TECHNOLOGY – Page 2

Jul42020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

TECHNOLOGY: how Pan-African womenswear designer, Ophelia Crossland is leveraging on Tech and authentic designs to celebrate black women

The Pure Love Collection is available directly through the brand’s Flagship shop, its affiliate stockists and the new e-commerce websiteACCRA, Ghana, July 3, 2020/ -- Pan-African womenswear designer, Ophelia Crossland is well pleased to announce the launch of her ‘’Pure Love” Collection for the Spring and Summer fashion season.Produced on the lines of an international pandemic and a lockdown that has affected the fashion industry and African enterprises , the titular womenswear brand with a luxury African aesthetic delved into her notion of unadulterated love to create the new line.Nestled on the first floor of Sarah’s building, an iconic landmark on Ghana’s culturally-rich and retail district, Oxford Street in Osu, the brand which was founded by Ophelia Okyere-Darko, a then-graduate of t...

Jul42020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Canon opens registration for REIMAGINE: its biggest product launch yet

TECHNOLOGY

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, July 4, 2020 -- Canon (Canon-CNA.com) yesterday announced details of REIMAGINE (bit.ly/2VIcxM8) – a live-streaming event revealing and discussing its biggest product launch yet. On Thursday 9th July, 14:00 CEST, registered attendees can join the REIMAGINE keynote session (starting 14:00 CEST) which will uncover the details of the innovative product launch and also attend in-depth Q&A discussions (starting 19:00 CEST). During the REIMAGINE Q&As, attendees will have the chance to have their questions answered in sessions hosted by technology journalist Lucy Hedges who will be joined by Canon Europe product experts and leading photographers and videographers, who were among the first to experience the latest additions to Canon’s product range. Th...

Jul32020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

TECHNOLOGY: Twitter drops ‘master’, ‘slave’ and ‘blacklist’

TECHNOLOGY, TWITTER

Social media platform Twitter is dropping the terms "master", "slave" and "blacklist" in favour of more inclusive language. The terms are frequently used in programming codes which originated decades ago. US bank JPMorgan has also announced a similar move as more companies address racism following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Replacing the terms could cost millions and take months, according to experts. In programming speak, "master" refers to the main version of code that controls the "slaves," or replicas. "Blacklist" is used to describe items that are automatically denied, typically forbidden websites. On Thursday, Twitter's engineering division tweeted out a set of words that it wants "to move away from using in favour of more inclusive language...

Jul22020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

UGANDA: UETCL assigns a new boss.

TECHNOLOGY, UGANDA

Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) has appointed Mr George Rwabajungu the new managing director. According to a memo sent to all staff of UETCL Mr Rwabajungu takes over from Mr Valentine Katabira, the company’s deputy managing director, who has been serving in the same position in acting capacity. The appointment took effect yesterday. Mr Katabira had replaced Mr William Kiryahika, who left UETCL on December 31, 2019. “After due process, the board of directors have effective today [yesterday], appointed one of our own, Mr George Rwabajungu as the new managing director,” Mr Katabira said in an email to the staff, urging staff to support him in his new role. Mr Rwabajungu was the company’s manager finance and accounting, a position he held for 10 years. ...

Jul22020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

NASA Delays Perseverance Rover Launch. Again.

TECHNOLOGY

NASA announced in a memo that the long-awaited launch date for the Perseverance Rover, which will blast off atop United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, has slipped to no earlier than July 30. The launch window has been extended from August 10 to August 15. "A liquid oxygen sensor line presented off-nominal data during the Wet Dress Rehearsal, and additional time is needed for the team to inspect and evaluate," the memo read. ULA's president and CEO, Tony Bruno, confirmed via Twitter Wednesday that it was a faulty sensor that had caused the delay. Yes. Misbehaving sensor. We have retrieved it, found the cause, and are repairing it now.— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) July 1, 2020 This is the third delay for the r...

Jul22020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Mark Zuckerberg addresses boycott by more than 500 advertisers over the company’s hate speech policies

TECHNOLOGY

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees that the company would not change its approach on hate speech despite more than 500 advertisers boycotting the platform this month, The Information reported Wednesday. "We're not gonna change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or to any percent of our revenue," Zuckerberg said during a virtual town hall last week, according to The Information. "My guess is that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough," he said, according to The Information, adding that the boycott was a "reputational and a partner issue" rather than a financial one because most of Facebook's revenue comes from small businesses vs large brands. Facebook saw $60 billion in marke...

Jul22020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

SA PARLIAMENT: NCOP PASSED THE CYBERCRIMES BILL, CIVIL UNION AND THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LAWS AMENDMENT BILLS

TECHNOLOGY

Cape Town, Parliament, 2nd July 2020 – The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) at its sitting this morning has passed three Bills, the Cybercrimes Bill, The Civil Union Amendment Bill and the Science and Technology Laws Amendment Bill.The Cybercrimes Bill was initially introduced as the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill in 2017. It was referred to the fifth democratic Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice from the National Assembly on 27 November 2018. The Bill was thoroughly advertised for public participation in 2019, where substantive inputs were provided by various stakeholders and individuals. However, it lapsed at the end of the fifth Parliament and it is among the Bills that were revived by the NCOP through a resolution on 17 October 2019. The objectives of the...

Jul12020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Carbon releases its 2019 financial results

TECHNOLOGY

LAGOS, Nigeria, July 1st, 2020/ -- Nigeria’s leading digital financial services company, Carbon (https://getCarbon.co), has released it’s 2019 financial statements audited by KPMG, detailing its product growth and $17.5mm in revenue. Download socument: https://bit.ly/3g74D6I Carbon began operations in 2012 and within the space of six years, it grew revenue steadily, reaching an all-time high of $17.5mm in full-year 2019. In the same year, Carbon expanded its product offerings to the Kenyan market and it’s disbursement volumes have grown from N13bn (2018) to N23bn. Formerly called Paylater, Carbon pioneered instant lending in Nigeria and was the first mobile app to provide access to credit digitally and without requesting individuals to present the documents and collateral tr...

Jul12020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Digital misunderstanding: 55% of Nigerian parents have conflicts with their children because they spend too much time on the phone

TECHNOLOGY

LAGOS, Nigeria, July 1st, 2020/ -- Modern parents have to constantly educate themselves and keep up to date when it comes to the Internet trends. There is a strong reason for it – their children. If parents do not know what is popular on the Net, they can have misunderstandings or even conflicts with their children. It turns out, not all the parents keep up with current trends online and have enough knowledge about content that their children prefer.According to the recent survey*, 27% of Nigerian parents do not watch video blogs and are not sure what is popular among modern kids. However, the kids themselves are interested in watching such content: one third of children in Nigeria watch video blogs, including those dedicated to games and toys (60%), movies (51%), music (43%) and computer...

Jun292020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

TECHNOLOGY: Microsoft makes it harder for businesses to avoid Windows 10 updates

TECHNOLOGY, WORLD

The business-focused versions of Windows 10 have normally let you avoid major updates for up to a year, which can be helpful if you either value stability at all costs or just don’t like change. You might not have quite so much breathing room going forward, though. As WindowsTimes and Gizmodo have noticed, Windows 10 version 2004 has reduced manual deferrals for Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education updates to 35 days (just as long as for Home) and pulled the option from the Windows Update settings in Advanced Options. If you want to keep deferring updates, you’ll need to change local Group Policy to match. This is meant to “prevent confusion” and help make use of a policy targeting PCs whose version is nearly out of service, Microsoft said. There are advantages to shrinking the ...

Jun292020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

TECNOLOGY: iPhone 12 might not have a charger in the box according to Kuo.

TECHNOLOGY

There has been a lot of speculation about Apple’s new products and schedules that have been thrown into disarray thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. The show will go on, fortunately for Apple fans, but the company may be making a few changes to keep things from going overboard. That will mostly be due to the increasing prices of its high-end devices thanks to increasingly powerful components, like 5G modems in the iPhone 12. Apple’s solution? Take out almost everything from the iPhone’s box. The iPhone 12 series could be Apple’s most expensive smartphones yet and that will be thanks to the addition of 5G support. Given the times, Apple knows it would be fighting an uphill battle of what are already luxurious prices even without 5G. According to analyst Ming-chi Kuo, Apple’s cost-saving...

Jun292020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Partners to launch the Africa Communications Information Platform in response to COVID-19

TECHNOLOGY

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 29, 2020/ -- Africa is about to roll out a groundbreaking mobile based public communications platform to provide more than 600 million users across the continent with the latest public health advice. The Africa Communications Information Platform will also furnish national and regional COVID task forces with user generated survey data and actionable health and economic insights. By improving national data and statistics, ACIP will enable authorities to better analyze pandemic related problems and implement appropriate responses. The platform will also allow COVID-taskforces to deploy health and economic resources to mitigate the pandemic’s impact. The Platform will be launched at an online event hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on...

Jun272020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Ecobank Nigeria Extends Zero Charge for Digital Money Transfers

TECHNOLOGY

LAGOS, Nigeria, June 27, 2020/ -- Ecobank (http://www.Ecobank.com) has extended its zero-charge fee for digital money transfers below N5,000 till the end of September this year. In addition to the free USSD session fee currently enjoyed by Ecobank customers, users of Ecobank Mobile, Ecobank Online, USSD - Ecobank *326# can continue to enjoy zero fee charge for digital money transfers below N5,000. New customers can also benefit from this by opening an Xpress account from the comfort of their homes by simply dialling *326#. The zero charge for mobile money transfers by Ecobank commenced in March as part of the bank's corporate action to cushion the rising spread of Coronavirus. The decision to extend the zero-charge policy is hinged on the bank's drive to continuously encourage cit...

Jun272020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Kenya: Cabinet Secretary (CS) Information Communication Technology (ICT) launches Covid-19 call centre for health care workers

TECHNOLOGY

NAIROBI, Kenya, June 27, 2020/ -- The Kenyan government yesterday launched a Covid-19 contact Centre for front line workers at the National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK). The call Centre that will act as a medium, between NNAK leadership and their members countryside was launched by the Information Communication Technology (ICT), Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru and the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) for Health, Mercy Mwangangi. The CAS explained that the Centre will offer psychosocial support to the front line health care workers and provide a platform to access information and exchange practices among the practitioners. CS Mucheru noted that the Ministry of ICT through Konza Technologies Development Authority (KoTDA) will provide technical support, reliable infrastructu...

Jun252020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Satellite TV Gains Popularity in Ghana and Nigeria

TECHNOLOGY

LUXEMBOURG CITY, Luxembourg, June 25, 2020/ -- Study shows Satellite TV reception increases by 23% in Nigeria and 19% in Ghana in 2019 since the last study, conducted two years ago; SES (www.SES.com) currently reaches 35 million TV households across the African Continent.SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, has unveiled the results of its annual Satellite Monitor survey, which reveals a steady increase in the penetration of satellite TV across Africa. The study on TV reception also shows an increase in SES reach from 33 million African households in 2018 to 35 million households in 2019.In Nigeria, the Satellite Monitor results revealed that satellite TV reception was the choice for 11.8 million households in 2019, a 23% increase compared to 2017, and a further 4.7 mi...

Jun242020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Internet Society Report Highlights Opportunity to Advance Digital Economy in Africa

TECHNOLOGY

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, June 24, 2020/ -- A new report published today by the Internet Society (www.InternetSociety.org) explains the steps African countries can take to bring faster and less expensive Internet connectivity to the continent. The report illustrates how better connectivity represents a key opportunity for countries to continue to develop more resilient digital economies. Entitled “Anchoring the African Internet Ecosystem: Lessons from Kenya and Nigeria’s Internet Exchange Points Growth (https://bit.ly/3dqPyv1),” the report reveals how a vibrant Internet ecosystem is critical to bringing faster, and more affordable Internet to Africa. Internet exchange points (IXPs) are locations where Internet service providers (ISPs) and other n...

Jun242020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

MTN Uganda launches fresh MTN MoMo campaign, “Keep some MTN MoMo on your phones. It saves”.

TECHNOLOGY

Kampala, Uganda, Wednesday 32rd June 2020 – MTN Uganda yesterday launched a campaign aimed at sensitizing customers on why it’s important to keep some mobile money with MTN MoMo and the associated benefits like the convenience of paying for products and services like airtime, voice and date bundles, Yaka electricity units, national water, school fees, shopping and much more. In the campaign that will run under the theme, “Keep some Money on MTN MoMo, It saves”, MTN is encouraging customers to keep some money with MTN MoMo on their phones, because it is convenient, safe and could come to their rescue in emergency situations during these times of covid19 and the curfews that they live under as a result. Most Ugandans already know MTN MoMo and how it works. Many more are already using ...

Jun242020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Facebook supports African SMB’s through Economic Impact Programmes offered virtually in wake of COVID-19 Pandemic

TECHNOLOGY

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, June 24, 2020/ -- Yesterday, Facebook (www.Facebook.com) announced that all its Economic Impact Programmes will be offered virtually as the platform seeks to equip small businesses with digital marketing skills to help them stay open, connect with and acquire new customers to survive challenges presented by Coronavirus. Facebook’s Economic Impact Programmes include Boost with Facebook currently implemented in 11 African countries, targeting over 41,000 small businesses, SheMeansBusiness available in Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal reaching 7,500 participants, Digify Pro offered in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa with 230 participants and Aspiring Entrepreneurs Programme which works with 360 participants in Nigeria. ...

Jun192020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

APO Group to facilitate WHO Africa COVID-19 online press briefings with live streaming on 300 Africa-related news websites and on Google News

AFRICA, TECHNOLOGY

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 19, 2020/ -- APO Group (www.APO-opa.com), the leading pan-African communications and business consultancy, is delighted to announce a unique collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (www.AFRO.WHO.int) for the provision of online press conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. From Thursday 25th June, APO Group will organize the official WHO online press briefings for African media. Uniquely, the service will include simultaneous translation and live streaming on more than 300 Africa-related news websites, and on the Google News mobile application, delivering crucial health updates, and potentially life-saving information to millions of people all over Africa.The press conferences will provide the media with all the la...

Jun192020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

RCS and SES Networks Expand Partnership with SD-WAN Service

TECHNOLOGY

LUXEMBOURG CITY, Luxembourg, June 19, 2020 -- RCS Communication, an ICT company in South Sudan, has adopted a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) built upon SES Networks’ SD-WAN service that will enable RCS to deliver an improved user experience while optimising resiliency and bandwidth usage, SES (SES.com) announced yesterday. SES Networks’ SD-WAN service is the first of its kind as it enables customers to optimally utilise their available WAN access connections ranging from Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation, as well as fibre and other terrestrial links. RCS has been using SES’s low-latency MEO solution extensively since 2014 to provide reliable and uninterrupted Enterprise connectivity services to NGOs, Embassies and busi...