Africa By Region
Solarise Africa Expands Footprint to Rwanda, Zambia and Uganda
Sourced from Saur Energy. Solarise Africa is set to expand to three new countries in Africa after signing a partnership agreement with Centennial Generating Co. This partnership will see the Pan-African energy leasing company add seven projects in Rwanda, spread across education, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, and agriculture sectors, two additional projects in Zambia and one upcoming project in Uganda, to the Solarise Africa portfolio. The Solarise team is a customer-centric, responsive and predictable partner, which aligns with our company’s approach to working with customers”, says David John Frenkil, Founder and MD of Centennial. “By partnering with Solarise, we are offering both battery energy storage and solar projects to commercial and industrial facilities. These p...
MTN to Sell R1,8 Billion Stake in Belgian Telco, BICS
Sourced from Business Tech MTN Group has announced its plans to sell its 20% stake in Belgacom International Carrier Services SA (BICS) to Proximus NV/SA for approximately R1,8 billion. The telco is expected to use this to pay down US dollar debt. BICS was classified as a non-current asset held for sale and this transaction has resulted in a remeasurement of its carrying value resulting in a reduction of R397 million for the year ended 31 December 2020. According to MTN, it will record a profit on disposal amounting to approximately R1,2 billion during the first half of 2021. The closing of the sale is dependent on customary regulatory approval. MTN Launches Supersonic AirFibre in South Africa MTN has launched its Supersonic AirFibre offering in South Africa. The product is said to overcom...
Citrix Appoints New VP for Partner Sales
Citrix has appointed Pilkku Aasma as its new Vice President of Partner Sales in the EMEA region. She follows Daren Finney, who was promoted to Chief Operating Officer for the Citrix channel organization worldwide. Both roles report to Bronwyn Hastings, Senior VP of the Worldwide Channel Sales and Ecosystem. Aasma joins Citrix after two decades in a wide range of multiple markets and leadership positions at Microsoft. Most recently she led the Small, Medium & Corporate Segment sales and marketing in Germany. Prior to that she had direct responsibility for Microsoft’s 40,000 partners in Germany and held various sales and operations leadership roles in Western Europe, and Central & Eastern Europe. “2020 was an exceptional year which tested the resilience and adaptability of both ...
mySafaricom App Launches on the Huawei App Gallery
Sourced from Tech Weez. The Safaricom App is now available for download from the Huawei App Gallery. The app provides Safaricom customers with a user-friendly way to access the telco’s products and services. Through the app, users can: M-PESA SEND MONEY– Select their contacts directly from their phone book, Hakikisha the name of the person they are transferring money to and check the transaction charges before hitting the send button. LIPA NA M-PESA – Shop and pay for their bills with ease at their favourite stores. TOP-UP – Recharge their number or that of their loved ones by selecting numbers directly from their phone book. VIEW BALANCES – View their account balances for Data, Bonga, Airtime or Credit limit HOME FIBRE – Safaricom Home Fibre customers will be able to pay or change their H...
Airtel Africa to Sell Stake in Airtel Money
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel Africa has revealed its plans to raise cash by selling a minority stake in Airtel Money – its mobile financial platform. According to Business Daily, this move is part of the company’s strategy to sell some assets. “We are actively pursuing the sale of the remaining owned tower sites that sit across several of our operating countries and the group is in discussions with various potential investors in relation to possible minority investments into Airtel Money,” reads a trading update from the telco. “Discussions are ongoing between the parties and there can be no certainty that a transaction will be concluded or as to the final terms of any transaction.” Airtel did not disclose the amount it expects to raise. However, its revenues reached $291 million across i...
How to Establish a Digitally Inclusive Economy Through Technology
Technology has a runaway effect. Through devices and broadband, people can find services, resources and opportunities—and those who have access to it get further ahead. However, there are still billions of people who are being left behind due to a lack of availability and cost of devices. This is the paradox of the digital divide, and it affects communities, societies and economies globally. The world’s leading international institutions are sounding the alarm. The World Trade Organisation believes levelling the playing field should be a strategic focus for everyone who participates in the digital economy because when such considerable amounts of human potential are left untapped, nobody wins. At the same time, the United Nations affirms that social inequality will be exacerbated unless pe...
MTN Donates $25 million to the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccination programme
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) MTN is donating $25 million to support the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. This is expected to secure up to seven million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for health workers across the continent, which will contribute to the vaccination initiative of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). “The devastating impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and profound. Public and private partnerships are needed if we are to succeed in the fight against the pandemic and restore social and economic norms for our continent and our communities,” says Ralph Mupita, President and CEO of MTN. South Africa’s President and Chairperson of the African Union, Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the African Union ha...
Cellulant CEO to Resign
Co-founder of Cellulant, Ken Njoroge has revealed that he is stepping down from his role as CEO in 2021. In an official blog post, he says “after 18 years of running Cellulant, I have decided that 2021 will be my last year as CEO. Such transitions are not easy in any way and require a great deal of growth, thought and patience”. Njoroge goes on to say that he will transition from his role as the CEO by the end of June, and spend the rest of the year supporting all the teams and the new leader in the transition. “As a founder, I am still passionate about our vision and will continue to work tirelessly to be a strong advocate for our customers and our talented management team.” The Kenyan-based payments company was first established in 2003. “When we began Cellulant, it was not the Lion...
Why Access to Technology is Critical for Farmers in Africa
The African continent is home to an estimated 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, an abundance of fresh water and about 300 days of sunshine each year, according to the World Economic Forum. However, the reality is that the agriculture industry is mostly made up of the older African generation — who often discourage their children from working with the land. So despite seemingly ideal farming conditions, African nations spend close to $65 billion importing food — a number that is expected to grow exponentially within the next decade. The African Development Bank (ABD) believes that this is unsustainable and unaffordable — noting that the secret to the continent’s economic viability and growth is to equip farmers, as well as the next-generation, with training, advice an...
How Enhanced Connectivity Sets the Foundation for Digital Economies
Over the past few months, we’ve seen the world transform. It’s clear that cities will be affected in the long-term, which is why it’s critical to reflect on how emerging technologies can shape the future. The emergence of 5G networks and boundless broadband deployment has the potential to change the way cities define their digital future. The promise of mobile gigabit connectivity, low latency and unprecedented device density offers new and exciting developments that affect every aspect of public life, from intelligent transportation to public safety and waste management. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic is shining additional light on the need for greater connectivity speeds and broadband access, that not only allows organisations to drive business continuity, but to also bridge the dig...
How COVID-19 has Changed the Shape of African Cybersecurity
Sourced from IDG Connect The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how people live, work and approach security. According to the 2020 KnowBe4 African Report – which collated insights from across South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritius and Botswana – found that attitudes and behaviours had shifted as a result of the pandemic, but problem pockets of risk remain that need to be addressed in order to ensure both business and individual security. “Nearly 50% of the respondents will continue to work from home; 24% indicated that they were affected by cybercrime while working from home, and only 30% believed that their governments prioritised cybersecurity in their policies,” says Anna Collard, SVP of content strategy at KnowBe4 Africa. “This year, respondents were ev...
