Author: Akin Naphtal

Huawei, a technology company, has announced a competition that will see developers worldwide put their skills to the test with the launch of the Huawei Global App Innovation Contest (Apps UP) 2022. Registrations are now open globally and this year’s theme is, #TogetherWeInnovate, and Apps UP has set aside a significant cash prize pool of over US$1 million to encourage submissions that bring global users a seamless, digital, and innovative experience. In the 2022 edition of the competition, special awards have been introduced for competition regions, including the Best Arabic App in the Middle East & Africa region. With over…

MTN is confident that Safaricom’s Sylvia Mulinge, who the operator recently recruited as CEO of its Uganda operations, will help grow regional business and help it sustain its position as Africa’s largest mobile network operator. During her time at Safaricom, Mulinge was acknowledged for her contribution to the company’s strong market position, based on sales, earnings and market value. She was also instrumental in establishing the company’s enterprise and fixed data silos. Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom’s CEO, commented on Mulinge’s departure: “A champion of digital transformation, Sylvia is a purpose-led and impact-driven business leader. She has lived the Safaricom Purpose of…

Nigeria-based auto-tech company Autochek has announced the acquisition of CoinAfrique, the leading platform for classified adverts in French-speaking Africa, to accelerate penetration of its auto-financing services into Francophone Africa. Autochek aims to build digital solutions that will enhance and enable a seamless and safe automotive commerce experience across Africa. The company uses technology to transform the automotive buying and selling experience for African consumers, by creating a single marketplace for consumers’ automotive needs, from sourcing and financing to after sales support and warranties. Acquisitions have been central to the startup’s speedy expansion strategy. Autochek launched in September 2020 having acquired…

Ghana’s fight against cybercrimes will be ineffective without the collaboration of respective organizations and various sectors of the economy. This is according to the Acting Director General for the Cyber Security Authority, Dr. Albert Antwi Boasiako. Speaking at a workshop to validate the Child Online Protection framework, he explained that various sectors and organizations would have to identify their roles to consolidate the efforts of his outfit to help in cyber security development in Ghana. He maintained that, the overuse of technology and unsupervised access to the internet may cause many negative effects on social skills, mental and physical development…

Vodafone, in collaboration with Vodacom, Vantage Towers and Tomorrow Street, has launched a global competition inviting organisations to submit innovative solutions to the challenge of generating renewable power directly at mobile phone sites. The ‘Renewable Power Challenge’ seeks new or better ways of powering sites in rural or remote areas without access to power grids, or where there are frequent power outages, while avoiding the use of fossil fuels on-site. Organisations looking to apply should register for an account and submit their proposal through the Vodacom-owned platform here: https://renewablepowerchallenge.vodacom.co.za/ Shortlisted companies will have the opportunity to showcase their solution to…

Google Analytics has been banned in several European countries, with Italy being the latest. Since December 2021, four European countries have banned Google Analytics. It started with Austria declaring the service illegal in December 2021. France and Holland quickly followed months later in February 2022. Now Italy has joined the fray. The Italian data protection authority found that a local web publisher’s use of Google Analytics violated General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules. Reasons To understand why these countries are banning Google Analytics, it’s important to understand what kind of data it collects. Every time you visit a website, any…

Airtel Africa has added banking services to its portfolio of Smartcash Payment Service Bank services in Nigeria, building on a domestic remittance-based set-up launched in May as it seeks to enhance financial inclusion in the country. At a launch event in Lagos, Airtel detailed the bank will now provide services including international remittance alongside issuing debit and prepaid cards. It stated Smartcash Payment Service Bank aims to bridge the urban-rural financial divide in Nigeria, the operator’s largest market in Africa. Airtel Africa CEO Segun Ogunsanya remarked the launch will bring “millions of people” into the “financial community”, along with delivering…

Ghana’s Finance Ministry has disclosed that government will not terminate the 1.5% levy on electronic transactions, despite its application to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for economic assistance. This was contained in a statement from the Ministry on Tuesday, addressing key questions regarding government’s ongoing engagement with the Fund. Regarding the controversial levy, the Ministry explained that government will add the proceeds from the levy to the support from the IMF to salvage the economy. Addressing the question of whether the levy will be scrapped, the Ministry said, “NO. The IMF lending to Ghana will be for balance of payments…

Pan-African e-commerce platform Jumia has entered into a partnership with smartphone brand realme to roll out new devices and increase competition within Africa’s high-growth smartphone adoption market. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) according to which realme will have an official store on Jumia’s platform that would connect it with online consumers across 11 African countries. In a statement the companies add that the agreement covers Nigeria initially, but is expected to gradually expand to Ghana, Kenya, Ghana and Ivory Coast, and thereafter to the remaining African countries where Jumia operates. Sandeep Narayanan, VP, Consumer Electronics,…

KongaPay, a frontline mobile money platform and a member of the Konga Group, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, has signed a landmark deal with Bibimoney, a UK-based industry leader to expand access to financial inclusion for many in Nigeria, while also raising standards in the Fintech ecosystem in Nigeria and beyond. The iconic partnership was signed at the prestigious House of Lords, London last week by Mr. Shiraz Jassa, Founder & CEO of Bibimoney and Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Konga Group witnessed by Lord Anthony St. John of Bletso, Chairman of Bibimoney, and many other distinguished guests. In…