Africa By Region
Is Africa Heading towards a Cashless Society?
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. Cash may have traditionally been king, but Covid-19 has contributed to a faster pace of digital payment adoption. Recently, two global fintech players discussed the emergence of a plethora of digital payments and debated if cash is on its way out. Omosalewa Adeyemi, Head of Global Partnerships and Expansion at Flutterwave and Nicolas Vonthron, co-CEO of Mama Money; explored the future of payments and banking in an increasingly digital world. Sending money home during the lockdown Vonthron says Mama Money’s digital offering grew five times during lockdown as users look for ways to send money home online following sudden border closures. “There are 5 million migrants in South Africa who came to find a better future for their families. At Mama Money, w...
Huawei and TPAY Join Forces to Drive App Monetisation
Huawei and TPAY have partnered to make it easier for content developers to monetise their apps on Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). This collaboration is expected to allow local MEA developers to fully utilise HMS’s In-App-Purchase (IAP) kit through TPAY’s direct carrier billing (DCB) service. This means that HMS users can pay for apps with just their mobile number. As a result, developers will get 100 per cent DCB coverage. “We are very excited to launch this strategic partnership with Huawei which will equip local and global developers with the tools they need to better monetise their services through In-App-Purchases capabilities,” says Sahar Salama, Founder and CEO of TPAY Mobile. “This agreement further extends the value of TPAY for top global merchants who are aspiring to scale their bus...
TECNO Smartphones Allegedly Carry Built-In Malware
Chinese smartphone manufacturer, TECNO has recently made its debut to the African market. At first, the devices feel surprisingly solid and competent in hand – despite their mainly plastic exterior. However, recent reports suggest that these smartphones are harbouring a secret malware that could consume users airtime and install harmful code. Anti-fraud firm Upstream claims that they have found “a malicious code dubbed Triada on 53,000 TECNO smartphones” that had already been sold in Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon, Egypt and Ghana. According to Gadgets Africa, TECNO‘s parent company Transsion told Buzzfeed [the malware] was installed in the supply chain without its knowledge. “The fact that the malware arrives pre-installed on handsets that are bought in their millions by typically low-i...
Creating an Equitable Workforce to Inspire Future Generations
Sourced from TechCabal Diversity in the workplace is a phrase which we hear often, but rarely pause to consider what it means beyond representation, and more so, what it can empower businesses and society to achieve. In the Middle East and Africa alone, PWC estimated that $575 billion are lost due to legal and social barriers that exist in women’s access to jobs. One of the biggest roadblocks comes down to people’s mindset and how they perceive women in roles of leadership. Women in Lenovo Leadership Ambassador, Claire Carter says that it is, therefore, no surprise that women feel their seniority is questioned frequently, are asked about family planning at interviews or that women are twice as likely to be interrupted when speaking up in meetings. “This, in turn, leads to talen...
Demand for Data in Africa is Increasing, Here’s How
Africa has become home to over a billion people and the population is expected to grow in the coming years. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is essential for Africa’s development and adequate ICT service deployment and digital connectivity will play a crucial role in the continent achieving economic sustainability. The forecast is that mobile data traffic in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to grow by 12 times the current figures, with total traffic increasing from 0.33 Exabytes (EB) per month to 4EB by 2025. Meanwhile, average traffic per smartphone is expected to reach 7.1GB over the forecast period, according to the Ericsson Mobility Report. Key drivers will be extensive network coverage and the reduction in prices of both devices and services. Also, driven by th...
More Women In Africa are Turning To Cryptos, Research Shows
Sourced from Hacker Noon. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the global economy to a standstill and put millions of people under financial stress. Understandably, people from all walks of life started looking for alternative income streams. Not only are these side jobs providing women with additional income, but they are also giving individuals an opportunity to develop new skills in the bitcoin and blockchain space. Blockchain skills are in high demand internationally and may unlock new career opportunities or set the ground for running a successful business in the future. Beyond speculative activities, bitcoin already drives a whole range of entrepreneurial ventures including arbitrage, remittance, e-commerce and educational projects, to name a few. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_b38.td-a-...
ECA Suspends Plans to Privatise Ethio Telecom
Sourced from allAfrica. In May, the Ethiopian Telecommunication Authority (ECA) issued a statement announcing that the country would now be open to selling a 40% stake in the state-owned company, Ethio Telecom. In response to this announcement, Safaricom and, its parent company, Vodacom both expressed their interest. However, it looks as though this opportunity was short-lived as the ECA has since suspended its plans to privatize the telco. According to TechNext, Africa’s oldest telco supplies more than 40 million of 115 million Ethiopians with mobile network and Internet services. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_645.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_645.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } But in recent times, locals have began calling out the slow, unreliable internet connection and poo...
South Africa Ranked as Most Targeted Country in Africa, Cybersecurity Research Shows
Sourced from IDG Connect Phishing is one of the oldest and most flexible types of social engineering attacks. It is used in many ways, and for different purposes, to lure unwary users to fake sites and trick them into entering personal information. The latter often includes financial credentials such as bank account passwords or payment card details, or login details for social media accounts. In the wrong hands, this opens doors to various malicious operations, such as money being stolen or corporate networks being compromised. This makes phishing a popular initial infection method. According to Kaspersky, phishing attacks are becoming increasingly more targeted. A number of new tricks have also been found – from HR dismissal emails to attacks disguised as delivery notifications. As a res...
MTN Appoints New Group CEO
Sourced from The Techie Guy MTN has appointed Ralph Mupita as the new group CEO, effective from 1 September 2020. He succeeds Rob Shuter who is due to step down on 31 August. Mupita is currently the telco’s chief financial officer, and there is no word just yet on who is due to take up this position. “Ralph has served as the MTN Group CFO since April 2017 and has played a critical role in the development and execution of the group’s strategy, capital allocation processes, financial performance as well as in the resolution of a number of complex regulatory matters,” says MTN in a statement. “Ralph’s experience as the group CFO, strong knowledge of our businesses and markets, as well as successful background in financial services, M&A and emerging markets, place him in an excellent posit...
Airtel Africa and MoneyGram Enable Direct Mobile Wallet Transfers
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel Africa has partnered with MoneyGram – an international money transfer company – to allow its 19 million customers to quickly and conveniently receive transfers directly into their mobile wallets. Once Airtel Money customers receive the funds, they can be accessed immediately and used to pay utility bills, goods and services, transferred to other individuals, or converted to cash at any of Airtel Africa’s branches, kiosks, and agents. “This partnership with Airtel will enable millions of consumers instant access to our global platform to receive money from over 200 countries & territories without having to even step outside,” says John Gely, Head of MoneyGram Africa. “We’re excited about how this customer-centric partnership with Airtel will expand our mobi...
Sabiss: The New Recruitment Platform in Africa
Sabiss is the new job search platform dedicated to candidates on the African continent. Its goal is, on the one hand, to allow companies to have easy access to the profiles and skills they are looking for and on the other hand, to facilitate the job search for African residents, by centralizing offers from countries in Africa, but also from other continents. Sabiss is therefore aimed at talents in Africa looking for a job or an internship, but also at companies all over the world, wishing to strengthen their team with newly qualified recruits. For applicants, access to the platform and its services is free. Once they have registered and completed their profile, they have access to all job offers, can apply for an unlimited period or can benefit from advice on finding a job via the blog. Fo...
Luno and Genesis Partner for Customers to Earn Interest on Crypto Holdings
Luno and Genesis have partnered to provide customers with simple, accessible ways to earn interest on their crypto holdings. The partnership creates “savings accounts providing institutional-level interest rates to clients in traditional and emerging markets”. The companies believe these savings accounts will provide traditionally underbanked customers in emerging markets access to banking services via the market infrastructure built for the global cryptocurrency community. “We share Luno’s passion for making it safe and easy – across all segments of the market – to learn about, buy and store cryptocurrencies. By combining Genesis’s infrastructure with Luno’s footprint in more than 40 countries, we’re creating a fairer, more inclusive financial system by providing access to int...
