Author: Akin Naphtal

China has surged ahead of other nations in the generative AI race, filing six times more patents than its nearest competitor, the United States (US), according to data released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Wednesday. Generative AI, which creates text, images, computer code, and even music from existing data, is experiencing a significant boom. Over the past decade, more than 50,000 patent applications have been submitted in this field, with a quarter of these filed in 2023 alone, WIPO reported. “This is a booming area. This is an area that is growing at increasing speed. And it’s…

Amazon’s executive chair, Jeff Bezos has planned to sell $5 billion worth of shares in the e-commerce giant. This move comes as Amazon’s stock hit an all-time high of $200.43 during the session. The notice revealed Bezos’s intention to sell 25 million shares. Amazon’s stock has surged over 30% this year, significantly outperforming the 4% gain in the Dow Jones Industrial Average index. Following the sale, Bezos will retain ownership of approximately 912 million Amazon shares, representing 8.8% of the company’s outstanding stock. Earlier in February, Bezos sold shares valued at roughly $8.5 billion after the stock rallied 80% in…

Meta Platforms’ CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has revealed that Threads, the company’s newest social media venture, has surpassed 175 million monthly active users just ahead of its first anniversary. Threads, introduced on 5th July 2023, gained rapid traction, amassing 100 million users in less than a week. This surge was partly attributed to its integration with Instagram, allowing its users to easily create Threads profiles. However, the platform eventually lost many of the initial user. Reflecting on the platform’s journey, Zuckerberg shared in a Threads post, “What a year.” Back in April, he had reported that the monthly active user (MAU)…

Over the past decade, data centers, once a niche piece of IT infrastructure, have become a focal point for investors and a substantial revenue driver for tech giants. Amazon Web Services now generates almost 20% of Amazon’s revenue. Simultaneously, Nvidia, a key supplier of components for modern cloud storage and processing data centers, has grown into the world’s third-largest tech company. The increasing use of AI technologies, which demand significant computing power and storage, has further fueled the data center boom, a trend expected to continue in the coming years. The increasing adoption of AI technologies, which demand significant computing…

In the quest for impactful and transformative information and communication technologies (ICTs), gatekeepers around the world gathered, for the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-24) in Kampala, Uganda. The symposium tagged: “GSR-24 Best Practice Guidelines” focuses on balancing innovation with regulation to ensure that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) have a positive impact on societies and economies. Organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the United Nations (UN) Agency for Digital Technologies, the event brought together over 600 participants, including ministers, heads of regulatory authorities, industry executives, and academics. The event was inaugurated by H.E. Ms. Jessica Alupo, Vice-President…

The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), has equipped ICT centres in Greater Accra’s 29 districts with over 500 laptops to assist in the training of 1,000 girls, as part of the Girls-in-ICT programme. GIFEC did this in collaboration with the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence (GI-KACE), and the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD), which oversees the Girls-in-ICT programme. The girls are being trained in a 5-day exercise which began on Monday, 1st July. Day 1 of the training focused on computer programming (CP), CP language, and careers in CP. They were also introduced to text editor,…

Microsoft has planned to invest $2.4 billion in a data center project in Spain. This investment aims to bolster Aragon’s status as a cloud storage hub. This announcement raises Microsoft’s total planned investment in Aragon to nearly €6.7 billion, according to regional leader Jorge Azcón. It follows a similar move by Amazon, which announced in May that its cloud computing division would invest €15.7 billion to expand its existing data centers in Aragon, where it currently operates three facilities. “This is great news for the Aragonese economy,” Azcón said, emphasizing the anticipated economic benefits and the potential to attract more…

A new report by Everest Group and CCI Global highlights Africa’s growing significance in the customer service outsourcing sector. The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in Africa is projected to create 1-1.5 million jobs by 2030. The black continent performed more than India and the Philippines in language similarity, time zone alignment, and skilled talent availability, making it an attractive destination for 85% of global companies considering Customer Experience Management (CXM) outsourcing. South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt are leading the way in job creation, with Rwanda, Ghana, and Ethiopia also expected to see significant growth. ALSO READ: KENYA: SAFARICOM AIDS…

Safaricom has announced a relief initiative for individuals who lost their phones during recent protests. The telecom giant will provide smartphones and airtime to those affected, alongside further support for those in extreme conditions. The company pledged to support impacted individuals with three months’ worth of food and one year’s rent. In addition, Safaricom has donated KES 15 million ($116,279) to Kenyatta National Hospital to aid victims of the protests. Of this amount, KES 10 million will go to the hospital’s Disaster Response Centre, and KES 5 million ($38,759) will fund assistive devices for injured victims. The announcement follows scrutiny…

Foldable technology has rapidly become a milestone in mobile innovation, with Samsung leading the way with its Galaxy Z Fold series. Featuring a large screen experience through a central hinge and folding sides, the South Korea tech company’s advancements in hinge mechanisms and device thickness have made these foldables increasingly practical for everyday use. In 2019, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Fold, the first phone to offer a big-screen experience when unfolded and a compact, portable design when folded. The Galaxy Z Fold2, launched in 2020, featured the Hideaway Hinge, which provided flexible use and enhanced durability, supporting features like Flex…