Africa Tech Digest

TECNO Brings Ultra-steady and Ultra-clear Gimbal Camera Phone CAMON 18 Premier

7Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Gadgets, Mobile

TECNO Brings Ultra-steady and Ultra-clear Gimbal Camera Phone CAMON 18 Premier

The new CAMON 18 Premier brings together the best of the CAMON series, such as TAIVOS, Super Night Mode, Selfie Mode to combine with an all new Ultra-steady Gimbal Camera HONG KONG, China, October 6, 2021/APO Group/ -- The most advanced pro-camera phone from TECNO CAMON series (www.TECNO-Mobile.com) -- Ultra-steady Gimbal Camera; Ultra-clear 60X Hyper Zoom; Self-portrait master; Newest MediaTek Helio G96 Chip designed for 4G camera phone and 120Hz AMOLED screen; TÜV Rheinland Certified Display for Eye Protection from low-blue light and certified fast-charge system. TECNO, a rising superstar as a global smartphone brand of the new generation, today released its newest CAMON18 series - CAMON 18 Premier, CAMON18P and CAMON18, pushing the boundaries for what it means to be a professi...

What Happened to MXit? SA’s Own Super-Popular Chat App

7Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africans in Tech, Apps

What Happened to MXit? SA’s Own Super-Popular Chat App

South Africa’s communications minister said today that this week’s massive social media outage of Facebook Inc. apps including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook itself, serves as a reminder that governments around the world can do more to support the development of local social media platforms. Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said that the creation and popularity of MXit, a Naspers-backed chat service established in South Africa, was evidence that local companies could indeed produce successful technology with the right backing. “South Africa needs to support young people and citizens to develop social media platforms that we use,” said the minister, who was transferred in August from the department of small business development, quoted by Bloomberg. “We cannot be dependent on the W...

With its massive subsea Internet cable, Google says it’s playing the long game in Africa

7Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Telecommunications

With its massive subsea Internet cable, Google says it’s playing the long game in Africa

At the first Google for Africa event held today, October 6, 2021, global Internet giant, Google, has announced significant initiatives for the African continent. They include a $50 million venture fund for black-led African startups, small business loans, grants for non-profits, and most importantly, the launch of Equiano, a subsea Internet cable to increase Africa’s Internet capacity In partnership with Safaricom, Google will also be kick-starting a device financing plan to ensure people actually have smartphones and other Internet-enabled devices to access the Internet. A little over a year ago, Google announced similar initiatives and affirmed plans to deepen Internet access in Africa and contribute to the continent’s digital transformation. While we could open discussions about ...

eNaira: How much control does a private blockchain give the CBN?

6Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Cryptocurrency

eNaira: How much control does a private blockchain give the CBN?

On Thursday, July 22, 2021, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revealed that the pilot scheme of its digital currency — eNaira — will launch on October 1, 2021. However, due to reasons ranging from a clash with Independence Day activities to the ill-preparedness of commercial banks, the much-anticipated launch was postponed While addressing the postponement, CBN’s Director of Communications, Osita Nwasinobi, again recited some benefits of the eNaira — peer-to-peer transactions, reduction of cash use, and financial inclusion. While the eNaira has its benefits, concerns have been pointed out regarding transparency and how it could aid illegal financial practices by those in control. Continue reading Image: Techpoint

FNB Launches 2 New Digital Payment Solutions for SMEs

6Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Mobile Transfers

FNB Launches 2 New Digital Payment Solutions for SMEs

FNB South Africa, one of the country’s top lenders, has announced today the launch of two new digital payment solutions for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). According to a statement from FNB, the growing need to accelerate the shift from cash to digital and card payments, coupled with the growth of eCommerce across Africa, the bank has expanded its payments ecosystem with two new SME solutions: FNB WebStore and FNB Android Speedpoint device. “The solutions will offer a simple, easy and cost-effective way for businesses in South Africa to accept payments from customers,” says FNB. “Over the last decade the payments industry has seen a dynamic shift – from the internet and smartphones driving the adoption of mobile payments, end of cheques as a form of payment, to the current pa...

Google sets up $50M fund to invest in African startups

6Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africans in Tech, Start-ups

Google sets up $50M fund to invest in African startups

Google plans to invest up to $50 million in African early and growth-stage startups via its Africa Investment Fund, ramping up efforts to support more businesses on the continent. Google made known its plans today in a virtual event where CEO Sundar Pichai announced the tech giant’s intentions to commit $1 billion over the next five years in tech-led initiatives in Africa. These initiatives range from improved connectivity via Google’s subsea cable Equiano to investments in small businesses and startups. Until now, Google had fulfilled its obligations in the latter through its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program and the recently launched Black Founders Fund. Continue reading Image: Getty Images

YC-backed Amenli raises $2.3M to provide insurance to Egyptian consumers

5Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Start-ups

YC-backed Amenli raises $2.3M to provide insurance to Egyptian consumers

The average penetration rate for insurance in Africa is between 3% to 5%. South Africa makes up a large bulk of it; without it, the continent is on a 1% to 2% rate even with other developed technology and financial markets like Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt. The insurance market is still one of the industries least disrupted by technology on the continent. The reasons vary, from bad experiences and poor satisfaction on the part of consumers to high distribution costs for providers. Recently, some startups such as Lami, Ctrl and Naked have sought to take on each regional market by storm, armed with the necessary capital to scale. Y Combinator Summer 2021 graduate Amenli is taking its operations up north and is announcing a $2.3 million seed round to provide insurance services for Egyptian...

Nigerian telemedicine startup, iWello, is making healthcare available to people living on less than $1 per day

5Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Health Tech, Start-ups

Nigerian telemedicine startup, iWello, is making healthcare available to people living on less than $1 per day

In 2008, Ismail Adejonwo’s mother experienced a troubling stomach ache. The family had no money and was hesitant to take her to the hospital. But as the clock kept ticking, the pain became unbearable. At this point, he had no choice but to take his mother to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor informed them that they had brought her late. She was diagnosed with appendicitis, which was treated successfully with a simple surgery. Entirely unrelated, Dr Fatima Ajayi, Adejonwo’s pregnant family friend, fainted during a ward round in 2019 after working a 12-hour shift. Sadly, her boss dismissed her for the day without further concern about her well-being. Adejonwo decided not to overlook these events. Continue reading Image: techpoint.africa

South Africans Can Now Get Their Digital Vaccine Passes via This Website

5Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Health Tech

South Africans Can Now Get Their Digital Vaccine Passes via This Website

A few days after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the Department of Health would begin rolling out digital vaccination certificates and a few weeks after Health Minister Joe Phaahla claimed that the vaccine passes would be made available “soon” the South African government has launched a website were vaccinated individuals can receive their digital vaccine certificates. “The Department of Health should be rolling out a vaccination certificate which will provide a secure and a verifiable proof of vaccination certificate which can be used to facilitate travel to access establishments and gatherings and other forms of activity that require proof of vaccination,” the president said at the time. “This will also go a long way towards getting a number of international...

4 Reasons Why Contactless Payments Are Taking Over the World

4Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Mobile Transfers

4 Reasons Why Contactless Payments Are Taking Over the World

For the past 10 years, we’ve been hearing about how new-generation mobile apps, wallets, tap-to-pay, NFC solutions and even the humble QR code are going to spell the end of the magnetic stripe card as a means of payment. And here we are, in 2021, and we’re finally taking big steps towards a brave new world of contactless payments. In fact, contactless payments are possibly the hottest trend in the financial services industry right now. Globally, Accenture predicts $7-trillion in consumer spending will shift from cash to cards and digital payments by 2023. The Deloitte Africa Digital Commerce Survey found that 22-million South African consumers shopped online in 2020, growing to 32-million by 2024. https://16319923ff83137830bb4a8a61c91e67.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0...