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DCA Digital Academy announces the COVID-19 Universities eHealth Innovation Essay Writing Competition

April 9, 2020 Editor

Almost overnight, remote work has become the new norm, the mainstream. Companies, schools and other institutions around the world are encouraging their staff, students to work from home to prioritize the health and safety of their workforce and communities, from the effects that have resulted from the COVID-19 global pandemic. To help navigate the challenges of studying remotely and be beneficial to the whole global conversation on health and wellness, the DotConnectAfrica (DCA) Digital Academy has announced an essay writing competition for university students to participate and use the special…

Safaricom and M-Gas Launched Prepaid Gas

January 21, 2020 Dianne Jacobs

Safaricom and M-Gas have launched prepaid gas service for Kenyan households. This is expected to empower millions of Kenyan homes to enjoy access to clean, affordable and reliable cooking gas, providing them with the flexibility of purchasing gas based on their needs and how much they can afford at a time. M-Gas is tackling existing access barriers to clean cooking by eradicating both the upfront cost required for a gas cylinder and gas cooker, often more than Sh6,000 and the high refill cost of Sh2,000 per cylinder. Safaricom’s partnership with…

Orange opens new Digital center in Senegal

January 13, 2020 Dianne Jacobs

In Dakar, Senegal, Orange has inaugurated its new concept of a place entirely dedicated to innovation, an “Orange Digital Center”. Several personalities attended the launch, including: Ms Ndèye Tické Ndiaye Diop, Minister for the Digital Economy and Telecommunications; Mr Dame Diop, Minister for Employment, Professional Training and Craftsmanship; Mr Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Africa and Middle-East; Ms Christine Albanel, Head of CSR, Diversity, Partnerships and Philanthropy for Orange, Deputy Chair of the Orange Foundation and former Minister; and Mr Sékou Dramé, CEO of Sonatel. Following on from Tunisia, Senegal will…

DEMS Volunteers lead nationwide awareness campaigns

January 7, 2020 Dianne Jacobs

A team of Nigerian media professionals has launched Digital Economy Media Volunteers’ (DEMS Volunteers’), with a view to leading nationwide awareness campaigns on the Digital Economy. A communiqué issued by the group at the end of the maiden meeting at the weekend in Lagos and signed by the Director of Communications, Mr. Peter Oluka, recalled that “Only recently, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, renamed the hitherto Federal Ministry of Communications to include Digital Economy. The incumbent Minister, Dr Isa Ibrahim Ali (Pantami), has on many occasions highlighted why this…

Afrikamart Agritech startup aims to be largest African fresh food supplier without owning any farm

December 20, 2019December 20, 2019 Editor

Senegalese Agritech startup Afrikamart aims to be the largest quality fresh food supplier in West Africa. The company aims to become the largest quality fresh food supplier in Africa without owning any farm. ITBusinessDirect spoke to Mignane Diouf its Directeur Général, here is our conversation, In your own words, describe Afrikamart? Afrikamart is an outsourced digital purchase department providing solutions for its customers to help them source good quality fruits and vegetables in their local area or internationally. We leverage on digital to connect the different stakeholders on the value chain,…

Spotify new feature encourages listening of Podcasts

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 Dianne Jacobs

Early this year, Spotify acquired Gimlet Media, a podcast network and producer which hosts shows like Startup, Homecoming, Mogul, The Pitch, Reply All, The Cut, Science VS and Anchor which was a DIY podcasting startup that provides a set of tools that make it super easy for anyone(beginner and Pro) to create and monetize their own podcasts and for free for reportedly $300 million. Spotify also acquired Parcast, a producer for crime, mystery and sci-fi podcasts for $100m. The audio streaming giant also partnered with BBC Studios and P&G to create more podcasts.…

Emotion detecting Tech should be restricted

December 13, 2019 Dianne Jacobs

A leading research centre has called for new laws to restrict the use of emotion-detecting tech. The AI Now Institute says the field is “built on markedly shaky foundations”. Despite this, systems are on sale to help vet job seekers, test criminal suspects for signs of deception, and set insurance prices. It wants such software to be banned from use in important decisions that affect people’s lives and/or determine their access to opportunities. The US-based body has found support in the UK from the founder of a company developing its…

US online Black Friday sales biggest ever?

December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 Dianne Jacobs

Online sales on Black Friday in the United States hit a record $7.4 billion this year, with a large number of transactions made from smartphones, according to data released Saturday by Adobe Analytics. The figure was a 19.6 percent increase over last year and the second biggest day of online sales ever, the company said, just below the $7.9 billion consumers spent on last year’s Cyber Monday, which follows Black Friday. This year, 39 percent of online purchases were made from smartphones, a 21 percent increase from last year. “With Christmas now…

Mastercard puts a spotlight on gender diversity and female entrepreneurship

September 6, 2019 Editor

As part of its commitment to supporting the advancement of gender diversity and inclusion in Africa, Mastercard hosted the second edition of its ‘Together We Lead’ event, bringing together celebrated women leaders to discuss the critical role of female entrepreneurs in Africa. Amanda Dambuza – entrepreneur and author, Lee Ann Lancaster – Chief Growth Officer of Mama Money, and Dr. Adriana Marais – physicist, technologist, astronaut candidate with the Mars One Project and founder of #ProudlyHuman, joined a panel discussion hosted by Shamina Singh, Executive Vice President, Sustainability & President,…