Ever since I read the autopsy report for the late Prince, I’ve taken a closer look at the world of drugs – painted bad in the press yet loved by celebrities across the world. I became even more curious about drugs when I saw video that led to Nigerian DJ’s decision to stop playing Terry G’s music. So why am I talking about drugs?
The conferment of hyperactivity ability on its user is why the drug industry is a multibillion dollar one – but you don’t really need to sniff some to get high, just a little motivation and making smart moves would definitely get the desired results. And two companies effectively did that this week – Uber and Andela.
Uber this week began operations in Tanzania, introduced UberGreen in Cape Town, and it globally rolled out Scheduled Rides. It also signed an agreement with the Ghanaian government. I loved these and other Uber developments this week because the company showed that in spite of its large number of operating cities, it is not yet relenting and still wants more success. It is also securing partnerships and forging alliances by working with local partners. This way, it will continue to be several light years ahead of its closest competitors.
While Uber had to do a lot to get my attention, Andela got my attention on a platter of gold with just one announcement. And with this its co-founders now find themselves right on the same level with the likes of Sim Shagaya and Jason Njoku when they were able to not just get the attention of Mark Zuckerberg (Jobberman did that with Facebook’s Free Basics), they also got his money!
Tecno was also in the news this week with the official launch of Camon C9 which we’ve already unboxed. We also reported the Tecno W4 which is regarded as the most affordable Marshmallow device; also the Tecno L8 which seems to be the company’s answer to Gionee M5 mini. Yea, Tecno is also on drugs.
Twitter also took a cue from Uber and attempted to secure its future when it invested in SoundCloud; Microsoft on the other hand broke the internet when it announced it has acquired LinkedIn – probably with the money it raised from the sale of its smartphone segment.
Apple wasn’t left out. It rolled out iOS 10, launched kids-friendly Swift Playgrounds and announced it is bringing Siri to Mac.
It appears that the various tech companies are striving to have their own share of the ever-rising digital content space which is understandably why SnapChat wants to start showing more adverts and eTranzact is rebranding.
To ensure that Africans are not left out in this fast moving African tech space, there are initiatives across the continent including Nigeria and Kenya to better position entrepreneurs to benefit from the ecosystem. And to guard against suicidal intentions which had been strongly linked to drug usage, Facebook this week introduced a new tool globally.
Let’s toast to more successes in the tech ecosystem even as we stand against hatred and terrorism as typified by the Orlando massacre. May God and Disney’s money comfort those affected.
Have a wonderful weekend.