Issue no 652 26th April 2013
Top Story
The Buying and Selling Game in Africa – A backstage look at the way Mergers and Acquisitions Happen
With the developed world economies flat-lining, the prospect of investing in Africa has never been more attractive. With the halo effect from the mobile growth years still in place, buyers are coming to a set of markets that are much changed. Russell Southwood looks at who might be up for sale and who might not be sold and at who the possible buyers might be.The slogan “Africa is not a country” encapsulates the first thing that needs saying about the buying and selling game in Africa. There are 55 “recognized states” on the continent and they were not all born…
Telecoms
Poor quality of service: consumer rights groups demands n1.5trillion compensation from MTN, Globacom, Etisalat and Airtel for Nigeria GSM subscribers.
Subsequent upon administrative enquiry or investigation on the general state of service quality in the telecommunications sector conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission “NCC” in 2012 and imposition of the…
Telecoms
KDN rolls out Tanzanian fibre network link
Kenya Data Networks (KDN), a subsidiary of Mauritius-based Liquid Telecom Group, has deployed fibre-optic networks in Tanzania, extending connectivity to the East African capitals of Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala…
Telecoms
Somaliland: Telecom Growth Rate is Three Times Greater Than Ethiopia
The use of Skype and Google talk are limited and tightly monitored in Ethiopia with Ethio Telecom, formerly the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) the sole Government controlled telecom.In contrast, Somaliland…
Telecoms
How Internet and Mobile Help Journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Better and wider access to Internet and mobile is changing how journalists work in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bringing more access but also sometimes greater risk. Internet and…
Telecoms
Telecoms – In Brief
- Chinese vendor ZTE has launched legal proceedings against Uganda Telecommunications Ltd (UTL) over alleged unpaid fees totalling USD6.74 million relating to the design, planning, integration, operation and maintenance of…
Internet
Malawi shortlists six firms for internet project
Malawi government through the Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC) has shortlisted at least six foreign companies earmarked to provide a fiber cable that will facilitate internet connectivity in the country.A…
Internet
Voice-based web access helps illiterate get online
In Mali, the roads are mostly unpaved and access to landlines and the internet is scarce. Even if citizens have online access, illiteracy is a major barrier: less than a…
Internet
Online Platform to Boost Access to African Stats
Twenty African countries are set to benefit from a data platform on developmental issues such as the Millennium Development Goals aimed at improving access to quality information.The Open Data for…
Internet
Internet – In Brief
- Kenya: The Igembe South Legislator Mithika Linturi could soon find himself outside parliament after Facebook fans initiated a page to recall him back from Parliament. The page which was…
Computing
Ethiopia: LG Electronics to Open Technical College
LG Electronics is opening a million dollar Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET) College in September 2013.The college will offer courses in Information Technology (IT); electronics; and television and…
Computing
Kenya: Laptops Not a Priority says one Teachers’ Unions
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education and Kenya National Union of Teachers have been divided over the pledge by jubilee government on the introduction of laptops to all standard…
Computing
Computing – In Brief
- Monday, April 22nd, Alcatel-Lucent and SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria organized a cheque presentation ceremony at the oriental hotel in Lagos, Nigeria to celebrate the donation of USD $20,000 granted…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telkom Mobile offers Wi-Fi access with contract plans
South Africa's Telkom Mobile announced it's offering free unlimited Wi-Fi access at over 400 hotspots across the country to subscribers on qualifying plans. Prepaid and top-up subscribers are also allocated…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Gabon Telecom CEO announces price cuts, cites ‘competitive market’
In a press conference held last Friday in Libreville, the chief executive office of Gabon Telecom, Lhoussaine Oussalah, announced wide-ranging cuts in fixed, mobile and broadband (ADSL) pricing to maintain…
Money Transfer
Kenya: Mobile phone customer deposits hit Sh226 bn
Cash deposits handled by mobile phone companies in three months between October and December last year totalled Sh226 billion, an amount equivalent to total clients' money held by KCB at…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
LAP Green comments on FY12 results, keeps financial figures under wraps
LAP Green Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Libyan African Portfolio (LAP), has issued a press statement regarding its operational achievements in the twelve months ended 31 December 2012,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Bharti Airtel to acquire Warid Telecom Uganda
Bharti Airtel, the country's largest telco by revenue and customers, signed an agreement to buy rival Warid Telecom Uganda for an undisclosed sum on April 23, reinforcing its position as…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money - In Brief
- MTN Nigeria, the local unit of South African telecoms company MTN Group, is set to sign a USD3 billion medium-term loan facility with a consortium of unnamed banks. Local…
Digital Content
Nigeria: Airtel Introduces 'WhatsApp' - Plan
Lagos — Airtel Nigeria has introduced "WhatsApp" data application packages to its subscribers.This follows a cross-promotion agreement with "WhatsApp Inc." that secured for Airtel Nigeria the exclusive right to launch…
Digital Content
Kenya: Technology Revolutionises Tuberculosis Management
The use of technology is revolutionising the way Kenya manages tuberculosis. Through a computer- and mobile-phone based programme called Tibu, health facilities are able to request TB drugs in real-time…
Digital Content
Senegal: Competition Designed to Spread Basic Technologies
At a school in a rundown suburb of Dakar, Senegal, the students had nowhere to go to the bathroom. The boys urinated against the outside walls, the girls headed behind…
Digital Content
Gambia: Pura Prohibits Company Use of VOIP, Dating Services At Internet Cafes
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has announced a ban on the usage of dating sites in the country, and the commercial usage of local and international calling services such as…
Digital Content
Al Qaeda offshoot in Mali takes to Twitter to mount a charm offensive
Battered by a French-led military campaign in Mali, al Qaeda's North African arm is trying something new to stay relevant: Twitter. The PR campaign by the terror network seeks to…
More
Events
Card, ATM & Mobile Expo Africa 201311 – 13 June 2013Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos, NigeriaCard, ATM & Mobile Expo 2013 will showcase innovation and new differentiated products, bring about…
More
People
Jason Njoku of iROKO Partners joins The Nigerian Stock Exchange as a Growth AmbassadorJason Njoku has been confirmed as an official Growth Ambassador for the Alternative Securities market (ASeM), a…
More
Jobs & Opportunities
Africa App Quest Challenge for Sub Saharan Africa DevelopersAnother chance for the Kenyan developers to make names for themselves. Africa App Quest, which is being sponsored by Visa and South…
