News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 923 – 27 April 2018
Top Story
Mozambique – Market struggles with massive financial scandal, moratorium on LNG investment and lack of open fibre markets
26 April 2018
Mozambique is one of those African countries that seemed to be doing so well but it no longer fits the “happy-clappy Africa Rising” story. The Government is under a cloud because over US$500 million cannot be accounted for and until it is, a major LNG investment in the north of the country will not go ahead. Russell Southwood spoke to industry sources who told him people are having to choose between eating and airtime. The financial backdrop for the telecoms and Internet sectors in Mozambique is absolutely terrible. According to a report in the Financial Times in June 2017, state…
Telecoms
CELTEL Niger (Airtel) gets the first 4G mobile license granted in Niger
26 April 2018
(Ecofin Agency) - Niger’s government grants the very first 4G mobile license to CELTEL Niger limited, subsidiary of Indian Bharti which operates under Airtel Niger brand. This was decided last…
Telecoms
Ghana: $4m NCA Corruption Case: Supreme Court Sets June 7 For Ruling
26 April 2018
The Supreme Court has set 7 June 2018 to determine whether or not article 19 clause 2 (e) and (g) of the 1992 constitution puts an obligation on the prosecution…
Telecoms
Nokia – once the dominant phone brand in SA – plans a comeback with its new lineup starting from R4,000
26 April 2018
After being comprehensively beaten by the likes of Samsung for a long time, Nokia believes it ca dominate the South African mobile market again with three new phones it launched…
Telecoms
Vodacom’s 4G network exceeds 80% population coverage in South Africa
26 April 2018
Vodacom’s 4G services now cover more than 80% of the South African population, the mobile network today announced. It claims that it’s the first African mobile network to cross this…
Telecoms
In brief
26 April 2018
Angola’s government has confirmed that contact has been permanently lost with the country’s first telecoms satellite, the Russian-built Angosat-1, which was launched from Kazakhstan in December 2017. Angolan telecoms minister…
Internet
Teraco gets new digital content PoP
26 April 2018
Limelight Networks, a digital content delivery company, has opened a new point-of-presence (PoP) in South Africa. The PoP is hosted in Teraco’s data centre, alongside the NAPAfrica Johannesburg IXP. The…
Internet
Paratus slashes data prices by 80%
26 April 2018
Paratus Namibia, which claims to be the largest privately-owned pan African telecoms operator, has slashed its data prices by 83.4%. It now offers the cheapest data bundles and provides the…
Internet
Facebook, Digity Africa spread online safety message
26 April 2018
Facebook has partnered with Digify Africa to host Internet safety training sessions for a thousand young South Africans in the next two months. The Internet giant wants to help young…
Internet
The pet sitter who now owns South Africa’s top independent ISP
26 April 2018
The Afrihost story reads like a Hollywood script: two friends decide to dabble in domain names, and two decades later they own the largest independent ISP in South Africa. This…
Internet
MainOne’s West Africa expansion gets boost with Cote d’Ivoire license and new fibre connection
26 April 2018
Construction of a fourth cable authorised by the government will improve the international connectivity of the country and will provide a lot more opportunities for the national market while increasing…
Internet
South Africa has an untouched $10M fund for internet accessibility
26 April 2018
A new report has revealed that South Africa has $10 million sitting unspent in Universal Service and Access Funds meant to for the provisioning of Internet access in the country.…
Computing
New research reveals how Africa is using the Cloud
26 April 2018
Cloud computing has taken off dramatically across Africa’s major markets, but its benefits are experienced very differently in each region – as are its budget allocations. These were some of…
Computing
Innovo unveils business-in-a-box cloud solution
26 April 2018
Cape Town-basedICT provider Innovo Networks has introduced what it calls a "business-in-a-box" product toolkit (#Bizzbox) for small businesses. Innovo Networks provides local businesses with communication, connectivity, cyber security and cloud…
Computing
Ms Geek Africa Prepares Girls For The Digital Future
26 April 2018
This year’s Ms. Geek Africa could not have rolled around at a more opportune moment, when the continent’s hills are alive with the promise of a growth, industrialization, economic diversification…
Computing
A team of Unilorin students is trying to make your computer speak African languages
26 April 2018
Annually, the World Mother Tongue Day is on the 21st of February. This year, the United Nations revealed that; “Out of 7,000 languages spoken in the world, 96% are spoken…
Money Transfer
MFS Africa secures $4.5 million led by Chinese fund LUN Partners
26 April 2018
MFS Africa, a leading Pan-African FinTech company, today announced a $4.5m Series B funding round led by LUN Partners Group, a China-based global investment management group. Goodwell Investments, an Amsterdam…
Money Transfer
Alipay moves deeper into Africa with CoralPay tie-up
26 April 2018
Alipay parent Ant Financial signed a multi-country African agreement with Nigeria-based CoralPay, the latest move towards worldwide acceptance for the popular Chinese payment platform. The deal is the first publicly…
Money Transfer
FNB launches eWallet eXtra – a fully mobile bank account for all phones
26 April 2018
FNB has launched what it calls the “next level” of e-wallets in South Africa – a full service bank account opened and managed on all phones. According to FNB CEO…
Money Transfer
Kenyan firm Direct Pay eyes West Africa with Ghana office
26 April 2018
Kenya-based Direct Pay Online (DPO) Group has opened an office in Ghana as it seeks to expand its portfolio to the West Africa market. The office will act as the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Senegalese President approves the sale of Tigo to consortium led by French Billionaire Xavier Niel
26 April 2018
Senegalese President Macky Sall has approved the sale of Millicom’s Tigo business to the Saga Africa Holdings consortium, owned by a group of investors that includes French billionaire Xavier Niel…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Business solutions firm Africa’s Talking closes $8.6M round led by IFC
26 April 2018
Business APIs in Africa are getting a boost from global venture capital thanks to a new $8.6 million round for Africa’s Talking—a Kenyan based enterprise software company. The new financing…
Digital Content
Tanzanian Bloggers Now Have 10 Days to Pay the Government a $930 Fee to Operate
26 April 2018
The Tanzanian government is forcing online content creators to pay up. The Tanzanian government continues to crackdown on online content creators with added restrictions to its internet regulation policy. The…
Digital Content
Africa: Rise of Drones - African Journalists Counter Lies With Tech
26 April 2018
Drones and satellites are helping African journalists to expose lies and shed light on underreported issues in regions that are largely inaccessible. But restrictive regulations threaten their reporting. For Nairobi-based…
Digital Content
'Congo needs another voice': bloggers talk art, sex and football in DRC Global development
26 April 2018
Index on Censorship honours a young collective sharing their experiences on social media of life in a land plagued by violence, corruption and poverty In the midst of the Democratic…
Digital Content
Kenya’s mobile survey platform, mSurvey, secures $3.5 million Series A Investment
26 April 2018
mSurvey, the mobile-first consumer feedback platform for businesses and consumers in Africa, announces a Series A round of USD$3.5m today, led by Africa focused venture firm TLcom Capital with investment…
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People
26 April 2018
French tycoon Vincent Bollore charged in Africa probe A French judge has indicted billionaire businessman Vincent Bollore in a corruption investigation. It's alleged that his company undercharged election publicity work…
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Opportunities
26 April 2018
Women In Tech Africa (WITA) Pitch Agrihack 2018 The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), with the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB), in collaboration with the…
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Events
26 April 2018
Africa Tech Summit Kigali - 2018Following the success of Africa Tech Summit London which will return in May 2018, we are delighted to welcome you to Africa Tech Summit Kigali…
