Facebook Invites Eight African e-Commerce Startups to Join its Accelerator Programme

November 17, 2020

As Facebook continues in its journey of empowering young startups, the tech giant has set up yet another accelerator programme to support small scale and growing companies.

According to reports, Facebook has sent out invites to eight African e-commerce startups to apply for the new Facebook accelerator.

The accelerator promises to provide the selected startups with access to training, mentorship, and Facebook’s networks and technology.

Recall, In August, the firm announced Facebook Accelerator: Commerce, a 12-week programme initiated to support innovative e-commerce firms that renew shopping experiences of both sellers and buyers.

Throughout the programme, which will take place virtually, a host of beneficial resources such as comprehensive training sessions, a Facebook mentor, Facebook’s suite of products, and mentorship from an experienced network of products expert, will be available to the appointed startups.

In total, Facebook has selected 36 commerce firms from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. The startups were chosen for offering customer-value driving products and their potential to grow rapidly with adequate backing.

Of the 36 startups invited by Facebook, eight were from Africa. The eight startups comprise of three Egyptian companies: Botme, WideBot, and Convertedin, two South African firms: BoxCommerce and ShoppingFeeder, two Kenyan startups – Digiduka and OkHi – and FeedGeni from Ghana.

Nokia Pro True Wireless Earphone Launches in China

O. Christopher

November 13, 2020

Nokia Pro True Wireless Earphone Launches in China

A few months into 2020, Nokia announced its licensing deal with a Chinese firm named RichGo. Following the agreement, RichGo began the production and sales of Nokia-branded earphones in China.

After announcing a few earphones in China, the firm has once again launched a new earphone under the Nokia brand name. The Nokia Pro True Wireless Earphones or the Nokia P3802A.

However, the new earphone from RichGo arrived as the same model that launched earlier only with a slight difference. It has support for active noise cancellation.

The Nokia Pro True Wireless Earphones arrives with six microphone system, which enhances voice clarity while subduing background noise for a crystal audio production.

Further, the all-new Nokia earphone houses a 12.5mm dynamic driver that enhances the bass of audio and also helps produce more detailed and quality sound. The feature allows the user to enjoy clear, balanced, and well-distributed audio that delivers quality sound at all volume levels.

Also, the True Wireless Earphones support voice commands for apps like Siri and Google Assistant. Voice triggers make it convenient for the user to get directions, check calendars, or even initiate a phone call without touching the connected smartphone.

On the inside, the Nokia Pro True Wireless Earphones house a 720mAh battery. According to the company, the battery offers the user with up to 35 hours of music playback when fully charged.

It is IPX5 rated, which makes it sweat and dustproof. The Nokia P3802A sells for 499 Yuan (~$75) in China.

MTN South Africa Collaborates with Ozow to Further Simplify MoMo Transfers

O. Christopher

November 12, 2020

MTN South Africa Collaborates with Ozow to Further Simplify MoMo Transfers

The effect of the Coronavirus pandemic on the economy of many nations has forced lots of organizations and companies to diversify and partner with other businesses that complement their services to stay relevant.

In the last couple of months, MTN Group has partnered with a lot of other African startups to boost the use of its services, especially the Mobile Money service.

Now, MTN South Africa has joined forces with Ozow to ease and make the loading of funds simpler for MoMo users.

‘’We see this partnership as another vital step towards achieving our goal of side-lining cash and enabling greater digital and financial inclusion for the citizens of South Africa,’’

‘’The rapid growth of mobile money services this year suggests an increasing demand for safe, secure, and reliable ways to save, send, and spend money through their mobile devices,’’ says Thomas Pays, CEO and co-founder at Ozow.

MTN MoMo service launched earlier this year. As at June 2020, the service has recorded over one million users.

With MoMo, not only can you save and spend, but the platform also provides the users with a host of value-added services such as the purchase of products online through affiliated eCommerce platforms, renewal of car license, and the payment of utility bills.

‘’To better serve our customers, we continue to introduce innovative features to benefit our customers. Over the past months, we’ve successfully introduced a couple of new features to MoMo users,’’

‘’Clearly, Ozow is another step towards making it more secure and safer for millions of South Africans to perform mobile transactions conveniently through a USSD code or the MoMo app,’’ says Felix Kamenga, Chief Officer of MTN Mobile Financial Services, South Africa.

South African Startup, Sun Exchange Kick Starts Its Expansion Plan in Zimbabwe

O. Christopher

November 11, 2020

South African Startup, Sun Exchange Kick Starts Its Expansion Plan in Zimbabwe

In line with its expansion plans, the firm has launched a crowd-sale for the first stage of a 1.9-megawatt solar-plus-storage project, which belong to a Zimbabwean firm called Nhimbe Fresh.

Sun Exchange, which started operations in 2015, specializes in the sales of remote-located solar cells. People purchase these solar cells for different reasons such as powering of business and buildings in organizations.

Since launch, Sun Exchange has built a community of over 19,000 members across 168 countries. Not that alone, but the startup has also provided more than 35 South African Schools and businesses with solar power.

Speaking, the CEO of Sun Exchange, Abraham Cambridge, disclosed in a recent report that the firm would expand to neighbouring nations for a start, and it has kept its word by partnering with Nhimbe Fresh.

In Zimbabwe, Nhimbe Fresh is a big-time exporter of snap peas, stone fruit, snow peas, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries.

The partnership between the two firms presents Sun Exchange with its largest solar installation so far, and also the first project outside the borders of South Africa.

The project is channelled towards powering the packhouse, cold store facilities, pump sites, and the Churchill farm at Nhimbe Fresh.

The adoption of a reliable and renewable source of power will help Nhimbe Fresh reduce the cost of running diesel engines and also reduce the rate of carbon emission by over a million kilograms every year.

‘’Nhimbe Fresh recognizes and embraces interdependence on its surrounding communities and the environment in general. Our vision is to pursue a purpose greater than ourselves and to develop new ways of doing business in a sustainable and responsible environment,’’ said, Edwin Masimba Moyo, chairman at Nhimbe Fresh.

‘’Going solar aligns with our vision to minimize our expenses on energy as well as our impact on the climate while strengthening our business operations by ensuring continuity in operations during power outages,’’ Edwin concluded.

Apple Unveils the New Macbook Air and the New Macbook Pro Powered by the New M1 Chipset

O. Christopher

November 11, 2020

Apple Unveils the New Macbook Air and the New Macbook Pro Powered by the New M1 Chipset

Yesterday, Apple hosted a launch event to unveil the new M1 silicon for its Macs. However, that was not the only innovation that was revealed by the tech giant.

The tech firm launched two new Macbooks driven by the latest M1 chipset at the event: the new 13-inch Macbook Pro and the Macbook Air (2020).

The 13-inch Macbook Pro

As stated earlier, the new 13-inch Macbook Pro features the latest chipset from Apple, and it boasts of improved performance.

The laptop comes with a 13.3-inch HD Retina display and a colourful touchpad just above the magic keyboard.

According to Apple, the processor in the new Macbook Pro is up to 2.8x faster, the GPU is up to 5x quicker, and it is up to 11x quicker in machine learning than the previous models that featured Intel processors.

It arrives in 8GB / 16GB RAM variants and up to 2TB of internal storage space. For connectivity, the laptop supports two thunderbolt ports, an audio port, Touch-ID, a studio-quality three-mic array, an HD camera, and Wi-Fi 6.

Further, the laptop offers the user with excellent battery life. It delivers up to 17 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video playback, which is the longest any Mac has offered.

The new 13-inch Macbook Pro will be available in space grey and silver colour options, and it is available for pre-order currently.

It carries a price tag of $1,299 ($1,199 for education), and its sales will officially begin on November 17.

The Macbook Air (2020)

The new Macbook Air is the first laptop in the Air-series to feature an Arm-based processor.

Thanks to the new M1 chip, the laptop boasts of 3.5x faster CPU speed, up to 5x faster graphics speed, and up to 9x speedier machine learning.

The new Macbook Air also arrives with a 13.3-inch Retina display panel with a P3 wide colour gamut. It features up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of native storage space.

Besides its long-lasting battery, which Apple claims offer 18 hours usage on a full charge, the new Macbook Air features Touch ID, Wi-Fi 6, two USB-C ports, support display port, thunderbolt 3, and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port.

The new Macbook Air will debut gold, silver and, space grey. Like the new Macbook Pro, it is already available for pre-order, and it will also go on sale starting November 17.

The new Macbook Air offers you improved performance at an affordable price of $999 ($899 for education).

Eko Innovation Centre Announces the Art of Technology Lagos 2.0

O. Christopher

November 10, 2020

Eko Innovation Centre Announces the Art of Technology Lagos 2.0

In line with the plan to make Lagos State a smart city, the department of Innovation and Technology of the state is gearing to host the second edition of the Art of Technology event.

The event, which is tagged Art of Technology Lagos 2.0, is being organized by the Eko Innovation Centre. The two-day programme aims to gather the best of tech minds – both physically and virtually – across the globe.

The theme of the programme is “Smart Data, SMARTER Lagos.” Art of Technology Lagos 2.0 will create an avenue for multi-stakeholder discussions, exchanges, and collaborations regarding the data value chain, which will facilitate the birth of a smart city.

The conversations will base on the vital role data plays in connecting the city with its residents. The conference provides attendees with the perfect opportunity to discuss how data can be effectively collected, collated, analyzed, and dispensed to accelerate the growth of the economy further.

The event will be graced by some public figures like the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor. Yemi Osinbajo. He will give the presidential speech on ‘Lagos, Driving a Smarter and Efficient Nigeria.’

Also, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isah Ali Pantami, will grace the event and he will address the delegates on ‘Nigeria in the Eyes of the world: The data approach.’

Speaking, Mr Victor Afolabi, the curator of the pilot edition of the Art of Technolgy Lagos, said, the upcoming event is building on the success of the Art of Technology Lagos 1.0.

The first edition of the programme recorded over 2,000 people.

Further, the second edition of this conference will feature 35 experience centres, 50 investors, and 60 industry speakers.

The event will also feature an ‘ideathon’ session where different groups of individuals will pitch tech-driven innovations that will help actualize the smart city dream.

Telkom Partners with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to Launch TelkomONE

O. Christopher

November 9, 2020

Telkom Partners with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to Launch TelkomONE

To launch a new streaming service, Telkom has collaborated with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to introduce a streaming platform called TelkomONE.

According to Telkom, the new channel will feature viewings from the SABC such as channels 1, 2, Sports, and Educational channels. Further, TelkomONE would also offer its users access to all 19 radio stations under the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

The deal, which is a five-year one, is the first of its kind for the Broadcasting body of South Africa.

The innovation looks to air South Africa’s most-watched TV shows and most heard radio shows on an online platform, hence, TelkomONE.

‘’We are excited about the opportunity to give South Africans free access to watch and listen to their favourite SABC shows and programmes online,’’ says Telkom’s Group CEO, Sipho Maseko.

‘’TelkomONE will allow subscribers to pause, go back into programme guide and instantly view a scheduled TV show they may have missed. The goal is to make affordable digital TV available to all.’’

In conclusion, Maseko added that the mobile-integrated TelkomONE would feature a host of other content beyond the SABC channels. It will include comedy, music, lifestyle content and many more.

‘’The SABC has a wealth of content – both acquired and produced by local talents – which will be available for free viewing on our new platform. Through TelkomONE, we will further promote universal access to popular SABC content for our subscribers.’’

‘’Also, the platform will create new opportunities for the local talents in South Africa. TelkomONE will help them showcase more of their craft on a platform where content lives longer than on traditional platforms.’’

Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14 e-Learning Edition Launched in India for ₹36,999 (~$498)

O. Christopher

November 6, 2020

Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14 e-Learning Edition Launched in India for ₹36,999 (~$498)

Yesterday, Xiaomi took to India to unveil the e-Learning Edition of the Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14. Unlike other Mi Notebook 14 models, the e-Learning Edition arrives with a built-in webcam and a less powerful Intel Core i3 processor.

Due to its slightly reduced features, the laptop arrived in India carrying a much affordable price tag.

The all-new Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14 e-Learning Edition comes with a Full HD 14-inch LCD panel that produces a 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution.

The screen features a 16:9 aspect ratio, anti-glare protection, and it offers the user with 178° viewing angle and 81.2% screen space.

The laptop has a dimension of 323 x 228 x 17.95mm, and it weighs 1.5Kg.

Besides the bottom bezel on the screen, the top and side bezels are pretty slim. The top bezel houses an HD webcam that is missing in the high-end models of the Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14.

On the inside, a dual-core Intel Core i3-10110U 10th Generation processor that clocks at 2.1GHz controls the operations of the Mi Notebook 14 e-Learning Edition.

The chipset supports up to 4.1GHz Turbo Boost and the Intel UHD Graphics 620.

The Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14 e-Learning Edition debuts with 2,666Mhz 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB SATA 3 SSD.

The laptop arrives with a full-size keyboard that lacks the Numpad. The keyboard has a decent travel space and scissors switches.

Also, beneath the keyboard is a touchpad, which supports multi-touch.

It carries support for connectivity options such as dual-band Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, two Type-A USB ports (USB 3.1 Gen 1), one USB Type-A port (USB 2.0), an HDMI port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a DC power-in.

The e-Learning Edition of the Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14 boots to the Windows 10 Home OS.

According to the company, the PC houses a 46Whr (3,220mAh) battery that offers the user up to 10 hours of battery life.

The Mi Notebook 14 e-Learning Edition costs ₹36,999 (~$498) in India.

Ventures Platform Foundation in Partnership with the United Nations Announces Applications for Startup North-East Programme

O. Christopher

November 5, 2020

Ventures Platform Foundation in Partnership with the United Nations Announces Applications for Startup North-East Programme

In the present world we live in, it is evident in our lifestyle that the world is tilting very much toward technology.

As it is, technology is one of the vital factors that will determine the rate at which the economy of any nation grows.

In that vein, a Nigerian firm has launched an initiative called Startup North-East. It is an incubation programme for young brands looking to develop innovative tech solutions for regions affected by the crisis in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.

Now, Venture Platform Foundation has put a call out for application from Nigerian startups to be a part of the programme.

According to the United Nations, millions of people have suffered from the unrest in that part of Nigeria.

Over two million people have been displaced from their homes due to clashes in the North-East. Also, more than seven million people in the North-East depend solely on humanitarian aid.

With support from the US Embassy, Ventures Platform Foundation will provide selected startups with funding, mentoring, and backing to develop effective tech solutions. The solutions will solve the discrepancies surrounding aid distribution across the affected region.

The programme will take place virtually, and at the end, the deciding panel will choose six startups for the project. The selected firms will receive the necessary resources all through the four months of creative thinking, development, and deployment of feasible solutions to combat the operational barriers faced by development agencies.

‘’For years, we have witnesses vulnerable communities ravaged by malnutrition, poor healthcare, and lack of hygiene and sanitation. We cannot allow this to slip off our radar – even amid a global pandemic,’’ said, Executive Director at Ventures Platform Foundation, Mimshach Obioha.

Nigerian Communications Commission Approves the Testing of e-SIM Technology in Nigeria

O. Christopher

November 4, 2020

Nigerian Communications Commission Approves the Testing of e-SIM Technology in Nigeria

A couple of weeks back, news about some telecom providers looking to introduce the use of e-SIMs was making rounds on the internet.

Now, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), on Monday, approved the testing and the workability of the e-SIM in Nigeria.

According to the regulatory body, only MTN Nigeria and 9mobile are the two mobile network operators in the country with authorization to carry out the test.

The testing phase will be for a year. During that period, the report has it that the two mobile carriers will be performing tests on 5,000 e-SIMs.

For telecom operators to introduce e-SIMs to the public, they must strictly adhere to NCC’s regulations regarding the registration of SIM by every subscriber.

The rule aligns with NCC’s mobile number portability regulation and business rules 2015; Guideline on SIM replacement, and non-degradation of quality of service experienced by e-SIM users.

Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, said, ”The primary aim of the e-SIM testing is to observe its technical operations on the network of service providers,”

”If the operation of the innovation is satisfactory and meets all requirements, then it is safe to introduce the technology to the public,”

”The introduction of e-SIM will eliminate the need for a physical SIM and SIM card slots of mobile phones soon. The trial of this technology is in line with NCC’s regulatory approach to ensure that Nigeria’s telecom space is advancing by the day,” Danbatta stated.

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