider license from the Banking Commission of Central Africa through the Ministry of Finance. This license will enable MMC to offer a broader range of financial services to its customers. MTN Cameroon established MMC with the vision of creating an inclusive MoMo (Mobile Money) ecosystem accessible to all individuals. With the newly acquired Payment Services Provider License, MMC can now expand its fintech services and provide a more diverse…

Chipmaker Nvidia is partnering with the University of Bristol-led research consortium and Hewlett Packard to develop a new supercomputer called Isambard 3. The consortium, known as GW4 Alliance, includes the universities of Bath, Cardiff and Exeter, with Bristol leading the initiative. The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency has pledged £10 million ($12.5 million) in funding for the project. Isambard 3 will utilize 384 Arm-based NVIDIA Grace CPU Superchips and will primarily support medical and scientific research. According to Nvidia, this supercomputer is expected to deliver six times the performance and energy efficiency of its predecessor, Isambard 2. READ ALSO:OpenAI…

OpenAI, the U.S.-based artificial intelligence (AI) firm known for creating ChatGPT, expressed its commitment to gathering diverse input on decisions that impact its AI systems. During the AI Forward conference in San Francisco, OpenAI President Greg Brockman outlined the organization’s approach to shaping AI regulations globally. Brockman introduced an initiative inspired by the Wikipedia model, aiming to establish an inclusive framework that promotes transparency, accountability and the participation of various stakeholders in discussions. OpenAI recognizes the importance of inclusive and comprehensive dialogue on AI regulation and Brockman stated that the organization is actively considering democratic decision-making processes to involve a…

Volkswagen is reportedly in discussions with Huawei to integrate HarmonyOS, Huawei’s operating system, into its cars sold in China. This move is driven by the preference of Chinese customers for domestic products, making HarmonyOS an ideal fit for Volkswagen vehicles in the Chinese market. HarmonyOS, which was developed by Huawei in response to the US ban, has been gaining traction across different devices. Despite the ban, Huawei has been able to continue using the Android platform due to its open-source Linux nature. HarmonyOS is versatile, capable of running on various devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearables, computers, wireless earphones and…

ZainTech, the digital solutions division of Zain Group, has announced the acquisition of Adfolks, a cloud-native engineering firm based in the UAE. The acquisition is part of ZainTech’s strategy to expand its technology services and offer comprehensive solutions to its growing customer base. It also aligns with Zain Group’s transformation into a multi-core digital ICT entity. Adfolks, founded by Arun Mohan in 2016, specializes in cloud transformation services and helps clients leverage cloud and cloud-native technologies to address business challenges. The company is known for its expertise in Modern Infrastructure, Application Modernization, Security, Data & ML and Automation. As a…