Business

Sep132019 by Nasha HarperNo Comments

Kenya’s Mobile money transactions hit Sh2.5 trillion

Business, Mobile, social media, Startups

The value of mobile money payments rose by 11.1 percent to hit Sh2.5 trillion in the first seven months of this year, new data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) shows. The increase happened even though the actual figures from month- to- month fluctuated between Sh328.2 billion and Sh368.4 billion. The total value for the seven months was Sh2.5 trillion compared to Sh2.25 trillion in July last year. In July, the value stood at Sh366.4 billion, about Sh20 billion up from June’s Sh346.8 billion. Compared to July last year, the upward change was higher at Sh34 billion or 10.2 percent. The change underlines the rising popularity of the mobile money in transactions where many banks, mobile lenders, savings and credit societies and merchants have also been linking up with the mobile b

Sep62019 by Nasha HarperNo Comments

Microsoft, AGRA partner to transform Africa’s agriculture sector digitally

Business, Startups, Technology

As a market, digital services in Africa's agriculture sector remains untapped say experts and could be worth over US$2.26-billion. Microsoft, through its 4Afrika Initiative, has announced a new collaboration with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to co-create technology solutions in agriculture. The collaboration was announced at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) and will support AGRA's digital transformation as it works to improve food security for 30 million farming households across 11 countries by 2021. Microsoft and AGRA will explore uses of big data and artificial intelligence "in enabling data-driven, precision farming that increases farm productivity and profitability." The partnership will also support farmers in adopting new technologies thr...

Aug92019 by editorNo Comments

Huawei to launch its own HarmonyOS, after Android snub threat

Business, Internet, Mobile, Technology

Huawei has officially announced HarmonyOS, the operating system it was rumored to be developing to replace its reliance on Android. In China the software will be known as Hongmeng. A modularized #HarmonyOS can be nested to adapt flexibly to any device to create a seamless cross-device experience. Developed via the distributed capability kit, it builds the foundation of a shared developer ecosystem #HDC2019 pic.twitter.com/2TD9cgtdG8 — Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) August 9, 2019 HarmonyOS is “the first microkernel-based distributed OS for all scenarios,” consumer group CEO Richard Yu told attendees at the Huawei Developer Conference. The company says the distributed OS, can be used in everything from smartphones to smart speakers, wearables, and in-vehicle systems to create a shar

Jul312019 by Lynn WandiaNo Comments

The Future of Work in Africa: Unleashing the Promise of Digital Technologies for All

Business, Internet, social media, Technology

As developing countries brace for technological advances and other disruptions arising from climate shocks, fragility, economic integration and population transitions that will fundamentally transform the work landscape, a new World Bank report notes that Sub-Saharan African countries may benefit from digital technology adoption in different ways than other regions. The Future of Work in Africa: Harnessing the Potential of Digital Technologies for All, a regional companion piece to the World Bank’s World Development Report 2019: The Changing Nature of Work, says the region has an opportunity to forge a different path from the rest of the world – if digital technologies are harnessed correctly by governments and businesses by ensuring that critical policies and investments are in pla

Jul262019 by Nasha HarperNo Comments

Office 365 services to reach more customers from Microsoft’s African datacenters

Business, Mobile, Technology

Office 365 services are now generally available through relatively new data centers in South Africa. Microsoft has expanded its presence in Africa steadily, including bringing Microsoft Azure to the continent earlier this year. Opening data centers in South Africa is important because many countries have rules regarding the location of cloud data centers. Paul Lorimer, Distinguished Engineer for Microsoft 365, expanded on the importance of the data center in a Microsoft blog post: In-country data residency for core customer data helps Office 365 customers meet regulatory requirements, which is particularly important and relevant in industries such as healthcare, financial services, and government—where organizations need to keep specific data in-country to comply with local requi