Author: Akin Naphtal

Australia-based Brennan IT, the largest locally-owned systems integrator in Australia completes its August acquisition bid of ASX-listed MOQ Limited for $23.3 million Brennan IT founder and managing director Dave Stevens says the company will continue its aggressive growth strategy and targeted acquisitions. Prior to the acquisition, Stevens already held 8.6% of MOQ’s outstanding shares. “The company’s clear differentiator is that it is able to apply local solutions to overcome issues unique to Australia.” says Stevens. READ ALSO: 4Com Secures Second Deal in six Months Egypt based Digital Pharmacy Startup Grinta Raises $8m to Accelerate Growth Egypt based Digital Pharmacy Startup…

Creating a truly immersive internet is no small feat. But the reward is high, and the time is now to find real solutions and work towards the huge opportunity that waits at the end of the tunnel. Below, we look at the challenges, opportunities and solutions.Last month’s companion blog “Blockchains, 5G and the metaverse: Is there a web3.0 internet revolution on the horizon?” has outlined an exciting future towards a truly immersive internet powered by 5G, emerging XR devices and novel applications.In this blog, we will deep-dive into the many challenges we need to address to make such immersive internet…

The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has announced that Smart Sound Plymouth is to benefit from a £1.2 million investment, to create an underwater data network at Smart Sound Plymouth and upgrade the offshore infrastructure and further enhance the unique proving ground for businesses to test, trial, prototype and commercialise new products and services.A network of acoustic modems will boost the body of water as a proving ground for businesses to test, trial, prototype and commercialise autonomous underwater systems and services.There is already a ‘wave relay’ mesh of 4G and 5G wireless across the water, developed…

Dominic McGregor, a Social Chain co-founder/COO, also a Manchester entrepreneur has helped a Gen Z recruiter raised a £4m investment.Dominic McGregor has joined London-based Placed App as a non-executive director after the company receiving his financial backing alongside Praetura Ventures and Blackfinch Ventures.The platform counts PizzaExpress, O2, Sky, Lidl and Greene King among its clients and was founded by chief executive Jennifer Johansson in 2017. The funding will help Placed App to develop its proprietary software and launch new features as well as expand its team.Blackfinch Venture partner Bill Boorman has also joined Placed App as a non-executive director.The latest…

Huawei South Africa is aggressively looking to increase the size and volume of its channel partner ecosystem and announced the launch of a new commercial business segment to manage this process. In Johannesburg today, the multinational technology firm shed light on the new business division and said while its SA operation, launched in 1998, has traditionally focused on lead opportunities or what they refer to as ‘accounts’, the latest move is designed to empower partners and incentivise them to drive leads to secure business revenue and benefits like higher rebates, among other offerings. Frenndy Wang, Channel Department Director, Huawei South…

The government of Cameroon is mulling over a Draft 2023 Finance Bill which, if passed, will compel MNOs to disconnect imported mobile phones and other digital devices that bypass customs clearance. If vetted by parliament, the law will be enforced from 1 January 2023 and accordingly, MTN Cameroon, Orange Cameroun, Nexttel and Camtel will have to configure their systems in a way that restricts non-compliant users from connecting to their network. The Bill also forces importers of mobile devices to declare hardware at border posts and pay required taxes to customs officials. Customs administration is obliged to communicate full identification…

Henkel and LAIIER are working together to scale printed electronics solutions for smart building applications.Through this collaboration they are looking to drive the implementation of LAIIER´s Severn Water Leak Detector for commercial and industrial buildings and to combine their technology and innovation capabilities to further develop the solution. A novel sensor system solution, it aims to detect water leakages in buildings at a much earlier stage to reduce the high repair costs resulting from a water leak.Henkel is a supplier of printed electronics materials and services, and its Loctite portfolio of functional inks allows it to print functional electronics circuits…

The founder of a boating navigation app has been named the UK’s most successful scale-up entrepreneur after his business experienced “huge user growth” this year.Jelte Liebrand, who established global marine technology company Savvy Navvy in 2017, scooped the accolade at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022. The businessman, who refers to his company as the “Google Maps for boats”, said the app had almost doubled its users in more than 100 countries around the world in the last 12 months.The company, which has also added functionalities for paddleboarders, kayakers and jet skiers, said it had seen particular growth in the…

Former employees of Twitter Ghana, who were recently laid off, have accused the company of breaching labour law and have sought legal counsel. They have also filed a petition with the Ministry of Employment and National Labour Relations to officially intervene. The petitioners, recently sacked from Twitter’s Africa headquarters, claim they were not notified of the termination of their services. The legal firm representing the petitioners, Agency Seven Seven, stated: “Our checks with the Labour Department revealed that as of 8th November 2022, 4 days after the termination notices were sent to staff by email, they had not received any…

Australian games industry association IGEA has announced widespread approval among game developers over a new tax bill introduced to parliament today. The Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 4) Bill 2022 was introduced into parliament by the Albanese Government today, and includes the Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO). The DGTO offers a 30% tax offset to Australian game developers with projects costing $500,000 or more, a huge boon for local development teams working on large games.IGEA CEO Ron Curry praised the move in a statement on the IGEA website, saying that the tax offset, which has received bipartisan support, would…