Author: Akin Naphtal

The MTN Group has appointed Riaan Wessels as Chief Risk Officer: Fintech with effect from 1 July 2022, the operator’s second high-profile executive appointment in a month and one of at least seven recent appointments focused on its Fintech business. In early June, the company appointed Andrew Goodrich as Executive for Banktech, part of the Group’s Fintech team, effective 1 June 2022. Goodrich joined MTN in 2019 as a General Manager for Banktech & Beyond Payments division, and, according to MTN, has added value to its digital banking strategy. According to a statement released by the operator, Wessels has 13…

Stakeholders across Africa are urging greater collaborations between private and public sectors to help drive the continent’s digital economy. Africa has the opportunity to harness the digital economy as a driver of growth and innovation, said President of the Africa Digital Economy Forum (ADEF) Olusola Teniola, to open the conversations at the ADEF Digital Economy Webinar for June 2022. Teniola stressed the need for more commitments from stakeholders as the continent struggles to become part of new global economic realities. His words: “Many will agree that even the richest countries in Africa are yet to reach their true potential, of…

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries (Online Platforms) operating in Nigeria. The code of practice is part of the agency’s mandate to standardize, coordinate and develop regulatory frameworks for all IT practices in Nigeria in accordance with section 6 of the NITDA Act 2007. Also, in accordance with its mandates, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the agency to develop a Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries (Online Platforms) in collaboration with relevant regulatory agencies and stakeholders. NITDA formally unveiled the Code of Practice this week…

Moroccan retail-tech startup WafR, which helps retail brands to deliver promotions to grocers, has closed a seed round worth US$1.075 million as it bids to expand its operations and grow its team. Founded in 2021, WafR is an app that enables retail brands to broadcast and deliver smart promotions to grocers in order to increase their market share in the traditional channel. It was reported April that the startup had secured investment, and it has now increased the size of its seed round to more than US$1 million, valuing it at US$9 million. The funding was raised from Launch Africa…

Egyptian insurtech startup Nice Deer has raised a US$1 million pre-seed round of funding to help it provide health insurance services to SMEs. Founded earlier this year, Nice Deer aims to bridge the gap between health care providers, health insurance companies, and beneficiaries by facilitating insurance and repayment of insurance claims. The startup uses a one-window platform to connect medical service providers with insurance companies and facilitates communication between doctors and patients. It also facilitates the approval and disbursement of medication, radiology and scan requests. Its US$1 million pre-seed round was led by Disruptech Ventures, and will be used to…

Kenya’s ICT and telecommunications industries have responded with alarm over the government’s passing of the ICT Practitioners Bill 2020, which is currently under review by the country’s President. This is the last stage a Bill must get to before either being passed into law or being returned to Parliament. The Bill requires any ICT practitioner to have an ICT-related degree from a recognised university and also pay an annual licence fee. Additionally, would-be IT practitioners must have a minimum of three years’ experience to qualify as a licensed operator. It also makes provision for the creation of an ICT Practitioners…

South Africa will mark Youth Day on 16 June in part by emphasising the importance of digital skills development. One of the latest initiatives announced is a multi-year collaboration between PwC, UNICEF South Africa and Capacitate to launch YoMobi, a youth empowerment platform. The platform, a result of PwC’s ‘New World. New Skills’ global campaign and UNICEF SA’s Generation Unlimited initiative, is expected to serve as a catalyst to bridge the glaring skills gap that exists in South Africa. Muriel Mafico, Deputy Representative of UNICEF South Africa, said: “I believe what brought us together was the shared knowledge that if…

The Administrator of Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Prince Sefah recently paid a 3-Day Working Visit with a technical support team, to some select project sites of the Fund in the Greater Accra and Central regions. The working visit which was part of efforts to strengthen project oversight and implementation, also afforded him the opportunity to enhance relationships with some stakeholders of the Fund, especially Municipal/ District Chief Executives and traditional authorities. The tour took Mr. Sefah to five of the 30 newly-constructed Community ICT Centres (CICs) in the two regions. In the Greater Accra Region, the Administrator…

Chinese multinational ICT and telecommunications solutions provider Huawei has reaffirmed its commitment to help Cameroon position itself as Central Africa’s digital hub. President of Huawei Northern Africa Terry He confirmed the position following a meeting this week with Cameroon’s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute. He said Huawei will continue to support Cameroon’s digital economy ambitions and the country’s broader economic plan to establish itself as an upper middle-income country by 2035. The latest interaction is a follow-up to an ICT-focused alliance between Cameroon and China negotiated on the sidelines of the Sino-Africa Summit in September 2018. He said, “We discussed…

The Methodist Girls Senior High School at Mamfe in the Eastern Region of Ghana has received 20 laptops and 1 projector from Huawei Ghana, as part of measures to boost the teaching and learning of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the school. Speaking at the donation ceremony held at Mamfe, the Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, thanked the management of Huawei Technologies (Ghana) S. A Ltd for its regular support in the development and advancement of education in the country. The donation, he said, comes in handy as government continues to focus on providing vital resources…