Trending
- Kenya, Tanzania braces for torrential floods as Cyclone Hidaya approaches
- EAC monetary affairs committee to discuss single currency progress in Juba talks
- Transport and food prices drive down Kenya’s inflation to 5% in April
- Payment for ransomware attacks increase by 500 per cent in one year
- History beckons as push for Kenya’s President Ruto to address US Congress gathers pace
- IMF’s Sub-Saharan Africa economic forecast shows 1.2 percent GDP growth
- The US Congress proposes extending Agoa to 2041, covering all African countries
- Millions at risk of famine as fuel tax row halts UN aid operations in South Sudan
Tech & Business
- Payment for ransomware attacks is not only impacting large businesses even smaller ones have been hit with 7-figure demand.
- The rate of ransomware attacks falls slightly, but recovery costs hit $2.73 million.
- Despite the soaring ransoms, this year’s survey indicates a slight reduction in the rate of ransomware attacks
The amount organisations are paying to get back their data from cyber criminals has increased by 500 per cent in the past year, a new report by Cybersecurity solutions provider Sophos has revealed.
Sophos, in its annual “State of Ransomware 2024” survey, says this has seen organizations that paid the ransom report an average payment of $2 million, up from $400,000 in 2023, with ransoms being just one part of the cost.
Excluding ransoms, the survey found the average cost of recovery reached $2.73 million, an increase of almost $1 million since the $1.82 million that Sophos reported in 2023. …
- TikTok Community Guidelines will see introduction of stricter For You eligibility standards.
- Video sharing entity says this code emphasizes responsible behavior on and off the platform
- According to the recently released Reuters Institute Digital News report 2023 survey, Kenya leads in world TikTok usage.
Popular video sharing platform TikTok, has unveiled significant updates to its Community Guidelines and introduced new features aimed at supporting creators and maintaining a safe environment for users. The platform’s Community Guidelines, which outline rules and standards for all users, have been updated to provide greater clarity and transparency.
These updates, set to take effect in a few weeks, include refined definitions for policies on hate speech and health misinformation. Additionally, TikTok has detailed how it moderates features like Search, LIVE, and the For You feed to ensure a positive user experience.
One of the key updates is the introduction of stricter For You eligibility standards. …
- Market size of Africa’s digital economy could reach $712 billion by 2050.
- In 2022 only 36 percent of the African population had access to broadband internet.
- Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are streamlining adoption of 5G services.
Africa is on the verge of an economic revolution. From the north to the southern part of the Saharan desert, nations are striving to eliminate poverty and gain a strong foothold in global markets.
In the same vein, the continent is banking on the potential held by the digital economy. Reports ping the sector to higher standards, including a report from non-profit Endeavor predicting that the market size of Africa’s digital economy could reach $712 billion by 2050.
The growth is propelled by the massive engagement of the continent’s younger population, rising smartphone adoption and increasing internet penetration.
Read also: World Bank backs Smart Africa’s Digital Academy with $20M grant
Digital economy in
…
The programme which produces briquettes from agricultural waste is expanding beyond Tanzania and has already started in Kenya as United For Green. Cameroon is the other country that the programme is launching next.
To produce organic charcoal, women are trained to convert biomass to charcoal which also happens to be reusable.
CR Hope Foundation partnered with Exeter University to produce the charcoal briquettes. The briquettes are produced using pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is the thermochemical decomposition of organic matter resulting in no condensable gases, condensable liquids and a solid residual coproduct, charcoal or biochar in an inert environment in the absence of oxygen.…
Wachira’s dream was propelled by the Covid-19 pandemic which saw many schools closed and thus left many pupils with a lot of time in their hands.
To make the most out of the situation, Wachira kept himself busy fixing computers and other electronic devices for his peers so they could be able to learn online. He also conducted sharing sessions among underprivileged student communities in Kenya during the pandemic.
At the same time, Wachira completed advanced level training in robotics and various STEM disciplines under the mentorship of the STEM.org-accredited Unique World Robotics in Dubai.…
- Social commerce may seem like a more foreign concept but it is widely used across Africa
- Online shopping has gained more popularity during the Covid-19 crisis, turning social networking platforms like Facebook and Instagram into business tools
- Social commerce- which is abbreviated as s-commerce- represents the integration of shopping and social media
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit back in 2019, a majority of individuals were forced to turn to social media platforms in search of goods and services.
While most people view this as the growth of e-commerce across the globe, it also gave rise to the growth of social commerce.
Social commerce may seem like a more foreign concept but it is widely used across Africa.
Online shopping has gained more popularity during the Covid-19 crisis, turning social networking platforms like Facebook and Instagram into business tools.
Social commerce- which is abbreviated as s-commerce- represents the integration of …
- A report by the African Development Bank notes that today, at least a quarter of the continent’s population has internet access, a nearly fifty-fold increase in internet usage since the turn of the millennium.
- Mobile technologies alone have already generated 1.7 million jobs and contributed US$144 billion to the continent’s economy, or roughly 8.5 percent of GDP
- Accelerating digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, robotics, and 3D printing – have obvious and important implications for education, employment, and the future of work
Leaders on the African continent must work harder to harness emerging technology to boost government performance, transparency, and inclusivity as the continent recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.
They also need to ensure that the growing technological advancements across the continent are not used as a tool of repression, division, and conflict.
According to a study by the World Health Organization, 13 percent of all new or modified …
Digital disinformation is becoming an increasingly common feature of Africa’s political landscape.
Africa’s technological space has grown exponentially over the past decade, largely driven by the increased access to mobile devices and internet.
The number of mobile phone users in Africa, 650 million, outnumbers the population of the United States or Europe.
How Africans are using mobile phones
Mobile phone use has increased exponentially as more people in African countries own a cell phone than clean water, a bank account or power.
Communication, radio listening, money transfers, online purchasing, and social media networking are all done via mobile phones in Africa. Many of the disparities between urban and rural areas, as well as the wealthiest and poorest, have been reduced or eliminated.
Similarly, internet prices are coming down while speeds are going up.
With high internet speeds, it is easy for anyone looking, or even sometimes not looking to stumble …
- A sense of well-being encompasses a wide range of factors, including access to education and employment, as well as the lack of armed combat or threats
- Digitization has provided a cheap, secure source of finance to populations in need and improved government transparency in countries where graft and corruption are a huge concern.
- Technological change has also resulted in increased productivity which has in turn improved African’s standards of living
When we think about the quality of life, the first thing that comes to mind is the degree to which an individual is healthy, comfortable, and able to participate in or enjoy life events.
A sense of well-being encompasses a wide range of factors, including access to education and employment, as well as the lack of armed combat or threats.
It is also relative, subjective and has intangible components, such as spiritual beliefs and a sense of belonging.
Rapid
