TECHNOLOGY – Page 14

Mar272020 by ShafiqNo Comments

4G Capital provides Operational & Services Update further to COVID-19 outbreak in East Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 27, 2020,/ -- 4G CAPITAL GROUP Limited (“4G CAPITAL”) (www.4g-Capital.com), a market leader in technology-driven financial inclusion, announces an update on its operations across Kenya and Uganda and shares its approach to safeguarding its clients, employees, and services amid the COVID-19 outbreak. For over six years, 4G Capital’s primary focus has been the removal of barriers that inhibit financial inclusion and unlocking the potential of East Africa’s micro and small businesses through the provision of working capital credit combined with financial literacy and business enterprise training. As Kenya and Uganda go into ‘lock-down’, the COVID-19 outbreak threatens the most vital yet vulnerable segment of the economy, the informal sector. In Kenya, accordi...

Mar272020 by ShafiqNo Comments

Africanews launched on DStv and GOtv across the African continent

AFRICA, Business, Entertainment, INTERNATIONAL, TECHNOLOGY

After launching Euronews on its platforms in November, the MultiChoice Group has just launched Africanews (www.Africanews.com) – part of the Euronews group. The channel is available on DStv and GOtv and offers millions of households across Africa access to a pan-African multilingual news channel. As the COVID-19 crisis develops and spreads across the African continent, the MultiChoice Group and the Euronews group have partnered to offer DStv and GOtv customers access to real-time quality information. Africanews is the only international and independent news channel made for Africa. It offers its viewers content in English and French from an African perspective, made by journalists representing the diversity of the continent. With anchored shows, such as the daily bilingual...

Mar252020 by ShafiqNo Comments

Hospitality – COVID-19: Digital Conference to Unite the Hospitality Sector

AFRICA, Business, EAST AFRICA, HEALTH, INTERNATIONAL, KENYA, TECHNOLOGY, WORLD

The leading organizer of conferences and forums for the hotel, aviation, and restaurant sector is organizing a complete live conference experience on the internet to bring together industry leaders to discuss the unprecedented economic circumstances caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and what the industry can do collectively to rebuild confidence. The virtual conference will take place on April 7th from 10.00–16.00 BST and registration is free of charge for all participants; although an optional donation is requested to selected charities helping out those in the hospitality industry, suffering from the worst effects of the coronavirus. Puneet Chhatwal, CEO, Indian Hotels, said: “With COVID-19 sweeping across the globe, many companies in the hospitality industry are facing an unprec...

Mar252020 by ShafiqNo Comments

African Energy Chamber encouraged by Recent Gas Monetization Drive in Côte d’Ivoire

AFRICA, TECHNOLOGY

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, March 25, 2020,/ -- Côte d’Ivoire is establishing a new energy leadership in West Africa following several initiatives taken to monetize natural gas across power generation and public transport. In a region rich in natural gas, such initiatives are driving Côte d’Ivoire’s energy transition and paving the way for more industrialization and job creation.Since January 2020, the country has secured key financing for its major gas-to-power projects, Azito and Atinkou. The former is a brownfield expansion of the existing Azito gas-to-power station, a 460MW plant owned and operated by Globeleq which uses natural gas supplied from Côte d’Ivoire’s offshore gas fields. Azito is being expanded by 253MW and its expansion project reached financial close in January 2020. Upon ...

Mar252020 by ShafiqNo Comments

SIMFY Africa, MusicTime & Ayoba join the fight against COVID-19

AFRICA, Entertainment, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 25, 2020/ -- SIMFY Africa (www.SIMFYAfrica.com) via its mobile applications namely “ayoba®” and “MusicTime®” are joining the community effort to inform and provide comfort to its users around Covid-19.Ayoba® an instant messaging app with channels has now 3 dedicated channels providing trusted information on the COVID-19. Mainly sourced from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the information aims at informing ayoba® users about the pandemic, tips and advice in line with global and local regulations. Content is posted every day in both English and French on 3 channels including a dedicated channel for South Africa providing the latest on the pandemic.Launched in May 2019, ayoba® has now over 2,500,000 active users and is moving toward being the f...

Mar232020 by ShafiqNo Comments

APO Group to support African governments in the fight against Covid-19

AFRICA, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY

APO Group, the leading pan-African communications and business consultancy, today announced they will support the dissemination of coronavirus-related information from African governments to the press and public. APO Group will aggregate and distribute all relevant content issued by African governments for free through its press release distribution service and a specially-designed corona virus tag (https://bit.ly/APOcoroTag) on https://www.Africa-Newsroom.com/. Government-issued information will be distributed in English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic. As the largest press release distribution service in Africa, APO Group reaches more than 400,000 journalists working in or reporting on the continent. Dozens of health...

Mar232020 by ShafiqNo Comments

Kenyan President approves and licenses the Google Loon Service to enable universal 4G coverage in Kenya

AFRICA, EAST AFRICA, Entertainment, HEALTH, KENYA, TECHNOLOGY

The President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, has addressed he nation during the occasion of unveiling the approval and licensing of Google Loon Service to enable universal 4G coverage in Kenya at State House, Nairobi on 23rd March, 2020. In recognition of the extra-ordinary nature of the Covid-19 global health challenge that has gripped the world, the president said that his administration continues to roll out a raft of measures to mitigate the disruptions to our life arising from the pandemic. In that regard, and to foster communication and enable Kenyans to retain and enhance remote access to the Offices and Enterprises, he said that his administration has granted approvals that will ensure universal 4G Data Coverage t...

Mar232020 by ShafiqNo Comments

Kenya approves roll out of Google Loon 4G to mitigate Corona virus work disruptions

AFRICA, Business, EAST AFRICA, HEALTH, KENYA, TECHNOLOGY

NAIROBI, 23rd March 2020, — President Uhuru Kenyatta today announced the approval of Google Loon Services in Kenya to enable universal 4G data coverage in the country.He said the approval was in line with Government’s measures to respond to the disruptions caused by the global Coronavirus pandemic that has seen many people work from home to avoid contracting the respiratory illness.“In that regard, and to foster communication and enable Kenyans to retain and enhance remote access to the Offices and Enterprises, My Administration has granted approvals that will ensure universal 4G Data Coverage throughout Kenya,” said the President when he briefed the press at State House Nairobi.He announced that the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has signed an agreement with Google L...

Mar192020 by ShafiqNo Comments

Uganda Airlines suspends flights over Covid-19

AFRICA, Business, EAST AFRICA, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, UGANDA

Uganda Airlines has announced plans to suspend flights to Mogadishu, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, Zanzibar and Nairobi due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “Following the spread of COVID-19 and the control measures put in place by various countries to contain its spread; in compliance with health and safety guidelines, operational requirements and regulatory obligations, we wish to communicate changes to flight operations,” reads a statement. A statement posted by the airline on Tuesday evening noted that Uganda Airline flight no UR360/361 from Entebbe airport to Bujumbura will be suspended effective March 22 until further notice. Flights to Kilimanjaro will be suspended effective March 20, 2020, Mombasa effective March 22, 2020, and Zanzibar effective March 23, 2020. “F...

Mar192020 by ShafiqNo Comments

One of the first astronauts in space dies at 88

INTERNATIONAL, TECHNOLOGY, WORLD

Al Worden, an astronaut from the Apollo lunar program has died, NASA says. Worden was command module pilot on the Apollo 15 lunar landing -- and although he never got to walk on the moon, he performed three spacewalks on the flight back from the moon to retrieve film from cameras on the spacecraft, according to NASA. As astronauts David Scott and James B. Irwin explored mountains on the moon, Worden circled around them. "During this time he earned a world record as 'most isolated human being' while his crewmates roamed the lunar surface, and he was 2,235 miles away from anyone else," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. He died Wednesday in Texas at the age of 88. He spent more than 295 hours in space. Before joining NASA, Worden was a test p...

Mar192020 by ShafiqNo Comments

DSTV South Africa to provide free international news channels due to Covid-19

AFRICA, Business, Entertainment, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY

DSTV executives have decided to make a number of their television channels free for all viewers across South Africa in a bid to join forces in the global fight against coronavirus MultiChoice SouthAfrica's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Rayner, said that they are aimed at enabling everyone to stay informed about Covid-19 The C.E.O stated that staying informed about coronavirus is the first step towards stopping its step. This comes after millions of South Africans have been put under strict laws by the government in order to control the spread of this pandemic. Many DSTV employees have been asked to work from home so as to limit the rise in the number of cases of Covid-19. The broadcasting service has therefore taken the decision to make six channels free for all viewer...

Mar192020 by ShafiqNo Comments

MTN Uganda removes mobile money charges in the wake of Covid-19

AFRICA, Business, EAST AFRICA, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, UGANDA

MTN Uganda has announced that there will be no charges on all mobile money transaction for the transfer of money from one person to another on all transactions below Shs 30,000 for a period of 30 days to reduce the likely transmission of Coronavirus through the handling of physical cash KAMPALA — MTN Uganda has on Wednesday, March 18 waived fees on its mobile money transfer service for every transaction below UGX30,000 for the next 30 days. Mr. Wim Vanhelleputte, Chief Executive Officer MTN Uganda Mr. Wim Vanhelleputte, the company's Chief Executive Officer said this is to allow the customers to use cashless modes of payment as part of the measures to prevent the transmission of Covid-19. The MTN CEO said all person-to-person transactions below UGX30,000 shall be free for...

Feb202020 by ShafiqNo Comments

BREAKING: Computer scientist Larry Tesler inventor of ‘cut, copy and paste’ dies at 74.

TECHNOLOGY, WORLD

Mr Tesler started working in Silicon Valley in the early 1960s, at a time when computers were inaccessible to the vast majority of people. It was thanks to his innovations - which included the "cut", "copy" and "paste" commands - that the personal computer became simple to learn and use. Xerox, where Mr Tesler spent part of his career, paid tribute to him. "The inventor of cut/copy & paste, find & replace, and more, was former Xerox researcher Larry Tesler," the company tweeted. "Your workday is easier thanks to his revolutionary ideas." Mr Tesler was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1945, and studied at Stanford University in California. After graduating, he specialised in user interface design - that is, making computer systems more user-friendly. He wor...

Feb72020 by ShafiqNo Comments

MTN Uganda to connect youth to their dreams in new campaign

AFRICA, EAST AFRICA, TECHNOLOGY, UGANDA, WORLD

 MTN Uganda unveils new campaign dubbed ‘For Good’, targeting the youth.  MTN Uganda will connect youth to their dreams by offering support to materialize their dreams Friday 7 th February 2020- Kampala, Uganda From connecting millions of people across the world with a dream of delivering a bold new world to its subscribers, MTN is seeking to connect youth to their dreams in its new thematic campaign dubbed ‘For Good’. The ‘For Good’ campaign was rolled out by MTN Group in November last year and will run across the 21 countries in which MTN operates. Running under the theme; ‘whatever your dream, let’s create it together’ in Uganda, the campaign will be tied around connecting people, particularly the youth to their dream. As a company that has evo...

Jan282020 by ShafiqNo Comments

TECHNOLOGY: African countries racing for 5G rollout despite 4G connectivity concerns.

AFRICA, TECHNOLOGY

African countries are rushing to launch 5G networks as evidenced by recent reports that Uganda and Kenya are almost ready with their 5G rollout. Safaricom, the biggest telecoms operator in Kenya was spotted testing 5G in Nairobi and reports can confirm that they have already approached the Kenyan communications authority on the matter. Africa’s big economies are all rushing to get 5G working ahead of their competitors. South Africa, Nigeria, and Egypt are all working on plans to launch 5G communications within the first quarter of 2020. Uganda seems to have joined this group of elite African nations. MTN Uganda is said to be working with Chinese giant ZTE to establish a standalone 5G network in the country. These reports may show a lot of progress among African nations b...

Jan282020 by ShafiqNo Comments

UGANDA: Over 83000 passports issued with e-Passport in just a month after launching.

AFRICA, TECHNOLOGY, UGANDA

Over 83000 passports have been issued in the last month using the online application process. The online e-Passport application process was introduced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs was launched last year in December. The state minister for internal affairs Obiga Kania said the new online system has improved service delivery with 83233 passports issued as by 27th Jan 2020. He said in the same period last year, December 2018 and Jan 2019 there were 15,000 passports issued. The minister appeals to all Ugandans to embrace the system to avoid being conned or exploited. According to the Privacy Policy on the website, applicants’ personal information is kept only for a limited period of time to fulfill the purpose for which it is collected.