Tuesday, March 19

Tech & Business

internet outages West African States
  • At least eight West African States have been thrown into significant internet connectivity issues.
  • Telcos say repairs could span from weeks to months, depending on the damage location
  • The impact of such cable failures worsens as networks attempt to route around the damage, potentially reducing the capacity available to other countries.

Nearly a dozen West African states are currently experiencing internet outages occasioned by damage to multiple undersea telecommunication cables. Reports say that this has caused a widespread connectivity outage in parts of the continent, with operators and Internet monitoring groups cautioning that the situation might require several weeks or even months to resolve.

By the end of Friday, March 15th, at least eight countries across the continent had reported significant connectivity issues, although specific details regarding the cause of the undersea cable damages remained limited.

Global media reports indicated that the affected cable lines included critical continental arteries …

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AI-Generated Deepfake
  • AI-generated deepfake enabled scammers set to conduct video calls with European leaders under false pretenses. 
  • Deepfakes, which are highly realistic fabricated videos or images, can deceive voters, manipulate public opinion, and tarnish the reputation.
  • Google’s reverse-image search is another helpful tool that enables you to check if an online image has been used elsewhere.

Shortly before Slovakia’s parliamentary election in September last year, a viral audio recording circulated on Slovakian social media. In the recording, the leader of the Progressive Slovakia Party was heard discussing plans to manipulate the election and increase taxes on beer. (Slovakia is ranked sixteenth globally in beer consumption per capita.) However, it was later revealed that the audio was a fabricated AI-generated deepfake.

This exposed the threats that a majority of the countries are going to grapple with this year as many states hold their elections across Africa. This year, Senegal, South Africa, Chad, Ghana, …

Gitex Africa 2024
  • Global tech giants are meeting in Marrakech in May for the GITEX Africa expo as they seek a slice digital economy in the continent.
  • Investors will be keen on learning tech advances in digital health, finance, AI consumer tech, cloud and IoT, as well as cybersecurity among others.
  • GITEX Africa is organised by KAOUN International, an affiliate of Dubai World Trade Centre, which also organises GITEX GLOBAL show in the UAE.

This year, thousands of investors and entrepreneurs are converging in Marrakech, Morocco, for GITEX Africa, a signature tech and start-up expo that is poised to define the next phase of the continent’s digital economy.

The show, now in its second edition, comes under the Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco. GITEX Africa, which is scheduled from 29-31 May 2024, is organised under the authority of the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration …

Gebeya and Microsoft
  • Gebeya and Microsoft aim to bridge the gap between Africa’s burgeoning tech-savvy youth and the global digital economy.
  • The pair is building a thriving digital workforce in Africa, capable of leading the next wave of global innovation.
  • With over 10,000 developers already registered since its announcement, the initiative is rapidly gaining momentum across economies in Africa.

In an initiative that is poised to redefine Africa’s digital path, Gebeya Inc., in partnership with Microsoft, has launched the Microsoft Talent Cloud ecosystem, targeting the empowerment of 300,000 African tech talents by 2027.

This pioneering platform, which is powered by Gebeya’s Talent Cloud technology, aims to bridge the gap between Africa’s burgeoning tech-savvy youth and the global digital economy.

Through a training program in Microsoft-focused cloud and AI skills, the undertaking offers African tech professionals access to learning resources, job opportunities, and a network spanning over 30,000 Microsoft partners and customers.

Tech leap:

Gen AI in banking
  • Gen AI can improve efficiency and effectiveness in various financial sector applications.
  • In the next three to five years, gen AI has the potential to revolutionize banks.
  • AI can even plan overall strategy and banks to adopt or be left behind.

Generative AI is the new frontier for scientific developments and the financial sector should not be left behind. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now used by financial institutions to model analytics, automate manual tasks, and synthesize unstructured content, sector experts say.

“In the next three to five years, Gen AI has the potential to revolutionize banks…changing entire risk and compliance functions,” notes Rahul Agarwal, Andreas Kremer, Ida Kristensen, and Angela Luge in an article published by advisory firm McKinsey and Company.

In their paper, How Generative AI Can Help Banks Manage Risk and Compliance, the researchers and financial experts describe how Gen AI can improve efficiency and effectiveness …

Liquid C2 Gen AI
  • Customers of Liquid C2 can expect heightened security measures, access to advanced cloud technologies, and a commitment to securing their digital assets.
  • Businesses are increasingly turning to Gen AI to drive operational efficiencies, says Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud.
  • This alliance builds on a November 2023 agreement where Liquid C2 and Google Cloud agreed to bolster cybersecurity and cloud services in Africa.

In a deal that is poised to transform the digital economy of Africa, tech company Liquid C2 has struck a deal with global technology giant Google Cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse Anthropic.

This strategic partnership is set to deliver a suite of advanced cloud, cybersecurity solutions, and cutting-edge generative AI (Gen AI) capabilities to African businesses, heralding a new era of digital innovation and security across economies.

Liquid C2, a pan-African technology group, is at the forefront of this initiative, promising its customers enhanced security measures, …

smart africa
  • Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) seeks to bridge the digital skills gap in African countries, enhancing employability and meeting the evolving talent requirements of Africans.
  • Since its inception, SADA has provided training to over 7,000 beneficiaries across 35 African countries, covering a wide range of digital transformation topics.
  • Smart Africa’s goal is to transition the continent into a knowledge economy by ensuring affordable access to broadband and promoting the use of ICTs.

The World Bank is partnering with Smart Africa to accelerate the expansion of the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) from a national to a regional focus as part of the Western Africa Regional Digital Integration Program (WARDIP). This partnership aims to advance regional integration of digital markets through a $20 million grant for 5 years.

The focus of this partnership is to expand the existing national-level SADA initiative to a regional level as part of WARDIP. This expansion …

African startups startups in Africa
  • Startups seeking to scale across Africa face a unique set of communication challenges.
  • While culture, infrastructure woes, and regulations pose significant challenges, innovation offers opportunities to overcome these hurdles.
  • Players in the industry such as Beem are developing effective enterprise communication products that firms can tap into to scale their operations across Africa.

Africa is emerging as a hotspot for entrepreneurial activity, with startups acrborsa prima classe jock strap deuce vaughn jersey latex hood air jordan 1 low flyease air jordan 1 low flyease uberlube luxury lubricant 8 ft kayak oregon football jerseys inflatable kayak yeezy shoes under 1000 nike air jordan 1 elevate low custom sublimated hockey jerseys 8 ft kayak decathlon bmx oss various industries in different economies scaling up. However, as these startups expand across economies, they are encountering a unique set of communication challenges that often jeopardize their success.

From navigating the maze of cultural …

Ransomware Attacks
  • Ransomware Attacks and backdoors are the leading threats Kenyans contend with
  • According to the CAK, Kenya experienced 860 million cyberattacks in 2022–2023.
  • Check Point Research has also identified ransomware Attacks among the first rising in Africa.

Kenya was the second most attacked country by cybercriminals in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region (META), according to new data released by cybersecurity solutions provider Kaspersky.

Only Turkey recorded the highest number of attacks among the 12 countries in the META region. The region comprises Bahrain, Egypt, Kenya, Kuwait, Nigeria, Qatar, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, Oman, and Pakistan.keyvone lee jersey yeezy boost 350 v2 hyperspace sac eastpak custom youth hockey jerseys jock strap custom sublimated hockey jerseys jock strap johnny manziel jersey nike air jordan 1 elevate low brock purdy jersey brock bowers jersey college football jerseys air max 270 women custom youth hockey jerseys custom dallas stars

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