AfICTA e-Newsletter (January 29th, 2021)

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AfICTA e-NEWSLETTER

29/January/2021 Vol 102

Register to Join AfICTA  (Africa ICT Alliance) Today

Hi, are you concerned about the realization of a Digital Africa? If yes, AfICTA (Africa ICT Alliance) welcomes you to register and join other group of concerned IT National Associations, Companies, Multinationals and Organisations in Africa to engender the realization of the digital Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs.

AfICTA is a 32 member nations' alliance, in partnership with the African Union, with the vision to fulfill the promise of the digital age for everyone in Africa and to connect IT players on the continent.

AfICTA Joins Forces with Other Stakeholders to Endorse a Multi-Industry Statement

AfICTA among other organizations have joined forces to endorse the Multi-industry Statement on Cross-boarder Data Transfers & Data Localization Disciplines in World Trade Organization Negotiations on E-Commerce. The statement was developed and ratified to ensure there is reduction on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic over technological driven commercial activities, economic development, innovation and employment through a seamless movement of data across borders.

To see the list of other organizations that endorsed this document and for further information download here

AfICTA-vAfIGF 2020 Workshop Report

Kindly click to download the report of the workshop organized by AfICTA - Africa ICT Alliance @ the 9th Virtual African Internet Governance Forum (vAfIGF2020) on Thursday, November 26, titled Unlocking The Digital Potentials of The Developing and Least Developed Countries (DLDC). Download

TradeTech Alliance in Egypt to Generate Growth Capital

TradeTech innovator, Ovamba Solutions and financial services provider, Singularity Finance have partnered to deliver financial inclusion and growth capital to small and growing businesses in Egypt.

According to a statement released to the media, Singularity Finance is the first to sign a reseller agreement with Ovamba in the region.

This new partnership gives Singularity the rights to sell Ovamba’s digital solutions to banks, microfinance institutions and other alternative providers of trade finance to SMEs in Egypt ...  read more

Kenya's New Digital Service Tax Takes Effect

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced that the newly introduced Digital Service Tax (DST) came into effect on January 1.

“The Finance Act 2020 introduced a new tax known as Digital Service Tax (DST) effective 1st January 2021. DST is charged at 1.5% of the gross transaction value and shall be payable by a person whose income from service is derived from or accrues in Kenya through a digital market place,” KRA said in a statement.

The Authority added that the tax shall be... read more

COVID-19 Won’t Slow Down Africa’s Software Development Market

Aprevailing global shortage will ensure African software developers remain in demand, irrespective of the impact of COVID-19 says Ernesto Spruyt, founder of tech recruitment firm Tunga.

In an overview of recent research, Spruyt said: “It might shrink a bit due to the world economy experiencing trouble, but even in that scenario, IT will be one of the least hit sectors. After all, digitalising goes on and on, with no end in sight for now. As a result, I think there will be plenty of demand. The question is, to what extent will Africa be able to claim a share of the pie?”

Tunga’s research identifies the top 17...  read more

Internet Shutdown Could Trip Uganda up on Debt Repayments

Uganda could default on debt repayments and other international obligations resulting from the internet shutdown that affected over 16 million users.

This is according to Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Patrick Ochailap. 

On 13 January 2021 the Ugandan government shut down the internet and social media platforms on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections citing national security concerns. read more

Off-grid Solar Companies Eye COVID-19 Vaccine Storage in Africa

The growth of solar energy could be a game-changer in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in rural areas of Africa that lack electricity supply.

Hugh Whalan, CEO of West African off-grid solar company PEG Africa, said that it is an opportune time for the technology to be widely used.

The vaccines require refrigeration of up to -70 Celsius for the Pfizer vaccine and -20 Celsius for the Moderna variant. read more

African Tech Start-up Funding Passes US$700m in 2020

2020 was a record year for investment into the African tech start-up ecosystem, with more start-ups raising more money, from more investors, than ever before.

This is according to the sixth edition of the annual African Tech Startups Funding Report 2020 released by start-up news and research portal Disrupt Africa, in partnership with Catalyst Fund, RTB House, Quona Capital, 4Di Capital, Villgro Africa, Lateral Capital, and Otundi Ventures.

The report finds that new funding records were set over the course of 2020, as 397 start-up...  read more

Nigeria Confident of Meeting New SIM NIN Integration Deadline

Officials in Nigeria are confident the country will meet the newly imposed 9 February 2021 deadline for the completion of the NIN (National Identity Number)-SIM card integration project.

Media outlets have quoted a statement attributed to Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs, at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which stated that 47.8 million NINs have been collected by mobile operators.

According to the statement:“At an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber .... read more

Mobile Fraud Could Cost Africa Over US$5bn this Year

Africa’s mobile fraud losses will continue to rise above last year’s US$4-billion to peak at a record US$5-billion by the end of 2021 if nothing is done to prevent global cybercriminals from looting the continent’s wealth in a new, virtual ‘scramble for Africa’.

That’s according to Paris-based anti-fraud campaigner David Lotfi, CEO of Evina. “In Africa, we have the perfect storm of a youthful population using almost a billion mobile money accounts coupled with the Coronavirus-related one-third increase in Internet traffic,” he says

Evina asserts that professional cybercriminals from around the world are... read more

Ethiopia Imposes Restrictions on Electronic Money Transfers

The National Bank of Ethiopia has imposed restrictions on the number of electronic money transfers to not more than five times from a single bank account per week.

The Bank said it supports the use of non-cash payment instrument, but that ensuring safety and efficiency of the payment systems is critical.

According to a secular signed by Solomon Desta, vice governor of National Bank of Ethiopia’s financial institutions supervisions to all banks, no one is allowed to make more... read more

Cameroon on Alert as Separatists Threaten to Target Telecommunications Infrastructure

Cameroon authorities are on high alert following threats by separatists to sabotage telecommunications infrastructure and disrupt the Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2020 football tournament in Limbe, located in the restive English-speaking part of the country.

In a memo sent to military chiefs in the region, a copy of which has been seen by ITWeb Africa, the Minister of Defence Joseph Beti Assomo said there was credible intelligence that “separatist terrorists” were planning to sabotage critical telecommunications... read more

Lesotho, Zimbabwe Invest in Data Analytics to Combat Network Fraud

The Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) and the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) have begun the implementation of a new system to monitor national and international telecommunications traffic.

According to a statement released to the media, the system will help to increase revenue assurance, combat network fraud and enforce billing integrity across all communication networks available in the country and shall be provided by leading regulatory technology developer and big data analytics organisation Global Voice Group (GVG)... read more

Malawi’s NBS Bank Leverages Network International on New e-Commerce Platform

Malawi’s NBS Bank Leverages Network International on New e-Commerce Platform Malawi’s NBS Bank has launched an e-commerce platform, powered by digital commerce enabler Network International.

According to a statement released to the media, the implementation of Network International’s N-GeniusTM Online payment gateway will enable NBS Bank to offer Malawian small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large corporations, public institutions and individuals “a fast and secure way to enter the rapidly growing e-commerce market in Malawi.”

Network International has been at the. .. read more

Google Search and Facebook News Could Leave Australia if Forced to Pay News Publishers

Google has announced that its Google Search will no longer be available in Australia if it is forced to start paying media companies for sharing links and snippets of their content as Search results. The Australian government is considering voting a code into law which will force Google and Facebook to pay media companies in the country based on the value of each content.

Responding to the latest draft of the code, Google’s VP for Australia and New Zealand, Mel Silva said if this version of the code were to become law the company would have ‘no real choice’ but to stop making Google Search available in Australia ... read more

Loon Technology Pilot to be Discontinued

This news comes following the announcement that Loon LLC is being wound down as a company, globally. The intent of the Loon technology pilot was to help bridge the digital divide through the provision of 4G/LTE coverage using floating cell towers, in areas that were difficult to access and connect via terrestrial solutions, as well as in areas that were not commercially viable for service providers. 

Loon’s CEO, Alastair WESTGARTH says: “Loon would not have been possible without a community of innovators and risk takers who were willing to take...  read more

Here Are 5 Major Tech Events that Happened With Joe Biden’s Inauguration

The United States of America inaugurated the new administration of President Joe Biden on January 20. What followed was a series of executive orders signed by the new president which among other things rescinded a number of policies by the Trump administration and brought America back into the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Tech companies also congratulated the incoming president while others slammed the former president with more suspensions. So, without further ado, here are the top 5 tech events that occurred after Biden officially came into power ... read more

Nigerian Edtech Startup, uLesson, Raises $7.5m Series A led by Owl Ventures

Nigerian educational and learning technology platform, uLesson announced today that it has closed a $7.5m Series A round.

US-based Owl Ventures led the financing round. The VC fund is the largest fund focused on the world’s edtech market, with over $1.2 billion in assets under management.

Existing investors, TLcom Capital — the lead investor in uLesson’s $3.1m seed round — and Founder Collective also participated, with LocalGlobe joining as a first-time investor. read more

Social Media Shutdown in Uganda: The Thin Line between Moderation and Outright Censorship

On Monday, January 11, 2021, a few days before the parliamentary and presidential elections planned for Thursday, January 14, Facebook shut down accounts of some top Ugandan officials.

The platform accused several account holders of engaging in activities tagged Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB) to influence the upcoming elections.

Displeased, Don Wanyama, Senior Press Secretary to President Yoweri Museveni, reacted in a tweet tagging it as tech colonialism. In the days that...  read more

Ghanaian-based Fintech Startup, OZÉ Raises $700k Seed to Drive Growth for African MSMEs

Ghana-based fintech startup, OZÉ just announced that it has raised a $700k seed round.

The investors that took part in the round include Anorak Ventures, Matuca Sarl, Rising Tide Africa. Existing investors, MEST and Ingressive Capital participated in the round as well.

OZÉ was founded in 2017 by Meghan McCormick and Dave Emnett as a mobile app that helps MSMEs track sales, expenses, and customer information... read more

Kenya Eyes $45 Million in Revenue as it Implements Digital Services Tax

The Kenyan government has implemented taxes on Internet businesses and entrepreneurs. It wants to bring up to 1,000 companies and individuals under its tax bracket which, it claims, could generate up to $45 million (Ksh 5 billion) in revenue by June 2021.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) publicised the Income-tax (Digital Services Tax) in 2020, following the Finance Act 2019. Businesses and Individuals would pay a 1.5% fee on the value of goods and services sold or offered online. .. read more

How Tech Solutions can Help Speed up Access to COVID-19 Vaccines in Africa

The year 2020 sprung the coronavirus surprise on the whole world, a surprise it is yet to recover from.

After a year without a cure, two clinically tested and globally approved vaccines were released early in December 2020. One is manufactured by American pharmaceutical firm — Pfizer — and German BioNTech SE, while American biotech company, Moderna, is responsible for the other.

However, two African countries had taken steps to provide a cure before the release of the vaccines in December. Madagascar’s President, Andry Rajoelina, unveiled Covid-Organics — a herbal remedy...  read more

South African Startup Raises $17m to use Drones and Satellites to Provide Farmers with Crop Data

The experiments started at a citrus farm in Cape Town where James Paterson was born. By 2014, that passion became Aerobotics – a startup that has now raised $17m from investors to help farmers grow fruits and trees using images from satellites and drones.

Aerobotics is a company of engineers, agronomists, and data scientists. Its business is to devise hardware and software technology for precision agriculture anywhere in the world.

Their tools are calibrated to generate insights for tree and fruit farmers to manage their resources optimally. Farmers are able to track trees, detect ... read more

wingu.africa Enters Ethiopia’s Datacentre Space

Pan-East African datacentre operator wingu.africa has established what it described as Ethiopia’s first-ever Carrier-Neutral Hyperscale Datacentre Park, located in the ICT Park, Addis Ababa.

In a statement released to the media, wingu.africa - which developed and owns and operates the Djibouti Data Centre - said the Addis Ababa facility, along with a second planned facility in Adama, will complement the Group’s offering to Ethiopia.

The new facility is located at the Addis ICT Park on 15,000sqm of land. ..  read more

MTN Debunks 5G Link to COVID-19

MTN has debunked any link between 5G and COVID-19, saying the myth has been discredited globally by scientists.

The company says it will continue to work to raise awareness and direct its efforts to combat the pandemic and support customers and society.

In recent weeks, SA has seen an increase in campaigns spreading dangerous myths linking 5G to the outbreak of COVID-19, which have gone viral on social media platforms.   read more