Author: Akin Naphtal

Nigeria-based digital freight forwarding company OnePort365 is eyeing regional expansion after successfully raising US$5-million in seed funding. The African maritime trade is set to benefit from the company’s services as it offers logistical management of goods at the ports. Users can also compare prices of services, track their goods and make payments all on the platform. Apart from connecting with shipping and inland transportation vendors, traders get GPS-enabled, real-time visibility of their shipments and they can view all documents relating to the shipment via the platform, eliminating the laborious process of physically retrieving these documents from offices or shipping line…

The telecommunications networks of Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR) will be interconnected via land-based fibre optic network infrastructure by January 2023. This follows an MoU signed this week in Yaounde between Cameroon’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Minette Libom Li Likeng and CAR’s Minister of Digital Economy, Posts and Telecommunications Justin Gourna Zacko. The memorandum covers the physical and logical interconnection of the electronic communications networks of both countries. It includes restoration channels to secure the telecommunications networks of both countries, as well as reduction of the costs and tariffs of electronic communications services. The MoU also spells…

Nigeria draws closer to the deployment of 5G services as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) confirmed the issuance of the final letters of award of 5G spectrum licences to MTN and Mafab Communications. The duo are winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction conducted by the telecom regulator last December. The NCC management led by its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, confirmed this to the Board of Commissioners at a special meeting, which took place on Wednesday, April 20 where the Board considered updates from management on the status of the spectrum auction. With the issuance of the final…

As a result of the increased cost of doing business in Nigeria, telecommunication companies have proposed to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) a 40% rise in the cost of calls, SMS, and data. According to their suggestion, the call price floor will rise from N6.4 to N8.95, while the SMS price cap will rise from N4 to N5.61. This was revealed in a letter titled ‘Impact of Economic and Security Issues on the Telecommunications Sector,’ to the regulatory body by the telecoms firms. The telecommunications businesses wrote the letter to the NCC on Tuesday under the auspices of the Association…

Nigerian tractor-booking platform Hello Tractor has raised US$1 million in funding from Heifer International to provide loans for tractor purchases which can be repaid from revenues earned by leasing them to local farmers. Hello Tractor has rolled out a tracking device and software that allows farmers and tractor owners to book connected tractors from their phones. Farmers get a critical service formerly unavailable to them, and owners see a fleet optimisation opportunity that also minimises fuel theft and fraud. It currently serves over 500,000 small farmers across Africa with over 3,000 tractor and combine owners. It has now raised US$1…

The Central African Republic (CAR) has become the second-ever country to adopt Bitcoin as a national currency, following El Salvador’s adoption of the cryptocurrency last year. CAR’s government says a bill to adopt Bitcoin was passed unanimously by the country’s parliament, reports Reuters and BBC News. (Though former CAR prime minister Martin Ziguele complained the bill was approved “by proclamation.”) The office of CAR president Faustin-Archange Touadera claimed the move would “improve the conditions of Central African citizens” and distinguish CAR as “of the world’s boldest and most visionary countries.” However, geopolitical analysts and financial experts are confused by the…

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it is hopeful that 5G services will be available by the fourth quarter of this year in the country. Usman Aliyu, Head, Spectrum Administration, NCC, disclosed this while speaking on 5G deployment at a capacity building workshop organized for ICT journalist by the Commission in Abuja. He said cleaning of the Bands is ongoing with the migration of the FSS users from 3.4-3.8 GHz spectrum following the ratification of the use of Nigerian Communications Satellite by the National Frequency Management Council. When deployed, he said a lot of services would be enhanced with…

Even as it deals with continued supply constraints and consumers wary of inflation, Apple today reported the best March quarter in its history. The company tallied $97.3 billion in revenue in Q2, up 9 percent over the year-ago quarter. That amounted to a profit of $25 billion, with earnings per share of $1.52. Apple set March quarter revenue records for its iPhone, Mac, and Wearables / Home / Accessories divisions. Apple’s various services grew to a new high of 825 million subscribers. And the Mac continues to surge. “The last seven Mac quarters have now been the top seven quarters…

As part of his pitch to raise funds to acquire Twitter, Elon Musk apparently “floated” the idea of cutting jobs at Twitter to improve its bottom line, according to a Bloomberg report. “While nothing is set in stone — and Musk himself had no access to Twitter’s non-public financials at the time — he specifically mentioned job cuts” during discussions with banks, the report says. The Washington Post reported that Musk discussed making “efficiencies” at the company in the conversations with bankers, “which could include job cuts.” There are still a lot of uncertainties about what Twitter will look like…

TN Ghana and Vodafone Ghana have entered into a partnership to pilot national roaming in the Volta region, and describe the development as a first step to a broader nationwide national roaming alliance. The companies released a statement which affirmed that under the agreement and pilot phase, Vodafone Ghana will expand coverage of its network by leveraging MTN’s network infrastructure. Ghana’s government is prioritising national roaming implementation to facilitate universal access and accelerate the country’s digital economy ambitions. The plan is to establish a full national roaming regime amongst all operators in the country. Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Vodafone Ghana…