Author: Akin Naphtal

Siftware giant, Microsoft has declared that ChatGPT is coming soon to the Azure OpenAI Service, in a bid to help customers apply the world’s most advanced AI models to their own businesses. Once customers subscribe to Azure, they have access to all the services included in the Azure portal.According to the Tech giant, with Azure OpenAI Service now generally available, more businesses can apply for access to the most advanced AI models in the world—including GPT-3.5, Codex, and DALL•E 2—backed by the trusted enterprise-grade capabilities and AI-optimized infrastructure of Microsoft Azure, to create cutting-edge applications. Customers will also be able…

As part of its restructuring effort, the crypto exchange Coinbase has recently confirmed in a press release its plan in exiting operations in Japan, due to ‘market conditions’ as the reason for the move. The cryptocurrency exchange had earlier hinted of plans to exit certain markets following the announcement of a 20% cut (about 950 people) to its workforce. This follows in the footsteps of its crypto exchange peer, Kraken, which also announced plans to end operations in the country in December 2022. According to the company, its Japan customers will have until February 16th, 2023 JST to withdraw their…

Ford is poised to cut its dependence on Volkswagen technology for its next generation of electric cars in Europe, unravelling a core part of the alliance formed between the rival carmakers two years ago. The US brand is preparing to launch two vehicles this year and in 2024 that use VW’s electric “MEB” system, which includes assembling VW-sourced batteries at Ford’s plant in Cologne, Germany. But from the middle of the decade Ford expects to launch vehicles that use its own in-house system, which is being engineered by Ford in the US, said Martin Sander, the head of electric vehicles…

The Apple brand which has been known to have consistently took the Top spot as a Global Brand report for the 10th time has announced it will be releasing a MacBook Pro laptop with a touchscreen as soon as 2025. According to an insider comment from the Teams, said they are working on the project, and the first design would include a trackpad and keyboard as well as a touchscreen, according to the report. READ ALSO: UAE-based electric mobility startup One Moto secures $150M funding to expand to UK Foresight Group Raises £60m for Scotland SME Fund University of Technology…

Adadzewa Otoo Kottoh has been appointed Project Director of Retail Finance Distribution (ReFinD), a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded research initiative that focuses on deepening digital financial inclusion for women, poor households, SMEs, and other retail businesses in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).Implemented by the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER), at the University of Ghana, in collaboration with international partners, the ReFinD research initiative will provide sub-grants to research institutions in Sub-Sahara Africa, South East Asia, and South Asia to undertake groundbreaking research in retail finance distribution. ReFinD was launched in June 2022 with a first call…

ONE MOTO Technologies, an electric vehicle (EV) player with a global presence, has raised $150 million in funding to finance vehicles in the UK and drive decarbonization in the country’s last-mile, delivery and gig economy industry. The company is offering finance to fleet operators at a cost of £3 per day to expand their electric delivery fleet. With a goal to electrify all last-mile vehicles in the UK by 2026, this financing from ONE MOTO is expected to lead to a reduction of 168,000 tonnes of CO2 and a 50% drop in the production of harmful pollutants from petrol vehicles.…

Telecommunications company MTN Group Ltd, Africa’s largest wireless carrier, plans to commence a dispute resolution method if talks with Ghanaian authorities over $773 million back-tax bill which include penalties and interest charges it received last week fail. The bill covers the period between 2014 and 2018 and implies that MTN under-declared its revenue in the country by 30%, the Ghana Revenue Authority said in a statement. MTN Ghana’s audit adhered to “the principles of fairness and transparency,” Ghana’s tax agency said in a statement Monday. While MTN has received numerous tax compliance awards in the past, “these do not in…

The National Communications Authority has announced the approval for the seventy percent majority shares in the Ghana Telecommunications company Limited held by Vodafone International B.V Ghana Holdings to the Telecel Group. In January 2022, the NCA received an application from Vodafone Ghana for the transfer of 70% of its majority shares held by the seller Vodafone International Ghana to the buyer Telecel Group which did not meet the threshold for approval to be granted. The buyer resubmitted a revised financial and technical proposal in December 2022, which provided more clarity in terms of acquisition for both parties. The buyer whose…

US-based space exploration company, SpaceX, has announced plans to launch Starlink, its satellite Internet service, in Kenya, pending regulatory approval Kenyans can pre-order the service and deposit a fully refundable deposit of Sh12,260 ($99) to reserve it if approved. The Starlink kit, including a Starlink dish, a mounting tripod, a WiFi router, a power supply, and cables, will reportedly cost $499 (Sh73,677). According to SpaceX, service will be available in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nakuru, among other cities, in June 2023. With the demand for high Internet speed for streaming, video calls, and online gaming, Kenyans can expect a dependable…

Microsoft’s quest to acquire Activision Blizzard may have struck another stumbling block. This was revealed following report that the European Commission is considering issuing an antitrust warning to Microsoft to block the deal in its current form. According to sources, the EU’s competition authority is preparing a ‘statement of objections’ outlining its objections to the agreement, which it will send to Microsoft in the coming weeks. The European Commission opened an in-depth probe into the deal in November, stating it was concerned that the proposed deal could stifle competition for the distribution of console and PC video games and for…