Author: Akin Naphtal

MTN Ghana has announced the official appointment of Stephen Blewett as chief executive officer, succeeding Selorm Adadevoh, who has been appointed as the Chief Commercial Officer of the MTN Group. Speaking on the new appointment, Chairman of the Board of MTN Ghana, Ishmael Yamson said “we welcome Stephen into the MTN Ghana family and look forward to working with him to move the company forward to achieve our Ambition 2025 strategy and beyond.” Who is Stephen Blewett? Stephen Blewett is a seasoned executive with a rich background in telecommunications who holds over 30 years of leadership experience in the corporate…

South Korean tech giant, Samsung, is planning to integrate advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology into its voice assistant, Bixby, in a bid to enhance the functionality and appeal of its devices. Bixby, Samsung’s proprietary voice assistant, debuted in 2017 alongside the release of the Galaxy S8 smartphone. Initially offering features such as live translations and restaurant recommendations, Bixby has since become a central component of Samsung’s ecosystem, available on the company’s smartphones, smartwatches, and home appliances. Traditionally, voice assistants like Bixby have functioned in a transactional manner, responding to user queries with pre-programmed responses. However, with recent advancements in AI…

American artificial intelligence (AI) firm, OpenAI, has announced that starting next Monday, it will grant users unrestricted entry to its ChatGPT generative AI chatbot, eliminating the need for users to sign up for the service. This decision is backed by tech giant, Microsoft, which has been supporting OpenAI up financially for some time now. ChatGPT has proven to be a GenAI revolution since it released in late 2022, and boasts the ability to simulate human conversation. It can also undertake a myriad of tasks, from summarising lengthy texts, to crafting poetry and brainstorming ideas for themed parties. Despite experiencing a…

CEO of SpaceX and owner of X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk, has announced that his artificial intelligence (AI) startup, xAI, is gearing up to launch the latest version of its chatbot, Grok-1.5, next week According to a statement released by xAI last Thursday, Grok-1.5, an upgraded version of Grok, will soon be accessible to early testers and existing Grok users on Musk’s social media platform X. The company aims to provide users with an enhanced conversational experience through the deployment of this advanced chatbot. In a post on X, Musk also revealed that the Grok 2 chatbot was currently undergoing…

Nigeria’s Heirs Technologies, a subsidiary under Heirs Holdings, has unveiled plans to revolutionise the country’s IT support landscape in its bid move to boost Nigeria’s position as a global outsourcing hub. The company has entered into Managed IT Services within which it will offer services like infrastructure management, cybersecurity, cloud services management, and data analytics, among others. The goal is to provide businesses with secure IT environments, enabling them to focus on their core operations while leaving the technology aspect in expert hands. Heirs Technologies aims to emulate the success stories of outsourcing giants like India and Eastern Europe, leveraging…

Rwanda car dealership, AUTO24, has introduced Tesla vehicles to the Rwandan market, following a campaign it launched in late 2023, encouraging customers to switch from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric ones. The official presentation of the first two Tesla Model Y vehicles took place on Friday, 22nd March. AUTO24 Rwanda’s Country Manager, Ivan Ruzibiza, expressed the dealership’s commitment to embracing e-mobility, noting its importance as the transportation mode of the future. Ruzibiza highlighted the Rwandan government’s initiatives to promote electric vehicles (EV) and attract investments in this field, which aligns with the car dealership’s vision of fostering a greener and more…

MTN Group has announced the appointment of Mike Silber, as Group Executive Regulatory, effective 1st April 2024, joining MTN Group from Liquid Telecom, where he held the role of Group Chief Regulatory Officer, for five years. With over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications and internet sectors, he brings legal, policy and regulatory expertise of addressing business challenges and finding creative solutions to deliver business results. Speaking of the appointment, MTN’s Group Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer, Lele Modise, noted,“Mike’s extensive background, spanning legal expertise and regulatory leadership across Africa and beyond, makes him a valuable addition to our…

MTN Group has announced its decision to exit the Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry markets in West Africa and Central Africa (WECA), as part of its strategy to focus on its regional markets, including Ghana, Cameroon, and Cote d’Ivoire, which collectively contributed more than 18% to the group’s revenue in 2023. According to MTN’s recent 2023 report, the company agreed in December to sell its equity interests in Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry to Telecel, following a sale and purchase agreement. The acquisition, subject to regulatory approval, will enable MTN to streamline its operations and concentrate on markets with greater growth potential. MTN Group…

American energy company, GE Vernova, has announced that Azito Energie S.A. (“Azito”), Cote D’Ivoire’s largest gas power plant, will be the world’s first to deploy its innovative carbon emissions management software, CERius™. CERius™, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), is designed to assist energy companies reach net-zero goals through data precision and abatement planning capabilities. By automating greenhouse gas (GHG) data collection and offering scenario analysis, team collaboration, and standardised reporting based on GHG protocols, CERius™ seeks to transform emissions reduction efforts. General Manager of Power Generation & Oil and Gas at Electrification Software, GE Vernova, Linda…

The Digital Lab, a Libyan initiative aimed at fostering innovation and digital transformation, has officially unveiled its Innovations Map online platform, which will serve to connect innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors across the country. At the launch ceremony which took place at the headquarters of the General Information Authority in Tripoli, the Chairman of the Authority, Abdelbaset Albaor, highlighted the significance of the platform in advancing Libya’s national digital transformation strategy. He stressed the collaborative efforts between Libyan institutions and international partners, which has created the potential for a thriving and innovative digital ecosystem in Libya. The Libyan Digital Lab,…