IT news – 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

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...

Paga partners with Untapped Global to digitise payments for 120,000 Nigerian SMEs

4Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Mobile Transfers, Nigeria

Paga partners with Untapped Global to digitise payments for 120,000 Nigerian SMEs

Paga, a Nigeria-based mobile payment company, has partnered with investment firm, Untapped Global, to provide financing of point-of-sale (POS) devices for small businesses and merchants in the country. Paga’s POS devices enable merchants to accept cards, mobile payments, and other forms of digital payments, making it easy for them to get paid while enabling them to provide other value-added financial services to customers. The financing, provided via Untapped Global, is structured to lower the overall cost of entry for merchants to acquire handheld POS terminals, with payments recovered from the revenues earned on the devices. After a successful pilot programme, which saw 2,000 merchants provided with financed POS devices earlier this year, both companies have, accord...

How Nigerian edtech startup, Tuteria, is connecting learners to tutors in Nigeria

4Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Nigeria, Start-ups

How Nigerian edtech startup, Tuteria, is connecting learners to tutors in Nigeria

Over the years, education has evolved from self-education through self-directed play and exploration, acquiring a vast knowledge of plants and herbs for agricultural purposes to teaching certain expectations and behaviours to children. In recent years, education has changed into a tool for children to learn and apply their talents or skills and for young people and adults to understand the competitive nature of the workforce. Similarly, with the advancement of technology, students are no longer restricted to the four walls of a classroom to learn a new course, acquire a skill, or advance in a specific field of interest. Globally, technology is rapidly transforming education. While edtech in Africa is moving slower due to power shortage and low Internet penetration, some African e...

Why Digitisation is Key to Rescue SA’s Water Infrastructure

3Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa

Why Digitisation is Key to Rescue SA’s Water Infrastructure

South Africa’s water system is in trouble. In the 2020/21 financial year alone, there were over 55,800 pipe bursts, over a third of reservoirs have supply problems, and years of underfunding of infrastructure replacement and maintenance have drastically reduced the lifespan of around a quarter of the country’s asset base. If there’s one lesson we can take from South Africa’s electricity crisis, it’s that we can’t wait until it’s too late before we act. And yet, it nearly is too late. By 2025, South Africa is expected to experience water scarcity. By 2030, a water deficit. With the rapid increase in urbanisation and the rising demand for our water infrastructure, we don’t have the luxury of time. There’s a sense of urgency that we must jump on now, starting with what we do&...

Should you worry if Twitter succumbs to Nigerian government’s demands?

2Oct

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Social Networks

Should you worry if Twitter succumbs to Nigerian government’s demands?

Again, Nigerians have been promised the lifting of the four-month-long Twitter ban. After the last promise in August of ‘a few days’ given by the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, President Muhammadu Buhari, in his Independence Day speech, today mentioned that the ban would be lifted conditionally based on the fulfilment of some obligations by the social media giant. Recall that in early June 2021, the Nigerian government indefinitely suspended Twitter after the platform removed a Tweet by the president for violating its rules. An infringement on citizens’ right to free speech, this move has drawn reactions from human rights advocacy groups across the country. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), for instance, filed an appeal at the ECOWAS court in Abuja askin...

TECNO’s CAMON 18 Premier Certificated by TÜV Rheinland for Low Blue Light of Eye Protection and Safe Fast-charge System

30Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Gadgets, Mobile

TECNO’s CAMON 18 Premier Certificated by TÜV Rheinland for Low Blue Light of Eye Protection and Safe Fast-charge System

HONG KONG, China, September 30, 2021/APO Group/ -- TECNO (www.TECNO-Mobile.com) today announced that its latest smartphone to release in Oct——TECNO CANOM 18 Premier has received two new internationally recognized TÜV Rheinland certifications respectively for Low Blue Light (Hardware solution) and Safe Fast-charge Systems. This will provide consumers better eye protection and safety of fast charging for long-time phone usage. The negative damage to eyes from blue lights of the computer and mobile screens is a becoming a heated topic in recent years, especially with the increasing long hours of smartphone usage in daily life among heavy phone users and even teenagers and children. According to many industry researches, blue light penetrates all the way to the retina and too much expos...