tech news
Absa Partners with AWS to Launch Cloud Computing Skills Incubator
Image sourced from Wikiwand Absa has launched a cloud incubator initiative in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance its cloud computing skills across its operations in Africa. This move is part of Absa’s broader efforts to promote learning, experimentation and innovation across the organisation to enhance the banking experience for its customers. By migrating to the cloud, companies can eliminate the expense of building and managing on-site data centres while gaining the ability to reduce infrastructure costs and scale up and down rather than paying for excess on-premises capacity. “Cloud is rapidly becoming the norm for large companies, a trend that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted a step-change in digital solutions,” says Andrew Baker, Absa ...
Facebook Says it Won’t Notify Users Implicated in ‘Hack’
On April 3, Business Insider revealed that more than 530 million Facebook users personal information had been made publicly available in an unsecured database – this included names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Facebook has now disclosed that it doesn’t plan to notify the users whose data was exposed online. According to The Verge, the social media platform “cited two reasons as to why it’s not telling users proactively: it says it’s not confident it would know which users would need to be notified and that users wouldn’t be able to do anything about the data being online”. Facebook believes that the data leak is the result of malicious actors who obtained the data by scraping it from the platform prior to September 2019. “We believe the data in question was scraped from ...
South Africa to Receive 20 Million Doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine
Image sourced from TimesLIVE Pfizer is set to distribute 20 million doses of its COVID-19 Vaccine to South Africa – starting mid-April. This comes after the pharmaceutical company managed to resolve contractual conditions that weren’t in line with South Africa’s normal procurement policies, revealed Department of Health deputy director-general, Anban Pillay. According to Bloomberg, the Pfizer-BioNTech version will be “used to kick-start the rollout after a decision not to use AstraZeneca Plc’s shot, which was found to offer little protection against mild forms of COVID-19 in a local trial”. AstraZeneca Vaccine Only ‘Minimally Effective’ Against South African COVID-19 Variant, says Researcher The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has proven ‘minimally effective’ against the South African variant...
Why Telcos Should Gear Up to Secure New Wave of 5G Networks
Telcos are expected to implement a wide array of measures in 2021 to secure the next wave of 5G connectivity, according to a global survey by Heavy Reading. As operators begin to rollout standalone 5G networks, they are moving swiftly to secure core network configuration services, such as slice management, which enable 5G operators to provide highly customized connectivity. By the end of 2021, 71% of respondents expect to have implemented security measures for their core network configuration services and 75% plan to have secured the radio access network (RAN). ...
Africa Data Centres to Build 10MW Facility in Nigeria
Africa Data Centres (ADC) has already begun work on its plans to construct a 10MW facility in Lagos, Nigeria. According to TechCentral, the Nigerian data centre will form “(ADC)’ West African hub” and join its network of facilities across East and Southern Africa. ADC CEO, Stephane Duproz says that the Lagos build will help spur the Nigerian economy. “The stimulus effect to the economy of digitisation is well documented and Nigeria is ready for this technology boon. Furthermore, our construction policy is to uplift the community as far as possible, employing local contractors and creating work opportunities within the communities we enter – so the job creation opportunities are realised at both grass-roots and hi-tech levels.” Africa Data Centres Joins NVIDIA DGX-Ready Data Centre Pr...
3 Steps to Effectively Organise Healthcare Data
Sourced from TTEC.com As healthcare organisations scrambled to cope with huge surges in patient numbers in the wake of the pandemic, the past year has seen a major change in the adoption of technology and digital services. According to research by Aruba, a HPE company, as of last year the healthcare sector was among the furthest ahead in terms of its adoption of advanced technologies and the sense of urgency it felt around this. Around three-quarters of healthcare IT leaders had started to implement trials or applications in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) (74%), Internet of Things (IoT) (76%) and machine learning (71%). But it was also one of the sectors struggling most with the data this new technology is producing. A third (33%) of IT leaders in healthcare&nb...
Unicaf – The Leading Online Higher Education Company in Africa
https://www.unicaf.org/scholarships-for-african-students/?utm_source=GlobalDMP-Africa-ITnewsafrica&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=GlobalDMP-Africa-ITnewsafrica-ASM-26-01-21 Despite the unprecedented challenges for our society and the economy globally caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICAF was able to produce excellent results that are a testament to the underlying strength of UNICAF’s delivery model and innovative programmes. Through the Unicaf Scholarship Programme, thousands of students were able to study towards internationally recognised degrees at a fraction of the cost. Read how a pioneer educational organisation has been changing the online higher education industry with its innovative delivery model and its state-of-the-art digital platform. A Brief History and Milesto...
Instax Mini 40 to Launch in South Africa
Fujifilm has announced that its newest entry-level camera, the Instax Mini 40 instant camera, would soon launch in South Africa. The Mini 40 embraces the old-school look and feel of film cameras thanks to its all-black leatherette body combined with a classic silver frame. Despite its retro looks, the Mini 40 incorporates the latest technology, as found on Instax’s Mini 11 and Square SQ1 instant cameras released last year. With the ‘Automatic Exposure’ function, for example, the Mini 40 automatically optimises the shutter speed, flash output and other settings according to the overall shooting conditions. This allows for balanced prints that are correctly exposed in both bright outdoor and low-light indoor environments. Users can also activate the ‘Selfie mode’ for taking selfies and ...
Uber Expands Ride-Hailing Service in Kenya
Sourced from CNet. Uber has expanded its ride-hailing service and online food delivery business to Nakuru, Kenya. According to Business Daily, this move will increase competition in the East African town where taxi-hailing services are dominated by Wasili Cabs and Bolt. “We remain optimistic about the business opportunity in Kenya, and the launch of Nakuru shows our commitment to the region,” says Brian Njao, Uber Head for East Africa. “With the COVID-19 pandemic, we are committed to helping people take essential trips safely while providing more avenues for economic opportunities for Kenyans.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3_d33.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_d33.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Uber Eats Nakuru has partnered with restaurants including KFC, Java House, Jamia Food ...
5G Rollout in Kenya Escalates as Airtel Upgrades 600 Sites
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel Kenya has upgraded over 600 sites in Nairobi, Mombasa and Malindi to ensure that they are 5G ready – this comes shortly after rival telco, Safaricom, launched the first 5G commercial services in East Africa. “These 600 sites are now 5G-ready. We don’t have to make any further modifications to the network. We will just get the spectrum and decide when to switch on,” says Prasanta Das Sarma, MD of Airtel Kenya. According to Business Daily, the new 5G network will “give consumers Internet speeds of 700 megabits per second, more than three times faster than the current 4G network, allowing operators to offer an alternative service for homes and offices in areas which are not currently covered by its fibre network”. Sarma also revealed that subscribers can hope to ...
Yahoo Answers to Shut Down in May
Image sourced from Android Headlines Yahoo Answers is officially being shut down after almost sixteen years of helping people around the world connect and share information. According to the platform’s website, it will be available in read-only mode from 20 April 2021 and officially shut down on 4 May 2021. A statement sent to active Yahoo Answers users reveals how Answers, once a key part of Yahoo’s products and services, has become “less popular over the years as the needs of our members have changed.” “We launched Yahoo Answers sixteen years ago to help people around the world connect and share information. With you and millions of other users, we built the best place on the web to ask and answer questions on a variety of topics, creating a community of global knowledge sharing. Wh...
Mastercard Expands Cashless Payment Functionality for Uber MEA
Mastercard has introduced a new initiative focusing on digital payments and advancing financial inclusions for Uber across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). As a regional first, the partnership with Mastercard will enable Uber to drive digitisation across their business operations, leveraging Mastercard’s single infrastructure to meet all types of payments needs across Uber Rides, Uber Eats, Uber Pass, and Uber for Business. It is intended that the partnership will boost cashless payments, drive digital payment acceptance, reward loyalty, while supporting Uber’s continued social impact collaboration. The Economy 2021 report released by Mastercard notes that the economic impact of COVID-19 has introduced permanent changes in digital consumer spending habits, growth of online banking, fintec...
