Browsing: Elon Musk

• Laser-powered Taara Lightbridge, an firm owned by Google, is competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink to advance access to internet services in Africa.
• Taara is targeting some 860 million people in Africa who currently go without reliable internet access.
• Taara Lightbridge offers affordable, high-speed internet that rivals satellite broadband solutions.

As Elon Musk’s satellite internet services firm Starlink grows its footprint in Africa, rival Google’s Taara Lightbridge has stepped in for a share of the growing number of consumers in the vast continent.

Taara Lightbridge is the brainchild of Alphabet, the parent company of tech giant Google and is envisioned to become “a standalone company,” as it takes on Starlink “in the race to connect underserved regions with high-speed internet.”

Taara Lightbridge uses Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology to beam high-speed internet through light over long distances, unlike satellite broadband that Elon Musk’s Starlink uses.

The move into Africa’s …

• UN requires G7 countries to commit 0.7% of their Gross National Income to development aid.
• However, the US is the largest donor of international aid according to the UN.
• Statistics from One Campaign show that the G7 and the EU Institutions’ share of aid to Africa is at a near 50-year low.

The cuts to international aid by U.S. President Donald Trump (and billionaire Elon Musk) have sparked global outrage, including in Africa. However, given that the United Nations recognizes Washington as the single largest donor of global aid, can we definitively say Trump (or Musk) is wrong?

Consider this: according to the UN, the U.S. accounted for over 40 per cent of all humanitarian aid tracked in 2024. This means nearly half of last year’s global aid came from American taxpayers—a level of generosity that’s hard to ignore.

But was this a one-time display of goodwill? The numbers …

• USAID was established in 1961 by US President John F Kennedy.
• The charity arm has over 10,000 global employees and spends $40 million in humanitarian support.
• Trump, Musk allege USAID is run by “radical left lunatics” getting away with “tremendous fraud.”

A notice placed on the USAID website that announces to all its global staff, over 10 000 personnel, the commencement of an administrative leave this Friday.USAID, a giant charity arm of the US government is being dismantled by U.S. President Donald Trump. This decision is set to sent shockwaves across the world as it comes after almost a century of USAID operations. Established in 1961 by President John F Kennedy, USAID has over the years assumed a huge role in humanitarian affairs across Africa, but under Trump, the organization is now unceremoniously been drugged through the dirt.

Its over 10,000 employees will either be laid off or reassigned and …

• Donald Trump threatens to cease all funding to South Africa.
• South African-born Elon Musk against Expropriation Law.
• South Africa says the new law is just and seeks land equality in the wake of apartheid. 

Donald Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk, have threatened to cease all aid to South Africa over its Expropriation Law. The move comes after South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa signed an Expropriation Bill into law this January a move that does not sit well with Trump and Musk, an American billionaire who was born in South Africa.

South Africa says the law, seeks to empower the state to conduct land expropriation to provide equitable compensation to those who lost their land under the infamous apartheid regime. “The land expropriation law seeks to repeal the apartheid-era Expropriation Act (1975) which saw thousands of African families forcibly removed from their land to benefit the white minority,” explains a …

• Safaricom has requested telco industry watchdog, the Communications Authority (CA) to block satellite internet providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, from operating independently within Kenya.
• Kenya’s largest telco argues that allowing satellite providers to operate independently could lead to challenges in enforcing compliance with local laws.
• Safaricom insists satellite ISPs should only be allowed to operate under the license rights of a local company.

A fierce battle is looming in Kenya’s internet service provider (ISP) industry, with Safaricom PLC, the region’s largest telecommunications operator, requesting the Communications Authority (CA) to block satellite internet providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, from operating independently within the country.

This development sets the stage for what could turn out to be a fierce contest over the control of Kenya’s lucrative internet market, as telco heavyweights Safaricom and Starlink vie for dominance in a rapidly digitizing economy.

Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and …

• Jumia will serve as the distributor of satellite terminals and connectivity kits for Starlink Ventures in Africa.
• Jumia’s extensive reach throughout Africa enables it to pioneer in offering these kits.
• E-commerce giant Jumia will initiate the sale of satellite terminals and related equipment in Nigeria.

In spite of the adverse effects of COVID-19 on Africa, the pandemic years became a significant turning point in the continent’s economic landscape. Over the course of just two years, Africa demonstrated its capabilities through its substantial growth in the realm of e-commerce. This surge in e-commerce activity underscores the immense potential that Africa holds, especially if it can bolster its Internet access infrastructure.

Notably, this potential has captured the attention of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. He has taken proactive measures to accelerate Africa’s journey toward asserting itself in the online landscape. In recent developments, Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink Ventures, has entered …

The mining industry in Tanzania holds a unique position as one of the most financially rewarding sectors, consistently generating foreign currency. Beyond its economic significance, this sector also wields considerable political influence within the nation. Therefore, a recent multi-million-dollar agreement forged with Australia and the US for the extraction and processing of critical minerals positions Tanzania advantageously as it prepares to participate in the forthcoming Critical Minerals Summit 2023.…

It all started with a Tweet which called out on Elon Musk to come and invest in Tanzania to which Musk responded that Starlink is soon coming to Tanzania and that they are just waiting for government approvals. The Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Honourable Nape Nnauye, responded to Elon Musk’s twitter stating that the application was already reviewed and that Starlink was to meet some requirements that were outstanding.

Twitter Tanzania went wild! Everyone was scurrying to welcome Elon Musk’s investment in Tanzania and wondering why it was taking so long. The star effect of Elon Musk is undeniable however, regulatory officials need to look past the stardom and look at the merits of the investment.

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX providing satellite Internet access to most of the Earth. The constellation consists of about 2000 satellites and the number is growing. …

Elon Musk applied for licensing to provide Tanzania with satellite Internet services; that was last year. This year, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), has said, Musk’s Starlink, the company that provides the satellite internet services, needs only to complete the required procedure to set up shop in the country.

This response by Tanzania to Elon Musk’s application has stirred up controversy on Twitter with executives from both sides raising allegations and counter-allegations.

On Elon Musk’s side, you have allegations of foul play by existing telecom giants in Tanzania lobbying to keep his Starlink from entering the market.

Also Read: Nickel: Africa’s new opportunity as Russia-Ukraine crisis rages on

On Tanzania’s side, you have authorities playing it safe with a clean-cut statement saying Elon Musk’s Starlink needs only to comply with the country’s regulation requirements, otherwise, Starlink is more than welcome to enter the market.

If the Twitter exchange is …

• Shares of Tesla the pioneer of electric vehicles fell spectacularly in 2022. This trend was the same for auto shares which list substantial amounts of value during the year.
• Tesla despite its anemic showing in terms of share price performance managed to deliver a record number of EVs.
• The EV company increased production of its products by as much as 40%.
• This impressive development by Tesla failed to excite the market which hammered the share price resulting in the EV company shedding 64% of its value in 2022.
• Notwithstanding the skepticism from the market Tesla has been making positive strides with its Gigafactory initiatives.
• Africa has been the focus of the Gigafactory initiatives by Tesla. A Gigafactory is a massive manufacturing facility that aims to speed up and scale up the manufacture of electric vehicles.
• The Gigafactory concept will contribute substantially to the economic wellbeing of African countries where Tesla