Browsing: Artificial intelligence

Startups Accelerator Africa
  • replica Breitling
  • Google for Startups Accelerator Africa this year placed a strong emphasis on AI technologies in addressing Africa’s most pressing challenges.
  • This year’s cohort, featuring ten innovative startups from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa, was selected from nearly 1,000 applications.
  • The ten startups will participate in a structured program to support their growth.

Kenya and Nigeria top the list of the 10 startups from the continent that will form part of the eighth cohort of Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program.

This year’s cohort, featuring ten innovative startups from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa, was selected from nearly 1,000 applications.

Out of the ten ventures, Nigeria produced five, Kenya produced three, and Rwanda and South Africa produced one each.

Google Africa’s Head of Startups Programs, Folarin Aiyegbusi, said that despite the current “funding winter” in Sub-Saharan Africa, where investment flows have slowed, the resilience and ingenuity of …

Fourth Industrial Revolution
  • Africa must invest in human development to catch up to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
  • There is a need for policy commitment to developing Africa's human resources.
  • Investing in education is the only way Africa will catch up to the 4IR.

With the majority of its workforce unskilled, Africa is again left behind. At the same time, the rest of the World moves forth in the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)."African countries must support skills training and put in place the right policies to tap the benefits of the fourth Industrial Revolution," advises Raymond Gilpin.

The economist believes that by investing in its most significant resource, Africa can strategically catch up with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).It requires dedicated policymaking focused on raising a generation of skilled labour capable of participating in and innovating digital revolutions in all sectors. By investing in transforming its human skills, Africa can…

Artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers new job opportunities for tech-savvy African graduates.
  • African policymakers must, however, protect current employees from job losses in the new AI era.
  • Gen AI has the potential to offer solutions for Africa’s medical, nutrition, and financial difficulties.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new frontier, offering numerous possibilities for efficient productivity. However, what does it mean for Africa’s job sector?

AI means new job opportunities for tech experts. Yet, it also means lost jobs for less tech-savvy staff. For example, Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) can generate text, images, or other media using generative models. This implies that graphic designers, copywriters, artists, personal assistants, and others are no longer needed.

“Gen AI is being embedded in everyday tools like email, word processing applications, and meeting software, which means the technology is already positioned to radically transform how people work,” writes Sandra Durth, a researcher with consulting firm, …

How artificial intelligence will impact the South African workforce. www.theexchange.africa

CyborgIntell Africa says it will work closely with financial institutions and other enterprises to help them rapidly develop, deploy and operationalize AI applications at scale.

A statement says the CyborgIntell platform addresses the key challenges companies face in the data science/machine learning lifecycle – from data selection and modelling, and operationalizing AI, to managing risk and governance.

“AI is a powerful and transformative technology, yet many companies across the world find it difficult to unlock its full potential. More than a third (36%) of organizations take more than 90 days to deploy data science machine learning (ML) projects, while the failure rate of such initiatives is estimated to be 85% across industries,” said McLachlan, CyborgIntell managing director.…

One of the many lessons learned from the pandemic is that SMEs need to embrace digital transformation, not just to weather unplanned challenges but because it will help them be more competitive and stable. Digital enablement is not just a means of survival. It is a way for SMEs to conduct business more efficiently, which in turn can empower them to expand their operations and earnings further. 

Being nimbler than their big business counterparts, SMEs can quickly rethink their marketing strategies and adopt new technologies to enhance their offerings faster. Digital innovation provides extraordinary opportunities for SMEs. It empowers them to implement new market models, has a greater line of sight across their business, improves traceability, and meet their customers, service providers, and logistics partners, in many instances, all on the same page. 

In the digital trading space, solutions such as import/export platforms, automated cargo-tracking and digital reporting of non-tariff…

  • Digitalization brings new opportunities in trade and creates the potential to underpin resilience in times of crisis
  • The digital transformation of customs and borders in Africa could improve efficiencies in processes and yield trade gains on the continent of US$20 billion a year
  • Single Window can cross-check credentials for consistency and traceability, reducing errors and fraud

The digital transformation of customs and borders in Africa could improve efficiencies in processes and yield trade gains on the continent of US$20 billion a year.

Digitalization brings new opportunities in trade and creates the potential to underpin resilience in times of crisis.

The digital transformation of customs and borders in Africa could improve efficiencies in processes and yield trade gains on the continent of US$20 billion a year. With digital trade in place, pre-existing bottlenecks in infrastructure can be tackled, efficiencies can be leveraged, and Innovative solutions can be harnessed. However, countries in …

Ecocash introduces chatbot

According to an article by BotsCrew, a WhatsApp chatbot is an automated software powered by rules or artificial intelligence (AI) and runs on the WhatsApp platform. People communicate with WhatsApp chatbot via the chat interface, like talking to a real person. It’s a set of automated replies that simulates a human conversation on WhatsApp.

In May 2022, WhatsApp opened the API for businesses of any size. Previously, it was available only for medium and large businesses, so smaller companies had to contact other providers to access WhatsApp API.

Today, any business can directly sign up or get started with one of the business solution providers to access a New Cloud-based API.…

Albert.Nangara. Airports in Africa. pic1

According to Frontiers, AI has been recognized to have a wide potential to reduce human workload or increase human capabilities in complex scenarios, but today it is evident that AI also has an important role in transforming our life by promoting more efficient existing services or new services.

AI is already contributing to a large spectrum of applications in Africa's aviation and air traffic systems, providing support to its managers (airlines/airport managers, air traffic management) and operators (pilots, air traffic controllers, airport operators, flow controllers).

Governments are focusing on contactless travellers’ experience hence there have been innovations in biometric authentication at airports. For instance, Kenya ruled out paper verification of COVID-19 test results and vaccination certificates upon arrival, sparking local airlines’ adoption of electronic verification processes.…

[elementor-template id="94265"]

Google positioning itself to reap from the explosive internet market in Africa. www.theexchange.africa

The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was the special guest of honour at the digital launch and reception to mark the landing of Equiano sea cable systems in Nigeria.

Nigeria marks Equiano’s second stop in Africa after Togo, with future landings expected in Swakopmund, Namibia, and Melkbosstrand, South Africa.

While speaking at the digital launch, Juliet Ehimuan, Google’s business strategy director in West Africa, said that the cable leverage state of the art technology to provide approximately twenty times more network capacity than the last cable built to serve the region.…