Hello Guys,
This week has been quite interesting and a lot has happened. To give you the African Tech Roundup, we had to compile a short list of the 10 biggest gists.
Have a delight-some read.
Multichoice is test-running Live TV Features on ShowMax
ShowMax has begun airing live sports events to subscribers. It has debunked plans to offer full bouquets of sports events, as they intend to only stream different contents over time. Read More Here.
Why Huawei Canceled the Launch of its PC
Huawei is yet to recover from its US ban. They had to indefinitely postpone the launch of their PC because they have been denied the right to use Microsoft’s Windows Operating System and Intel’s processor. Read More Here.
Facebook Withdraws Services from Huawei
Also following Huawei’s ban by the US government, Facebook will stop the pre-installation of Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Facebook and Instagram on Huawei’s phones. This will take effect in August. Read More Here.
OLX Becomes Jiji!
There is news that the e-commerce platform, OLX has been bought over by a rival, Jiji. All its businesses in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will now be redirected to Jiji’s web portal. See More Here
Despite The US ban on Huawei, the AU renews partnership
The AU is bent on deepening relations with Huawei, amidst security allegations from the USA. Huawei will improve the Union’s cloud computing, cybersecurity, broadband network, Internet of Things and offer staff training over a period of 3 years. See More Here.
Paradigm Initiative tells Liberian Government to Restore Internet Access in the Country
In light of the #SavetheState protest in Liberia, the government has disabled internet access in the country. Paradigm Initiative accused the government of infringing on the rights of citizens, asking them to restore connectivity. Read More Here.
Ethiopia joins the list of African Countries Shutting down Internet Access
Ethiopia shut down internet access with the excuse of students’ participation in exam malpractice. Connections were initially cut off in the morning of 11th June 2019 and have been unstable ever since. Other African countries have also done the same in recent times. Read More Here.
Kenya is Artificial Intelligence Ready
Good news! Kenya is the first African country on a list compiled by the International Development Research Center and Oxford Insight. It ranked 52 out of 194 countries that were ascertained Artificial Intelligence Ready. Other African countries that made the list. Read Here.
The sales of Smartphone in Africa Declines in Q1 2019
IDC released a report showing a 7.1% decline in the sales of smartphones in Africa for the first quarter of 2019. According to the report, the reason for the decline was as a result of the drop in sales in South Africa and Nigeria. Read More Here.
MTN Group Launches Mobile Money Chatbot in Ivory Coast
Finally, in the course of the week, MTN launched a chatbot service for its Mobile Money subscribers. The chatbot will help customers handle payment transactions on Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and via SMS. Read It Here.
This brings us to the end of this week’s edition. Ensure to follow us on all social media platforms @Techgistafrica
Enjoy a wonderful weekend.
Till next time!