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Exclusive: Vodacom launches first MVNO, in-house MVNE service
  • Paula Gilbert
Vodacom has officially activated its first mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in South Africa – Mr Price Mobile – and has created its own mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) platform. Shenge Buthelezi, managing executive of wholesale at Vodacom South Africa, shared the news exclusively with Connecting Africa.
Omdia View: August 2024
  • Guest Perspectives
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.
Cell C plans to claw back market share in South Africa
  • Paula Gilbert
Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes sat down with Connecting Africa to talk about the company's turnaround strategy and his plans to grow the embattled mobile operator's market share in South Africa through new pricing and product strategies and by changing perceptions about poor network quality.
SA financial services execs look to AI for real-time insights
  • Connecting Africa News
A new research report from ActiveOps suggests that South African financial services companies are behind the curve when it comes to AI implementation and the majority are using old data to drive business insights which is inhibiting their potential.
MTN board backs CEO Ralph Mupita amid favoritism allegations
  • Paula Gilbert
Pan-African operator MTN Group has come out in support of Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita after favoritism allegations surfaced in the media. MTN said that an independent investigation into an anonymous complaint found no evidence of improper conduct.
Hot startup of the month: Nigeria's Tyms
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Connecting Africa's hot startup of the month is Nigeria's Tyms, which has built an artificial-intelligence-powered finance and accounting automation software system for CFOs, accountants, bookkeepers and business owners.
Headwinds hit South Africa's Blue Label Telecoms
  • Paula Gilbert
South Africa's Blue Label Telecoms once again published a mixed set of financial results, although some parts of the business are doing well, it reported profit declines for the year ended May 31, 2024.
MTN's Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry exits explained
  • Paula Gilbert
MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, has explained the operator's disposal strategy for its operations in Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry saying the operations are 'subscale' and unable to fund their own growth.
Raxio inaugurates $30M DRC data center
  • Paula Gilbert
Data center operator Raxio Group has inaugurated a new data center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), its fourth in Africa.
Ericsson targets new segments for MFS growth
  • Paula Gilbert
Global Head of Ericsson Mobile Financial Services, Michael Wallis-Brown, spoke to Connecting Africa about the company's fintech business in Africa and how it is looking to move into more segments and partner with more local players.
SA enterprises actively hiring for GenAI roles – IBM
  • Paula Gilbert
A new study by the IBM Institute for Business Value shows that nearly two-thirds of South African CEOs believe their teams have the skills and knowledge to incorporate generative AI into their businesses, and they are hiring for GenAI-related roles that didn't exist last year.
Axian Telecom appoints Hassan Jaber as new CEO
  • Paula Gilbert
Pan-African operator Axian Telecom has appointed Hassan Jaber as its new CEO, taking over from Stéphane Oudin who will transition to the role of advisor to the chairman and board member later this month.
Omdia View: July 2024
  • Guest Perspectives
July 2024's telecoms highlights in the Middle East and Africa included an upcoming 5G launch in Egypt, 5G deployment progress in Tanzania and revised interconnection rates for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in Senegal.
Omdia View: June 2024
  • Guest Perspectives
Telecoms highlights in the Middle East and Africa during June 2024 included Orange Smart Energies opening up its digital platform across Africa, a 5G network trial in South Sudan, the world's first triple-band mobile radio unit in Egypt and a partnership between Ooredoo Group and NVIDIA to advance AI capabilities within MENA.
Hot startup of the month: Ethiopia's Kubik
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Connecting Africa's hot startup this month is Ethiopia's Kubik, which transforms plastic waste into eco-friendly, affordable construction blocks.
The rising tide of sustainable ICT in Africa
  • Guest Perspectives
With discussions on climate change picking up pace, ICT analyst Francis Hook discusses how African companies are embracing sustainable ICT practices and how telcos, data center operators and manufacturers are striving to go green.
VC investment into South African ICT startups rises
  • Paula Gilbert
Venture capital (VC) investment for startups in South Africa reached $178.8 million in 2023, with investments in the ICT sector almost doubling compared to 2022, according to a new report from SAVCA and VS Nova.
Connecting Africa Podcast: S3 Ep. 4 – Africa's future as a tech talent powerhouse
  • Paula Gilbert
In this episode, Utiva CEO Eyitayo Ogunmola returns to the podcast to talk about Africa's opportunity to become a tech talent powerhouse. The discussion covers upskilling African talent for the global job market and how outsourcing local tech professionals can provide opportunities for the youth, with a focus on growing female talent.
Nigerian watchdog fines Meta $220M for data abuse
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Nigeria's Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has imposed a US$220 million fine on Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, over alleged data abuse of Nigerian users.
Competition expected in South Africa's growing MVNO market
  • Paula Gilbert
A battle in South Africa's mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) market is heating up as more local mobile network operators (MNOs) plan partnerships with MVNOs, challenging a market that has for many years been dominated by Cell C-enabled MVNOs.
KaiOS targets merchant market for growth, digital inclusion
  • Paula Gilbert
KaiOS Technologies, the creator of a mobile operating system for smart feature phones, is piloting affordable merchant payment terminals - which look like feature phones - in Africa to help underserved merchants and transport providers accept digital payments solutions.
UPDATE: Ghana regulator instructs ATC to reconnect Telecel
  • Matshepo Sehloho
The National Communications Authority (NCA) of Ghana has instructed network tower provider American Tower Corporation (ATC) to reconnect the power supply to the network equipment of operator Telecel Ghana.
PAIX Data Centres adds capacity in Ghana
  • Paula Gilbert
PAIX Data Centres is expanding its facility in Accra, Ghana, and Africa50 has invested over $30 million in growth equity to support the company's expansion plans in Africa.
Ericsson appoints Patrick Johansson as head of MEA
  • Paula Gilbert
Swedish ICT company Ericsson has appointed Patrick Johansson as the new senior VP and head of its market area for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), replacing Fadi Pharaon in August.
MWC Shanghai 2024: Embracing the mobile AI era
  • Paula Gilbert
Huawei's David Wang believes that 2024 marks the beginning of the mobile artificial intelligence (AI) era, spurred by the commercial launch of 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology which will be key to making intelligent services universal.
New develoPPP Ventures funding program for SA startups
  • Industry Announcements
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has launched develoPPP Ventures, a new funding scheme offering up to €100,000 (US$106,950) for successful startups in South Africa.
Africa Data Centres to expand with $112M funding from RMB
  • Paula Gilbert
Cassava Technologies-owned Africa Data Centres plans to expand its data center capacity to meet the growing demand for cloud computing services in South Africa, using a R2 billion (US$112 million) financing solution arranged by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB).
Omdia View: May 2024
  • Guest Perspectives
May 2024's telecoms highlights in the Middle East and Africa included African 5G subscriptions surpassing 5 million, growth from SpaceX's satellite Internet service Starlink, and a major fiber partnership in the Middle East and North Africa.
Telkom SA now has over 20M mobile subs
  • Paula Gilbert
Telkom South Africa grew its mobile subscriber total by 11.9% to 20.4 million over the past year while the fiber business has also grown, passing more than 1.2 million South African homes.
Registration opens for Africa Tech Festival 2024
  • Industry Announcements
Registration has opened for the 2024 edition of Africa Tech Festival, the continent's leading platform for technology innovators, specialists and thought leaders.
Connecting Africa Podcast: S3 Ep. 3 – Unleashing the power of data
  • Paula Gilbert
In this Connecting Africa Podcast episode, we speak to Reza du Plooy, director and co-owner of data analytics consultancy Datalab, about the role data analytics plays in the success of African businesses and the unique challenges the continent faces.
The state of digital transformation in African banks
  • Paula Gilbert
The 2024 African Banking Digital Transformation Report has found that 60% of African banks have now digitally transformed most of their operations, while 76% of banks in Africa rank digital transformation as either their top priority or among the top three.
Eassy, Seacom fiber cables repaired
  • Matshepo Sehloho
The Eastern African Submarine System (Eassy) and Seacom fiber-optic cables that went down in early May have now been repaired.
Raxio launches data center in Mozambique
  • Paula Gilbert
With Raxio opening a new data center in Mozambique, Group CEO Robert Mullins spoke to Connecting Africa about the Maputo facility and the group's expansion plans across Africa, including launches in Côte d'Ivoire, DRC and Angola later this year.
South Africa's fiber-to-the-business market continues to grow
  • Paula Gilbert
South Africa's fiber-to-the-business (FTTB) market saw steady growth in the latter part of 2023, on the back of increasing interest in fiber connectivity by local companies, according to new research from Africa Analysis.
Egypt, Ethiopia impact Vodacom earnings
  • Paula Gilbert
Vodacom Group reported strong revenue growth in the past financial year, boosted by the addition of Vodafone Egypt, but earnings were pulled down by startup costs in Ethiopia, higher finance and energy costs, and inflationary pressure.
SA online retail topped $3.8B in 2023, growing 29%
  • Paula Gilbert
Online retail sales in South Africa reached R71 billion (US$3.8 billion) in 2023, making up more than 6% of total retail in the country, according to research by World Wide Worx, with online retail sales forecast to make up 10% of the market by the end of 2025.
Egypt to launch its first digital bank
  • Matshepo Sehloho
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has granted Misr Digital Innovation (MDI) preliminary approval to launch the country's first digital bank.
WACS repaired, Mauritius Telecom to build new subsea cable
  • Matshepo Sehloho
The West Africa Cable System (WACS) has been repaired after enduring weeks of disruptions while Mauritius Telecom is partnering with Orange and Reliance Jio to build a new subsea cable connecting Africa, Indian Ocean islands and Asia.
Omdia View: March 2024
  • Guest Perspectives
The failure of four out of the five submarine cables deployed on the western shore of Africa in March 2024 led to a massive Internet outage across several countries. The outage fueled demand for satellite broadband, with SpaceX's Starlink becoming increasingly popular - that and more 5G and streaming news in the latest Omdia View.
Connecting Africa Podcast: S3 Ep. 2 – Nigeria's king of micro-payments
  • Paula Gilbert
On this episode, we speak to Touch and Pay Technologies Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer Michael Oluwole about how the startup is digitizing and processing micro-transactions in Nigeria's transport sector and his aspirations to grow the service across the continent.
Paymentology looks to strengthen its African roots
  • Paula Gilbert
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.
Women & technology: impacts of the digital gender divide
  • Connecting Africa News
Connecting Africa correspondent Chiti Mbizule Mutati investigates the state of Africa's digital gender gap and the impact this divide is having on access, education and entrepreneurship opportunities for local women.
Interview: JUMO's Joe Mucheru on AI's role in fintech
  • Connecting Africa Video
JUMO President Joe Mucheru joined Connecting Africa Editor Paula Gilbert for a video interview to talk about the fintech company's work across Africa and how it's using artificial intelligence (AI) to provide credit to millions of Africans.
South Africa key to Mimecast's business strategy – new CEO
  • Paula Gilbert
South Africa remains a key pillar for email security company Mimecast's business strategy, according to new CEO Marc van Zadelhoff, who told Connecting Africa that Mimecast plans to further expand its operations across Africa and hire more local talent.
West Africa has become mobile money powerhouse – GSMA
  • Paula Gilbert
The GSMA's new 2024 State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money shows that in 2023, over a third of new mobile money accounts globally were from West Africa and the region has doubled its overall number of mobile money accounts over the past ten years.
Omdia View: February 2024
  • Guest Perspectives
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.
Cassava Tech Talks Ep. 6: Digital priorities of the C-suite
  • Paula Gilbert
In the newest Cassava Tech Talks podcast we discuss the digital priorities of the C-suite, especially when it comes to cybersecurity, cloud, digitization in Africa and how the introduction of AI tools is impacting the market. Guests are Liquid C2 CEO Oswald Jumira and Sabelo Dlamini director of SANReN. #sponsored
Key adoption areas for machine learning in Africa
  • Connecting Africa News
ICT analyst Francis Hook identifies some of the key sectors that could be positively impacted by machine learning, including education, government services, healthcare and climate tech.
Connecting Africa Podcast: S3 Ep. 1 – Trending topics in 2024
  • Paula Gilbert
The Connecting Africa Podcast is back for season three. In this episode, we discuss startups and companies making their mark across emerging trends like social commerce, AI and smartphone affordability, and we venture into the hot topic of climate tech.


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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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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.

Story

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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November 12-14, 2024
Cape Town, South Africa
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