Browsing: Google

• The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the world’s largest Coltan deposits of key minerals which Apple uses to make electronic devices.
• The government of the DRC is accusing Apple of using “illegally exploited” minerals extracted from its rich minerals controlled by rebels.

What if I told you that, your valued, expensive and widely cherished smartphone from Apple (iPhone) might cost more than its sold in child labour’s lives.

Coltan, key mineral in making mobile phones and laptops is largely found in DR Congo and tech giants – including Apple could be directly or indirectly involved in aiding child labour deep in Congo mines.

Media reports show that people across the developed world are boycotting the newly released iPhone 16. Protesters from London to Tokyo are demanding accountability over exploitation in mining that is used to extract the key element used in making the very phones sold across the globe.…

• Less than half of media industry CEOs are optimistic that 2024 will be a good year
• 12 per cent of the media industry CEOs expressed low confidence
• Slowing in subscription growth – as well as increasing legal and physical harassment also tops media industry CEO’s worries

Less than half of media industry CEOs are optimistic that 2024 will be a good year for the industry reeling from the changing business models.

An estimated 47 per cent of editors, CEOs, and digital executives say they are confident about the prospects for journalism in the year ahead, with around four in ten (41 per cent) uncertain, and 12 per cent expressed low confidence.

The rising costs of running media organisations, declining advertising revenue, and a slowing in subscription growth – as well as increasing legal and physical harassment, are among the top concerns of media executives.

The report titled Journalism, Media, and …

Online payment solutions are immensely beneficial for their users, both customers and merchants alike. Online payments help reach global customers, reduce the cost of transactions and provide payment security (compared to cash payments). They create a more pleasant experience for the users who need not rush to banks and malls to buy or pay for their needs.

Pan-African fintech giant Flutterwave has kept its promise about Google Pay, as users of the global payment service can now use it for transactions with merchants on Flutterwave’s stores.

Google Pay was designed to enable users’ safe, seamless, contactless payments. It uses near-field communication (NFC) technology to facilitate fund transfers for retailers in physical stores. Users can also save their card details into the Google Wallet service and make online or in-app payments.…

In 2020, Amazon launched the Africa (Cape Town) Region, the first AWS Infrastructure Region in South Africa. However, plans for the construction of a new Cape Town-based Amazon Africa headquarters were blocked earlier this year by the Cape Town High Court as Amazon had allegedly not gone through the proper process to acquire the land.

Meanwhile, retailer Pick n Pay migrated its entire on-premise information technology infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS).

In a statement, AWS says Pick n Pay worked with Lemongrass Consulting, an AWS Premier consulting partner with migration and SAP Consulting Competencies, to migrate its on-premises SAP environment to AWS and implement a modern SAP HANA platform.

According to the US-based cloud computing giant, moving to the cloud will enable Pick n Pay to streamline its operations and modernize the supply chain network for its stores, develop new digital customer experiences in omnichannel grocery, and expand into …

• The continent internet economy can reach $180 billion by 2025, accounting for 5.2 per cent of Africa’s GDP
• Africa’s access to the internet stands at  40 per cent, according to Google
• With more than 1.3 billion people, Africa lags behind the rest of the world in internet connectivity as it has only 22 per cent in connectivity

Africa’s digital economy is expanding quite fast. The continent internet economy can reach $180 billion by 2025, accounting for 5.2 per cent of Africa’s GDP, according to information from IFC.

Doubling down on the latter, by 2050, the projected potential contribution could reach $712 billion, 8.5 per cent of the continent’s GDP (IFC). Internet in Africa is the new gold as it facilitates the growth of technology-driven sectors, transforming communities’ economies.

Internet in Africa is transforming economies of fast-growing countries that also record a large share of internet users in the region, such …

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.…

The former Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) chairman, Babatunde Fowler, announced Nigeria’s decision to tax digital transactions in 2019. The new legislation dubbed The Finance Act (2021) was signed on December 31, 2021.

A section on Nigeria’s Finance Act focuses on capturing value from non-resident technology companies and calls them to act as VAT collectors for digital goods and services traded within Nigeria. The minister for finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, said during the presentation of the 2022 budget that the taxable digital platforms include apps, high-frequency trading, electronic data storage, online advertising, and several others.

In addition, Meta had already issued a notice on December 9, 2021, before releasing the new financial regulation, saying that Meta ads in Nigeria would be subject to a value-added tax (VAT) at the applicable local tax rate. The VAT applies to advertisers whose “Sold to” country on their business or personal …

• Google’s investment will include the landing of the subsea cable Equiano which will enable faster internet speeds and lower connectivity costs
• It also includes low-interest loans to help small businesses and equity investments in African startups
• Google is building global infrastructure to help bring faster internet to more people and lower connectivity costs

Google has announced a plan to invest $1billion over 5 years to support Africa’s digital transformation.

According to the company, the investment focuses on enabling fast, affordable internet access for more Africans; building helpful products; supporting entrepreneurship and small business, and helping nonprofits to improve lives across Africa.

The announcement was made at Google’s first-ever Google for Africa event, held virtually and live-streamed.

Affordable Internet

The planned $1billion investment announced today by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, will include enabling affordable internet access and building helpful products.

Pichai said Google is building global infrastructure to …