IT News
The Key to Boosting Women in Tech in South Africa
Sourced from Women in Tech Africa. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_365.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_365.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Women remain a largely untapped resource in the technology talent pool in South Africa. The statistics don’t lie: there are only 56000 women filling 236 000 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) roles in the country. That is 23%. Women fare even worse in emerging technology roles, such as cloud computing, and data and AI, with only 14% female participation in professional cloud computing and 28% in data and AI. Perhaps even more concerning is the lack of female talent filtering into the pipeline. For every two women who graduate with a STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degree in South Africa, there are fiv...
New Renewables Offer Energy Security for SA’s Beleaguered Economy
Sourced from Saur Energy. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_bb6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_bb6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } In a bold move last year, the South African government launched an emergency energy procurement plan with a view to relieve the current energy crisis and limit load-shedding. The shortfalls are currently partially alleviated, however at great expense, as there is extensive use of diesel-based open cycle gas turbines. Such fossil-fuel-based contingencies undermine our ability to reduce carbon emissions, curb global warming, and achieve sustainable development. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_b0f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_b0f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Dubbed the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (RMIPPPP), t...
Uber South Africa is Offering 100,000 Free Rides to Get Teachers Vaccinated
Sourced from CNet. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_09d.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_09d.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The South African government has fast-tracked the vaccine rollout for teachers and staff at schools across the country. Educators and staff of schools will begin receiving their COVID-19 jabs on Wednesday 23 June in a two-week push project aiming to administer 582,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. Teacher Vaccines Fast-Tracked Fast-tracking the rollout for teachers and schools staff is a major step in managing the country’s school system that has become embattled since the pandemic began in earnest. Thousands of teachers have succumbed to COVID-19 since March of 2020, and students have been living in anxiety of school closures and from h...
Wits University Robotics Team to Compete in AI-Powered “Robot Soccer World Cup”
Image sourced from the Mail & Guardian. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_0f9.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_0f9.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } For the first time, a Wits University team will compete in the international RoboCup tournament. RoboCup, the world cup for soccer robots, is a major annual event on the artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics calendar with a goal to advance the state of the art of intelligent robots. It sees teams from across the globe competing in different soccer leagues to show their mastery in AI and machine learning. The soccer robots can either be working physical robots or simulation robots. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_2e0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_2e0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Wits will be participating in the 3D simul...
Facebook Removes Fake Profiles Attacking Opposition Parties Ahead of Ethiopian Elections
Image sourced from Politico. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_c20.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_c20.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Social media mega-corp Facebook said on Wednesday that it had removed a network of fake accounts in Ethiopia targeting domestic users ahead of general elections next week in the country. The company said that the network was found to be linked with Ethiopia’s Information Network Security Agency (INSA). Posting mostly in Amharic about news and current events, including information about Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party, the network of fake accounts was also posting critical commentary about opposition politicians and groups including the Oromo Liberation Front, Ethiopian Democratic Party and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, among...
Startup “Unicorns” Help Mobile Money Soar in Africa
Image sourced from WeeTracker. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_c6c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_c6c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } A recent GSMA report reveals that there are 1.2 billion registered global mobile money accounts. 560-million of these registered accounts are in Africa. The GSMA, which represents several mobile network firms, states that “Sub-Saharan Africa has been at the forefront of the mobile money industry for over a decade, and in 2020 continued to account for the majority of growth.” FinTech Unicorns Running Wild in Africa Now, five African fintech startups, Flutterwave, ChipperCash, Interswitch, Paga and OPay are now being identified as “unicorns” by investors, the business media and analysts following the surge of mobile payments. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4...
Remote Work is Here to Stay: 4 Critical Elements Companies MUST Address
Sourced from Getty Images. Every business has to protect three critical assets – its staff, customers and its data. When one has six-foot walls around their home, one hopes to protect their physical property and household goods. Unfortunately, most people’s defences are woefully inadequate when it comes to their digital property. When COVID-19 struck last year, many businesses within a week were mandated to have their staff work from home. From an IT perspective, it meant slapping a band-aid on a wound. However, more than a year later, with many companies embarking on a process to get their staff back into the offices, IT assets remain at risk. The reality is that remote working is here to stay, and that an increase in remote work has led to surges in cyber attacks worldwide. Locally and i...
Nigerian Government Intensifies Internet Control Bid After Twitter Ban
Image sourced from CNN. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_1d7.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_1d7.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has begun ramping up efforts to regulate online media in Nigeria, just two weeks after Twitter was indefinitely banned in the West African country. Now, the federal government has asked that the House of Representatives pass a law that will enable the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to control all forms of internet broadcasting and social media. Many Nigerian users believe that this is but further attempts to stifle the country’s civic space – effectively crippling free speech and public dissent online. Nigeria Govt is asking House of Reps to amend the NBC Act and include “internet broadcasting”. That...
Kenyans Are Being Registered for Political Parties Without Knowledge or Consent
Image sourced from The World. Kenyan users are reporting on social media that they are being signed up as members of political parties in the country without their knowledge or consent via the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP). Many are finding the developments baffling: According to the Registrar of Political Parties (@ORPPKenya), I am a registered member of ANC. Eeerm, since when? Why? How? @anc_party how did I get on your membership roll and how do I get out? pic.twitter.com/KqcD53OBEH — E. Chenze (@echenze) June 18, 2021 As of yet, there is no clear answer for why this is happening. Theories are running rampant on social media. Some users are claiming that information is being leaked via security breaches in Safaricom’s M-Pesa platform. Though this is a significantly ...
Satya Nadella Becomes Microsoft’s First Chair & CEO Since Bill Gates
Sourced from Getty Images. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_342.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_342.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s current CEO was elected by the tech giant’s board to be its new chair on Wednesday. This is the first time in more than 20 years that the roles of CEO and chair have been held by the same person. The last person who simultaneously held both positions was Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, before stepping down as CEO 21 years ago at the turn of the millennium. Gates stepped down as Microsoft’s chair in 2014 and left the company’s board entirely last year in a bid to focus on his philanthropic priorities. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_564.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_564.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } In February 201...
Is Cybersecurity as Necessary as Electricity?
Sourced from Travellers Cybersecurity has become as much a business necessity as having electricity says South African financial services and insurance company, Sanlam. Threat actors are constantly evolving and relentlessly hunting for vulnerabilities, cybercrime has become so profitable that exploitation is their business priority, and regulation is increasingly complex to navigate and manage. For Sanlam, cybersecurity has always been more than plugging holes and filling gaps, it’s a priority that has to be embedded within business foundations while managing cost, growth, customer experience, data analytics and regulatory controls. “Developing a comprehensive and holistic cybersecurity solution is a mandate for us, one that we must meet to ensure customer, stakeholder and industry trust. ...
Why SMEs in South Africa Benefit from Alternative FinTech
Image sourced from Cape Business News. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_c3c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_c3c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Data and automation are rapidly changing the lending game in South Africa. The country is seeing the emergence of an agile new class of fintech that uses proprietary data and algorithms to vet loan applications within minutes so that retailers can access working capital they need to grow and thrive. This is according to Steven Heilbron, CEO of the Connect Group. “Alternative, technology-powered financing solutions are disrupting South Africa’s commercial lending market, especially the retail space and in the process, it is helping thousands of SMEs to navigate the threats and opportunities of a volatile economic landscape during the pandemic...
