Author: Akin Naphtal

Cisco has announced a strategic partnership with Mistral AI to optimize its investments and enhance productivity through advanced artificial intelligence. The collaboration is set to revolutionize Cisco’s renewal proposal process by integrating structured and unstructured data from over 50 sources. The technology giant highlighted that this integration will streamline the renewal process, offering real-time sentiment analysis, intelligent automation, and personalized recommendations—all designed to align with customer outcomes and key performance indicators (KPIs). By automating these critical tasks, the AI-powered Renewals Agent will enable Cisco to focus more strategically on customer engagement, ultimately driving higher satisfaction, retention, and business growth. According…

Huawei has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Kenya’s efforts to increase the participation of women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), aligning with the country’s digital transformation agenda. Speaking at an event in Nairobi to mark the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, Huawei Kenya executives underscored the critical role of gender inclusivity in STEM for fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic growth in East Africa’s largest economy. Gao Junhui, Chief Financial Officer of Huawei Kenya, highlighted the need to address cultural and institutional barriers that discourage women and girls from pursuing careers in science-related…

The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon Sam Nartey George (MP), has emphasized the importance of data synchronization in Ghana. This move is expected to drive the country’s digital transformation and foster economic growth. Data synchronization is the process of ensuring that multiple copies of a dataset remain consistent across different systems or locations. Hon Sam George said this when the UK High Commissioner and her team paid a courtesy call to the Ministry in Accra last Friday, 7th February 2025. According to him, data synchronization is crucial in Ghana for accurate and up-to-date data which enables policymakers…

Google has marked the 20th anniversary of its navigation app, Google Maps, a platform that has transformed how over 2 billion users navigate and explore the world each month. In celebration of the milestone, the company highlighted the most-reviewed locations in Nigeria, showcasing the app’s growing influence on travel and local discovery. Speaking on the anniversary, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Google West Africa emphasized the evolution of Google Maps from a basic navigation tool into a dynamic platform that enhances global mobility. “In the past two decades, Google Maps has provided over one trillion kilometers of…

Global data center capital expenditure is projected to exceed $1 trillion, with AI infrastructure driving a significant share of investments, according to a new forecast from Dell’Oro Grou The firm’s latest Data Centre IT Capex 5-Year Forecast Report anticipates a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21% in data center spending. By 2029, AI training and domain-specific workloads are expected to account for nearly half of global data center infrastructure investments. The long-term outlook remains positive despite concerns over the current return on AI investments. “While AI spending has yet to meet desired returns and efficiency improvements, long-term growth remains…

Nokia has announced a four-year contract extension with Orange France to upgrade its 5G radio infrastructure using Nokia’s energy-efficient AirScale portfolio. The agreement aims to enhance customer experience with improved speed, capacity, and performance across Orange’s network in Southeastern and Western France. As part of the deal, Orange France will also trial Nokia’s 5G Cloud RAN solutions to assess the transition towards Cloud RAN technology, marking a step forward in network evolution. Nokia will provide equipment from its O-RAN-compliant 5G AirScale portfolio, including next-generation AirScale baseband solutions, high-output Massive MIMO Habrok radios, and FDD multiband remote radio heads from its…

YouTube, the Google-owned video streaming giant, has reported a record-breaking $10.5 billion in advertising revenue for the fourth quarter of 2024, marking a significant increase from the $9.2 billion recorded in the same period the previous year. This milestone also marks the first time YouTube has surpassed $10 billion in ad revenue within a single quarter. The platform continues to dominate the ad-supported streaming market, with the latest Nielsen Gauge report indicating that YouTube accounted for more than 11% of all video viewership. Google’s Chief Business Officer, Philipp Schindler, attributed the surge in revenue to the 2024 U.S. presidential election,…

Ericsson has announced the appointment of Charlotte Levert as its new Chief People Officer, Senior Vice President, and Head of Group Function People, effective February 10, 2025. Levert will also join Ericsson’s Executive Team, reporting directly to President and CEO Börje Ekholm. Levert, who currently serves as Vice President and Head of People for Business Area Cloud and Software Services, will succeed MajBritt Arfert, whose departure was announced in October 2024. Arfert, a longtime Ericsson executive, will remain available to the company through the spring before officially departing at the end of May 2025. With extensive experience in human resources…

Smart Africa, a coalition representing 40 African nations and over a billion people, has unveiled the Africa Artificial Intelligence (AI) Council to position the continent as a key player in the global AI economy. The Council, comprising stakeholders from government, private sector, civil society, academia, and leading AI experts, will spearhead Africa’s efforts to harness AI for economic transformation. Smart Africa emphasized that with the continent’s youthful and rapidly expanding workforce, AI-driven productivity gains could significantly enhance economic growth. The launch comes amid industry forecasts suggesting that AI could contribute up to $30 billion to Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy by 2030.…

Microsoft has appointed Samer Abu-Ltaif as the new President of Microsoft Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), succeeding Ralph Haupter, who will transition to lead Microsoft’s newly established Small, Medium Enterprises, and Channel Partner organization. In his new role, Abu-Ltaif will oversee Microsoft’s operations across more than 120 markets, focusing on accelerating digital transformation, fostering collaboration, and leveraging AI-driven solutions to drive innovation and economic growth. With over two decades at Microsoft, Abu-Ltaif brings a wealth of experience, having previously served as President for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMA). Under his leadership, Microsoft strengthened strategic…