Author: Akin Naphtal

South Africa’s railways are the heart of the nation’s transportation network, responsible for nearly 80% of passenger transport and over 30% of ore transport capacity. Despite their crucial role, maintaining this extensive infrastructure has become increasingly challenging. Theft and outdated infrastructure plague the railways, with essential equipment regularly stolen and old locomotives requiring costly maintenance. Enter Huawei, with a cutting-edge solution combining vibration-sensing optical fiber and AI machine vision, poised to revolutionize the operations of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) the country’s main rail operator. Spanning an impressive 38,000 kilometers, South Africa’s railway system is among the most…

Facebook parent company, Meta, is reportedly in discussions with high-profile actors such as Awkwafina and Judi Dench, as well as influencers, to secure the rights to use their voices for its MetaAI digital assistant, according to a report by the New York Times. The social media giant is also negotiating with comedian, Keegan-Michael Key, and other celebrities, involving Hollywood’s top talent agencies in the process, the newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Although specific details on who might ultimately sign on remain uncertain, the report suggests that Meta could potentially pay millions of dollars in fees to the…

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced that electric trains will significantly stimulate economic activities across various sectors in Tanzania. Speaking during the official launch of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) electric train between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, President Hassan emphasized the transformative potential of the new railway system. The President highlighted that the electric trains would particularly benefit industries, agriculture, livestock keeping, tourism, and trade. She expressed optimism that the industrial sector would see substantial growth across different regions due to the reliability and efficiency of the new transport system. Addressing the issue of inadequate transport infrastructure, President Hassan…

In a crucial decision earlier this year, African heads of state convened at the annual African Union summit to endorse a groundbreaking initiative: the Protocol on Digital Trade, known as the “Digital Protocol.” This protocol, approved under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), marks a significant milestone for the continent, promising to revolutionize digital trade and integrate Africa more deeply into the global digital economy. The Digital Protocol aims to foster continent-wide digital trade, empowering individual African nations and the continent to thrive in the digital future. By harmonizing rules, standards, and practices, the protocol addresses critical challenges and…

In a remarkable announcement of executive appointments, the MTN Group has named Mohammed Rufai as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Congo-Brazzaville, while Ayham Moussa will take over as Chief Operations Officer (COO) of MTN Nigeria. Rufai, a recipient of the 2017 edition of the Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA), who currently holds the position of Chief Technical Officer at MTN Nigeria, will assume the new role on September 1. With over 24 years of experience in the ICT sector, Rufai has been with MTN since 2002. His career with MTN began in Nigeria and later took…

Vertiv, a global leader in digital infrastructure, has aimed to address the challenges of increasing demands driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and the rapidly evolving telecom and technology ecosystem in Africa. The Sales Director for Strategic Telecom Clients of Vertiv in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa EMEA, Jon Abbott while speaking to Kenyan leaders in the local, tower, and colocation sectors in Nairobi, provided valuable insights into the operational and technological transformations anticipated to reshape the communications network landscape by 2030. According to the 2023 Digital Quality of Life Index, which assesses digital well-being for 92 percent of the…

Social media giant, Meta, which operates platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, profited a 73% increase in net income for the second quarter of 2024, reaching $13.47 billion. This rise follows the company’s impressive earnings report, highlighting strong performance in its core advertising business amid ongoing investments in artificial intelligence (AI). Meta shares were up more than 7.5% in premarket trading, reflecting investor optimism after the company’s second-quarter earnings exceeded analysts’ expectations. The stock had already gained 2.5% by market close on Wednesday. The positive financial results have reassured investors after a less favorable response to the company’s previous…

OpenAI’s Chief Executive, Sam Altman has announced a collaboration with the United States Safety Institute to provide early access to its forthcoming generative AI model for safety testing. This partnership, revealed in a post on X, aims to assess and address potential risks in AI platforms. The U.S. AI Safety Institute, a federal body under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), focuses on ensuring the safe and secure development of AI technologies. OpenAI’s agreement to work with the institute follows a similar arrangement with the U.K.’s AI safety body in June. These moves appear to counter claims that…

In an age where digital infrastructure is both a lifeline and a liability, organizations are under increasing pressure to deliver seamless experiences while managing complex IT systems. The recent global outage served as a stark reminder of the fragility of these systems, highlighting the critical need for rapid and efficient incident response. In this landscape, generative AI (GenAI) and automation are emerging as powerful tools to enhance operational resilience and risk management. PagerDuty, a leader in digital operations management, is at the forefront of this transformation. The company is integrating cutting-edge GenAI capabilities into its Operations Cloud, aiming to empower…

Google has announced the selection of 10 startups for its Africa Accelerator Programme, a three-month virtual initiative aimed at empowering African startups to leverage technology in addressing some of the continent’s most pressing challenges. In a statement released by the tech multinational, it emphasized the crucial role startups play in driving economic growth and technological advancement in Africa. Despite the ongoing “funding winter” in Sub-Saharan Africa, marked by a slowdown in investment, Google highlighted the resilience and creativity of African entrepreneurs. Since its inception in 2018, the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program has supported 106 startups from 17 African…