Planet Labs PBC, a provider of daily data and insights about Earth, and Microsoft Corp. have announced an expanded partnership to apply artificial intelligence (AI) technology and satellite data to support African climate adaptation projects.

This technology collaboration is in support of Microsoft’s recently-announced first global expansion of its AI for Good Labs into Nairobi, Kenya and Cairo, Egypt and the establishment of a corresponding AI Innovation Council with local partners and nonprofits. Through this program, Africa...

Eutelsat Communications, the satellite operator has inked a deal with Tizeti, West Africa’s pioneer solar-based internet service provider and a provider of community connectivity solutions to jointly improve broadband penetration in Nigeria, especially in underserved locations.

The two companies announced during the sidelines of the AfricaCom 2022 trade fair that they will deploy Eutelsat’s KA-band satellite connectivity, Konnect, to reach remote communities throughout Nigeria and provide fast, and...

Pan-African payments provider Cellulant and MSMEs-focused B2B digital platform Solv Kenya have signed a financial services partnership that will enable Solv Kenya's expanding MSME partners to access digital payment and collections services offered by Cellulant.

Following the announcement of Solv's commercial operations in Kenya last month, this partnership will enable MSMEs using the Solv Kenya platform to reconcile, receive, and view all their payments on the go under one roof. In a 2021 report...

Vodacom customers travelling overseas this festive season can now save on international roaming costs by taking advantage of the best international roaming bundles on South Africa’s leading network.

Vodacom has launched the 1GB and the 5GB Travel Data bundles with a 7-day validity, available to connect in more than 200 destinations. The 1GB data bundle is available for as little as R99, whereas the 5GB data bundle is available for R349. For customers who want the best of both worlds, data and minutes, Vodacom has introduced the ‘All For You’...

Paystack has joined a number of other providers that have been granted payments license to operate in Kenya.  The company which was acquired by Stripe back in 2020 has announced that the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has authorised it to operate as a Payment Service Provider in Kenya.

‘’We’re thrilled to announce that Paystack has received a Payment Service Provider Authorisation from the Central Bank of Kenya, which permits us to provide payment services to businesses operating in Kenya’’ Vikaran Ubhi, Paystack's...

Epson has announced that it’s ending sales of laser printers citing the technology’s limited ability to make meaningful sustainability advances. 

The technology company announced on Thursday that Epson it’s now committed fully to inkjet printing, launching a new range of 40-60ppm business models to close the range gap and deliver a total suite of sustainable Heat-Free business inkjet MFPs Explaining the decision, Epson’s Regional Head for East and West Africa, Mukesh Bector, cites the greater...

While announcing the telco's half-year results last week, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa confirmed that the company is planning to roll out mobile numbers for juniors. The phone numbers will be under the accounts of their parents and allow kids to save on M-Pesa.

“Going forward the junior will be able to have their own number but under the parent account and that convert to the junior automatically when they turn 18 rather than having that problematic element that used to happen before.” the CEO...

LG Electronics on Tuesday announced its commitment to champion the overall expansion of digital laundromats across the country and formalize the informal “mamafua” industry.

This follows a growing demand for laundry services among an increasingly affluent middle-income market with limited time to do laundry but with a desire to have their laundry done professionally and at an affordable rate. To date, through Hotpoint, LG has so far supported the expansion of Laundromats in Buruburu, TRM, and Hurlingham. Speaking...

After announcing its entry into the Kenyan market recently, JuicyScore has now appointed Chris Akolo as its Regional Business Development Director for Kenya.

The global leader in anti-fraud and risk management solutions says Mr Akolo will be in charge of risk management and antifraud for online businesses within the East Africa region. In his new role, he will focus on expanding the company’s business in digital lending, banking, insurance sub-industries and other industries via building a solid pipeline of prospects...

Transnet is a South African state-owned transportation company that manages South Africa's rails, ports, and pipelines.

It is responsible for building, managing, and operating South Africa's rail infrastructure, playing a crucial role in the country's sustainable and stable economic development. As South Africa's largest freight logistics operator, Transnet is committed to building a globally competitive freight system. As global rails and ports go digital, Transnet has developed a digital strategy to reposition its freight transportation system and improve its competitiveness. The strategy is founded in...

It’s now emerging that the collapse of American crypto platform FTX last week has had an impact on Nigeria’s Web3 startup Nestcoin, even as its effects continue to be felt across the world.

Nestcoin CEO Yele Bademosi said that his startup held cash and stablecoins in the fallen crypto platform. Nestcoin is also a beneficiary of funding from FTX and its sister company Alameda Research. “We used the closely-associated exchange, FTX, as a custodian to store a significant proportion of the...

Many cities in emerging markets have taken measures to grow digital sectors to develop their local economies and create jobs.

African cities can follow this path, using digitisation to create jobs that often pay better than traditional roles, favour younger candidates, support local economies of small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), and are less vulnerable to future disruptions. A new article by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) titled How African Cities Can Create Digital...

A study by Mozilla Foundation has revealed that social media platforms Facebook, TikTok and Twitter performed poorly in their efforts to stop the spread of misinformation during the Kenyan 2022 elections.

''Our research paints a vivid picture of tech platforms that are willing to make cosmetic tweaks and vague promises about their products, but ultimately are unwilling to devote the time and resources to an electoral process outside their cultural context.'' the report notes. The platforms Mozilla says failed...

Sophos’s endpoint security products have been ranked as the industry best in all three of SE Labs’ protection tests in the third quarter of 2022, achieving AAA ratings across the board. 

In the Enterprise, SMB, and Consumer categories, Sophos endpoint security products earned a 100% rating for Protection Accuracy, Legitimate Accuracy and Total Accuracy.  “Sophos believes in the informational and transparency value of regular participation in third-party...

Africa Business Communities talked to several entrepreneurs and founders in the early months of the year, and they cast their votes on which African countries will thrive best in 2022.

Biodun Kolade, founder, Colad Gray Consulting: I’ll go with Egypt, Mauritius and Rwanda, in no particular order. With a population of approximately 95 million, Egypt is one of the wealthiest countries in Africa and has a stable economy with an average growth rate of 3% - 5% in the last quarter...

Ghana’s leading online media platform, GhanaWeb, and Age Africa Agency, the foremost YouTube agency with a Multi-Channel Network (MCN) in Africa, are co-sponsoring the second edition of the YouTube Creators Festival to be held from November 24 to 26, 2022, in Accra, Ghana.

The festival is an independent convention of all content creators across the country to engage, educate and inspire the global YouTube community. Representatives of GhanaWeb and Age Africa Agency would speak at the event as sponsors and...

When: Wednesday, 30 November 2022

Time: 15.00 - 16.00 (GMT+3)

Location: Online 

Ready to empower your teams to run projects and workflows with confidence? Join monday.com partner, Incentro for a free live webinar and uncover how to optimize your company’s processes and operations with monday.com Work OS and monday projects. Looking forward to seeing you there...

Ismail Akwei is the editor in chief at AfricaWeb, a company that democratizes news and information through its online news platforms in Sub-Saharan Africa including GhanaWeb.com, CamerounWeb.com, MyNigeria.com and TanzaniaWeb.com.

Ismail is among the speakers at The YouTube Creators Festival, a three-day convention that will bring all content creators across the region to engage, educate and inspire in the global YouTube community. The conference will be...

The electronic commerce (e-Commerce) transaction of goods and services between business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), consumer-to-consumer, and consumer-to-business, has become rampant in this digital age. Innovations in digital payments has transitioned the retail industry in Africa and across the world.

A recent report by Visa showed that the top market contributors to e-Commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa over the last 3 years were South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, with Ghana also showing growth, having replaced Kenya in the top three...

Around the developing world, informal retail continues to be a powerful social force, employing millions of people who might otherwise not have jobs, driving economic activity in spaces that formal business has not penetrated, and providing essential goods and services for the under-served.

Giving this sector a deep knowledge of their market – enabling them to stock preferred brands and products, and even offer credit to loyal customers. In Africa, this sector is remarkably resilient, showing adaptability and innovation by adopting...

Families around the world can expect to spend up to 156% of their monthly income on Christmas this year, according to the latest results from the WorldRemit Cost of Christmas study. 

With unique traditions, gift giving ideas, and seasonal meals in every region, the global landscape sees a wide diversity of costs associated with the holiday season. In its second year, the findings are part of WorldRemit’s 2022 Cost of Christmas Study, which observes how the changing macroeconomic...

Vodacom published its first Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) report in June 2022, which focuses on key climate-related risks and opportunities to boost sustainability efforts and enable business success.

The report sheds light on Vodacom South Africa’s business journey towards a sustainable future, and we use the report as a platform to map how far the business has come, and which direction we need to go to ensure a Just Transition. A company’s TCFD report not only helps investors understand...