AfICTA e-Newsletter (September 30, 2022)

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AfICTA e-NEWSLETTER

30/September/2022 Vol 148

Register Now for The 10th AfICTA Summit

Hi {firstname},

Greetings... Registration is now open for the 10th AfICTA Summit slated for 7-8 December, 2022 with the theme "Africa Digital Future: Fostering a New Paradigm". Register now and mark your calendar for adequate plan to attend.

For sponsorship opportunities and other inquiries please contact Kayode +2348068674380 | Samuel +2348130876682 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

10th Africa ICT Awards: Nominate Now

Nominations are now open for the 10th edition of the Africa ICT Award categories listed below:

1. Africa ICT Champion Award® 

2. Africa ICT Personality Award® 

3. Africa CIO Award® 

4. Africa Innovation Award® 

5. Africa Community Development Award® 

For further details on nomination & sponsorship opportnities please contact Kayode +2348068674380 | Samuel +2348130876682 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.... Read more

ICANN79 Community Forum Location Announced

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced that San Juan, Puerto Rico has been selected as the location for the first ICANN Public Meeting of 2024. The ICANN79 Community Forum will be held from 2–7 March 2024 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center.

This will be the third ICANN Public Meeting to be held in San Juan. In the wake of Hurricane Fiona, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Puerto Rico. We look forward to seeing them in 2024... Read more

Trellix Has a Bold Plan to Drive Open XDR into Africa

When global cybersecurity company and extended detection and response (XDR) specialist Trellix was unveiled following the merged cybersecurity brands McAfee Enterprise and FireEye, Africa was identified as a key region of interest.

At the company’s Xpand Live 2022 conference hosted in Las Vegas this week, South Africa country lead for Trellix, Carlo Bolzonello told ITWeb Africa the company will take a bold approach to solution and service roll out plans for this competitive, but mostly untapped market.... Read more

The African Women Impact Fund is Launching with a $60 Million Commitment

The African Women Impact Fund (AWIF) Initiative has received its initial commitment of USD$60 million, as announced by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Standard Bank Group with assistance from the African Union Commission (AUC), the Motor Industry Retirement Funds (MIRF), the Copartes Pension Fund, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)... Read more

Botswana’s Bourse Goes Big on Technology

Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) has implemented three new technology systems – integrated Central Securities Depository (CSD) and Automated Trading System (ATS), coupled with the connectivity to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

Thapelo Tsheole, BSE CEO said, “These three technology systems represent a modernisation of the BSE’s technology infrastructure that aims to improve the resilience of the market, network security, operational efficiencies and align with international best practice in order to make the BSE competitive in the... Read more

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 38 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.

BlockChain, Crypto Applications Dominate CMA Incubation Unit

The Capital Markets Authority Regulatory Sandbox has so far graduated six enterprises out of the 15 that are listed under the incubation programme, underlining the drive among fintechs to launch capital markets products. 

The CMA has midwifed Moneto Ventures Limited, Pezesha Africa Limited, Genghis Capital Limited, Innova Limited, Central Depository and Settlement Corporation (CDSC) and Standard Investment Bank-owned FourFront Management Limited from the sand box. The CMA launched the incubation programme... Read more

Kenya Names new ICT Cabinet Secretary

President William Ruto has named Eliud Owalo as the country’s new Cabinet Secretary for ICT pending parliament’s approval.

Owalo is a new entrant in the ICT space and has a legal and economic consultancy background. He is tasked with enforcing the new administration’s ICT agenda, which includes expanding the digital economy and reducing the cost of ICT broadband 

The government wants to extend broadband through the national fibre optic connectivity ... Read more

The Mastercard Foundation and Carnegie Mellon University Collaborate to 

Empower Young People to Lead Africa’s Digital Transformation

With the support of the Government of Rwanda, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Mastercard Foundation have launched a transformational investment in higher education and innovation in Africa, with the goal of creating opportunities for 10,000 young people from economically disadvantaged communities, with a focus on young women, young people with disabilities, and young people who have been forcefully displaced... Read more

Ransomware crushing SMEs warns Trellix boss

Cybersecurity has reached an inflection point and with the advent of remote work and connectivity, the cyberattack surface has expanded with ransomware cited as the number one concern for CISOs – especially those given the responsibility to protect SMEs.

Mobile attack vectors like phishing via SMS (smishing), malicious e-mails and targeted threats are taking over said Trellix CEO Bryan Palma in his keynote presentation at the company’s Xpand Live 2022 event this week in Las Vegas... Read more

Microsoft, AfDB Partner to Help Africa’s Youth Scale into Business

Microsoft is expanding its partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to support Africa’s youth entrepreneurs under the bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks (YEIB) Initiative.

Through its African Transformation Office (ATO), Microsoft will work with the bank to develop youth entrepreneurship ecosystems, create jobs and dramatically scale impact in Africa through digital inclusion.

According to a joint statement released by... Read more

MTN Cameroon CEO Launches  Charm Offensive

Mitwa Ng'ambi, who took over office from Stephen Blewett on 1 September as the new CEO of MTN Cameroon, has met with several telecommunication industry stakeholders as part of a campaign to gage the level of industry support, activity and cooperation. 

Ng’ambi met with the CEO of IHS Towers Cameroon Abdallah Al Chammas during which both executives committed to cooperation.

MTN Cameroon has also undertaken to continue collaboration around technology innovation... Read more

Orange Côte d’Ivoire Opens 5G Lab Ahead of Network Rollout Next Year

Orange Côte d’Ivoire has opened its Orange 5G Lab, devoted to digital professionals, start-ups and businesses.

According to the French telecommunications firm, the new collaborative space - which the company says is fully equipped and dedicated to practical 5G-focused applications - is a valuable resources for local businesses as the market anticipates 5G network roll-out nationally in 2023.

Orange 5G Lab Abidjan offers services and... Read more

Safaricom Revises Interest Rates for Overdraft Solution Fuliza

Safaricom, in collaboration with Kenya Commercial Bank and NCBA Bank Kenya, has revised the interest rates of its consumer overdraft facility, Fuliza for up to 50% less. 

The move will see customers accessing the overdraft facility at a free daily maintenance fee for the first three days for transactions of Ksh. 1,000 and below. According to Safaricom, it benefits more than 80% of M-Pesa customers who seek to complete their payment transactions with Fuliza credit.

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said... Read more

Africa Has Voice on Binance Global Advisory Board

Binance, among the largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume, has created a Global Advisory Board (GAB), comprised of experts in public policy, government, finance, economics, and corporate governance, and Africa is well represented.

The board's purpose is to advise Binance on some of the most complex regulatory, political, and social issues the entire crypto industry faces as it grows and evolves at a fast pace.

Sitting on the Board, Ibukun Awosika from... Read more

Westcon-Comstor Africa solidifies stance on Tanzania

Global distributor Westcon-Comstor Africa said it never stopped servicing the Tanzania market, but has resumed local delivery operations after this was stopped in mid-2016.

From this time, the company covered the Tanzania market through its operations and support team based in Kenya, and ensured the delivery of goods and services through its European operations.

The company responded to a query regarding its Tanzania market strategy following an... Read more

Egypt-based Fintech Investment Platform Exits.me Raises $1m in Pre-seed Round

Exits.me — an Egypt-based fintech investment banking marketplace — raised $1m in a pre-seed round. The round was funded through UK-Based Exits.me, a group of notable Egyptian Angel investors, Baseeta Investments Holding and Mawelni Holding for Financial Investments, along with the company’s founders. 

Founded in 2022 by Mohamed Aboul-Naga, Ahella Al-Saban, and Ayman Al-Tanbouly, Exits.me aims to facilitate M&As and investments in companies by offering a seamless and fully integrated online solution on its platform and a full-fledged financial... Read more

Why 2023 Electoral Processes Must be Tech-driven — Experts

To ensure transparency and credibility in the 2023 general elections, experts from different sectors have called for strict adherence to the use of technology. 

The experts, who also called on Nigerians to elect tech savvy politicians, said technology would not only speed up electoral processes but also create efficiency, transparency and accountability in governance.

The call was made in Lagos at the 2022 Nigeria e-Government Summit, yesterday, with the theme: ‘’Promoting e-Government in Election.... Read more