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• Artificial intelligence in Africa can potentially propel the fintech industry into a new era of financial inclusion.
• AI tools can analyse data from client discussions, producing legal documents in simple language and at a fraction of what it would typically take to draft a contract.
• Banks, for example, can make their services more affordable to their customers by rolling out AI-powered chatbots to handle routine queries while sparing them from having to travel to a bank branch.

It’s difficult to imagine a time before the widespread adoption of mobile technology in Africa – particularly where financial services are concerned. For millions of unbanked people, transactions were limited to cash, postal services or even the barter system.

Now, in much the same way as mobile payments completely disrupted the status quo, AI has the potential to propel the fintech industry into a new era of financial inclusion. And perhaps most exciting …

• Level of remote desktop protocol abuse unprecedented since launch of report in 2020.
• External remote services were the number-one way attackers initially breached networks.
• Remote Desktop Protocol is a Microsoft proprietary protocol that enables remote connections to other computers.

Cybercriminals have resorted to the use of remote desktop protocol in executing their attacks on systems according to new findings by Sophos. The Sophos Active Adversary Report for 2024 shows that cybercriminals heavily exploited remote desktop protocol (RDP) in 90 per cent of attacks, marking the highest incidence of RDP abuse since Sophos started these reports in 2021 covering data from 2020.

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a Microsoft proprietary protocol that enables remote connections to other computers,

The report further says that external remote services such as RDP were the most common vector by which attackers initially breached networks; they were the method of initial access in 65 percent of …

• 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:

• 2023 Most Profitable Global Firms were dominated by players in the Energy, Finance and Technology sector. 
• Saudi Aramco, with $159.1 billion in profits dominates as the world’s most profitable energy company, capitalizing on vast oil reserves.
• Energy sector leads with a 24.56 per cent profit share, amassing $711.6 billion from 88 companies, highlighting its dominance in the global market.

A study on the 2023 Fortune 500 reveals that most profitable global companies amassed a colossal US$2.9 trillion in profit. The Most Profitable Global Firms 2023 were dominated by players in the energy, finance and technology sector.

The top 10 companies alone accounted for $689.8 billion, or 24 per cent, of this total. Each company in this elite group averages an impressive $69 billion in profit. Leading the pack are Saudi Aramco, Apple, and Microsoft, respectively, as the most profitable.

The research conducted by growandconvert.com further uncovers that the top three …

• The collaboration seeks to play a significant role in closing the tech skills gap in Africa, fostering job creation, entrepreneurship, and empowering the continent’s youth with in-demand digital skills.
• Through the partnership, Microsoft and Gebeya aim to upskill 300,000 developers across eight countries over the next three years.
• They include Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Nigeria, Egypt and Mozambique.

Microsoft and Gebeya Inc., the leading Pan-African SaaS-enabled tech talent marketplace, have partnered  to launch a new skills and jobs matching platform called Microsoft.Gebeya.com.

The collaboration seeks to play a significant role in closing the tech skills gap in Africa, fostering job creation, entrepreneurship, and empowering the continent’s youth with in-demand digital skills.

Through the partnership, Microsoft and Gebeya aim to upskill 300,000 developers across eight countries over the next three years, including Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Nigeria, Egypt and Mozambique.

Applications …

• Tech giant Microsoft plans to expand its Airband partnerships to provide high-speed internet access to people in Latin America and Africa.
• Microsoft is also targeting Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda with high-speed internet.
• Limited access to broadband means that people have fewer opportunities to develop the digital skills necessary in digital economy. 

Microsoft plans to expand its Airband partnerships to provide high-speed internet access to nearly 40 million people across Latin America and Africa.

In Africa, Microsoft Airband Initiative General Manager Vickie Robinson says firm will extend partnerships in Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala will be targetd in South America. This marks significant progress in the firm’s mission to extend high-speed internet access to 250 million people globally. The deal will primarily target populations in unserved and underserved areas. Across Africa, about 100 million are set to …

The U.S. Department of State gathered a group of private sector representatives to explore investment and collaborative business opportunities in Ethiopia, during the Global Entrepreneurship Week.

A week was spent by the Partnership Opportunity Delegation (POD) engaging with government leaders, private sector entities and Ethiopian entrepreneurs to understand the challenges and opportunities facing Ethiopian innovators and share expertise on how the country can better provide an enabling environment for tech and startups. The delegation included more than 15 companies representing Japan, United States and Sweden.

Also Read: Awash Bank, USAID to help small Agribusinesses in Ethiopia

The Office of Global Partnerships led the POD in exploring opportunities in various sectors of the Ethiopian economy such as digital connectivity, Fintech, creative industry and startups. From these first-hand engagements, several delegates committed to supporting Ethiopia’s economy in tangible ways through workforce development, social entrepreneurship, startup investment, exploring opportunities for telecom privatization …

The world top-notch technology firm Microsoft and African Development Bank (AfDB) have launched the digital training platform for African youth, named –Coding for Employment.

The platform is expected to provide digital skills to youth.

According to the a statement from the AfDB, the platform was launched during the 2019 African Economic Conference in Sharm El Sheikh- Egypt, with the sole aim of promoting a continuous learning culture among young people and build their capacity to share the future of the continent.

Africa has nearly 420 million youth, which almost one-third of them are unemployed and 10 to 12 million youth enter the workforce every year to find only 3.1 million jobs created, hence—AfDB data show that, by 2050 youth in Africa will double to 830 million.

The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution, with a rather strong foothold in supporting African nation’s development initiatives. It …

Microsoft has appointed Harvard trained Jack Ngare as the managing director Africa Development Centre in Kenya that the company launched in May 2019.

With more than 15 years of experience in various business functions, Ngare joins Microsoft from Finserve Africa part of Equity Group where he served as managing director.

Ngare brings a wealth of in-depth knowledge around topics like management, telecommunications, financial services and emerging technology. Prior to his work at Finserve Africa, Ngare held the position at Stanbic Bank, NIC Bank, as well as spending seven years at British Telecom with assignments in the UK, Saudi Arabia, Peru and Japan.

He holds a Master’s degree in management from Harvard University, a Master’s degree in advanced computer science and a Bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Leicester.

“The ADC is unlike any other existing investment on the continent, helping us better listen to our customers, develop …