North Africa
Could Vodacom Unseat Rival MTN After These 2 Massive Acquisitions?
Image sourced from SABC News. Vodacom South Africa has announced two major acquisitions today – the buying of a 55% controlling stake in Vodafone Egypt, the North African country’s largest telecom, and a major move in SA’s local fibre market through a new deal with Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) that will see a co-controlling interest in the hands of Vodacom. Currently the third-largest telecom company in Africa, these two acquisitions better position Vodacom to unseat long-time rival MTN as Africa’s top telecom. The Vodafone Egypt Deal Vodacom Group South Africa is reportedly entering the North Africa market for the first time ever after announcing that it will seek to acquire Vodafone Egypt from Vodafone Group for $2.7-billion. Vodafone Group, a UK-based mega-corp, is the parent com...
“Severe” Internet Shutdown in Sudan as the Military Violently Seize Power
Demonstrators protest against prospect of military rule in Khartoum, Sudan. Image sourced from Reuters. Local media in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum are reporting that internet services across the region have been interrupted, with many outright stating that the internet is down. This is after reports that Sudan’s military seized power during a coup on Monday, arresting members of a transitional pro-democracy government that itself overthrew the long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir during a citizen uprising two years ago. NetBlocks is reporting that the network disruptions are severe and appear to be consistent with an internet shutdown. They write that the disruption has likely been implemented to block the free flow of information online and news coverage of incidents on the ground. &#...
umlaut Has Awarded Ooredoo Algérie the Best in Test 2021/09
umlaut – now part of Accenture – has awarded Ooredoo Algérie the Best in Test 2021/09 mobile certificate for scoring an impressive 572 dots out of 1000 in mobile network benchmarking survey to measure the mobile network in Algeria. For the extensive crowdsourced data analysis, 257.9 thousand users contributed 315.5 million samples in 6 months (W14 2021 to W37 2021). In the nationwide assessment, 96.1% of the urban ‘build-up area’ and 98.4% of the ‘Population area’ were tested, which constituted a total area size of 128.677 km2. Ooredoo Algérie excelled in 3 categories, including best in test, best-rated user download speed, and best-rated latency. Hakan Ekmen, CEO, umlaut Telecommunications, commented, “Congratulations to Ooredoo Algérie for being awarded ‘Best in Test’. Congrats to B...
Huawei Partners with Mondia Pay – Expanding Digital Payments in Algeria and Tunisia
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit “Cookie Settings” to provide a controlled consent. 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.
Safaricom Completes Services Upgrade
Sourced from Tech Weez. Safaricom has introduced updates to its airtime top-up, sim swap, tariff migration and activation of new lines services. The updates are expected to increase the telco’s capacity for future innovations. In a tweet, Safaricom says that M-Pesa, calls, data and SMS will all be operational. Customer Notice on Service Upgrade for Saturday 24th April 2021. pic.twitter.com/NCo9j9PUGQ — Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) April 23, 2021 Safaricom Forced to Split Dividend Payouts by CBK The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has pressured Safaricom into dividing its dividend payouts in order to “shield the weakening shilling when the telecommunications firm seeks dollars for repatriation to foreign investors”, reports Business Daily. Kenya’s local currency has faced immense pressure...
Jawwy TV Mobile App Now Available in Egypt
Intigral, Telecom Egypt (WE) and TPAY Mobile have partnered to launch the Jawwy TV app in Egypt. The mobile app is expected to offer a new digital entertainment platform for viewers. A 30-day free trial of Jawwy TV will be available exclusively to WE subscribers from the date of subscription. The Jawwy TV app encompasses both linear TV and subscription video on demand (SVOD) offerings, presenting viewers with countless content titles across multiple genres – it also includes over 50 free-to-air and encrypted channels. The app is also packed with features that enhance user experiences, such as subtitles and audio options in both Arabic and English, parental control tools, rewind features for linear TV content, live TV start over options, a recommendation engine, and the ability to use the a...
Pandemic impact on Tunisia tourism ‘catastrophic’
Tunisia’s tourism sector has collapsed, officials warned on Saturday, with earnings plunging 60% and swathes of hotels at risk of closing permanently. LIVE | All the latest coronavirus and lockdown updates The sector, a major employer that accounts for 14% of the North African nation’s GDP, has been hit hard by restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. “There has been a drop in tourism activities of 60%, and we could reach 70% by the end of 2020,” Tourism Minister Habib Ammar told reporters. Tunisia’s income from tourism this year has totalled just 1.56 billion dinars ($563 million), officials statistics showed. Total bed nights – the number of nights visitors stayed in hotels – dropped by 79.5%. “The current tourism situation is very bad – if not catastrophic,” sai...
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...
Premier League terminate £490 million TV deal in China
The Premier League has terminated its TV rights deal with China, its biggest overseas contract, leaving a huge hole in clubs’ finances. The deal with Chinese broadcaster PPTV was worth around £490m and had lasted only one of its three years. The conflict is said to have been around a fee of £160m that the Premier League was owed in March but did not receive. “The Premier League confirms that it has today terminated its agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its licensee in that territory,” a spokesman said on Thursday. “The Premier League will not be commenting further on the matter at this stage.” It is not known if the conflict is based purely on money or involves the escalating political tensions between China and the UK government. Boris Johnson announced in July that Hua...
Uber Launches an Intercity Bus Service in Egypt
Uber has launched an intercity Bus service in Egypt – the first country globally to roll out this service – with the aim of connecting cities with the Uber app. The launch comes as part of Uber’s continuous efforts to adapt its technology to build a wide range of products that meet the needs of local markets. “We are honoured to witness another global product launch from Egypt, especially following the last few tense months across the country and the world. Egypt is an innovation hub and a fantastic environment for testing new products,” says Ahmed Khalil, GM of Uber Egypt. “By leveraging Uber’s technology, the new intercity service will introduce a convenient setting to move users between governorates. As we continue to invest in the Egyptian market, we remain committed to broadening...
Women Peacebuilders lead COVID-19 Prevention Efforts Across Libya Via WhatsApp and Zoom
Sourced from the Wilson Center. Separated by their country’s divisions, both geographically and politically, 36 Libyan women have since used their phones to connect, discuss and overcome their differences in the interest of one goal: Peace in Libya. They have been a part of this network since July 2019. Members of the group are not new to activism. Each member has her own network of activists in her own region where she is already working to support their own communities. Although rarely documented, Libyan women have always had a vital role in managing conflicts and making peace in their own families and communities. For almost a year now, the Network has met weekly on WhatsApp and Zoom to find ways for Libyan women to enter male-dominated decision-making and negotiation spaces. They seek ...
The Difficulties of Reaching Communities in Chad with COVID-19 Safety Messages
Sourced from RFI. The health authorities in Chad are focusing on communities to build confidence so that citizens trust the right information and avoid risky behaviour. Communal living, not uncommon in many of N’Djamena’s neighbourhoods, the Chadian capital, is a source of fear among residents as COVID-19 persists. When the pandemic reached Chad, health authorities rolled out a raft of response measures, including door-to-door visits by community health educators to relay messages on safety. While face-to-face meetings are time-consuming, the sessions are more personal, often carried out by someone from the same community who speaks the same language and has the appropriate cultural understanding. Unlike broadcast messages, people can ask questions and seek clarifications in door-to-door c...
