Twitter is halting its verification program after only relaunching it last week. The company revealed that the pause is due to the volume of applications it has already received. Twitter in a tweet announced the pause but also assured that it will reopen soon. The company opened the application program…
Author: Oluwasegun Olukotun
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has signed a collaboration agreement with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to facilitate and support manufacturing of vaccines on the continent, critical to supporting Africa’s fight against diseases, such as COVID-19. Under the agreement signed in April, Afreximbank and AFC will identify and engage partners, and co-finance…
To help small businesses in Africa’s health sector strengthen their response to COVID-19 and other pressing healthcare challenges, GE Healthcare and NSIA Banque Côte d’Ivoire have partnered with IFC’s Africa Medical Equipment Facility to support healthcare providers in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda access essential medical…
Vodacom has launched the Nokia 2720, a smartphone designed to provide greater access for senior citizens, people living with disabilities and those who experience other communication barriers. The launch was done in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day observed on 20 May. “For more than two decades, Vodacom has been…
OPPO has unveiled its newly generated AR application CybeReal, powered by real-time, spatial computing technology. By adopting its in-house AI Engine, OPPO elevates Augmented Reality to the next level. OPPO CybeReal brings greater authenticity and convenience to the whole process of creating AR to experiencing AR. The compelling AR experience…
For the first time, future-shapers from all 55 African Union member states now have the chance to participate in the largest independent startup ecosystem-driven competition in the world with the opening of nominations for the Global Startup Awards (GSA) Africa (GlobalStartupAwards.com). The Awards give the entire ecosystem value chain visibility,…
Nigeria’s Grammy-winning sensation Burna Boy has emerged as Spotify’s most-streamed African artist globally. The Music streaming platform surveyed to ascertain the top streamed artists globally from the African continent as part of its Africa Day celebration where Burna Boy took the top spot. Over the past 90 days (March-May 2021),…
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Government of Tanzania have signed loan agreements totaling $140 million to finance the construction of the 50-megawatt Malagarasi hydropower plant in Western Tanzania. The agreements cover a $120 million sovereign loan from the Bank and $20 million from the Africa Growing Together…
The World Bank has approved the Nigeria Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program (SURWASH). The $700 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) will provide 6 million people with basic drinking water services and 1.4 million people access to improved sanitation services. The program will…
Instagram and Facebook have a new update which enables users to now hide like counts. There have been several trials on both platforms recently which have now led to the two settling for an opt-in experience for hiding like counts to allow people to disable seeing them across all posts…
Amazon and MGM today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire MGM for a purchase price of $8.45 billion. MGM has nearly a century of filmmaking history and complements the work of Amazon Studios, which has primarily focused on producing TV show programming. Amazon will help preserve MGM’s heritage and catalog of films,…
MTN Group’s brand is growing from strength to strength, evidenced by its top rankings in two separate independent brand surveys released this week. MTN remains the ‘Most Admired African Brand’ in the Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands 2021 survey published on Tuesday. The survey covers 28 countries representing 80%…
Mastercard has announced a partnership with Telda for Egypt’s first of its kind payment app. This partnership is set to promote the country’s digital transformation and bring Egypt closer to its vision of becoming a digital economy, particularly benefiting new segments through an innovative consumer experience. Mastercard will also enable…
Mondia Pay and M-Pesa have partnered to allow Tanzanians to conveniently access Mondia’s leading suite of online content on the Vodacom Tanzania PLC digital services network. Africa is experiencing a fintech explosion, with digitalisation coming of age in many countries as connectivity and access to devices expand and the pressures…
Jobberman, the single largest job placement website in sub-Saharan Africa, has partnered with the Nigerian Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in a bid to train 120,000 youth corpers a year. The free soft skills training course, now synonymous with the Jobberman name, will take place in NYSC camps across 36 states…
Botswana this month became the first country in Southern Africa, and the third in Africa, to pilot drone technology for healthcare delivery. The Drones for Health pilot project aims to reduce preventable maternal deaths by delivering maternal health supplies and commodities – including essential obstetric care drugs, blood, blood products,…
Mastercard has announced that the Bahrain-based NEC Payments is now a global partner of Mastercard Fintech Express, which connects tech-savvy startups with traditional players such as banks. The program supports digital payment innovators by making it simple to collaborate with the tech company and its partners to launch new products,…
Verizon has announced the deployment of 5G Ultra Wideband in 14 additional arenas and multi-year agreements as the exclusive 5G partner of the 15 NBA teams who play at these venues, bringing the total number of arenas and stadiums enabled with 5G to more than 60. With 5G Ultra Wideband, teams…
LaLiga, Spain’s premier football association and Microsoft Corp. have announced an expansion of their partnership focused on digitally transforming the sports experience globally. The companies will also collaborate on developing technology solutions to the media and entertainment industry through LaLiga’s technology offering, LaLiga Tech. As LaLiga’s global Tech and Innovation…
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced the commencement of construction of the Africa Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC) in Ogun State, Nigeria. The Centre will be a state-of-the-art facility with the capacity to offer testing, certification, inspection, and training services covering agricultural products. It is the first in a series of…