News & Views

Latest Content tagged with Digital Inclusion

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Intelsat, AMN expand rural connectivity in Madagascar

Paula Gilbert
2/27/2024

Satellite operator Intelsat and Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) are working to connect 500 sites in rural Madagascar, while Intelsat has also announced it will modernize more than 900 sites for Openserve in South Africa.

Paramount+ streaming service to launch in Africa through MultiChoice

Matshepo Sehloho
2/27/2024

Paramount Global Content Distribution has signed a deal that will see its streaming platform Paramount+ launched through the MultiChoice Group in Africa.

Hot startup of the month: South Africa's Botlhale AI

Matshepo Sehloho
2/23/2024

Connecting Africa's hot startup this month is South Africa's Botlhale AI, which creates conversational AI tools for African languages while helping businesses engage customers in languages they understand and trust.

Omdia View: January 2024

Guest Perspectives
2/23/2024

Highlights in January 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included a $200 million fintech deal between MTN and Mastercard as well as 5G network trials by Telecom Egypt – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

SA's Teraco to power data centers with 120MW solar plant

Matshepo Sehloho
2/22/2024

Teraco, the vendor-neutral data center provider, is planning the construction of a 120 megawatt (MW) utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) energy facility in the Free State province of South Africa.

Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire implement ECOWAS free roaming initiative

Matshepo Sehloho
2/20/2024

Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire have successfully implemented the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) free roaming initiative.

Airtel Africa to build second data center in Kenya

Matshepo Sehloho
2/19/2024

Pan-African operator Airtel Africa has announced that its sister data center business, Nxtra, will build its second data center, which is to be located in Kenya.

SA's iKhokha invests $105M in small businesses

Matshepo Sehloho
2/16/2024

South African fintech firm iKhokha has distributed more than 2 billion South African rands (US$105 million) in working capital to its small and midsized enterprise (SME) customer base.

Mastercard appoints new West Africa head

Matshepo Sehloho
2/15/2024

Global payments firm Mastercard has appointed Folasade Femi-Lawal as its new country manager and area business head for West Africa.

Interview: Orange's Brelotte Ba on digital inclusion

Sponsored Video
2/15/2024

Orange's Middle East and Africa Deputy CEO, Brelotte Ba, spoke to Connecting Africa at Africa Tech Festival 2023 about the operator's work across Africa to improve digital inclusion. He shared how Orange is focused on expanding beyond just connectivity solutions, to provide digital services that are relevant to the communities it serves, including key areas like mobile money and energy services. #sponsored

Interview: Bayobab's Mohammed Aliyu on bridging Africa's digital gaps

Sponsored Video
2/15/2024

Mohammed Aliyu, Chief FibreCo Officer at Bayobab spoke to Connecting Africa at Africa Tech Festival 2023 about Bayobab's presence in sub-Saharan Africa, which includes access to 18 subsea cables around Africa – six of which it is a major investor in – and 112,000 kilometers of fiber. #sponsored

IHS Cameroon to build tower kiosks in rural areas

Matshepo Sehloho
2/14/2024

IHS Cameroon has committed to provide connectivity and digital services to rural communities in the Northwest and Southwest of Cameroon through its 'Tower Kiosk' initiative.

Interview: Hans Geldenhuys on Intelsat's mission to connect Africa

Sponsored Video
2/13/2024

Hans Geldenhuys, Director of Sales at Intelsat, spoke to Connecting Africa at Africa Tech Festival 2023. As a featured sponsor of the Changing Lives category for the Africa Tech Festival Awards, Geldenhuys spoke about Intelsat's dedication to connecting people across the globe, especially in Africa. #sponsored

Interview: Huawei's Chang Yong on connectivity, cloud & sustainability

Sponsored Video
2/13/2024

Chang Yong, CMO of Huawei sub-Saharan Africa sat down with Connecting Africa at Africa Tech Festival 2023 to talk about Huawei's strategy to support digital transformation across the continent, focusing on three core areas: connectivity, cloud computing, and sustainable development. #sponsored

Satellite key for African connectivity in 2024 – Hughes

Paula Gilbert
2/13/2024

Vaibhav Magow, VP of the international division at Hughes Network Systems, spoke to Connecting Africa about the satellite trends Africa can expect in 2024 and how service providers aim to connect more underserved regions.

Starlink cuts off users in South Africa

Matshepo Sehloho
2/12/2024

SpaceX's satellite Internet service, Starlink, has cut off hundreds of South African users over alleged trademark and copyright violations.

SA mobile data prices likely to increase – Africa Analysis

Paula Gilbert
2/9/2024

South Africa has seen major reductions in mobile data prices over the past two decades, but ICT market research and analysis firm Africa Analysis warns that local prices will likely increase in the short-to-medium term.

Airtel Nigeria expands IHS Nigeria partnership

Matshepo Sehloho
2/8/2024

IHS Towers and Airtel Africa have entered into a partnership for Airtel Nigeria to take over 3,950 tenancies for the next five years.

Founders Factory Africa: Partnerships are key to building successful startups

Connecting Africa News
2/8/2024

Founders Factory Africa's Ayotunde Aladejana and Wangui Kahumbi spoke to Connecting Africa in an exclusive interview about the importance of building bridges between startups and corporations and fostering collaboration in the African tech ecosystem.

Safaricom users in Ethiopia tick up

Paula Gilbert
2/7/2024

Kenyan-headquartered Safaricom now has 9 million mobile customers in Ethiopia and just over 3 million M-Pesa users after a year of operating in the Horn of Africa nation.

Mastercard invests $200M into MTN fintech, MoMo offers loans via JUMO

Paula Gilbert
2/6/2024

Mastercard is investing $200 million into MTN Group's fintech business, and MTN's mobile money platform MoMo has partnered with banking tech company JUMO to launch short-term loans in South Africa.

SA's MultiChoice Group rejects Canal+ buyout offer

Matshepo Sehloho
2/5/2024

South Africa's MultiChoice Group has announced that it will not continue talks with French pay-TV company Canal+.

Oracle to open cloud facility in Kenya

Matshepo Sehloho
2/2/2024

Tech company Oracle has announced that it will establish a public cloud region in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi, its second cloud region in Africa.

France's Canal+ targets acquisition of SA's MultiChoice

Matshepo Sehloho
2/1/2024

French pay-TV company Canal+ has submitted an offer to acquire South African pay-TV and streaming company MultiChoice Group.

Google launches first African cloud region in SA

Paula Gilbert
2/1/2024

Google Cloud has officially launched a new cloud region in Johannesburg, South Africa, its first in Africa.

ICANN launches $10M grant program for Internet innovators

Paula Gilbert
1/31/2024

ICANN has announced a new fund worth $10 million aimed at providing grants to projects that support an easy to use, accessible and secure Internet.

MTN pledges $215M to Benin infrastructure investment

Paula Gilbert
1/30/2024

MTN Group has committed to investing US$215 million towards infrastructure in Benin over the next three years and building a state-of-the-art office for subsidiary MTN Benin.

Orange Madagascar renews license, plans network expansion

Matshepo Sehloho
1/29/2024

Telecom operator Orange Madagascar has renewed its license and plans to invest in expanding its network coverage to reach about 90% of the island nation's population by the end of 2024.

Kenya's Turaco aspires to insure 1 billion lives

Matshepo Sehloho
1/26/2024

Kenyan-based insurtech Turaco spoke to Connecting Africa about how it aims to provide uninsured African communities with affordable insurance options.

Four African cloud startups to watch in 2024

Matshepo Sehloho
1/25/2024

Connecting Africa has compiled a list of four cloud-powered startups that have been making an impact on the lives of the communities they serve and are worth watching in 2024.

Cassava Tech Talks Ep. 5: Harnessing the power of data centers

Paula Gilbert
1/25/2024

In the latest Cassava Tech Talks podcast we discuss how African businesses can harness the power of data centers and the importance of data residency. Guests are Africa Data Centres CEO Tesh Durvasula and Dan Thompson, principal research analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence. #sponsored

Moniepoint: AI is changing fintech for the better

Paula Gilbert
1/23/2024

Moniepoint Founder and CEO Tosin Eniolorunda spoke to Connecting Africa about how artificial intelligence (AI) is positively changing the fintech market in Africa.

Disconnection put on hold as Glo Nigeria is given 21-day grace period

Matshepo Sehloho
1/23/2024

Nigerian operator Glo has been granted an additional 21 days to settle interconnect fees owed to MTN, avoiding a network disconnection that was scheduled by the Nigerian Communications Commission.

Eutelsat OneWeb signs satellite deal with Paratus South Africa

Paula Gilbert
1/22/2024

Satellite operator Eutelsat OneWeb has announced a deal with specialist connectivity provider Paratus South Africa to enhance Paratus' connectivity offering in South Africa and provide satellite connectivity to more rural areas.

Ericsson: 5G is a gateway for entrepreneurs to reshape industries

Paula Gilbert
1/17/2024

Ericsson Kenya MD and VP and head of South and East Africa, Todd Ashton, believes that 5G is not just about connectivity but is a gateway for entrepreneurs to reshape industries and pioneer novel solutions.

Vodafone, Microsoft partner to move M-Pesa to the cloud

Paula Gilbert
1/16/2024

Vodafone and Microsoft have announced a $1.5 billion, ten-year strategic partnership across Europe and Africa, which includes housing mobile money platform M-Pesa on Azure and enabling generative AI services.

Telecom Egypt, Zain to build digital corridor

Matshepo Sehloho
1/16/2024

Telecom Egypt and Zain Omantel International (ZOI) have partnered to establish a new digital corridor connecting the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea and Arabian Gulf.

Togocom lands $60M IFC loan

Matshepo Sehloho
1/15/2024

Togocom signed a financing agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for around US$60 million towards upgrading its infrastructure and expanding its 4G network.

Interview: Vodacom's Mariam Cassim on the evolution of MFS

Connecting Africa Video
1/12/2024

Vodacom's CEO of Financial and Digital Services, Mariam Cassim, joined Connecting Africa Editor Paula Gilbert for a video interview to talk about the evolution of Vodacom's mobile financial services (MFS) portfolio.

Bolt Kenya adds feature to stop offline trips

Matshepo Sehloho
1/12/2024

Ride-sharing platform Bolt in Kenya has introduced a new feature on its app called 'Driver Asked to Pay Off-the-App' to discourage riders from taking trips offline and paying off the app.

Algerian telco rivals agree to share infrastructure

Matshepo Sehloho
1/11/2024

Algerian operators Algérie Télécom (AT) and Ooredoo Algeria have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to exchange ideas on innovative services and share infrastructure.

Ericsson targets fintech growth through MTN partnership

Paula Gilbert
1/10/2024

Swedish multinational Ericsson is looking to grow its mobile financial services (MFS) business in Africa even further through an extended partnership with pan-African operator MTN.

Orange Mali, TerraPay join forces for cross-border payments

Connecting Africa News
1/8/2024

Orange Mali is partnering with cross-border payments network TerraPay to enable digital payments to and from TerraPay's global network, including other African countries.

Gabon, World Bank ink $68.5M digital finance agreement

Matshepo Sehloho
1/8/2024

The Government of Gabon and the World Bank have signed a US$68.5 million loan for the Digital Gabon Project.

Ericsson appoints new West Africa, Morocco VP

Matshepo Sehloho
1/4/2024

Ericsson has appointed Majda Lahlou Kassi as the vice president and head of Ericsson West Africa and Morocco.

Somtel launches 5G in Somalia

Matshepo Sehloho
1/3/2024

Somali mobile operator Somtel has launched the country's first 5G network.

Airtel Africa CEO Segun Ogunsanya to retire

Paula Gilbert
1/2/2024

Airtel Africa CEO Segun Ogunsanya will retire at the end of June 2024 and will be replaced by the operator's director of transformation, Sunil Taldar.

ATF 2023: Uber's Marjorie Saint-Lot on women in tech

Connecting Africa Video
1/2/2024

Uber's Country Manager for Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Pakistan, Marjorie Saint-Lot, spoke to Connecting Africa's Associate Editor Matshepo Sehloho at the Africa Tech Festival about her experience navigating a male-dominated industry on the continent.

ATF 2023: Mohammed Aliyu on Bayobab's connectivity strategy across Africa

Connecting Africa Video
12/29/2023

Mohammed Aliyu, Chief FibreCo Officer at Bayobab, joined Connecting Africa Editor Paula Gilbert at Africa Tech Festival 2023 for a video interview to talk about the company's fiber ambitions across Africa.

SA's RedAcademy connects young people to IT jobs

Matshepo Sehloho
12/28/2023

Connecting Africa sat down with SA-based RedAcademy to find out more about the skills and experiential learning hub that specializes in teaching coding and technology skills inside a live software environment.

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Hot startup of the month: Kenya's Ketha Africa

Connecting Africa's hot startup this month is Ketha Africa, a Kenya-based agrifin platform that seeks to automate agriculture ecosystems by connecting the value chain actors and providing a robust network to ensure the security of transactions.

Story

Four agritech startups to watch in 2024

Connecting Africa has compiled a list of four agritech startups that are making a difference in the communities they serve.

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Partner perspectives

Empowering Africa through enhanced global connectivity

By China Mobile International

Accelerating Africa's business opportunities with an adaptable 5G

By Red Hat

Future proof your business with integrated customer experience

By Digital Solutions Group

Boosting digital inclusion for socio-economic improvement

By Amdocs

How innovative device financing can help Africa's mobile evolution

By Trustonic

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Industry announcements

New Africa eGovernance Conference comes to Rwanda
Kigali, Rwanda, Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Africa Tech Festival announces finalists for Startup World Cup
Johannesburg, Friday, October 27, 2023
AfricaIgnite Hosts the African leg of the Startup World Cup at ATF
Johannesburg, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

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Africa Tech Festival 2024

November 11-14, 2024
Cape Town, South Africa

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Africa Tech Perspectives

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Uber's Marjorie Saint-Lot on inclusion and sustainability in Africa

Uber's Country Manager for Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, Marjorie Saint-Lot, shares how the ride-hailing company is approaching public-private partnerships, environmentally friendly initiatives and gender inclusion in Africa.

Story

The 100 most influential African leaders in 2023

A new report from Africa Tech Festival and Connecting Africa puts a spotlight on the top 100 African leaders in the telecoms and technology sector in 2023.

Story

Deep dive into East Africa's tech startup ecosystem

New survey reveals a lack of access to investors, reliance on international VCs and global recession trends as the biggest barriers for East African tech startups to access funds.

More Africa Tech perspectives

Guest Perspectives

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Omdia View: February 2024

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in February 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included 5G launches in Senegal and 5G trials in Egypt as well as Kenya's first 5G MVNO. Airtel also launched a new wholesale connectivity business while MTN and Huawei are planning a joint Innovation Technology Lab in South Africa – that and more in this month's Omdia View.