West Africa
Facebook Opens New HQ in Nigeria
Facebook has officially opened its new HQ in Nigeria – marking the platforms second office on the African continent. Aimed at supporting the entire Sub-Saharan Africa region, the office is expected to become operational in H2 2021 and will be the first on the continent to house a team of expert engineers building for the future of Africa and beyond. Facebook’s office is expected to be home to various teams servicing the continent from across the business, including Sales, Partnerships, Policy, Communications as well as Engineers. “The opening of our new office in Lagos, Nigeria presents new and exciting opportunities in digital innovations to be developed from the continent and taken to the rest of the world,” says Ime Archibong, Facebook’s Head of New Product Experimentation. /* custom cs...
MTN Liberia and Sendwave Partner to Expand International Remittences
Sourced from The Techie Guy Lonestar Cell MTN has partnered with Sendwave to enable customers to receive international remittances from the US straight into their Mobile Money accounts. MTN believes that using MoMo for international remittances and daily financial transactions makes life easier, safer and more convenient. “We are excited and very proud to be at the forefront of innovative financial technologies and partnerships which can help Liberians live convenient and safer lives. Our international remittances partnership with Sendwave does just that,” says Christopher Ssali, Acting GM of Lonestar Cell MTN Mobile Money. “What is even better is that with our rapidly expanding MoMo ecosystem, MoMo customers can use the money they receive to pay bills, buy goods and pay for services...
Nokia to Expand LTE Network in Nigeria
Nokia and Tizeti have partnered to supply over one million subscribers in Nigeria with LTE technology. The telco will deploy Nokia’s AirScale Base Station TDD-LTE and Fastmile Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) gateways in order to deliver Internet and Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. The solution is expected to enable Tizeti to deliver a more robust, high-speed internet service to subscribers and the flexibility to seamlessly evolve to 5G Fixed Wireless Access when needed. Nokia says that its FWA solution will allow Tizeti to fast-track broadband access and provide a best-in-class broadband experience to its subscribers. Whereas its AirScale Base Stations ensure high-quality connectivity and coverage and enable Tizeti to evolve the network in line with customer demand. “We are committed t...
Jumia to Introduce New Pick Up Stations in Ghana
Jumia has expanded its delivery service with the introduction of new pick-up locations across Ghana – something that the company hopes will allow customers to receive their orders faster while saving money. With over 20 pick up stations already operational in Accra and Kumasi, new stations will open in the Western and Central Region. Preparations to expand to Koforidua, Ho, Aflao and Tamale are also in the pipeline. The eCommerce reports that more than 25% of its consumers are from remote, rural areas who haven’t always been afforded the choice to find more affordable products. However, with the introduction of these pick-up stations, consumers will be able to find MORE flexible payment options. Consumers in the Western and Central Regions can now also choose the cash on delivery payment m...
Lonestar Cell MTN and WorldRemit Expand International Remittances in Liberia
Lonestar Cell MTN and WorldRemit have partnered to make it possible for customers to receive international remittances straight to their Mobile Money accounts, free of charge. With over 7,000 Lonestar Cell MTN agent cashpoint locations across Liberia, the service is expected to eliminate the stress, risks and long queues in banking halls associated with receiving remittances sent by loved ones. “Liberians can now receive international financial remittances from family and friends in Europe, Canada and the USA more easily and safely,” says Christopher Ssali, Acting GM of Lonestar Cell MTN Mobile Money. “Our MoMo ecosystem has grown so customers can use the money they receive to pay bills, buy goods and pay for the services they need with Mobile Money. We are excited about this because it ma...
MTN Ghana to Become a Fully Digital Operator by 2023
MTN has introduced a month-to-month payment option that aims to give customers “control of their spend commitments”. With no lock-ins, no credit checks and no complicated paperwork, MTN Month-to-Month is available to anyone that either doesn’t want to be tied to a contract or who is unable to get a long-term contract due to not meeting minimum requirements. New or existing customers simply need to choose the package they want and opt for the month-to-month payment option, allowing them to experience the MTN network without a 24-month obligation. All they will be asked for is their name, SA ID and debit order details should they opt to pay via debit order. “These are uncertain times for many, so with this product, we are responding to our customer’s needs with greater flexibility, as not ev...
PDP: Nigerians can’t survive hike in fuel, electricity prices
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told President Muhammadu Buhari that there is no way citizens can survive, what it described as the obnoxious hike in the cost of fuel and electricity, given the level of poverty his administration had allegedly already foisted on our nation. In a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary in Abuja on Tuesday, it observed that “the brazen attempt” by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to justify the excessive hike in the cost of fuel from N87 per litre under the PDP to N162 as well as electricity from N30.23 per kWh to over N66kw/h, “as yet another daring and intolerable affront to the Nigerian citizenry, who have summarily rejected the increases.” The PDP said it stands with Nigerians in insisting t...
How COVID-19 has Impacted Africa’s Wealthiest Countries by GDP
Sourced from IDG Connect Spanning 54 countries, Africa is a powerhouse in the world of natural resources and innovation. And despite the social and political issues the continent faces, there’s was no doubt that it was on track to see an abundance of opportunities to grow in the coming years – however, there was no telling what impact COVID-19 and subsequent national lockdowns would have on local GDPs. Here is a quick look at the richest countries in Africa in a COVID-19 economy: Nigeria A key component of the African economy, Nigeria has a population amounting to half of West Africa (just over 202 million). With an abundance of natural resources, it remains Africa’s number one producer in terms of GDP output, roughly $446,543 Billion at the end of 2019. The country is Africa’s large...
Mali: Military opens talks on transition to civilian rule
Mali’s military junta will hold meetings on Saturday to discuss its promised transition to civilian rule after mounting pressure from neighbours to yield power in the weeks since it overthrew the nation’s leader. The West African country has long been plagued by chronic instability, a simmering jihadist revolt, ethnic violence and endemic corruption, prompting a clique of rebel colonels to detain elderly President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last month. They pledged to step down after an undefined transition period, but the putsch has prompted Mali’s neighbours and former colonial ruler France to demand a swift transfer of power, with fears the crisis could impact neighbouring states. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc has imposed sanctions and closed...
Syinix to Launch its First Android TV in Ghana and Nigeria
Syinix is set to launch its first Android TV in Ghana and Nigeria this month. The Syinix Android TV features a frameless design, offering a greater field of vision. The TV will be sold in a wide range of sizes ranging from 32″ to 75″ to cater to the diverse needs for large screens. The TV has 4K Ultra HD Resolution. It also has improved image processing with HDR 10+, Dolby Vision, enabling users to see richer and more realistic colours. The TV is equipped with immersive 5.1 Surround sound with a Dolby decoder that optimizes its sound quality for a seamless entertainment experience that allows consumers to immerse themselves in their content of choice. Syinix Smart Android TV is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, which works with many Bluetooth devices such as soundbars, speakers, or a keybo...
French anti-jihadist force kills civilian in Mali
French anti-jihadist troops in Mali killed a civilian Tuesday and injured two others after a bus refused to slow down in a volatile area despite their orders, the French army command said. The incident occurred about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the city of Gao in Mali’s troubled north. The French soldiers fired warning shots in the ground but two bullets bounced off and hit the windscreen, wounding three people, including one fatally, the French army command said. “The seriously wounded person was evacuated by helicopter to the hospital of the (French) Barkhane force in Gao, but died of his injuries,” it said. “All steps have been taken to ascertain the exact sequence of events,” it said, expressing its “sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.” Mali is now under the control of...
Huawei Y6p Now Available for Pre-order in Ghana
Huawei has just revealed that the newest member of its Y Series – the Y6p – is available for pre-order in Ghana. The Y6p sports a 5.45 inches TFT LCD screen, 3020 mAh battery and runs Android 10 + EMUI 10.1. It comes standard with 64GB of storage and can be expanded to 512GB with a miscroSD, while the operating memory of the phone (RAM) is 3GB. The device is equipped with has three rear cameras – 13 megapixel, 5 megapixel and 2 megapixel – as well as an 8-megapixel front camera. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_354.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_354.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } It comes in three colours – black, green and purple – and can be ordered at a RRP of GHC799. Huawei Y5p Now Available in South Africa The Y5p sports a 5.45-inch Huawei FullView Display for a wider field o...
