Tech News – Page 3 – Africa Tech Digest

Absa, Tigo & JUMO Join Forces to Expand FinTech in Tanzania

16Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Fintech

Absa, Tigo & JUMO Join Forces to Expand FinTech in Tanzania

Mobile fintech platform services provider, JUMO today announced a new partnership with Absa Bank Tanzania and Tanzanian telecom firm Tigo to increase the availability of the existing short-term credit product Tigo Nivushe in the country. The new tripartite agreement reached with Absa will pave the way for more funds to be disbursed through JUMO’s intelligent banking platform, from September 2021, says JUMO. Tigo Nivushe is a mobile lending product that is an easily accessible, short-term loan option available to Tigo Pesa’s customers and funded by Absa Bank. Customers who are registered and sufficiently active on Tigo Pesa can borrow amounts ranging from TZS2,000 ($0,08) to TZS1-million ($431,22) depending on their requirements and eligibility. Continue reading Image: Wikiwand...

UN Launches the First Regional Online Portal to Bring Together all African Countries with Data and Evidence on Sustainable Development

14Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Telecommunications

UN Launches the First Regional Online Portal to Bring Together all African Countries with Data and Evidence on Sustainable Development

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, September 14, 2021/APO Group/ -- Measuring and evaluating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa became much easier as a group of regional UN entities launched the first online data portal that brings together statistical data harvested across all countries on the continent. Today, 17 regional UN entities, under the Africa Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP), unveiled the Africa UN Data for Development Platform. This is the first platform to serve as a one-stop-shop repository that captures high-quality data and evidence on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs from all the African countries. It is also the first of its kind to raise the profile of statistical progress toward the African Union vision – Agenda 2063. “With barely nine years left...

Technology giant Olympus hit by BlackMatter ransomware

13Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Cybersecurity

Technology giant Olympus hit by BlackMatter ransomware

Olympus said in a brief statement Sunday that it is “currently investigating a potential cybersecurity incident” affecting its European, Middle East and Africa computer network. “Upon detection of suspicious activity, we immediately mobilized a specialized response team including forensics experts, and we are currently working with the highest priority to resolve this issue. As part of the investigation, we have suspended data transfers in the affected systems and have informed the relevant external partners,” the statement said. But according to a person with knowledge of the incident, Olympus is recovering from a ransomware attack that began in the early morning of September 8. The person shared details of the incident prior to Olympus acknowledging the incident on Sunday. Continue...

iPhone 13 Pro Models Reported to Have 1TB Storage Option

13Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Mobile, Telecommunications

iPhone 13 Pro Models Reported to Have 1TB Storage Option

According to reliable Apple and iPhone analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will reportedly offer 1 TB storage options, marking the first Apple smartphone devices to cross this storage threshold. 9to5Mac reports that a new investor report from Kuo details what storage options the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will be available in. These include configurations of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Notably missing is the 64GB storage option, which possibly makes the iPhone 12 series the final set of devices that will be released with the configuration. The iPhone 13’s storage configurations far outclass its predecessors, according to the report. In contrast, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are only available in 128Gb, 256GB, and 512GB storage options. The iPhone 13...

12Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, ecommerce

ECOWAS Member States Meet to Review Development of the African Trade Observatory

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, September 12, 2021/APO Group/ -- The ECOWAS Commission, in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), organized the 2nd virtual Regional Workshop on the African Trade Observatory (ATO) on 8 September 2021 for Experts from Ministries of Trade and National Statistics Agencies, as well as representatives of Customs Authorities to review status of development of the Observatory.The African Trade Observatory, is one of the five African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) operational instruments along with the rules of origin; the online negotiating forum; the monitoring and elimination of non-tariff barriers; and the digital payment system, that was launched at the African Union 12th Extraordinary Summit held in July 2019 in Niamey – Niger. Continue ...

CBN’s new directive, Flutterwave X MTN MoMo, MTN Nigeria’s licence renewal

10Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Telecommunications

CBN’s new directive, Flutterwave X MTN MoMo, MTN Nigeria’s licence renewal

What’s the news? The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed banks and payment service providers (PSPs), via a circular, to begin processing end-to-end bulk payments or transfers on their platforms and to track accounts that receive credits in the custody of the sender’s bank. How were things done before? Originating banks and PSPs passed a debit entry through the initiating customer’s account and multiple credits to beneficiaries without keeping adequate records of the credit entries in their system. This, reportedly, altered the audit trail and reduced transparency. But with the new method, all end-to-end bulk payments or transfers for customers are processed on the platforms of banks or PSPs, with a detailed breakdown of the accounts that receive the credits held in the sender’...

SA to Issue Digital Vaccine Passports Next Week: What Will This Mean?

10Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Health Tech, Southern Africa

SA to Issue Digital Vaccine Passports Next Week: What Will This Mean?

According to an announcement made by South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla, digital vaccination passes will be issued to all eligible vaccinated South Africans in less than a week. The country’s Department of Health says that currently, the digital vaccine certificates are “under development.” According to Mia Malan, editor-in-chief of Bhekisisa Health Journalism Centre, the digital certificates will be issued to vaccinated South Africans in about a week. The certificates can be uploaded onto smartphones and will be printable. South Africans will receive a certificate if their vaccination details, such as location, number of dose and type of jab match their EVDS record. Continue reading

TECNO’s CAMON series to be the first to release MediaTek’s latest Helio G96 chips in the African market

9Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Mobile, Telecommunications

TECNO’s CAMON series to be the first to release MediaTek’s latest Helio G96 chips in the African market

Lagos, Nigeria, 9th September 2021 – International smartphone brand, TECNO just confirmed that it will feature MediaTek’s Helio G96 chipset in its CAMON 18 series to launch in Oct, making it the first smartphone brand to do so for the African market. The newly launched MediaTek Helio G96 chipset is ideal for powerful 4G smartphones for the mainstream market, and is equipped with enhanced technology features which boost display and photography experiences. TECNO CAMON series was first launched in 2015 with a dedication to bring pioneering camera technologies to African consumers. It has grown to be one of the most popular camera phones. The Helio G96 chipset will allow the TECNO CAMON series to further enhance its position and provide cutting edge display and photography capabilities. Co...

Nigeria’s Akiddie is scaling to become a storytelling platform for minority kids worldwide

8Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Nigeria, Telecommunications

Nigeria’s Akiddie is scaling to become a storytelling platform for minority kids worldwide

“I came up with the Akiddie idea because I felt my niece deserved better, more representative stories, and that idea still drives what we do today, only that it’s no longer for just my niece, it’s for every child around the world and their right to having content that affirms them.” — Dominic Onyekachi, CEO of Nigerian media startup, Akiddie. The last time we covered Akiddie, we detailed how the startup was creating the most extensive collection of African children’s stories, to give children powerful and culturally relevant stories. In the past year, the startup has been scaling to cater to minority kids across the globe. Until recently, most children’s literature from popular culture has mainly featured Western civilisations, and there was a distinct lack of diversity. ...

3 Most Common Cyberscams that Compromise Business Emails

6Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Cybersecurity, Telecommunications

3 Most Common Cyberscams that Compromise Business Emails

Online security firm Kaspersky reports that its cybersecurity experts are increasingly observing BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks online. Between May and July 2021, Kaspersky says that its security products prevented more than 9,500 BEC attacks globally, including those against businesses in air transportation, industry, retail, IT, and delivery. Such attacks demand significant time and resources, and preparation for them may last from a few weeks to several months. One successful attack may lead to damage worth many millions for a company. During a BEC attack, fraudsters usually initiate an email exchange with a company employee in order to gain their trust and encourage actions that are detrimental to the interest of the company or its clients. Continue reading