YouTube Go launched by Google CEO Sundar Pichai in Nigeria — Quartz. Uganda’s highway A-109 shoots across the plain from Kampala past the occasional storefront shops and open-air kiosks common to the continent’s roadsides.
After rising into the verdant tea plantations of the country’s Western Region, it passes through Fort Portal near the Congolese border. From there, a turn off the main road leaves the reasonably well-maintained tarmac behind in favor of red clay washboard and bone-shaking potholes. Finally, it devolves into a footpath running between a few dozen housing compounds in a village called Kalera. Though Kalera is poor by western standards, it doesn’t approach the desperation found in many poorer parts of Africa.
Facebook expands its service to Africa. Facebook partners Kenyan SP to launch Express Wi-Fi. Published on 29 March 2017 By Tom Jackson Facebook has partnered Kenyan internet service provider Surf to launch its Express Wi-Fi service, which will offer businesses in a variety of towns and cities access to a fast, affordable public Wi-Fi hotspot service.
Surf has already rolled out more than 100 Express Wi-Fi hotspots in several communities in the greater metropolitan area of Nairobi, and will this week launch the service in Kisumu and Mombasa. Avec l'acquisition de Souq.com, Amazon met un pied en Afrique du Nord. Amazon, le géant américain des ventes sur Internet, va acquérir Souq.com, le numéro 1 du e-commerce au Moyen-Orient.
Les deux compagnies, qui ont fait une annonce ce mardi 28 mars, n'ont toutefois pas précisé le montant de la transaction. Google Ramps Up Investment in Fiber Cable, Training Africans - Bloomberg. Google Inc. is scaling up investment in Africa by laying fiber optic cable, easing access to cheaper Android phones and training a workforce in digital skills as the U.S. technology giant seeks to expand on the continent.
“We laid about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of fiber in Uganda and we are busy doing about 1,000 kilometers in Ghana,’’ Google’s South Africa head Luke McKend said in a phone interview. “We want to make sure that we cover all the bases. Mastercard launches agtech app in East Africa to aid farmers. Mastercard launches agtech app in East Africa to aid farmers Using a new app released by Mastercard, mall-plot farmers in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania can now go digital―coordinating sales, payments, and the distribution of crops.
The agricultural technology app was announced this week. 2KUZE, which means “let’s grow together” in Swahili, was developed at Mastercard’s Nairobi Labs for Financial Inclusion with the support of the Gates Foundation. In the initial trial phase, it is being used by 2000 farmers in Kenya’s Nanda Hills, and will soon be available in Uganda and Tanzania. The app works on feature phones, smartphones, and PCs. Nigeria: Tudor Havriliuc, Vice President of Facebook HR Visits Andela. By Lilian Mutegi Tudor Havrilliuc, Vice President of Facebook Human Resource has today visited Andela, a firm that recruits the most talented software developers on the African continent and embeds them into engineering organizations as full-time or distributed team members.
Mr. Havriliuc visited Andela to interact with the developers and pass along the knowledge he has gained in the industry to a new generation from his many years' experience at Silicon Valley "I am so impressed about everything I have heard. You are doing such an incredible work and this is quite revolutionary and astounding. "Today we have over 5 million advertisers on Facebook and they are as big as Proctor and Gamble and as small as some lady making customed jewellery in Romania for example and we are happy to create such an ecosystem," he added.
US firm to unveil traffic-tackling technology in Lagos. There are signs that easing traffic congestion across the country particularly for cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt may soon be experienced as an American company bringing into the country one of its latest GPS tacking device.
In a statement inviting key stakeholders to have discussions with a trade delegation from South Africa, Chief Executive Officer of Garmin Sub- Saharan Africa, Walter Mech, said the purpose of the trade delegation was to engage with prospective businesses partners in West Africa who have strong distribution and/or reselling capabilities. He said that the trade delegation, which is expected to hold early next month in Lagos, will be showcasing Garmin’s products that are tools suited for developing economies where infrastructure requirements are extensive and mapping out of new boundaries, roads, waypoints are key to the countries expansion.
East Africa: Google Earth Now Gets Into the Virtual Reality World. By Lilian Mutegi Growing up, we all had our dreams and different travel destinations, for me Spain has always been, no apparent reason though.
A friend told me he would love to visit Rome reason being it is an "eternal city" because its founders always believed it would be the most important city in the world and would never be destroyed. Facebook’s Internet.org Now Reaches 40M People Worldwide. By all accounts, today was a good day for Facebook.
The company beat Wall Street estimates with its latest earnings report, and looks set to expand aggressively over the next year — maybe even reaching 2 billion users in 2017. A major part of Facebook’s plans to nab more users is to bring connectivity to more parts of the world — including emerging markets. One way it’s doing this is through Internet.org: an initiative that sees Facebook pair up with local cellular networks to give mobile users access to select websites using a data-free app. Related: Facebook developing open source optical networking device called Voyager Despite some stumbling blocks this year (including a ban on the service in India over net neutrality concerns and a costly failed satellite launch), Internet.org is finding its footing.
Angola is one of 49 countries where Internet.org is available. A new Netflix server in Nigeria will deliver faster streaming and content to its African users — Quartz. Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie has been actively weighing in on the US election.
Her short story on Donald Trump’s campaign from the perspective of his wife, Melania, is a study of a man-child, desperate for external approval. She penned an open letter of appreciation to first lady Michelle Obama, who has been campaigning for Hillary Clinton. Now, in an essay published days before the election, she tackles a question that has persisted throughout the campaign: Clinton’s supposed lack of likability. Writing in the Atlantic, Adichie argues that much of the criticism of the Democratic presidential candidate comes from the fact that Clinton, as a woman, is not allowed to be complicated or to deviate from the tradition of first ladies. MTN's tests of Facebook's Voyager might make internet cheaper for Africans. — Quartz. Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie has been actively weighing in on the US election. Her short story on Donald Trump’s campaign from the perspective of his wife, Melania, is a study of a man-child, desperate for external approval.
She penned an open letter of appreciation to first lady Michelle Obama, who has been campaigning for Hillary Clinton. Now, in an essay published days before the election, she tackles a question that has persisted throughout the campaign: Clinton’s supposed lack of likability. Writing in the Atlantic, Adichie argues that much of the criticism of the Democratic presidential candidate comes from the fact that Clinton, as a woman, is not allowed to be complicated or to deviate from the tradition of first ladies. Adichie writes: Hillary Clinton was guilty immediately when she stepped into the view of the American public as the first lady of Arkansas. eBay Now Open to African Shoppers. Shoppers in Africa now have access to eBay.com inventory: MallforAfrica (MFA), Africa's largest global platform which provides African consumers access to billions of items, announced today the eBay "powered by MallforAfrica" app in Africa is now available to its customers in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.
The official launch comes on the heels of the announcement of an exclusive partnership between the two companies, in which shoppers in specific African regions will have access to eBay.com (US) inventory. With over 1 billion listings worldwide, eBay's vision for commerce is one that is enabled by people, powered by technology, and open to everyone - creating more economic opportunity for all.
Some of eBay's offerings include, clothing, electronics, sporting goods, toys, household goods, books, jewelry, and parts & accessories. MallforAfrica provides Africans a platform to purchase items directly from over 200 of the best international retailers in the world. Silicon (Valley) Is the Hot New Commodity in Africa. The titans of Silicon Valley are undeterred by the economic slump afflicting much of Africa.
Facebook Inc., Google, Oracle Corp. and Uber Technologies Inc. are at the leading edge of turning the world’s frontier markets digital. As the commodity crash buffets the continent’s biggest economies, the interest and investments couldn’t come at a better time. Almost half of foreign direct investment projects in Africa last year were in technology, telecommunications, financial services and consumer products. The amount dedicated to oil, gas and mining dropped to 6 percent -- from almost a quarter in 2005 -- according to EY, a consultancy firm. “There’s been a big shift from an almost exclusive focus on extractive sectors to those such as consumers and renewable energy,” said Michael Lalor, the Johannesburg-based head of EY’s Africa Business Centre.
Google to equip 1 million African youths with digital skills. Standford University Business Programs To Be Launched in East Africa – The Exchange. 113 Shares Share Tweet Email The Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies, has announced the launch of the SEED Transformation Program in East Africa. This follows the success the program has had in West Africa. eBay Bets on Africa for Growth.
Image source: Getty Images. eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) has recently announced that it will be expanding into Africa via a partnership with African online shopping start-up MailforAfrica.com. The move will probably have a modest financial impact in the short term; however, eBay is making a smart move by positioning the business to capitalize on promising growth opportunities over the years and decades ahead. eBay goes to Africa The new partnership between eBay and MailforAfrica.com will allow U.S. sellers with a star rating of 300 or more to sell their products directly to customers in Africa.
Inventory from eBay will initially be available in Nigeria, followed by Kenya, and then by Ghana. The arrangement involves the creation of a new platform called eBay Powered by MallforAfrica. Why US tech giants are betting on Africa. Things have changed with the way big business deals with Africa. Previously a destination for CSR-related activities such as building schools and planting trees, the continent is now very much the investment destination of choice, especially for US tech giants. It’s been quite a turnaround.
When, for example, Microsoft was founded in 1975, Nigeria was spiralling back into dictatorship and Portugal still had African colonies in Mozambique and Angola. Now, mobile-first Africa boasts seven of the world’s 11 fastest growing economies, and the likes of Microsoft, Google and Facebook are scrambling for a piece of it. Microsoft itself has led this charge, launching its US$75 million 4Afrika initiative three years ago in a bid to position itself for growth on the continent. The one billion-strong population of the continent and its growing spending power is key to this. “With its large youth population, Africa is a critical growth and investment market. Facebook Increases Users by 13% Across Three African Markets. One week after Brexit, the lesson investors are taking away is that there’s no problem central banks can’t fix.
Just days after the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union roiled financial markets around the world, stocks and bonds surged in tandem this week as policy makers once again rode to the rescue, dropping hints of further stimulus and suggesting they’ll keep interest rates lower for longer. Traditionally, what’s good for one asset class has not been good for the other, and stocks and bonds more often move in opposite directions on the same information.
Yet with unprecedented monetary easing showing no signs of slowing, that relationship continues to break down. With almost $12 trillion of government bonds globally paying less than zero, a rush into Treasuries Friday pushed yields to record lows, even as encouraging economic data helped propel U.S. stocks toward all-time highs. Zuckerberg backs Andela, the startup more elite than Harvard - Jun. 16, 2016. Uganda: Uber Launches in Kampala With Free Rides Within the City. SAP further commits to Francophone Africa Region by opening new office in Morocco - Pan African Visions. Facebook banks on Africa for its next billion users - Standard Digital News. Google begins digital skills training for 1million Africans. Google, the American multinational technology company has announced a commitment to train 1million young Africans in digital skills in the next one year, which is undeniably a capacity building opportunity for the continent.
Making the announcement on Tuesday, Google Country Manager, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor described the initiative as an amazing opportunity for businesses and digital entrepreneurs in Africa. According to her, if people have the right skills, they can build business, they will become more employable and can really help to boost the economy of the continent. For IBM, Africa Is Risky and Rife With Opportunity. Abuja, Nigeria becomes Uber’s 400th city to launch. Abuja joins the growing list of smart African cities to offer Uber.
Facebook and Alphabet Turned to Drones, Balloons, and Satellites to Get More People Online in 2015. Facebook opens Africa Internet.org Innovation Challenge. Facebook launches Internet.org competition in Africa. Afrique : Paradis du "big data" pour Facebook - Réseaux logistiques. Strathmore University first in Africa with IBM Mainframe z technology. Uber links With Kia to drive growth in Lagos. Forbes Welcome. Amazon seeks to boost African footprint. Airbnb Plans Africa Expansion. Uber remains on course in Africa. Facebook Opening Africa Office to Target Next Billion Users. Facebook to Launch First African Office in J'Burg This July - TechMoran. IT News from the African continent. Nigeria is PayPal’s second largest market in sub-Saharan Africa.
Microsoft accepts Bitcoin as means of payment. Google predicts massive ecommerce market in Africa by 2017. Facebook’s Internet.org now rolls out in Kenya, after Zambia and Tanzania. Firefox OS to expand into Africa. Microsoft brings Office 365 to more African countries. 7 African start-ups to receive Microsoft innovation grants. Facebook Could Have New Office in Africa in 2015 : Tech/Biz : Auto World News. Facebook hits 100 million users in Africa (that's half the continent's online community) - News - Gadgets and Tech. US Bitcoin Firm BlinkTrade Launches West African Exchange.
Microsoft, ZiDi help Kenya achieve quality, affordable health care. IBM prepares Kenyan application developers for cloud revolution. Access field development director, Google: “We have to create more local content in Africa” Marriott Hotel Comes to Addis. Facebook To Offer Free/Discounted Mobile Data Usage in Egypt. Google gives assist to Nigerian businesses. Gail Galuppo - Executive Vice President Western Union. Google to launch election apps in Kenya. Forbes launches app for African market on smartphones and tablets. Visa TravelMoney. Orange to launch mobile payments with Visa in Botswana.
MasterCard launches training centre to enhance payments industry skills development.