Author: Akin Naphtal

The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful who is currently participating in this year’s World Telecommunications Development Conference has called on ITU member-states to promote the Partner2Connect initiative. According to the ITU’s Facts and Figures 2021, 63% of the world’s population used the Internet in 2021. This represents an increase of 17% since 2019, with 782 million people estimated to have come online during that period leaving 2.9 billion people offline. According to the Minister, the Partners2Connect Coalition initiative is aimed at fostering meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally and therefore needs to be formalized and focused on…

The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Hon. Ursula Owusu- Ekuful has urged the world to deepen solidarity in its quest to ensure universal connectivity. According to her this would not only help connect the unconnected but also enhance digital transformation that would help save lives, especially in cases of emergency crises. Hon. Owusu-Ekuful was speaking at a high-level discussion session on the UN Global Digital Impact being held as part of scheduled activities for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) which is currently ongoing in Kigali, Rwanda, and is scheduled to end on the 16th of June 2022. The event…

Market research shows that in terms of internet penetration rates, not only is Africa behind global counterparts, but there are still glaring gaps between countries on the continent. Kegan Peffer, CEO of tech start-up, Adoozy Power, said according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank, more than 520 million Africans were connected to the internet by 2021 – that’s 40% of all Africans, considerably less than global standards. Additionally, Peffer said Statista reported in January this year that Morocco enjoys the highest internet penetration with 84.1% of its population connected, while at the other end of the…

One of the largest money transfer companies to Zimbabwe, WorldRemit has terminated direct bank transfers to customer bank accounts within the Southern African country. The company announced that their digital payment platform will no longer facilitate any new outbound transactions to-Zimbabwe with effect from 26 June 2022. However, other services like cash pickup, mobile money, and airtime remain available. The company released a statement which reads that it no longer believes it can provide the best quality service in Zimbabwe. An excerpt reads: “At WorldRemit, we pride ourselves on offering the best possible service to our customers. Sometimes that means…

In its usual proactive modus operandi, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is set to train one million developers in various areas of application development in the next eighteen months. This, according to the Director General of the Agency, Kashifu Inuwa would be done in collaboration with various stakeholders in the ecosystem with the ambition of making Nigeria the hub of digital talent in Africa. The deployment of digital technologies is a necessary fundamental tool in the implementation of the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals to make the world a better and safer place. The DG who was represented…

Digital payments network MFS Africa will accelerate its global expansion plans across the continent and in Asia, which includes enabling cross-border digital payments between Africa and China. MFS Africa detailed its roadmap after announcing it had secured an additional US$100-million in equity and debt funding led by Admaius Capital Partners, taking the total amount raised in the series to US$200-million. New investors, Vitruvian Partners and AXA IM Alts joined the extension, alongside existing investors, AfricInvest FIVE and CommerzVentures, who re-invested in the extension. Previous other investors include LUN Partners Group, Goodwell Investments, Allan Gray Ventures, Endeavor Catalyst and Endeavor Harvest,…

Africa Data Centres, part of the Cassava Technologies Group, has announced that it is building a second datacentre in Cape Town, South Africa. According to a statement released by the company, the new 20MW facility will cover 15,000 square meters in eight data halls and is situated on the northern periphery of Cape Town city centre. Tesh Durvasula, CEO, Africa Data Centres, there is a clear pipeline of demand for colocation space that cannot be served from the existing Diep River data centre. “The new Cape Town facility is a critical part of Africa Data Centres expansion drive in the…

Digital rights group Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has urged Nigerians and “everyone passionate about the protection of digital civic space” to “take action” and review the recently released Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries and Conditions for Operating in Nigeria. Yesterday, the West African Country’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) confirmed the release of the Code that serves as a guideline for engagement with Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, and compels social media platforms to adhere to specific requirements to continue operation. According to the NITDA, “all platforms whose users are more than one hundred thousand” have to be…

Telkom is considering all “viable” options for its towers and masts business, Swiftnet, including the sale of a majority stake in the company to an independent tower operator. That’s according to Telkom CEO Serame Taukobong, he said following the publication of the telecommunications group’s 2022 annual results on Tuesday. Telkom put its plan to list Swiftnet on the JSE – initiated by Taukobong’s predecessor, Sipho Maseko – on ice earlier this year given the deterioration in market conditions caused by Russia’s waTaukobong explained that when Telkom was mulling the listing of Swiftnet last year, it was part of a plan…

Microsoft is retiring its Internet Explorer web browser after 27 years. Microsoft will be ending support for most versions of its Internet Explorer 11 browser on June 15 after announcing over a year ago that it would be removed from most versions of Windows 10 this year. Internet Explorer was first released in 1995 as part of the add-on package for the Windows 95 operating system. But with later versions, the browser was available as a free download or in service packs and included in the original equipment manufacturer service releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows. Microsoft…