News & Views

Content posted in April 2023

'The future is not just digital, it's female too' – Svenja Schulze

Matshepo Sehloho
4/27/2023

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) hosted dignitaries as well as school pupils in celebration of International Girls in ICT Day at the Transform Africa Summit in Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Podcast: Safaricom CIO George Njuguna on training Kenya's next million tech developers

Connecting Africa Video
4/27/2023

Safaricom CIO George Njuguna, the keynote speaker at East Africa Com in Nairobi, Kenya, sits down with Connecting Africa's Paula Gilbert to talk about Safaricom's vision for 2030 and how to build East Africa's digital economies while growing technology talent and digital skills.

Affordability key to 5G uptake in East Africa – Safaricom

Paula Gilbert
4/27/2023

Safaricom exec Cynthia Karuri-Kropac told delegates at East Africa Com in Nairobi, Kenya, that until 5G becomes more affordable it won't drive true digital transformation in Kenya and across East Africa.

Africans need to work together to achieve digital transformation

Matshepo Sehloho
4/26/2023

African heads of state called for collaboration during the keynote address at the sixth annual Transform Africa Summit in Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Mozambique imposes new SIM registration rules

Matshepo Sehloho
4/25/2023

The regulatory authority said the process needs to be updated because the current system is being abused, with fraudulent documents being used to support registrations and more than 10,000 pirated devices being activated each week.

Safaricom expands 5G in 21 Kenyan counties

Matshepo Sehloho
4/24/2023

Kenyan telecommunications operator Safaricom has expanded its 5G coverage to 28 towns across 21 counties.

South African minister denies blocking Elon Musk's Starlink

Matshepo Sehloho
4/21/2023

South African Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, has denied that the country is hindering Elon Musk's Starlink from operating in the local market.

The Gambia adopts national fiber protection policy

Matshepo Sehloho
4/21/2023

The Gambian government has adopted a policy aimed at protecting the country's fiber optic cables.

Morning Coffee with Connecting Africa – VMware's Lorna Hardie

Connecting Africa Video
4/21/2023

VMware's senior director for sub-Saharan Africa, Lorna Hardie, joined Connecting Africa's Paula Gilbert for some morning coffee and to answer some quick-fire questions.

Hot startup of the month: Cameroon's Agrix Tech

Matshepo Sehloho
4/21/2023

Cameroonian startup Agrix Tech is helping small-scale farmers to transition from subsistence farming to commercial farming and maximize their profits.

Mobile money transactions hit $1.26T in 2022 – GSMA

Paula Gilbert
4/20/2023

Total mobile money transaction values grew 22% in 2022 to US$1.26 trillion, according to the GSMA State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2023, and there are 1.6 billion registered mobile money accounts globally, 781 million of which are in Africa.

Kenya to deploy fiber to 19 underserved communities

Matshepo Sehloho
4/19/2023

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) and the ICT Authority (ICTA) have signed an agreement for fiber deployment in 19 Kenyan counties.

Interview: VMware's Lorna Hardie on emerging hybrid work trends

Connecting Africa Video
4/19/2023

Lorna Hardie, senior director for sub-Saharan Africa at VMware, sat down with Connecting Africa to discuss emerging hybrid work trends and their impact on women in the workplace.

Nigerian ride-hailing union threaten strike against Uber, Bolt

Matshepo Sehloho
4/18/2023

The Amalgamated Union of App-based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWON) is threatening to protest against Uber and Bolt's alleged attempts to have its license revoked.

Cassava Technologies to invest $249M in South Africa

Matshepo Sehloho
4/17/2023

Infrastructure and digital services provider Cassava Technologies has pledged a total of R4.5 billion (US$249 million) in investment towards South Africa's ICT sector.

Senegal announces national roaming plan

Matshepo Sehloho
4/17/2023

The Senegalese regulator ARTP is planning to introduce national roaming between the country's mobile network operators.

Amazon Web Services to invest $1.8B in South Africa

Matshepo Sehloho
4/14/2023

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced that it plans to invest R30.4 billion (US$1.8 billion) in its cloud infrastructure in South Africa by 2029.

Connecting Africa Podcast: S2 Ep. 6 – Breaking into VC

Paula Gilbert
4/14/2023

In this episode the Connecting Africa Podcast team speak to Cindy Ai, co-founder of Dream VC, about why so many young Africans aspire to get into the venture capital game and how her investor accelerator is helping them do that.

MVNO Melon Mobile enters SA market

Matshepo Sehloho
4/13/2023

Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Melon Mobile has entered the South African market promising to offer fully digital services.

Abbad Reda appointed new MTN Zambia CEO

Paula Gilbert
4/13/2023

Current MTN Afghanistan CEO Abbad Reda will be moving to Zambia to take over as CEO from Bart Hofker in May.

Vodafone Ghana, Lynk ink satellite-to-phone deal

Matshepo Sehloho
4/12/2023

Satellite-direct-to-standard-phone telco, Lynk, has signed a contract with Telecel Group in Africa to provide services to Vodafone Ghana's subscribers.

World Bank invests $540M in Kenya, Senegal digital transformation

Matshepo Sehloho
4/11/2023

The World Bank has approved a US$390 million finance deal for Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project and US$150 million toward Senegal's digital transformation.

MTN, Huawei cement 5G industrial use case in Uganda

Paula Gilbert
4/11/2023

MTN Uganda and Huawei have launched what they say is the country's first 5G industrial use case, rolling out the next-gen tech for the Hima Cement Company.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies to build data center in Zambia

Matshepo Sehloho
4/6/2023

Liquid Intelligent Technologies has pledged to build a data center in Zambia in a partnership deal with the country's government.

Visa Foundation pledges $5M to African women entrepreneurs

Paula Gilbert
4/6/2023

The Visa Foundation said it will invest $5 million in grants and impact investments to expand equitable access for women in Africa.

Mukuru opens fintech drive-thru in Zimbabwe

Matshepo Sehloho
4/6/2023

South Africa-based fintech platform Mukuru has launched a drive-thru service for domestic and international money transfers in the Zimbabwean city of Harare.

Mobile money taxation threatens financial inclusion – Vodacom

Paula Gilbert
4/5/2023

Pan-African telecoms operator Vodacom is calling for relaxed taxation on mobile money across Africa in a new policy paper which claims fintech taxation could threaten financial inclusion.

Ericsson, Smart Africa train African policymakers in digital skills

Paula Gilbert
4/5/2023

Ericsson and Smart Africa Digital Academy have successfully trained 100 senior policymakers and regulators across Africa to enhance critical digital skills.

Vodacom, Netstar bring free Wi-Fi to South African taxis

Matshepo Sehloho
4/5/2023

Vodacom Business and vehicle tracking and telematics company, Netstar, have partnered to offer free Wi-Fi to commuters of minibus taxis in South Africa.

Kenya to launch first operational satellite

Matshepo Sehloho
4/4/2023

The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) is set to launch its first operational 3U Earth observation satellite on April 10, in partnership with SpaceX aboard its Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Base in California in the USA.

African operators facing FWA 'cannibalization' – WIM Technologies

Paula Gilbert
4/4/2023

Nik Angelov from WIM Technologies spoke to Connecting Africa about the risks of fixed wireless access (FWA) 'cannibalization' and how local operators can counteract this trend.

SA telecoms regulator appoints another acting chairperson

Connecting Africa News
4/3/2023

South Africa's telecoms regulator, ICASA, has announced that Yolisa Kedama will take over from Charley Lewis as acting chairperson on April 4, 2023, as it looks for a permanent chairperson.

Orange picks Vanu for Liberia's rural tower deployment

Matshepo Sehloho
4/3/2023

Orange Liberia has commissioned off-grid equipment and solutions provider Vanu to deploy at least 200 telecom towers in the West African country.

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Elon Musk hosts African leaders while Starlink faces challenges in Kenya

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Women in Tech: Spotlight on tech talent with RedAcademy's Jessica Hawkey

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

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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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US-Kenya tech exchange aims to bridge digital gap, boost STEM education

By Eden Harris

Connecting Africa Correspondent Eden Harris investigates the USAID Edtech Africa initiative which aims to enhance tech education in Kenya and the US and teach the skills needed to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the digital age.