Author: Akin Naphtal

Uber has appointed Kagiso Khaole as the new General Manager for Uber in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), taking over Frans Hiemstra’s role who has been appointed as the Regional General Manager for the Middle East and Africa at Uber. Kagiso joined Uber in 2021 where he led mobility operations across SSA, and has previously worked in several industries, including eCommerce, Software and Services, Consumer Electronics, Management Consulting, Insurance and Banking. This makes Kagiso well positioned to further grow the business in the region, which is operational in over 50 cities across South Africa, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and…

Towards preventing fraud cases in government hospitals across the country, Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health (MINSANTE) plans to digitalise payment processes and revenue collection across public hospitals. According to a report by the country’s Ministry of Finance the public treasury loses 700-billion CFA each year to untraceable cash transactions linked to payment for medical services. The report also found that some employees within the healthcare sector have manipulated loopholes in the manual system to falsify data and commit fraud. At a recent meeting hosted in the capital Yaounde, MINSANTE officials confirmed progress made in its short-term effort to mitigate risk.…

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and Chairman of the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), chaired the 58th Regular Meeting of the Council on Thursday, 4th August 2022. The NFMC resolved to remind members of the public, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Governments that by the provisions of Section 28 of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 (NCA 2003), the NFMC is the apex body for Radio Frequency Spectrum Administration in Nigeria. In a statement available to TechEconomy, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to the Minister, said the meeting resolved, accordingly, any…

The Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) has ordered a forensic investigation of Philips Consulting and the United Bank for Africa in line with Article 4 of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulations (NDPR). This follows complaints of data breach filed against PhiIlips Consulting and United Bank for Africa PLC. National Commissioner of NDPB, Mr. Vincent Olatunji, ordered the forensic investigation, according to a statement issued on 15 August 2022. The Legal Enforcement and Regulations Lead, NDPB, Babatunde Bamigboye said that the complaint against Philips Consulting is in connection with the activities of online lending platforms who willfully breach the privacy of…

MTN Group has appointed Willington Ngwepe to the new Chief of Staff in the office of the Group President and CEO. The appointment is with effect from October. Willington joins the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), where he has spent the last five years as CEO. Before that, he was ICASA’s chief operating officer. “Willington brings with him extensive leadership, technology and regulatory experience that will be invaluable as we execute on our strategic intent of leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress,” said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita. “We welcome him to the MTN Group, where…

The Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT) has urged organisations to adopt stronger cybersecurity measures like ensuring their employees use strong, unique passwords for every account and enabling multi-factor authentication (2FA) wherever it is supported to prevent ransomware attacks. It also advised organizations to ensure regular systems backup. The NCC-CSIRT’s warning contained in its advisory of August 12, 2022, came after the Yanluowang threat actors gained access to Cisco’s network using an employee’s stolen credentials after hijacking the employee’s personal Google account containing credentials synchronised from their browser. Ransomware is a malware designed to deny a user…

No doubt, Mitwa Ng’ambi who is the current Chief Executive Officer of MTN Rwanda is one of the major tech leaders in Africa owing to her years of experience and her achievements as the CEO of one of the largest telecom service providers in the world. A thinker and innovator, Ng’ambi has been with MTN Rwanda since 2019 and has led the organization through a number of significant milestones including the listing of MTN Rwanda on the Rwanda Stock Exchange, the establishment of the country’s first FinTech subsidiary – Mobile Money Rwanda Ltd, successful campaign #ConnectRwanda.” and the ten-year renewal…

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that coding would be added as a subject in primary and secondary schools in the country. The development has made the country become the first nation in Africa to sanction the study of coding in early elementary and primary schools. “I want to commend the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development for being the driving force behind this historic accomplishment for our country, by incorporating coding as a fundamental skill inside our new Competency Based Curriculum,” President Kenyatta declared at the ceremony. “Competency Based Curriculum.” Additionally, the President of Kenya introduced the National Cybersecurity Strategy…

HAVAIC, a venture capital business based in South Africa, has announced the completion of a pre-Series A investment round of $500,000, a Kenyan company that offers software solutions and digitizes farming co-ops and community banks, known as Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs) in the region. The twenty million dollars invested in FinAccess will come from HAVAIC’s Universum Core African Fund, primarily concerned with providing capital for early-stage businesses. Post-revenue seed and later-stage development Series A start-ups born in Africa that employ technology to tackle real-world problems on a local, regional, or national scale are eligible for investment in global…

As part of an effort to ensure the provision of qualitative and efficient telecommunications services throughout the country, the Nigerian Communications Commission is set to license Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). The telecom regulator, NCC stated MVNOs licensing will help generate employment and bridge the gap between the unserved and the underserved in society. It will also further engender competition and provide choices for telecommunication consumers, the commission noted. MVNO is a telecommunications product and service operator that leverages the capacity of a fully Licenced Telecommunications Service provider or Mobile Network Operator (MNO). The MVNO reaches a “Wholesale Agreement” or…