Company News
MTN Group Eyes Second Ethiopian Operating Licence
MTN Group CEO, Ralph Mupita has revealed that the telco would consider bidding for the second Ethiopian operating licence after initially losing to Safaricom. “We took an approach that the opportunity, as strategic as it was, needed to meet our capital allocation framework and the hurdles that we saw given the licence conditions. We were particularly focused on the lack of mobile money in the licencing regime, and there were some issues around how the telco constructs would be accommodated within Ethiopia. We certainly priced for those things and near-term risks that we saw, and we felt that the financial bid there was appropriate.” He says that although it was disappointing that they did not win the initial bid, they may take another shot at it. “There are views that the Ethiopian authori...
Safaricom Introduces New Video Streaming Platform
Image sourced from Techweez Safaricom has launched Baze – its new video streaming platform – in Kenya. This subscription-based mobile-first service is expected to offer a wide selection of local and regional short-form videos in entertainment, music, news and sports. The telco says it is placing the entertainment Kenyans want at their fingertips while providing local content creators with an additional platform to share their stories and monetize their content. “The new service will offer customers a wide variety of video content and provide content creators an additional platform to monetize their content. We are looking to get the best forms of monetisation for creators and to give users a worry free experience when using the platform” says Kenyan business person, Sylvia Mulinge. “As we ...
Lenovo Records Group Revenue Surge Past $60 Billion
Image sourced from GSMArena /* custom css */ .tdi_4_390.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_390.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Lenovo has announced its results for the Group as well as its fourth quarter and fiscal year, revealing growth across all parts of the business. The company says its results demonstrate the Group’s resilience and ability to achieve balanced, consistent, and sustainable growth. “Last quarter, we delivered our fastest-growing quarter in almost a decade and closed the fiscal year with the new milestone of passing $60 billion in revenue and significant growth in profit to a new record. These historic highs were achieved by leveraging our core competencies of a clear strategy, innovative products, operational excellence, and global-local model to meet the n...
IFS Appoints New Non-Executive Board Director
IFS has announced the appointment of Hanna Jacobsson to its board as a non-executive director. The appointment is effective immediately and brings the current number of non-executive directors at IFS to six. As a finance executive and one of the most respected Actuaries in the Nordics, Jacobsson will lead the audit committee at IFS and deliver the focus and balance required to underpin a fast-growing business. Jacobsson, who specialised in finance in her early career as vice CFO roles at Skandia and group CFO at Nordea Life and Pensions, later expanded her remit to join Klarna as Chief Risk Officer. Now Board member of Skandia, Tink and DBT, her skills and experience are being drawn on by both large, established companies as well as earlier-stage ventures looking to scale. Her motivations ...
Microsoft Teases Plans for the “Next Generation of Windows”
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_617.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_617.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella has revealed that he is testing “the next generation of Windows” which is expected to be one of the biggest updates to Windows. “Soon we will share one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade to unlock greater economic opportunity for developers and creators. I’ve been self-hosting it over the past several months, and I’m incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows,” says Nadella. “Our promise to you is this: we will create more opportunity for every Windows developer today and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative, new, open platform to build and distribute and monetize applications. We look fo...
Mondia Pay and M-Pesa Expand FinTech Footprint in Tanzania
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_713.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_713.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Mondia Pay and M-Pesa have partnered to allow Tanzanians to access Mondia’s suite of online content on the Vodacom Tanzania PLC digital services network. This means 7 Million Vodacom Tanzania customers can now make use of their airtime balances via SMS and USSD to subscribe to Mondia digital services including PlayInc., MyMuze, Vodacom Premier league, as well as many other news and entertainment services. With the addition of the Mondia Pay and M-Pesa payment option, users now have a safe, secure and convenient payment method connecting them to content, from sports and movies to music and games. The partnership shows the growth potential for innovative fintech and content collabo...
Uber Extends Moove Partnership to Include Ghana
Sourced from CNet. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_03d.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_03d.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Uber has extended its partnership with Moove to provide potential and current Uber drivers in Ghana with long-term access to vehicles. The largest partnership of its kind, the collaboration aims to lower existing barriers to car ownership on the continent and empower drivers to be their own boss within a shorter time frame. Drivers on the Uber platform now have access to brand new Volkswagen Polo among other models for either Flexi Car Weekly Rental or Drive to Own deals, including zero deposit, free maintenance, fuel, and smartphone allowance as well as free insurance. Moove’s partnership with Uber is expected to introduce low-barrier entry methods into the Ub...
Infobip to Roll Out WhatsApp for Business in Botswana
/* custom css */ .tdi_3_ec0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_ec0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Infobip has joined forces with Redbullet to roll out an Automated WhatsApp for Business API channel to its clients with the option of a breakout to a live agent. Established in 2010, Redbullet is a Botswana-based company that provides omnichannel solutions to enterprise customers in the local market. Bakang Sebele, Co-Founder of the ICT company says that they approached Infobip based on its reputation as a big omnichannel provider in South Africa. It had previously also used Infobip’s SMS platform before developing its own. “WhatsApp for Business is a fairly new technology in Botswana, but most people here use WhatsApp as their preferred channel of communication. It mad...
Flutterwave Partners with Amole to Expand Remittances in Ethiopia
Image sourced from Techpoint Africa /* custom css */ .tdi_3_e04.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_e04.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Flutterwave has partnered with Amole to facilitate money transfers into Ethiopia. Through this agreement, Amole Wallet users will be able to send money to bank accounts and cash pickup locations at over 2,500 locations across the country. This news comes at a time when many remittance services in Ethiopia today are seen as too expensive, with manual paperwork and delays making it challenging and time-consuming. The partnership is expected to solve these problems by providing instant delivery of funds to the receiver at no fee, with more control of where and how to send money, including transparency from a regulatory standpoint. Speaking on...
Liquid Telecom Launches New Identity in Kenya
Liquid Telecom has unveiled its new identity as Liquid Intelligent Technologies in Kenya. As part of the rebrand, the pan-African technology group also revealed its plan to go from being a telecommunications and digital services provider to a full one-stop-shop technology. Over the last two decades, Liquid has established itself as a leading pan-African digital infrastructure provider with an extensive network spanning over 73,000 KM. This rebrand to Liquid Intelligent Technologies highlights the organisation’s expansion of its Cloud business, Cyber Security services, and other technologies added to its existing telecoms and connectivity capability. This also furthers the Group’s aim of accelerating growth by providing tailor-made digital solutions to businesses in the public and private s...
