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M-PESA is Close to a 99% Market Share in Kenya
Sourced from Tech Weez. As of 31 March 2020, the number of registered mobile money subscriptions in Kenya was 29.1 million. This space is dominated by Safaricom with M-PESA having a 98.8% market share. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reports that Airtel Money comes in a far, far second at 1.1%, and third is T-Kash at a 0.05% share. Equitel, which is regarded more as a banking product than a mobile money service was not ranked by the CA. Launched in 2007, M-PESA has become a Kenyan stable, with Tech Weez writing that as of right now the service and its products are symbiotic with the country’s economy so far as to be impossible to run a business without it, or any other mobile money platform. M-PESA’s success has also firmly planted Kenya in the world map, the service is consider...
5 App Development Trends in 2020
COVID-19 and mobile app development are an unlikely but transformative combination this year. They are reshaping all sorts of industries and business leaders need to quickly adopt the latest trends in order to make the most of 2020. It is also critical for businesses to integrate the latest mobile app development technologies in order to reach a wider target audience and more importantly, to gain growth. Here is a list of some key mobile app development trends to consider: 1. Beacon technology /* custom css */ .tdi_3_059.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_059.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Beacons are wireless transmitters that make use of Bluetooth technology to send signals. Beacon technology is one of the biggest mobile app trends, it is being embraced by many industries f...
A Fallout TV Series is Being Made by Amazon and the Producers of Westworld
Sourced from Screen Rant. Amazon Studios has licensed the rights to Fallout, a series of action RPGs developed by industry leaders Bethesda Game Studios. A TV/web series is being developed by Amazon’s OTT service Amazon Prime based on the story of the games. The new series will be produced by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Kilter Films, which also produces HBO’s Westworld. The announcement came by way of a series of tweets. The world of #Fallout is headed your way in a new series in partnership with @AmazonStudios and #KilterFilms. https://t.co/zk9s2qDN1m pic.twitter.com/r5KZHvRM1s — Bethesda (@bethesda) July 2, 2020 “Fallout is one of the greatest game series of all time. Each chapter of this insanely imaginative story has cost us countless hours we could have spent with family and friends...
Security Flaw in Health Startup Exposed User Accounts and Medical Information
Sourced from LogBox. LogBox, a South African medical data startup that claims it is an “absolutely secure” way to replace paper forms and documentation in sharing patient data with doctors, has exposed user accounts and sensitive patient data following a lapse in security. Anurag Sen, a security researcher, found an exposed database belonging to the company. The database contained account access tokens for thousands of LogBox users, which if used would grant full access to the accounts and the information therein of users without even needing to input a password. Sen had reported to LogBox that their database has been exposed, but did not hear back. TechCrunch writes that the database has been pulled offline as soon as it reached out. LogBox’ database leak comes just as the country’s new d...
MTN Appoints New CEOs in Benin and Cameroon
Image sourced from Pinterest. MTN has appointed new CEOs for two of its West African operations, MTN Cameroon and MTN Benin. Stephen Blewett, the current CEO of MTN Benin, will take the helm at MTN Cameroon on 1 August 2020 when Uche Ofodile, the current CEO of MTN Liberia, will become the CEO of MTN Benin. “I would like to congratulate Stephen and Uche on their appointments,” says MTN Group president and CEO, Rob Shuter. “Both are renowned for harnessing the power of people to move businesses forward. This is evident in the significant improvements in employee engagement, as well as overall performance, at MTN’s operations in Benin and Liberia in the past few years.” Karl Toriola, VP for MTN’s West and Central Africa region, thanked Stephen and Uche for their commitment and contribution: ...
No Major Changes Expected for Facebook’s Policies Amidst Worldwide Boycott
Sourced from BBC. Facebook and its family of apps have been embroiled in a far-reaching ad boycott of its platforms. The boycott, started by civil rights groups in the US, has been joined by hundreds of companies worldwide, including the likes of Unilever, Microsoft and Coca-Cola. The campaign, #StopHateforProfit, calls for Facebook to implement stricter measures to rid hate speech and racism on its platform during a time when the US is embroiled in daily protests against systemic racism and police brutality. New reports indicate that Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not worried by the boycott and has no intention of changing any of Facebook’s policies regarding hate speech or otherwise on its apps. Zuckerberg allegedly says that the boycott is more of a PR issue than one that will harm t...
5 Interesting New Features Coming to WhatsApp
WhatsApp has announced a set of new features coming to the app in the next few weeks, including the launch of WhatsApp Dark Mode for its desktop platform amongst others. “WhatsApp is already used and loved by more than 2 billion people around the world. While our focus remains on providing a simple, reliable and private way for people to chat with friends and family – we also continue to push forward our product design to make sure WhatsApp remains the most useful way for anyone, anywhere to connect,” a blog post about the new features reads. [embedded content] The chat service launched dark mode on its smartphone app for iOS and Android in March and now is set to roll out a version of the interface design for WhatsApp desktop, as well as a few more interesting new features. /* custom css ...
Google Launches Nonprofits Initiative in Nigeria
Sourced from IOL. Google has launched the “Google for Nonprofits” in Nigeria, aiming to empower NPOs across the country by providing them with free premium services. Google for Nonprofits will give access to a collection of premium apps to organisations that qualify for the program. These will be the same tools used by large enterprises. NPOs will be given the rights to use the tools at no cost. Once qualifying, NPOs can use tools such as Google Ad Grants, G-Suite for Nonprofits, YouTube’s nonprofit programs and more. These premium apps are to assist nonprofits to work more quickly and efficiently. They are to spur more supporters into action, and for them to tell their stories in more compelling ways. Nonprofits can qualify for a grant of up to $10,000 a month that is available for six mo...
South Africa’s GDP Falls by 2% During First Quarter of 2020
Sourced from Finance Monthly. According to Statistics South Africa, the country’s economy decreased by 2.0% in the first quarter of 2020. Extending the technical recession the country found itself in in the last quarter of 2019. Stats SA’s latest quarterly GDP figures come only a week after SA’s finance minister Tito Mboweni tabled a supplementary budget in part of the country’s response against the COVID-19 pandemic. South Africa is the worst affected country in the continent. Treasury now expects the country’s GDP to contract by a record 7.2% by the end of the year, while tax revenues are expected to fall over R300 billion shorter then what was estimated in February’s budget. Fin24 reports that the global economy is likewise looking dour. The UK is reporting a 2.2% contraction between Ja...
INTERVIEW: How IBM and WITS are Enabling Data-Driven Decisions to Flatten the COVID-19 Curve
With the ongoing battle against the spread of COVID-19, it’s said that timely and accurate data could help governments stay ahead of new transmissions and ultimately flatten the curve. With this in mind, IBM Research Africa, WITS University and the Gauteng provincial government have joined forces to develop a powerful data-driven dashboard to help make data-driven decisions when it comes to halting the spread of the virus. ITNA’s Jenna Delport spoke to Sibusisiwe Makhanya, Data Scientist at IBM Research Africa, about this pioneering tool and how it’s aiding the government during this pandemic. Here’s is what transpired: With the ongoing battle against the spread of COVID-19 in mind, how does timely and accurate data assist government to stay ahead of new transmissions and flatten the curve...
Microsoft and LinkedIn to Bring Digital Skills to 25 million People Worldwide
Microsoft has announced a new global skills initiative aimed at bringing more digital skills to 25 million people worldwide by the end of the year. The announcement comes in response to the global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanded access to digital skills is an important step in accelerating economic recovery, especially for the people hardest hit by job losses. This initiative, detailed on the Official Microsoft Blog, includes immediate steps to help those looking to reskill and pursue an in-demand job and brings together every part of the company, combining existing and new resources from LinkedIn, GitHub and Microsoft. This includes: /* custom css */ .tdi_3_d1c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_d1c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The use of data to ...
LEAKED: Images of Samsung’s 5G Galaxy Z Flip
Image sourced from TENAA Images said to be showing Samsung’s newest 5G device – the Galaxy Z Flip 5G – have made their home online, reports The Verge. The pictures, first listed by China’s TENAA certification centre, confirm some key design specs including a new silver colour scheme. The images suggest that the 5G foldable device could be powered by the Snapdragon 865+ as opposed to the Snapdragon 855+ fitted to the original LTE Z Flip – “there’s still 8GB of RAM, but the batteries are listed with capacities of 2,500mAh and 704mAh, compared to the total capacity of 3,300mAh the phone had previously,” writes The Verge. MySmartPrice reports that the 5G device’s camera setup could instead sport a 10mp ultrawide lens rather than the 12mp lens on the LTE device. It’s also worth noting...
