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MWC 2024: African telco deals
  • Paula Gilbert
Connecting Africa has compiled a list of all the major deals that African operators announced at MWC 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
AI's impact on African telcos
  • Connecting Africa News
Many African telecommunications companies are turning to artificial intelligence as a differentiator to improve their mobile networks and enhance customer service and experience as they transition from traditional telco offerings into new tech-first verticals.
Four AI trends to look out for in 2024
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Connecting Africa has compiled a list of four artificial intelligence (AI) trends to look out for on the African continent in 2024.
The ethical considerations of AI in Africa
  • Connecting Africa News
ICT analyst Francis Hook delves into the adoption and ethical use of artificial intelligence in Africa and issues around regulatory readiness, human rights, privacy, data protection and social inclusivity for users on the continent.
Intelsat, AMN expand rural connectivity in Madagascar
  • Paula Gilbert
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.
Hot startup of the month: South Africa's Botlhale AI
  • Matshepo Sehloho
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
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.
Mixed bag of interim results from SA's Blue Label Telecoms
  • Paula Gilbert
South Africa's Blue Label Telecoms has published mixed results for the first half of the financial year - with profit up but EBITDA down - but there is optimism on the horizon for its investment in operator Cell C.
SA's Teraco to power data centers with 120MW solar plant
  • Matshepo Sehloho
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.
SA's MultiChoice, Disney+ renew distribution deal
  • Matshepo Sehloho
South Africa's MultiChoice Group and The Walt Disney Company Africa have signed a multi-year distribution deal, allowing MultiChoice to retain its current portfolio of Disney linear channels until 2027.
Telkom SA moving forward with towers sale
  • Paula Gilbert
Telkom South Africa is making progress on its plans to sell its masts and towers subsidiary Swiftnet to an undisclosed bidder. The operator intends to make an announcement by early April 2024.
SA's iKhokha invests $105M in small businesses
  • Matshepo Sehloho
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
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
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
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
MTN goes solar at SA head office
  • Connecting Africa News
MTN South Africa is making strides in phase one of a solar renewable energy project at its head office in Johannesburg, South Africa, and has switched on 5,418 solar panels out of the planned 9,000.
IHS Cameroon to build tower kiosks in rural areas
  • Matshepo Sehloho
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Google rebrands Bard AI as Gemini
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Tech giant Google has renamed its chatbot Bard as Gemini and introduced a paid-for AI subscription service.
Safaricom users in Ethiopia tick up
  • Paula Gilbert
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.
Senegal shuts down mobile Internet, again
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Senegalese authorities have shut down mobile Internet services after the country's President Macky Sall postponed the presidential elections scheduled for February 25, 2024.
Oracle to open cloud facility in Kenya
  • Matshepo Sehloho
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.
Vodafone Ghana to rebrand to Telecel
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Telecommunication operator Telecel Group has announced that Vodafone Ghana will fully rebrand to Telecel by the end of February 2024.
Global 'funding winter' hits African tech startups
  • Paula Gilbert
Disrupt Africa's latest African Tech Startups Funding Report shows that investment into startups fell 28% to US$2.4 billion in 2023, as the global "funding winter" began to bite.


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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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Paymentology looks to strengthen its African roots

Global issuer-processor Paymentology's CEO Jeff Parker spoke to Connecting Africa about the company's African roots and aspirations to work with more banks, fintechs and enterprises both on the continent and globally.

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Upcoming events

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Omdia View: January 2024

By Omdia Analysts

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.

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