Author: Akin Naphtal

Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa, in partnership with the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Digital Economy (MISDE) in Ekiti State, has launched the second edition of the Young Innovators Programme. This initiative aims to foster innovation and support the next generation of entrepreneurs by offering a US$9,000 cash prize to the winner, along with access to mentorship, training, and startup capital. The venture was established to create and strengthen UK-African partnerships, enhancing inclusive market access, funding, and investment opportunities through the transfer of innovation knowledge. The Young Innovators Programme is a cornerstone of this mission, focusing on building sustainable innovation…

The United Kingdom has officially joined a landmark agreement designed to boost the global economy by enhancing digital trade. After five years of negotiations, the UK and 90 other countries have finalized the E-Commerce Joint Initiative at the World Trade Organization (WTO). This agreement aims to make trade faster, cheaper, fairer, and more secure, offering significant opportunities for British businesses, workers, and consumers. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates the value of global digital trade to be around £4 trillion and growing. The E-Commerce Joint Initiative will commit all participating nations to digitalizing customs documents and processes,…

Vertiv has launched the MegaMod CoolChip, a liquid cooling-equipped prefabricated modular (PFM) data center solution engineered to enable efficient and reliable AI computing. The solution can be configured to support the platforms of leading AI computing providers and scaled to customer requirements. By bringing together the quality and process efficiency enabled by offsite fabrication with best-in-class AI-ready technologies, MegaMod™ CoolChip can reduce the time to deploy AI-critical digital infrastructure by up to 50%. With demand for AI-ready data center capacity outstripping supply, developers and operators are focused on bringing new capacity online as quickly as possible.Vertiv™ MegaMod™ CoolChip solution integrates…

stc Group and Ericsson have achieved a groundbreaking milestone, deploying the world’s first implementation of Automated Radio Resource Partitioning (RRP) on a 5G standalone network slice. The demonstration took place in a live network environment with a select group of users, and is a world first for the industry. This advanced software feature leverages intent-based automation to significantly improve efficiency and user experience by optimizing the allocation of network resources. Automated RRP is a cutting-edge software feature, based on intent-based automation, that involves the dynamic and intelligent allocation of radio resources to different configured slices to optimize network performance. Automated…

In the rapidly evolving ecosystem of digital governance, Nigeria stands out as a regional leader. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) G5 Benchmark, The West African nation has reached the advanced standard, sharing this distinction with Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa. This achievement underscores Nigeria’s progressive approach to regulation and digital transformation, setting an example for other countries in the region. Nigeria boasts one of the largest economies and ICT sectors in Africa, supported by a complex institutional framework for ICT, IT, and digital transformation. The country’s path to G5 regulation offers valuable insights for regulators and policymakers…

The CEO of Microsoft UK, Clare Barclay has expressed strong support for the new Labour Government’s emphasis on driving economic growth. However, she emphasized the critical need for an advanced, reliable, and robust digital infrastructure to achieve these ambitions. In response to the recent King Charles’ Speech, which outlined the Government’s mission to remove barriers to economic progress, Barclay welcomed the initiative. She remarked that this message signals the UK’s openness to business and readiness to attract investment. Such investment, she noted, could fund public services, alleviate the cost-of-living crisis, and create widespread opportunities. On the topic of regulation, Barclay…

Africa Data Centres, a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, has announced a significant expansion of its CPT1 facility in Cape Town. The expansion, supported by a loan of up to $300 million from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), will add 1,000 racks of white space, effectively doubling the facility’s capacity. The expansion includes the addition of three new state-of-the-art halls, comprising two colocation data halls and one hyperscale hall, bringing an extra 6MW of IT load to the campus. The President & Group CEO of Cassava Hardy Pemhiwa, , emphasized the strategic importance of the expansion, stating, “This expansion…

Showmax has teamed up with South African consumer electronics manufacturer QVWi to introduce a new line of streaming hardware. The centerpiece of this collaboration is a set-top box designed to transform standard televisions into smart TVs, making smart TV technology more accessible to a broader range of consumers. Starting from August 1, 2024, all QVWi devices will come preloaded with the Showmax app and will include a complimentary two-month subscription to Showmax Entertainment. This initiative aims to offer consumers an easy and cost-effective way to access a wide range of streaming content. QVWi, based in Durban and owned by television…

South Africa’s leading independent buy now pay later (BNPL) service provider, Payflex, has announced the launch of its latest payment feature, ‘Pay in 3′, which allows consumers to split their purchases into three interest-free monthly payments, providing greater flexibility and convenience. CEO of Payflex, Bruce McIntosh, highlighted the company’s journey and the evolving market demands. “As the first-to-market BNPL service provider in South Africa, we initially offered a single payment term. However, as the market evolved and customers’ requirements became more complex, we recognised the need to offer additional repayment options to meet their diverse needs. ‘Pay in 3’ is…

British telecoms regulator, Ofcom has fined TikTok £1.9 million ($2.4 million) for not promptly providing accurate safety data. Ofcom criticized the platform, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, for providing incorrect information last year and not addressing the issue quickly. TikTok admitted to giving Ofcom inaccurate data regarding the usage of its parental controls tool, significantly underestimating the number of users. The company apologized for the delay in correcting the error and stated that they are committed to cooperating with Ofcom and improving internal processes. Ofcom acknowledged that TikTok’s breach was not deliberate and noted that the company self-reported the mistake.…