News & Views

Content posted in January 2022

MTN Nigeria earnings soar in 2021

Paula Gilbert
1/31/2022

MTN Nigeria's profit-after-tax rose over 45% in 2021, despite the telco losing 8 million subscribers due to regulatory restrictions on SIM sales.

Research Bites: Lack of 4IR knowledge a cause for concern

Guest Perspectives
1/31/2022

This article – published in collaboration with the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development – explores the levels of knowledge of South African citizens about the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Chad drops import duties on smartphones for five years

Paula Gilbert
1/28/2022

Chad's Ministry of Finance has decided to cut duties and taxes on equipment related to telecom and Internet services for the next five years – including smartphones and other devices.

SA President orders investigation into Telkom

Paula Gilbert
1/27/2022

President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed South Africa's Special Investigating Unit to probe allegations of maladministration to do with Telkom SA's failed forays into Nigeria and Mauritius.

Disney+ to launch in six African countries in mid-2022

Paula Gilbert
1/27/2022

Disney+ will be launching its streaming service in Africa this year, coming to South Africa and five North African nations.

Hot startup of the month: Kenya's Wowzi

Tom Jackson
1/26/2022

Kenya's Wowzi is an online marketplace for social media users and influencers to connect with big brands and make money by amplifying their messages or products.

SA operators band together to fight crime

Paula Gilbert
1/25/2022

South Africa's telecom operators have joined forces to establish a new non-profit organization, COMRiC, which aims to tackle crime impacting the industry.

DPO gets Nigerian payments services license

Connecting Africa News
1/24/2022

DPO Group has been granted a license by the Central Bank of Nigeria to provide payments services to businesses across Nigeria.

Telkom SA drops interdict application in spectrum battle, for now

Paula Gilbert
1/21/2022

Telkom South Africa has decided to remove its urgent application to interdict the SA regulator's upcoming spectrum auction, but there is still another part to the court case.

Omdia View: December 2021

Guest Perspectives
1/21/2022

This is the December 2021 edition of the Middle East and Africa News Digest series from Omdia, which provides analysis of major trends and events in the region.

World Mobile brings Wi-Fi hotspots to Zanzibar

Connecting Africa News
1/19/2022

Blockchain operator World Mobile is partnering with the Zanzibar eGovernment Agency to launch free Wi-Fi hotspots at public facing government institutions.

Vodacom shareholders back Egypt acquisition

Paula Gilbert
1/18/2022

Vodacom Group's acquisition of Vodafone Egypt has received overwhelming shareholder approval.

Orange converting main African data center to solar

Connecting Africa News
1/17/2022

Orange and Engie are joining forces to convert Orange's main data center in Africa, in Côte d'Ivoire, to solar power.

MTN pilots 5G in Zambia

Connecting Africa News
1/14/2022

MTN has launched a 5G pilot in Zambia.

SA operators pick sides in spectrum court battle

Paula Gilbert
1/13/2022

South Africa's mobile operators have picked sides in the recent court battle over a planned spectrum auction in the country, with the majority siding with the telecoms regulator.

MTN SA appoints new CTIO and MD for Supersonic

Connecting Africa News
1/12/2022

MTN SA has appointed Michele Gamberini as CTIO and Megan Nicholas as the new MD of Supersonic.

SA's fastest and slowest mobile networks

Connecting Africa News
1/11/2022

MTN had South Africa's fastest average download and upload speeds in 2021, according to a new report from MyBroadband Insights.

MTN sides with SA regulator in spectrum auction battle

Paula Gilbert
1/10/2022

SA operator MTN is siding with ICASA in a court battle with Telkom SA over a spectrum auction in the country, filing its own opposition.

Telkom Kenya launches T-kash App

Connecting Africa News
1/7/2022

Telkom Kenya has launched a mobile application for its mobile money service T-kash.

SA regulator blasts Telkom over 'selfish' court case

Paula Gilbert
1/6/2022

SA's telecom regulator, ICASA, has responded to Telkom's latest court case against it saying the operator 'appears hellbent' on stalling its efforts to license spectrum.

Telkom wants to stop SA spectrum auction, again

Paula Gilbert
1/5/2022

Telkom South Africa is once again asking the courts to stop local regulator ICASA's upcoming spectrum auction.

SA's Teraco selling majority stake to Digital Realty

Connecting Africa News
1/4/2022

US cloud computing company Digital Realty is buying a controlling stake in SA data center group Teraco.

Charles Molapisi is new MTN SA CEO

Paula Gilbert
1/3/2022

Former MTN Group CTIO, Charles Molapisi, is now the CEO of MTN SA, replacing Godfrey Motsa who stepped down on January 1, 2022.

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Airtel Africa unveils $500K fellowship program in Tanzania

Pan-African operator Airtel Africa has launched its 'Airtel Africa Fellowship Program' for undergraduate students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

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Google to open AI hub in Zambia, Malawi plans Smart Village Initiative

Tech giant Google is partnering with Zambia's government to set up an Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence at the University of Zambia. At the same time, Malawi's government has announced plans to launch a Smart Village Initiative in partnership with Huawei.

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Africa Tech Perspectives

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Women in Tech: Spotlight on digital skills with Kreative Campus' Keitesi Aisha

Kreative Campus' operations and finance lead, Keitesi Aisha, talks to Connecting Africa as part of our Women in Tech series about how skills development can make Africa's tech ecosystem more inclusive.

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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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Guest Perspectives

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Omdia View: August 2024

By Omdia Analysts

August 2024's telecom highlights in the Middle East and Africa included a satellite deal between Eutelsat Group and Bayobab, the sale of MTN Guinea-Bissau to Telecel, and the sale of a 60% stake in Uganda's Utel to Rowad Capital Commercial.

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Understanding African fintech startup failures

By Chiti Mbizule Mutati

Connecting Africa correspondent Chiti Mbizule Mutati investigates the reasons behind the high failure rate of African fintech startups, citing the importance of funding, policy and regulation in the sector.

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