June 2019 – Page 2 – Africa Tech Digest

MTN launches Africa’s first AI service for Mobile Money

9Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

AI, Mobile Transfers

MTN launches Africa’s first AI service for Mobile Money

MTN Group is proud to announce the launch of Africa’s first Mobile Money (MoMo) artificial intelligence service or “chatbot”. The chatbot went live in Ivory Coast in May and will be rolled out across MTN’s MoMo footprint in the next few months. The artificial intelligence mobile money “assistant” enables customers to engage with MTN’s MoMo services, including payments, on various social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, and via SMS. The service will also be included over time, in MTN’s own newly released advanced instant messaging service “Ayoba”. The chatbot is an artificial intelligence guide that assists users to navigate MTN’s MoMo services and provide other useful information. This innovation leverages messaging and artificial intelligence to drive customer ...

8Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Nigeria, West Africa

New innovation centre launched in Lagos

Governor of Lagos state, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unveiled the Eko Innovation Centre, a tech hub that is private sector-driven. The initiative was developed to strategically increase entrepreneurial and technological capacity across the state. Speaking during the launch of the centre located at Ikoyi, Sanwo-Olu, who would be sworn in today as Governor of Lagos State, said the location of the innovation centre used to be one of his campaign offices. “It used to be a place where I had lots of young people who used to spend long nights to develop a lot of concepts around my manifesto. “So, we said to ourselves, what is the best thing we can use this place for and so we decided to turn it into a tech hub, where people can come here to develop ideas. “So, it is for Lagosians t...

Facebook Suspends Huawei From Pre-Installing Its App And WhatsApp On Its Phones

8Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Apps, Social Networks

Facebook Suspends Huawei From Pre-Installing Its App And WhatsApp On Its Phones

Huawei is running into more problems after the US government banned major tech firms from doing business with the Chinese company. Reuters is reporting that Facebook is now joining Google, Microsoft, and others in the Huawei ban. What now? The social network giant is reportedly pulling its apps from Huawei devices. More specifically, Huawei will no longer be able to pre-install Facebook apps on its new phones, and that includes Facebook itself, as well as WhatsApp and Instagram. Facebook said the company’s apps will continue work and receive updates for existing users, but new users who get new (and existing) phones, won’t be able to get the apps pre-installed. Facebook blocking its popular apps from being pre-installed on Huawei devices is a big blow to the phone maker. Although...

Liberia has blocked social media as protesters demand the return of missing millions

7Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Social Networks, West Africa

Liberia has blocked social media as protesters demand the return of missing millions

Thousands of Liberians descended on the capital Monrovia today to protest the corruption that has bedeviled president George Weah’s administration. The government’s response: blocking social media outlets. The internet monitoring organization NetBlocks said platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were blocked to subdue the protests. While the cut-off didn’t impact all providers, restrictions affected mobile internet provider Orange Liberia and internet service provider Lonestar. The social media shutdown was confirmed by assessing user measurements in the Liberian capital and in collaboration with the digital advocacy Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa. Dubbed “Save The State,” the anti-government protests come just over a year after...

Online Classrooms Look to Improve Higher Education Across Africa, but Face Skepticism

7Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Education

Online Classrooms Look to Improve Higher Education Across Africa, but Face Skepticism

Emily Kamizi, right, at a market near her home in Lusaka, Zambia, is studying for an M.B.A. through Unicaf, whose courses are mostly online.Credit Jason J Mulikita for The New York Times Everywhere is a classroom for Emily Kamizi, even the buses in Lusaka, Zambia’s congested capital. It can take an hour or more to cross the city, so Ms. Kamizi puts on her headphones, turns up Taylor Swift and concentrates on her M.B.A. studies. Ms. Kamizi, 25, is a student at Unicaf University, an African institution founded in 2012 with programs in fields like business, education and health care management. Offering degrees largely online, with some blended learning options, Unicaf reaches 18,000 students across the continent, many of them working adults. Unicaf offers the convenience of anyti...

Motorcycles Enter Ride-Hailing App Industry in Nigeria

7Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Ridehailing, West Africa

Motorcycles Enter Ride-Hailing App Industry in Nigeria

When a customer scrolls through the options on a ride-hailing app in Lagos, Africa’s largest city, cars are no longer the only things that show up. Over the past 18 months, motorcycle-hailing startups have become players in the city’s tech ecosystem, all competing for traction and market share in a city beset with some of the continent’s worst transportation challenges. By itself, the idea of an on-demand, flexible transport service to get around Lagos’ hours-long traffic jams and congestion is an appealing proposition for millions of Lagosians. It’s also cheaper compared with established car-hailing services like Uber and Taxify. To be clear, commercial transport motorcycles, known locally as okadas have long existed in Lagos, like in many other African cities where they ...

DHL Expands eShop Platform Across Africa

6Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

ecommerce

DHL Expands eShop Platform Across Africa

Global logistics company, DHL has extended its e-commerce offering to now be available for consumers across 20 African countries. DHL's Africa eShop is an e-commerce platform that allows African consumers to shop on hundreds of USA and UK online shops such as Amazon and Ralph Lauren and have their orders delivered using DHL Express delivery. What is interesting is that the app, which was launched in April 2019, will likely provide competition to e-commerce platform JUMIA which has positioned itself as a Pan African offering. However, unlike JUMIA, DHL has the logistics capacity across several African countries to fulfill deliveries. “DHL Africa eShop provides convenience, speed and access for online customers in Africa. As the global leader in express l...

5Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Cybersecurity, East Africa

Kenyan Government Website Hacked

A group of hackers known as the Kurd Electronic Team defaced Kenya's government related websites earlier on 1 June 2019. At the time of publishing some of the websites, like that of the National Youth Service, had been restored while others were still displaying the hacking group's message stating that they were responsible for the defacement. In some cases, Kenya's ICT Authority seemed to have regained control and put up a message that they are under maintenance. "Sorry for the inconvenience but we're performing some maintenance at the moment. If you need to you can always contact us. Otherwise we'll be back online shortly! - GoK Cyber Security Team" Hacktivisim or just mischief? So far, it is not clear what was the motive for the defacements. However...

4Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Cryptocurrency, Southern Africa

Malawi warns against cryptocurrencies

A statement issued by the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) has warned people in the country that cryptocurrencies are not to be used as legal tender for goods and services in the same way they would use the country's currency, the Malawi Kwacha. This comes as more and more people in Malawi have been enquiring about using cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, as a form of payment or receiving payments. The statement was issued by RBM Governor, Dr. Dalitso Kabambe, who also added that RBM had noted with concern increased public interest in cryptocurrencies as observed through the growing number of enquiries on the subject received from the general public and other stakeholders. “Reserve Bank of Malawi wishes to advise the general public that cryptocurrencies are not legal t...