Global Tech - Afrikan Heroes

Opera launches Hype in Kenya

February 25, 2021

Global media outfit, Opera has launched its new dedicated chat service built into the popular Opera Mini browser in Kenya. Hype is the first African inspired chat service built into a mobile browser. It will first launch in Africa, where Opera has nearly 150M MAU, with Kenya as the pilot market. Opera hopes to reimagine the chat experience, with content sharing as a key feature; Opera Mini, with more than 100M users worldwide, becomes the world’s first mobile browser with an integrated chat service.

Today, Opera the Norwegian browser developer is announcing the launch of its new dedicated chat service Hype, built into mobile web browser Opera Mini. With the introduction of Hype in the Opera Mini browser, Opera is rethinking the concept of mobile browsers providing its users with a personalized, engaging browsing experience that enables seamless surfing, chatting and sharing content– without compromising speed or driving increased data consumption.

Speaking on the importance of the new chat service, Charles Hamel, Product Lead for Hype said that “chat services and browsers are apps people use every day and feel very personal about,” “With the integration of Hype in Opera Mini, we are not only rethinking what a chat service should be like in 2021, but also changing the very definition of what a mobile browser should be.”

Hype is launching first in Kenya as a pilot market, where starting today, users will be able to easily set up their Hype account and start chatting with secure end-to-end encryption. This launch is a facet of Opera’s emphasis on investing and growing its digital ecosystem in Africa, with the goal of bringing more people online; since 2018, Opera has grown its user base in Africa by 40%.

The introduction of Hype in Kenya is part of Opera’s Africa First business strategy, adopted three years ago by the Norwegian company. This strategy consists of four main pillars: 1) Develop products with African consumers in mind; 2) Invest and grow Opera’s digital ecosystem in the African region to bring more people online; 3) Partner with leading global and regional companies; and 4) Employ and collaborate with African colleagues and stakeholders.

“Hype was developed first and foremost with African consumers in mind. Today, 40% of the Kenyan population has access to smartphones, with younger generations dominating as 75% of their 47 million inhabitants are under 30 years old,” said Hamel. “With such early adopter demographics at play, there is massive potential for the growth of Hype in Kenya. On top of that, we are also partnering with the leading telecommunication carriers in the country, offering daily free browsing to all Opera Mini users. We believe the combination of these factors will lead to the rapid adoption of Hype in the country.”

This announcement follows similar browser innovation from Opera, which was the first to integrate messenger services as part of their PC browser, in 2019. Today, its more than 80 million users enjoy the integration of services such as Facebook messenger, Telegram, Whatsapp, Instagram and Twitter.

The way people communicate is constantly evolving. Today, new generations are relying on new formats like memes and stickers to express themselves, often relating to pop culture references and internet content they find. To make this easier and fun, Hype brings WebSnap, a feature previously known from the Opera desktop browser that allows users to take snapshots from the web.

Once a websnap is captured, users can edit it by adding colors, text, and emojis, making it fun and entertaining before sharing with others. WebSnap also allows users to smoothly share the link of the original website from which they took their snaps. This comes in handy as users no longer need to copy links from websites and switch between apps to share the content they want.

Hype is the first African inspired chat service built into a mobile browser. It offers its users a series of stickers created by Kenyan artists Brian Omolo and Lulu Kitololo. These unique collections of stickers reflect everyday expressions used by Kenyans to provide users with a more engaging experience when communicating with others.

“We are extremely happy to celebrate African culture with Hype and we are very excited with the end result and the collaboration we had with Brian and Lulu.” said Hamel. “These unique stickers with original designs are something we are very proud of at Opera as we become the first major browser to integrate real African art and pop culture into our products.”

Current messaging services were created almost a decade ago, and none of these has ever focused on having such collaboration with local artists to make online conversations more engaging. This unique offer from Hype stands out from other chat services and enables Kenyans with the ability to express themselves more accurately when using chat apps. The latest population census in Kenya, published in 2019, reported that the country is strongly youthful. Of Kenya’s 47 million inhabitants, 75% are less than 30 years old, with children and adolescents representing 63% of the total population.

“Hype was developed first and foremost with African consumers in mind. Today, 40% of the Kenyan population has access to smartphones, with younger generations becoming early adopters of technology,” said Hamel. “With such demographics, there is massive potential for the growth of Hype in Kenya. On top of that, we are also partnering with Safaricom and Airtel, the leading carriers in the country, offering free daily browsing to all Opera Mini users. We believe the combination of these factors will lead to the rapid adoption of Hype in the country.”

In Q4-2020, the Opera user base reached 380 million monthly active users (“MAU’s”) worldwide, with nearly 150 million MAUs based in Africa. Since the announcement of Opera’s Africa First strategy in Q1-2018, Opera has grown its user base by 40% in the African region. This rapid growth in the region gives Opera a unique position to scale its digital ecosystem infrastructure and leverage its brand awareness and recognition. Opera also gives more value to its users there by introducing new products and features that truly address the needs of its users locally.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

East Africa is Global Leader of Mobile Money – Report

February 24, 2021

The East African region has cemented its position in the digital economy as the global leader with the highest penetration rate of mobile money in the world. The region has 1,106 registered mobile money accounts for every 1,000 adults, compared to 600 for the whole of Africa, 533 for Asia and 245 for Latin America and the Caribbean. In East Africa, penetration is higher with most adult subscribers owning one or more mobile money accounts.

According to data from a 2021 joint report titled: Africa’s Development Dynamics’ authored by the African Union (AU) in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development which indicates that East African member states such as Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania lead the world in mobile money transactions, mostly because policy makers and regulators took an earlier risk to invest in innovation, which has made the financial sector more inclusive. Other countries in the region, including Comoros, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia and South Sudan, have also launched or are in the process of launching mobile money services.

Mobile money penetration has also been a key enabler and driver of digital innovation and adoption, leading to a boost in productivity in key sectors as well as creating jobs in the digital economy with financial technology (Fintech) startups in the region operating in a wide range of domains such as education, healthcare, consumer services and agriculture.

Fintechs have developed applications that help address rural urban supply chains and market linkages through electronic retail payment systems thus reducing fraud and enabling e-commerce growth. In Kenya alone, the spread of mobile money services has helped raise at least 194,000 households out of extreme poverty and has also enabled 185,000 women to switch from subsistence agriculture to small businesses or retail as their main occupations.

The report also notes that whereas East African governments can facilitate and regulate cross border payments, especially for mobile money accounts, currently, no interoperable mobile payment system covers the region, and the cost of creating one remains high.

In Uganda, according to data from Bank of Uganda, the value of mobile money transactions grew to an all-time high in December, capping the year at 28.2 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019.The number of mobile money transactions, the report noted, grew by 25 per cent during the same period. The Central Bank noted mobile money transactions grew to 3.5 billion in 2020 compared to 2.8 billion in 2019. Value of transactions rose to Sh93.7 trillion in 2020 compared to Shs73 trillion in 2019.

In Uganda, 2020 saw transactions grow to double digits month-on-month having recorded Shs10.3 trillion in value of transactions in December. Deposits and withdrawals equally grew to Shs2.5 trillion month-on-month from an average of Shs1.5 trillion in 2019. The growth could be partly explained by the increase in subscriber numbers, which during December 2020, grew from 23.5 million to 30.5 million subscribers.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Why Huawei Mobile Services Expands Ad Exchange Across Africa

February 22, 2021

Advert firms operating across Africa are in for a boost with the expansion embarked on by Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) as the company is set to expand its operations across the MEA (Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan) region. Huawei Ads is a supply-side and demand-side, real-time advertising marketplace where media companies transact ad impressions with accountability. These ads reach users of Huawei devices, third-party apps, and Huawei apps such as AppGallery, Browser, Assistant, Music, Video, Themes, and Petal Search.

This is expected to give publishers and advertisers exclusive access to a larger market share. The tool also enables publishers to achieve higher fill-rates and eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions), with the potential to increase revenue through yield management based on their ad stack strategy.

“Advertisers are focused on how to better promote their own brands by harnessing the potential of programmatic technology, which enables them to be more visible as they target their preferred audiences and customers more effectively,” says Adam Xiao, MD of HMS.

“The publisher’s goal is to increase revenue by having a tool that can maximize yield through robust bidding mechanisms, ultimately allowing for better monetization of their inventory and higher returns on advertising spend (ROAS).”

“Our clients across both domains are looking for a one-stop-shop tool to support them in achieving their strategic goals and, at HMS, we are doing just that. We have built our own ad exchange to facilitate both sides, powered by continuous innovation and tech capabilities in AI [Artificial Intelligence] and ML [Machine Learning].”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Why Twitter Boss, Jay Z to Fast Track Bitcoin in Africa and India with $23.6 million-Fund

February 16, 2021

With the rise of Bitcoin to a record high trading above $48,000 after the support of Elon Musk, there are plans to fast track Bitcoin in Africa and India by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey who hinted that he is partnering with rapper and Tidal chief Jay Z to create a new endowment to fund Bitcoin development starting in Africa and India. This project which is called ₿trust will be launched with an injection of 500 Bitcoin currently valued at $23.6 million. It would be run without direction from Dorsey or Jay Z.

Jay-Z and Dorsey are also looking for three board members for the trust, which has the mission to “make bitcoin the internet’s currency,” according to the board application form. But in the countries where this project would run, the receptiveness towards Bitcoin differs.

India just announced that it will completely ban cryptocurrencies after giving investors a transition period to divest their holdings. In Africa, most especially Nigeria, on the other hand, there’s been a surge in cryptocurrency transactions in recent years. Last year, Nigerians traded more than $500 million worth of cryptocurrency on major local crypto exchanges, making it the only second to the US in terms of volume of bitcoin traded in the last five years.

However, Nigeria’s central bank recently asked banks and other financial institutions to close the accounts of cryptocurrency exchanges in the country. In South Africa, there’s scepticism from the government towards cryptocurrencies due to growing crypto scams.

While India, Nigeria and South Africa are sceptical towards crypto, Kenya and the corporate world is starting to embrace it. In Kenya, the Central Bank has decided to switch to use Bitcoin as a reserve currency in order to resolve growing financial problems in the country.

Last week, Mastercard became the latest payment company to support cryptocurrencies, joining Visa, and even US traditional banks. Telsa also announced that it would accept Bitcoin in payment for its electric vehicles, after buying up $1.5 billion in the cryptocurrency. The announcement of this project could help change the receptiveness of many countries towards Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Remitano Launches Money Transfer From South Africa to Other Countries

February 12, 2021

Due to the ever-increasing volume of money transfers across the globe, Remitano, a global escrow-marketplace, has just launched a smart, free, and safe approach for international money transfers. This system will allow South Africans to send and receive Rands (ZAR) from other countries without incurring the high fees charged by most traditional banks and the regular payment platforms.

In its effort to make this amazing system available to everyone, users are not required to go through the hassle of completing their KYC before having access to the cash-out feature. A new user can simply create a Remitano account and immediately send money from South Africa to anywhere in the globe within seconds. The user will simply transfer the funds from their Remitano wallet to the recipient’s Remitano wallet which they can then withdraw to any bank of their choice.

With the “cash-out quickly” feature, users can now transfer money to their families and friends across different countries multiple times faster and cheaper than traditional banks and other payment platforms. As you can see in the above table, Remitano fees are minimal and always transparent, unlike some other Remittance providers with additional charges upon usage. Remitano is a peer-to-peer crypto exchange that continuously seeks to use blockchain technology to improve international money transfers, therefore, creating seamless fiat transfers across borders.

This feature simply helps users convert from the Rand (ZAR) to another currency, for instance, rand to naira , and then send the money to their friends and family in another country without the sender or the receiver going to the bank. To use this feature, find out the exact step by step process to transfer money from South Africa to another country fast and with low transaction fees.

Besides the growing inflation on currencies around the globe, the lack of proper banking access and remittance platforms in some third-world countries seem to be one reason why citizens of these countries are turning to cryptocurrency. The absence of proper banking facilities makes it harder for citizens to open bank accounts and make swift international payments. By proactively implementing this payment feature on Remitano, we are able to provide users with these benefits.

Remitano’s newly launched “cash-out Internationally” feature helps to overcome the disadvantages of traditional international money transfers, such as expensive transaction fees, complicated transfer procedures, and long transaction time. Also there are features for instant deposit and withdrawals. Deposit or withdraw funds with ease, and take advantage of instant internal transactions across all cryptocurrencies using instant trading tools. This feature is particularly relevant right now, given that uneven income earners in some parts of the world are having a hard time getting paid via their bank accounts and meeting their remittance needs. Unlike other platforms, a deposit or withdrawal reversal on Remitano happens only when a scheduled bank transfer is cancelled for insufficient funds or various other reasons.

And all these come in an easy-to-use website and app interface that provides a quality experience. From fiat wallets to deposit and withdrawal tools, you can find what you need within the blink of an eye.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Bitcoin or Ethereum – Which Should You Buy in 2021?

February 11, 2021

By Adeogbo Adedolapo

Both bitcoin and Ethereum are the two leading cryptocurrencies. This is why investors are getting attracted and a lot of them are making moves to buy bitcoin and Ethereum. It is an undisputed fact that two projects have great potential. Bitcoin is the first and largest decentralized virtual currency and has been in existence for over 11 years. Satoshi Nakamoto launched Bitcoin in 2009 to help alleviate the economic crisis that conventional banks caused across the globe.

Since the creation of Bitcoin, it has helped make transactions easier, faster, and cheaper. Over the years, there have been different speculations by naysayers that the cryptocurrency market will crash soon, on the contrary, the crypto market has been waxing stronger as the years go by. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies will definitely be part of the future.

On the other hand, Ethereum was developed to be a better version of bitcoin in terms of scalability. Ethereum is more like a development platform. When Ethereum came into existence, a lot of people believed that it would be bitcoin’s biggest competitor. However, Ethereum has never been about the price, but it has been about the platform. Since its inception, the blockchain industry has gone beyond just cryptocurrency. Ethereum has made smart contracts, decentralized finance (Defi), and decentralized apps (DApps) possible. It is right to say Ethereum is more for designers and developers, and not just a coin that should be limited for transactions purposes only. Despite its wide usage for different things, it has attained a high price value and that makes it a potential and good investment option.

The history and performance of Bitcoin and Ethereum

The first Important point to note is that Bitcoin is the very first and the most popular currency in the crypto market. This is one of the reasons why it has always been leading the race in the crypto market. It currently has the highest price value and also the highest exchange rate against USD.

Additionally, BTC is the coin that most people look towards to determine the price of other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin has also seen incredible bull runs. In 2020, Bitcoin reached an all-time high, going as high as $41,000. The last all-time high was far back in 2017 when bitcoin almost peaked at $20,000. The price and popularity of Bitcoin have made it overshadow every other cryptocurrency.

Another critical moment in bitcoin history is the massive bitcoin correction that took bitcoin’s worth from $20,000 in 2017 to a little above $3,000. When this happened, the media and the naysayers were buzzing about Bitcoin being a Ponzi. Some said Bitcoin is just a failed asset that might come to an end anytime soon. However, fast forward to 2021, Bitcoin surged to pass the all-time high of 2017, $20,000 and reached a new all-time high of $41,900 on the 10th of January 2021. The increase in price has made a lot of people more willing to buy bitcoin in South Africa. Recently, institutional investors like Grayscale are getting more interested in bitcoin and are putting more money in the bitcoin market. This has resulted in the scarcity of bitcoin and the corresponding price increase.

Tesla, an electric car production company owned by the renowned engineer and founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk has recently purchased $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin. In addition to this massive purchase, Tesla plans to begin accepting Bitcoin from customers as payment for its cars purchase in the nearest future. This single action by Tesla has caused Bitcoin to break its all-time high and off to set a new one.

The best time to buy bitcoin was before now, the second-best time is NOW!

Ethereum

On the other hand, during the early days of 2018, Ethereum recorded its all-time high when it sold for $1,440. After the all-time high, Ethereum has also followed the correction trend. However, in 2021 ETH has hit a new all-time high and is currently trading above $1600. The Ethereum development team is currently working to making the Ethereum network more efficient, secure, and more beneficial by launching ETH 2.0.

Looking at the track record of both Bitcoin and Ethereum you would notice that they have both had good price trends and both have excellent use cases and value, which are criteria for good investments.

Bitcoin or Ethereum?

It is not easy to pick the best cryptocurrency to invest in 2021. This is because both bitcoin and Ethereum are in fact, great coins. Additionally, they have both got the huge potential of giving a good return on investment. Bitcoin had a good run in 2020, and we are expecting a bigger run in 2021. This means, more people will be willing to buy BTC, making it a perfect investment option.

After the bitcoin halving that took place on May 11th 2020, the surge in bitcoin has been incredible. BTC has gained more mainstream media attention and more institutional investors including phone company Apple are set to buy BTC. This is why a surge in the price of bitcoin is expected. There are also predictions from experts that bitcoin is nowhere close to its full potential, and it has the potential of growing stronger in 2021.

Ethereum, on the other hand, is the leading Altcoin. The Ethereum 2.0 project is another major talking point. This is because advancements like speed and scalability will bring more investors. Some people left ethereum due to the high fees, and some left due to the slow network.

However, the ethereum 2.0 project would address these issues and definitely attract more investors. With the implementation of Ethereum 2.0, ethereum would become faster, more robust, and a perfect investment option.

With the current price of Bitcoin, it is suitable for investors with large pockets and liquidity who can spend over 40,000 USD to buy bitcoin. However, investors with decent capital can start their crypto investment with Ethereum because it is relatively cheap.

Conclusion

If you buy or invest in bitcoin or ethereum, you are simply investing in the future of finance. None of them is a bad investment. People always believe that they’re rival projects and that one might end the other. The fact is, Bitcoin and Ethereum are different projects, with different goals and serving different purposes. You can make the easy decision to invest in any of the two assets. It is easy to buy BTC and ETH currencies as there are lots of exchanges that allow users to buy and trade cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin transaction fees are way lower than Ethereum transaction fees. On the other hand, ethereum might not be as popular or expensive as bitcoin but it can also serve as a great investment asset. They also have some similar features, but their adoption and use-cases are reasons you would find them both as good investment options.

Adeogbo Adedolapo is of Remitano group

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Why Airtel Africa Divested From Airtel Money

February 9, 2021

Indications emerged that Airtel Africa decided to divest from Airtel Money by selling a minority stake in its mobile financial platform to raise cash which it needed in its expansionary drive across the continent. Airtel Africa has since last year embarked in internally raising funds from existing assets through assets offloading. A source at the company said that the company is actively pursuing the sale of the remaining owned tower sites that sit across several of our operating countries and the group is in discussions with various potential investors in relation to possible minority investments into Airtel Money.

“Discussions are ongoing between the parties and there can be no certainty that a transaction will be concluded or as to the final terms of any transaction,” the source said. Airtel did not disclose the amount it expects to raise. However, its revenues reached $291 million across its markets in 2020.

“Our mobile money customer base reached 21.5 million, up 29 percent over the previous period, with Airtel Money customers now representing 18 percent of our total customers, an increase of 2.5 percentage points,” the multinational said.

“Mobile money average revenue per user (ARPU) was up 5.1 percent to $1.7 (Sh187), driven by the increase in transaction values and a higher contribution from merchant payments, cash out, person-to-person transfer and recharge of mobile services through Airtel Money.”

It could be recalled that Airtel Africa paid N71.6 billion to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to renew its 900 and 1800 MHZ spectrum licence for the next 10 years.

Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, Raghunath Mandava says that their current license was due to expire at the end of November 2021. He goes on to say that the Nigerian market is the “largest market and we remain focused on bridging the digital divide and expanding our broadband capability in the country.”

“On behalf of Airtel Nigeria and the Group, I would like to thank both the government of Nigeria and the NCC for their cooperation and support in this important process.” The new license is expected to remain valid until 30 November 2031.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Top Five Telephony Trends to Expect in 2021

February 6, 2021

By Nic Laschinger

2020 highlighted the importance of secure, reliable communications networks. Following a revealing year that made digital communication channels and remote working the norm, there are a few tech trends that are likely to play out over the foreseeable future.

**Nic Laschinger, CTO of Euphoria Telecom**

Farewell to the landline

As the world embraces digital communication systems, the traditional landline is being left behind. Telkom’s recent discontinuation of its copper line-based ADSL service is yet another strong indicator that South Africa is moving more towards higher bandwidth, more reliable connectivity solutions.

In South Africa, between 20 and 22 million people in South Africa use smartphones. And an ever-increasing number of businesses are switching to VoIP, cloud-based home or business phone systems. VoIP telephony solutions run over any digital connection and offer flexibility and mobility not possible with landlines.

The rise of 5G

5G has begun to roll out in South Africa. This fifth-generation cellular network can deliver up to 1000 times more speed than its predecessor – 4G. 5G towers also support more devices per square kilometre, with fewer delays.

Major network providers have begun rolling out 5G networks in selected areas of the country. Alongside this, providers are improving their networks’ handling of real-time communications and broadening their network capacity, which means less over-subscription and better quality experience overall for users.

Better use of data driving enhanced customer experiences

Technology solutions like CRM, AI and big data mean companies can start delivering the kind of personalised experiences their customers are demanding. The data that companies have available to them allows them to deliver an enhanced customer experience because they know who their customers are and what they are doing. This will drive the rise of self-service systems in 2021 as companies take advantage of maturing technologies in this space.

More choice of communication channels

Better CRM integration is very closely tied to better customer experience as these systems are offering increased choices of channels for customers to engage providers through, and vice versa. For customers, whether you prefer to talk to a human in real-time, or via Twitter, or an IVR system, your need can be met – seamlessly.

Remote working solutions

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced a lot of the world into lockdown, working from home became commonplace. Business phone solutions that allow people to work from wherever they are, without being tied to a PBX in a fixed location, have become a necessity for many organisations.

The beauty of the cloud is that it is a single platform that can service all of your locations. This allows you, as a business, to be location agnostic – in other words, you can have your entire company in one place, or all over the place.

It lets you centralise resources, for example, by having a receptionist in Sandton who can handle calls for your Potchefstroom office, because the solution is in the cloud and where the people are doesn’t matter. VoIP, cloud-based business phone systems are proving to be the answer for call centres and other businesses of all kinds that have adapted to remote working during the pandemic. And it is likely that the trend of remote and hybrid working will continue in 2021, as organisations lower overheads by downsizing – or closing down – fixed premises, and equip employees to work remotely

Nic Laschinger, CTO of Euphoria Telecom

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Jumia Launches New Technology Center in Egypt

February 5, 2021

Jumia, leading e-commerce platform in Africa’s leading e-commerce platform which is built around marketplace such as Jumia Logistics, and JumiaPay aims at helping millions of consumers and sellers to connect and transact is embarking on a new technology centre in Egypt. Inspired by Egypt’s leadership in the field of information and communications technology as a result of its well-trained cadres, Jumia has announced that the Egyptian market has been chosen officially to host a technology center to be the new Jumia technology center in Africa to provide its services to the Egyptian market as well as Africa at large. The center was pre-launched last year for a test and postponed due to the COVID pandemic.

Jumia’s marketplace helps millions of consumers and sellers to connect and transact. Jumia Logistics enables the delivery of millions of packages through our network of local partners. JumiaPay facilitates the payments of online transactions for Jumia’s ecosystem. With over 1 billion people and 500 million internet users in Africa, Jumia believes that e-commerce is making people’s lives easier by helping them shop and pay for millions of products at the best prices wherever they live. E-commerce is also creating new opportunities for SMEs to grow, and job opportunities for a new generation to thrive.

Egyptian market is unique to this new position, which is a true reflection of what Jumia Egypt is doing to grow its business and also providing job opportunities for youth in new fields required by the local and regional markets. Jumia is keen on adapting the use of technology and benefiting from the well-trained human competencies to provide unprecedented services in the market and the other surrounding markets which is why Jumia Egypt was the preferred center for providing such services, as recently Egypt became a destination for financial technology.

The tech center aims to adapt technology to be available for all users as a contribution to achieve Egypt’s Vision 2030. The new technology center is considered as a reflection of Egypt’s efforts to provide digital competencies in order to benefit locally and globally to create additional income for the country’s public treasury. In addition to enhancing Egypt’s position in the information technology field to be among the largest exporting countries of digital services, and providing job opportunities for youth by qualifying them to practice freelance digital jobs.

Eng. Hesham Safwat, CEO of Jumia Egypt, affirmed that the “Egyptian efforts are the main reason for this announcement.” He pointed out that “From the first day of laying the foundation of the technology center, Jumia has established Egypt as a center for launching and entrepreneurship in the electronic payment and digital technology fields in Africa. Therefore, expertise will be shared among the rest of the surrounding countries, in addition to electronic payment methods that customers can use easily, conveniently and safely, as Jumia works side by side with the vision and direction of the Egyptian state that maximize the importance of digital transformation and financial inclusion.”

Moreover, Cairo Technology Center employees are working on developing JumiaPay services and many other digital services, which helped provide job opportunities for Egyptian youth. The technology center reflects the importance of Egypt as a startup market in the field of e-commerce. In addition, Jumia provides dozens of training and employment opportunities for Egyptian youth , developers and engineers by enhancing their skills in the field of development and electronic payments. The center provides technical support through the new electronic payment services via JumiaPay and other digital services.

The center is working on establishing new payment methods and providing the best technological solutions to support digital transformation platforms. In addition to encouraging innovation, creativity and developing Egyptian skills to enhance its competitiveness at the global level and improving the quality of services. He also added that the economic reform processes by the Egyptian administration helped in adopting the system of digital transformation and financial inclusion, as Egypt comes in the lead because it has become the least expensive, and despite that there is a scarcity of cadres due to the migration.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Airtel Africa Shelves Interest in Ethiopian Bid

February 2, 2021

Airtel Africa will not participate in the long awaited bid for telecoms licensing in Ethiopia, focusing rather on growing in the markets where it already operates on the continent and will not bid for licenses in Ethiopia, where the nation of 110 million people is opening up its telecoms sector, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Raghunath Mandava has said.

Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, one of the last remaining closed telecoms markets on the continent, plans to sell a minority stake in state-owned Ethio Telecoms within nine months and is tendering for two new licences, a process that was expected to start last month.

But Airtel Africa Plc CEO said that the Africa-focused telecoms company sees more room to grow in the 14 countries it has already invested in, including in its biggest market in Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation.

India’s telecom sector, in the efforts of enabling policies including more quantum of the spectrum, is set to establish new benchmarks in the next-generation network deployments and service delivery.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry