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Facebook extends its COVID-19 Information Centre to even more Countries

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Facebook extends its COVID-19 information Centre to even more countries
PARIS, FRANCE - APRIL 06: In this photo illustration, the logo of the Messenger and Facebook applications are displayed on the screen of an Apple iPhone on April 06, 2018 in Paris. In the midst of turmoil following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook faces a host of questions regarding its privacy and confidentiality practices. Messenger, the messaging application launched by Facebook, is in the center of attention. Indeed, Facebook allows itself to analyze the links and images that users send to Messenger and even to read the messages exchanged if they are posted, in order to make sure that the contents comply with the conditions of use. This increased monitoring of Facebook within its messaging application was confirmed by Mark Zuckerberg a few days ago.(Photo Illustration by Chesnot/Getty Images)

Facebook has been contributing in its own way to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and that has seen the social media giant launch a series of information hubs in different countries.

The aim of this information hub is to cut out the fake news and leverage the reach of the platform to bring reliable news about the virus and updates to people. It has also been brought to regions like Nigeria in the past, but we will be getting the same feature in more African countries right now.

The news hub will feature in the main Facebook feed, but at the top so that it is what the users of the platform see first. It has also been structured in such a way that allows for the organizers to work with the local health bodies, law enforcement agents and other concerned individuals to make the project a success.

Right now, the service has extended to all of Botswana, Burundi, Gambia, Malawi and more.

Stears Secures extra $600,000 Funding from Undisclosed Nigerian Investors

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Stears secures extra $600,000 funding from undisclosed Nigerian investors

Stears Business was launched in the year 2017 as a data-focused startup, and they have grown in leaps and bounds since. To grow their services better, the parent company behind this business (Stears) has gone into another round of funding which saw them come out with up to $600,000.

Note that this was raised from Nigerian investors who do not want their names out there as of the time of this writing. On the part of Stears, this is money that will be used for team growing, better data collection and building out of its media and information products too.

The idea that the company was built on is one that shows that getting information and data about Nigeria is not as easy as we have in other countries of the world. Thus, it is not easy for decision maker and investors to come into the country and make solid investments since they do not know what they would be basing that on.

All this will change with Stears that is now ready to provide its bank of data to those who need it while also undertaking research for companies that want such.

Spotify will now allow Artists to Fundraise Directly on its Platform

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Spotify will now allow artists to fundraise directly on its platform

Spotify is one of the biggest music streaming platforms out there, and they are about to get bigger.

In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, they have teased a new feature that will allow artists to fundraise for themselves right from the platform.

This can be in a bid to ensure their crew keeps getting paid in times like this when there are no shows or tours to go on. At the same time, the initiative allows the artists to raise funds for relief organizations of their choice. This could be one that has already been listed on the Spotify platform or an independent one altogether.

No matter which one the artist chooses, they get to raise funds via any of Cashapp, PayPal and GoFundMe. There are chances that Spotify will add more names soon, but those payment platforms are great to start with too.

To get started, artists can now go to their dashboards and click on a new ‘Get Started’ banner at the top of the page. There, they choose what kind of fundraising they want and follow the prompts to complete the process.

Apple Moves to Fix iOS bug that allows Remote Hack of iOS 13 Devices

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Apple moves to fix iOS bug that allows remote hack of iOS 13 devices

Every day we hear of some mobile OS security flaw, and the latest one to plague Apple devices is as serious as they come.

This is a zero-click vulnerability too, which means that you don’t even need to do anything before you lose access to your units. The bug that makes this hack possible is in the Mail app which just receives the said mail and grants the hacker root access into the phone. From there, they can take control of the email apps and even phone at large.

Knowing how security conscious Apple is, they have since sent out an update to address the issue. Note that this is an issue on the iOS 13, so you have to be updated to the latest version before you can get this new update too.

Apple was reached for comments and they admitted to knowing about the issue. The update to this problem has been included in a beta rollout – so not all users have it yet. As soon as it comes your way, ensure you download and install it to be on the safer side of things.

Applications for Leadtech Incubation program extended to 20TH May 2020

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Leadtech Incubation program powered by AWIEF and Mohammed IV Polytechnic University

Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) has extended the deadline for applications into the Leadtech Incubation program to 20TH May 2020.

The LeadTech Incubation is open to female digital startup leaders who are 18 years of age or older and residing in any African country.

In light of the ongoing developments and challenges around COVID-19, the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) has extended the deadline for applications for the LeadTech Incubation Program to 20th May 2020. LeadTech is run in partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Morocco.

AWIEF founder and CEO, Irene Ochem says “We fully appreciate the uncertainty, disruptions to business and need for flexibility during these difficult times, and hope that this will relieve some pressure for those who would like to submit an application. This global pandemic serves to highlight the importance of innovations in health, education, agriculture, finance and environment in Africa, and LeadTech Incubation offers a unique opportunity for women tech and digital startups to test, develop and grow their innovative solutions in a time calling for creative and collaborative solutions to global problems”.

Selected participants will gain access to:

  • Tailored training and capacity-building
  • A 3-week residency at UM6P in Morocco
  • Space and infrastructure (Living Labs, Digital Lab, Data Center, Prototyping Labs)
  • World-class mentors and experts to work with you
  • 5-months virtual incubation
  • Venture showcase at AWIEF2020 (2 – 3 December, Johannesburg, South Africa)
  • Funding opportunities

Eligibility Criteria

LeadTech Incubation is open to female digital startup leaders who are 18 years of age or older and residing in any African country. You have an innovative, scalable offer that integrates digital technologies into the process. You are passionate, committed, and have the capacity to engage fully in the program.

For more details and to apply, please follow this link: https://leafunder.um6p.ma/leadtech

Mastercard Offers Free Online STEM Lessons to Children, Teachers and Parents

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Girl4Tech

Mastercard extended access to its signature STEM curriculum, Girls4Tech™, through a suite of new online, creative educational resources. The program has been designed to help parents and teachers engage and inspire kids, ages 8-12.

Through the newly launched website Girls4Tech Connect, as well as through activities made in collaboration with our education partner Scholastic, teachers and parents can download lessons to help students learn about STEM topics, from the comfort of their homes or anywhere around the world.

These activities are built on global science and math standards – and incorporate Mastercard’s deep expertise in payments technology and innovation – to enable children to discover a range of STEM careers, such as Fraud Detective, Data Scientist and Software Engineer.

Now in its sixth year, Girls4Tech has engaged more than 800,000 students across the globe through inquiry-based activities and real-world challenges, all with the goal of inspiring more girls to pursue STEM careers and reduce the gender gap in these fields.

“We know that these are challenging times for parents and teachers on many fronts and hope that these learning resources are a fun way to engage and inspire kids about STEM while at home,”

says Ifeoma Dozie, Director, Marketing and Communications, Mastercard Sub-Saharan Africa.

“The easy access to the website enhances what we’ve done in so many workshops. We look forward to building on both efforts when it’s once again safe to gather in person.”

Beginning this week, new activities will be posted on a weekly basis at the Girls4Tech website, Facebook page and Twitter (https://bit.ly/3buJQby) handle. Lessons are currently available in English, with additional Spanish and Chinese language content to follow in the coming weeks.

While all lessons are designed for students to work independently, materials are also available for teachers to guide online sessions.

Impact Highlights from the First Six Years

  • To date, Girls4Tech has reached more than 800,000 girls in 27 countries and on 6 continents.
  • The program has engaged more than 4,400 employee mentors worldwide.
  • Mastercard has partnered with Scholastic, Be Better China, Major League Baseball, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), R&A and YCAB in Indonesia to further scale the program and offer STEM skills in unique ways to girls ages 8-16.
  • As technology skills evolve, a new curriculum was launched in 2019 to give students deeper exposure to the growing fields of cybersecurity and AI – Girls4Tech Cybersecurity & AI.
  • Girls4Tech programs also extend to girls ages 13-16 with Girls4Tech 2.0, as well as a 20-week coding program, Girls4Tech & Code for girls 8-10.

To learn more about Girls4Tech and access the online lessons, please visit www.Girls4Tech.com.

Palmpay launches Palmpay Cares, pledges NGN 100 million to Support against COVID-19

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Palmpay launches Palmpay Cares, pledges NGN100 million to support against COVID-19

Palmpay is one of the fintech startups that came out from the core of Africa, and they have decided to give back in this pandemic time.

The company just launched a new arm that they have dubbed Palmpay Cares – and they will be giving an NGN100 million support to the government of Nigeria to fight against the novel coronavirus.

The money has also been segmented so that it can be used well and not squandered. With that plan, we have the scheduling of some to go to frontline healthcare workers in providing them with all that they need to fight the virus effectively. Some of this will also be going to the provision of relief and care materials to the members of the general public.

In a nice move, the company will also insure its customers that contract the virus with up to NGN100,000 out of its pocket. The same plan will be put in place for communities that have been badly hit by the effects of the virus and will need some help in rebuilding.

Finally, Palmpay has ensured that all money transactions on their app across Nigeria at this time comes at no extra charges. Thus, you can just make your transactions and not have to worry about the transaction fees that comes with them.

From our end, this is a really laudable move from the company – and we know it is one that they won’t be forgotten for.

Goatti is investing in physical infrastructure development for its livestock platform

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Goatti is investing in physical infrastructure development for its livestock platform

Goatti is a Nigerian startup in the agricultural scene, and they have made some moves in the past years to ensure that the platform stays as profitable as can be.

They started with a physical livestock farm before they moved to a virtual model that allowed people to invest in units and get dividends at a given time. The service has been running smoothly since its inception in 2017 – but it is about to get even better.

For now, they operate their business virtually and are able to meet the needs of their consumers and investors. However, they have to scale up the business if they will accommodate mor investors. That is why they are looking in invest in more physical infrastructure.

As of the time of this writing, Goatti has been able to get five heavy duty trucks to its side. This will help them to move livestock from its many farms to Lagos – and perform such other logistics too. In line with that, they will also launch physical meat shops of their own in the country.

With their brand name, it would be easy to sell their premium quality meat to the market at a good level of trust. With such moves, they can expand their operations base faster and wider while also offering juicier rates to investors.

Facebook’s COVID-19 information Centre reaches 17 more counties (includes Nigeria)

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Facebook’s COVID-19 information Centre reaches 17 more counties (includes Nigeria)

Facebook knows that one of the best ways to beat the current coronavirus pandemic is by providing the people with the right news and quelling fake news. That is why they have started setting up information centers in different countries.

While the social media giant has already started such moves in Africa too, they recently expanded to 17 more countries.

The aim of the information centers will be to work with trusted authorities where verified news and first hand information can be obtained. That will then be relayed to the general public who want to know what is going on locally as regards the pandemic.

With that, the people can also have a verifiable source to look to for all their news items rather than believing everything that comes their way.

On the Facebook app, the COVID-19 information Centre can be seen at the top of the normal news feed. Here, users will get real-time updates from local and national health authorities, as well as global ones like the WHO.

The countries that have just been added to the list are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo.

Patent: Microsoft Surface tablet might come with a triple screen option soon

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Patent: Microsoft Surface tablet might come with a triple screen option soon

Different brands have started trying to get into the foldable market in diverse ways, and Microsoft has shown that they will not be left behind here. That is evident from a patent filed by the company which shows a device touting up to three screens on it.

This won’t be a smartphone either and could well be the next Surface product to come out of the Windows OS-owner. Note that this is not the first time that the company will have more than one screen on a unit, seeing as we had the Surface Duo launch before this time. However, they are pushing the limits with three screens that will all work in the same single hinge mechanism.

According to the patent, the third screen has been labelled Control Logic. If that is to be taken literally, we can infer that this will be a smaller screen where control options will be located. It could be the one for utilities while every other part of the screen is used for the proper work.

For those who have come across the MacBook Pro with a touch bar, this might be the answer of the Surface tablets to a touch bar, so to speak.