Brief (360)
Fifty Lybian start-ups, including 36 women-led companies, were selected on Saturday (May 6) to participate in the TEC+ Accelerator program launched by UNDP in partnership with Tatweer Research.
The 8-week TEC+ program will allow the selected start-ups to build their physical and scientific capacities to accelerate their growth and create job opportunities in the market.
About 13 million cyber attacks targeting bank accounts and customer data in the Egyptian banking sector were thwarted by Kaspersky in the first quarter of 2023, according to Amin Hasbiny, the head of the global research and analysis team for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa at Kaspersky.
Speaking on the sidelines of Kaspersky's eighth annual cybersecurity forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Amin Hasbiny noted that the attacks were 186% up from the figures recorded in the same quarter last year.
Last Monday, LinkedIn announced a reorganization of its global sales organization and China strategy. The decision involves the reduction of roles for 716 employees and the phasing out of its local China jobs application, InCareer, by August 9. The decisions stem from the group’s desire to adapt to the changing market, and customer demand as well as become more agile and align teams for its next growth phase.
"As we plan for FY24, we’re expecting the macro environment to remain challenging. We’re adapting as we have done this year and will continue to operate with the ambition we need to deliver on our vision and the pragmatism required to run the business well," wrote Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn's CEO.
On Thursday (May 4), Vesicash, a Nigerian escrow payment system, announced the launch of its new Merchant of Record (MoR) product, as well as its expansion into new African markets. The MoR product aims to simplify the process for companies to enter new markets, and the startup is utilizing it to facilitate its expansion.
"We are thrilled to launch our Merchant of Record technology in multiple African markets. Thus, expanding our reach to businesses in Ghana, Rwanda, Zambia, and Egypt," stated Vesicash co-founder, Tomisin Adeshiyan.
In Nigeria, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recently partnered to develop the digital economy. The partnership aims to develop the digital economy in Nigeria by increasing awareness and encouraging the youth to adopt emerging technologies. Under the agreement, training will be offered to youth corps members interested in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
Nestcoin, a Nigerian company that makes modern finance borderless, recently announced the launch of "Onboard," a platform aimed at providing modern digital financial services that connect Africans to the global economy.
Among other things, the new platform will allow users to store and move digital assets directly to and from their bank accounts.
Last weekend, Congolese Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Leon Juste Ibombo (photo, right) granted an audience to Guinean Minister of Transport, Evita Oma Honorato (photo, left).
The two officials discussed future agreements to develop the ICT sector in their respective countries. The envisaged cooperation will focus on mobile money interoperability and the implementation of the Oyola training project.
The PAYAIG (Pan-African Youth Ambassador for Internet Governance) initiative developed by Cyber Czar and supported by the British government announced, Tuesday (May 2), the opening of applications for its Internet governance program in Africa.
Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old, reside in any African country, be able to communicate effectively in one of five languages: English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, or Swahili, and be motivated by Internet governance. The deadline for applications is May 19.
Nigerian fintech company Storspay announced on Monday (May 1st), the successful completion of a $320,000 funding round. The deal allows the startup to join the New York-based accelerator Techstars for a 13-week fundraising and mentoring program. The funds raised will allow the fintech to develop its technology and improve the financial well-being of entrepreneurs through its decentralized Internet lending infrastructure.
Last Saturday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced an order requiring Cornelius Johannes Steynberg, CEO of South African company Mirror Trading, to pay $3.4 billion over bitcoin fraud. Specifically, Steynberg will have to restitute in excess of $1.7 billion to defrauded victims and pay over $1.7 billion in civil penalties.
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Non-profit organization Tech4Dev recently announced the launch of its Women Techsters initiative, aimed at providing scholarships for a virtual learning program to girls and women in Africa.
The program will equip participants with skills in blockchain, cybersecurity, data science, and artificial intelligence engineering, mixed reality/3D animation, mobile app development, product design (UI/UX), product management, and software development.
African women between the ages of 16 and 40 interested in the program are invited to apply by May 27.
Last week, the Beninese IT development agency ASIN organized a workshop to review and update the national cybersecurity strategy.
This mid-term review gave digital actors the opportunity to lay the foundations for the coming update, which aims to respond to the new challenges arising from the evolution of digital uses and related threats, three years after the strategy was launched.
The Cameroonian Union of hospitality employers SPIHT launched, Tuesday (April 25), a digital platform for the promotion of the local hotel and tourism industry.
The platform, called Waka Waka 237, allows visitors to find and book hotel rooms, apartments, restaurants, tourist sites, and travel agencies throughout Cameroon.
The Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) and the African Securities Exchange Association (ASEA), on Friday April, 14, signed a memorandum of understanding to improve cross-border payment systems and promote the development of financial markets in Africa.
According to the release announcing the memorandum, the partnership will, among other things, create a reliable and efficient payment system that will allow investors to easily carry out transactions on various transactions on the continent.