East Africa
Access Bank acquires Kenya’s Transnational Bank
Following its first announcement in October 2019, Access Bank Plc has announced the successful completion of the acquisition of Transnational Bank Plc, of Kenya (TNB). The Bank made this known through a statement signed by its Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi. “Access Bank Plc is pleased to inform the investing public and the Nigerian Stock Exchange of the Bank’s successful completion of the acquisition of Transnational Bank (Kenya) Plc. This follows the receipt of full regulatory approvals and fulfillment of all conditions precedent to completion,” the statement read. Commenting on the acquisition, Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director, Access Bank PLC, said, “We are excited to make an entry into the vibrant Kenyan market. We pledge to put our customers at the forefront of everythin...
Syinix Launches Kenya’s 1st Android TV
Electronics company, Syinix has officially launched a new range of Android TVs in Kenya – marking the first time this kind of technology has entered the local market. Dubbed the Syinix A20 series, these TVs come as 32”, 43”, 50” and 55” screens with prices relative to the sizing. The A20 TVs are Syinix’s first truly frameless screens with a screen to body ratio of 96%. Syinix says that this range offers breathtaking quality with the HDR (High Dynamic Range) advanced image processing technology, that can let users see richer and more realistic colours. The other goal of the HDR is to maintain as much of the original image quality as possible, all the way through to the living room. The new Android TVs are also compatible with Google Assistant, which means users can quickly find and play the...
vivo V19 Smartphone Officially Available in Kenya
vivo has announced that its V19 smartphone would be officially available in Kenya – after initially launching the device in June and then pushing back the release. The V19 – vivo’s first-ever Dual Punch Hole Camera phone – will retail for Kshs 40,999 and come in either Gleam Black or Sleek Silver. “Having the device available in the market will now have Kenyans access our products at their convenience, which is in line with our vision of providing every Kenyan with affordable yet sophisticated devices with a great experience,” says CEO of vivo Kenya, Arthur Xian. The vivo V19 comes with an Ultra O Screen design with an in-display fingerprint sensor under the AMOLED screen of the phone. It sports a dual front camera which comprises of a 32MP main camera and an 8MP super wide-angle while the...
Google and Telkom Launch Balloon-Powered Internet Service in Kenya
Image sourced from MIT Technology Review Google’s Loon Project and Telkom Kenya have announced that it’s balloon-powered mobile Internet service is now available and covers more than 50,000 sq.km of the country with a fleet of 35 balloons – specific areas include Iten, Eldoret, Baringo, Nakuru, Kakamega, Kisumu, Kisii, Bomet, Kericho and Narok. According to the companies, this is the first balloon-powered internet to launch in Africa and the first non-emergency commercial deployment in the world. The Loon service will work by beaming Internet connectivity from ground stations to balloons 20 km overhead. The balloons (floating base stations) are linked to the ground stations that have been connected to Telkom’s network. These ground stations utilise millimeter wave spectrum to send connecti...
Rayvanny – Tunawabuluza
Wasafi Records star Rayvanny delivers another new song titled ‘Tunawabuluza’. ‘Tunawabuluza’ is an upbeat song coming only some hours after the singer dropped ‘Ccm Wayaaa!‘. Kidogo Dogo and Kenny hold the credit for the production of the tune. Listen and enjoy Rayvanny – Tunawabuluza below. https://www.naijamusic.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Rayvanny_-_Tunawabuluza_NaijaMusic.com.ng.mp3 Download Share this: You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
Showmax Launches New Live-streaming Service in Kenya and Nigeria
Showmax is launching a new service – Showmax Pro – which will initially roll out in Nigeria and Kenya. The service will bundle the existing Showmax entertainment service with music channels, news and live sport streaming from SuperSport. Showmax Pro features all Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and PSL games, as well as a wide range of other live sport events. Here’s a closer look at Showmax Pro’s offerings: Showmax Showmax Pro Showmax Showmax Mobile Showmax Pro Showmax Pro Mobile Series, movies, kids’ shows, documentaries ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ IAAF Athletics, pro boxing, major international marathons, & more – – ✓ ✓ Music channels Trace Urban, Trace Gospel – – ✓ ✓ News channels Africa News, Euronews, Newzroom Afrika – – ✓ ✓ Football: all Premier League, Serie A, PSL and La Liga games – – ✓ ✓ Number...
M-PESA is Close to a 99% Market Share in Kenya
Sourced from Tech Weez. As of 31 March 2020, the number of registered mobile money subscriptions in Kenya was 29.1 million. This space is dominated by Safaricom with M-PESA having a 98.8% market share. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reports that Airtel Money comes in a far, far second at 1.1%, and third is T-Kash at a 0.05% share. Equitel, which is regarded more as a banking product than a mobile money service was not ranked by the CA. Launched in 2007, M-PESA has become a Kenyan stable, with Tech Weez writing that as of right now the service and its products are symbiotic with the country’s economy so far as to be impossible to run a business without it, or any other mobile money platform. M-PESA’s success has also firmly planted Kenya in the world map, the service is consider...
Liquid Telecoms Expands Reach to Rural Communities in Malawi
Pan-African telecoms company, Liquid Telecom has announced that it will provide VSAT connectivity services to mbora, a pioneering new social enterprise in Malawi that is providing free connectivity to people living and working in rural areas through community hubs. Each hub is serviced with broadband speeds of up to 36mbps, which in turn enables mbora and its content partners to digitally deliver their services to mbora users over a free internet connection. Liquid Telecom is using the latest High-Throughput-Satellite of its long-term partner Intelsat and providing an uncapped data service to mbora. mbora is aiming to build 150 hubs encircling Lake Malawi and to expand across the region and according to the companies, the first community hub is now live in a lakeshore village near Mangochi...
Kenya Introduces Digital Tax for Online Sales
Sourced from Phys.org. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has approved the 2020 Finance Bill, proposing amendments to multiple statutes including the Income Tax Act, the Value Added Tax Act of 2013, the Excise Duty Act of 2015 and the Tax Procedures Act of 2015. The most notable aspect of the approval of this new bill is the foundation of the Digital Services Tax. This new bill will see the introduction of a digital tax at 1.5% the gross value of any online transaction. Taxing online transactions What this means is that people whose income is from the “provision of services and products” sourced through the digital marketplace will have to pay the tax. What’s more, the digital service tax will be payable at the time of transfer of payment to service providers. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_ecc.td-a...
Tanzanian FinTech Launches Personal Finance App
Mipango Fintech has launched a new app that will provide free personal financial management to Tanzanians on IOS and Android mobile devices. The app – which is underpinned by AI and operates in Swahili – aims to support Tanzanians to better manage their expenses, provide an opportunity to set up budgets, view, analyze expenses and track personal finances. “Financial literacy is a key gap in the growth and development of this market. Over 50% of Tanzanian adults do not keep track of their expenditures and have no financial goals. This factor leads many citizens to engage in bad debt practices which in turn leads many people into abject poverty,” says Lilian Makoi, co-founder of Mipango Fintech. “We see the launch of this application as an opportunity to change the way our citizens run their...
MTN is Recognised as Most Admired Telecom Brand in Uganda
Image sourced from Pinterest. MTN has been recognised as the Most Admired Telecom Brand in Uganda by Brands Africa in the 2020 Africa’s Best Brands Survey which is conducted across 27 countries on the continent. “This award is an endorsement of our efforts towards keeping every Ugandan connected,” says Joseph Bogera, MTN Uganda’s GM of Sales and Distribution. “I would like to thank all our customers and communities for the trust that they have shown in us. It encourages us to work harder every day to deliver on our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of modern connected life.” MTN reaches 100 million active user milestone MTN Uganda’s announcement comes hot on the heels of the group’s overall impressive performance across the African continent. Just last week, MTN Group a...
Zuku Could Soon Be Releasing an Android TV-Ready Decoder
Satellite and fixed internet provider Zuku seems to be looking into releasing a decoder loaded with Android TV in the future, combined with Google Play and YouTube. The service is available in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi & Zambia. Zuku is working on an Android TV box. Interesting stuff. But also it can end in tears. pic.twitter.com/IWkpxdiNNt — Kenyan Citizen 🇰🇪 (@BeingWesh) June 25, 2020 New images circling social media might give an indication of what this new product may look like, as well as what might be included in the box set. According to TechWeez, the product is set to be a decoder that is capable of running Android TV, Google Play and YouTube. No word yet if the decoder will be able to support the installation of any other streamings services like Netflix ...
