South Africa – Africa Tech Digest

Malware attacks in Africa are increasing, reaching 85 million in only 6 months

20Aug

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Cybersecurity

Malware attacks in Africa are increasing, reaching 85 million in only 6 months

Overall, 4 countries account for 85 million attacks, with South Africa being the most targeted LAGOS, Nigeria, August 19, 2021/APO Group/ -- Kaspersky (https://africa.Kaspersky.com) research highlights that malware is rife across Africa with various countries exhibiting strong growth in all malware types in the first half of 2021, when compared to the same period last year. This is a 5% increase in the region, as cybercriminals and hackers continue to focus on African countries considering digital transformation advancements and the increase in remote working resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 4 countries account for 85 million attacks, with South Africa being the most targeted (32 million attacks), followed by Kenya (28.3 million), Nigeria (16.7 million) a...

Covid-19 travel pass for South Africa – what to expect

16Aug

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Apps, Health Tech

Covid-19 travel pass for South Africa – what to expect

Covid-19 travel passes have become an international sticking point, as countries and citizens continue to face travel restrictions unless they provide proof of vaccination or a negative test. Parts of the world, including North America and the European Union, have begun to relax restrictions as many of their populations have been vaccinated. This allows businesses to introduce Covid-19 passes, blocking citizens and travellers from entering unless they can show proof of vaccination. Continue reading (Image Credits: Unsplash)

This South African-founded podcast startup has just been acquired by global podcasting company Acast

30Apr

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Southern Africa, Start-ups

This South African-founded podcast startup has just been acquired by global podcasting company Acast

South African-founded podcast technology startup Pippa has been acquired by large global podcasting company Acast. Pippa provides people who create podcasts with a space to host their podcasts, and shares it to all the relevant outlets including iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and every podcast app. The platform also provides in-depth analytics on how their podcast is performing, as well as allowing them to place adverts in their content. ‘’Joining Acast represents an important, necessary, and extremely exciting leap forward for Pippa.’’ the company said in a statement. ‘’Acast’s reputation as the premier podcast company in the world is well deserved. We’re honoured to join their team and — with you — to continue crafting the future of podcasting together.’’ “We’re incredibly proud...

IT Professionals Leaving South Africa Cite Political and Economic Concerns

30Apr

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Southern Africa, Trends

IT Professionals Leaving South Africa Cite Political and Economic Concerns

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently called on young white South Africans not to leave the country in a pre-election campaign drive in Stellenbosch. He said that the fears that many white South Africans have of not being wanted, “is entirely not true”. “There is a place, there is room for all of us,” the president said. The problem of professionals leaving South Africa, however, extends far beyond the young white population. Many qualified people are leaving the country in search for a better future for themselves and their families. IT professionals leaving South Africa MyBroadband’s 2019 IT Salary Survey revealed that 46% of IT professionals in South Africa are planning to leave South Africa permanently, or work abroad, in the near future. The survey was conducted in Apr...

South Africa Ranked Top Startup Ecosystem in Africa, But Drops in World Rankings

30Apr

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Southern Africa, Trends

South Africa Ranked Top Startup Ecosystem in Africa, But Drops in World Rankings

South Africa may still have the highest ranked startup ecosystem for an African country, but it is no longer in the top 50 club, after dropping 13 spots, a new ranking shows. The ranking — developed by StartupBlink, a global startup ecosystem map with tens of thousands of registered startups, coworking spaces and accelerators — was released last week. It ranks 100 countries and 1000 cities for 2018. Startup Blink draws its data from what it claims is an algorithm that analyses tens of thousands of data points on registered startups, accelerators and coworking spaces listed on the StartupBlink global startup ecosystem map, as well as data received from its global partners such as Crunchbase and SimilarWeb. The report puts South Africa just behind Malaysia, Slovakia, Slovenia and C...

African tech startups raised $1.163B in equity in 2018

9Apr

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Start-ups

African tech startups raised $1.163B in equity in 2018

African tech startups raised $1.163B in 2018 according to Partech Africa’s 2018 annual report on the financing on the continent confirming the attractiveness of African entrepreneurs and their ability to transform the continent into a global powerhouse. The report covers equity deals in tech and digital spaces, and funding rounds higher than US$200K and lower than US$100 Million. Deals covered are includes African startups only i.e. companies with their primary market in Africa itself. In 2018, 146 African startups raised a total of US$1.163 Billion in equity through 164 rounds, this is a +108% growth YoY, compared to +33% in 2016 and +53% in 2017. This represents x4.2 growth multiple over the last 36 months. “It’s quite simply astonishing. When we started our journey to create t...

South African voter details exposed on IEC website

15Mar

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Cybersecurity, Southern Africa

South African voter details exposed on IEC website

The South African National Elections will be held on 8 May 2019, and voters have been encouraged to register online through the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) website. The online portal has not always been the most secure platform, however, and a security flaw revealed in 2017 allowed attackers to potentially manipulate the registration system. This week, MyBroadband was made aware of another security flaw affecting the IEC online registration portal – this time affecting those applying to vote from overseas. Citizens who wish to vote in the 2019 elections while overseas must inform the IEC of their intention and submit a VEC 10 application online. The VEC 10 application must be submitted through the elections registration portal before 13 March 2019 to be proce...

South Africa will be tracking social media fake news ahead of the 2019 elections

13Mar

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Social Networks, Southern Africa

South Africa will be tracking social media fake news ahead of the 2019 elections

Can South Africa really hold a general election on 8 May 2019 in a way that it really represents the views of its people? One might have thought this was an academic question. The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa is well respected and the country's legal system is robust. There are certainly enough political parties – around 285 are registered even if most are unlikely to participate in the May 2019 elections – for the national and nine provincial legislatures. However, there have been worrying signs about the use of disinformation during previous elections and these need to be heeded. Google is deploying some of its vast resources to train political parties, journalists and editors how to spot and fight fake ...

Nigeria’s AMPZ.TV, Ghana’s OZÉ & Kenya’s WayaWaya named regional winners in MEST Africa’s $50,000 pitch competition

11Mar

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

East Africa, Start-ups

Nigeria’s AMPZ.TV, Ghana’s OZÉ & Kenya’s WayaWaya named regional winners in MEST Africa’s $50,000 pitch competition

Five promising start-ups from across Africa have been chosen as regional winners in MEST Africa’s annual Pan-African pitch competition, moving one step closer to winning $50,000 in equity investment, a place in the MEST Africa incubator of their choice and global mentorship to help their company scale. Winners will pitch on a global stage in the finals at the 4th MEST Africa Summit, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, June 10-12. Out of nearly 1000 applicants from across the continent, 10 finalists were chosen to pitch at the regional finals in Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, Cape Town and Abidjan, held February 27-28th. Winners from each region include: Nigeria –AMPZ.TV, the ‘LinkedIn for Sports’ that is developing the next generation of Etos, Drogbas and Aubameyangs through te...

South Africa tech startup InvestSure raises $685k funding round

10Mar

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Southern Africa

South Africa tech startup InvestSure raises $685k funding round

South African insurtech startup InvestSure has raised ZAR9.6 million (US$685,000) in funding to broaden its offering and expand into new markets. Launched in May of last year, InvestSure is an insurance offering for investors, protecting shareholders against losses in shares of listed companies caused by allegations of management misleading or deceiving shareholders. The funding has been secured from Hannover Re Africa subsidiaries Lireas Holdings and Compass Insure, as well as venture capital firm 4Di Capital, following two years of incubation at Compass Insure, and totals ZAR9.6 million (US$685,000). InvestSure said the direct investment from the specialist insurer was a big statement on the potential impact it could have in the market as it becomes available across a...