News (1583)
The AI conversational agent has been revolutionizing the technology sector since its launch. But, OpenAI, the company that owns the technology, is still improving that groundbreaking tool.
Californian AI firm OpenAI announced on Wednesday, September 27 that its flagship product ChatGPT, an AI-powered conversational agent, can now browse the Internet and provide real-time information. This functionality is available thanks to Browse with Bing, the result of its collaboration with Microsoft.
"ChatGPT can now browse the internet to provide you with current and authoritative information, complete with direct links to sources. It is no longer limited to data before September 2021. Since the original launch of browsing in May, we received useful feedback.[...] Browsing is available to Plus and Enterprise users today, and we’ll expand to all users soon. To enable, choose Browse with Bing in the selector under GPT-4," explains OpenAI on social media..
Thanks to a number of strategic partnerships, OpenAI is strengthening its market position with this development. While announcing several features for ChatGPT, OpenAI also announced on Monday, September 25 that its conversational agent can see, hear, and speak.
"We’re rolling out voice and images in ChatGPT to Plus and Enterprise users over the next two weeks. Voice is coming on iOS and Android (opt-in in your settings) and images will be available on all platforms," OpenAi wrote on its website.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Cryptocurrency and blockchain adoption is growing rapidly around the globe. To stay relevant in the market in such context, global fintechs are committed to expanding their services and bridging the gap between fiat and digital currencies.
On Tuesday, September 26, US financial services company MoneyGram announced plans to launch its digital wallet, which enables conversion to fiat currency, next year.
The wallet, which will officially debut in the first quarter of 2024, will enable consumers worldwide to leverage stablecoin technology to seamlessly switch between fiat and digital currencies or the other way around, all via Moneygram.
"Our vision to connect the world's communities, by empowering our customers through innovative financial solutions, takes another step forward today. [...] We're thrilled to have the vision, strategic plans, innovative technology, and expansive retail network in place to continue offering consumers access to the digital economy, but now further backed by our global reputation for speed, efficiency, and trust," said Alex Holmes, MoneyGram CEO.
The launch of Moneygram's crypto wallet is part of a partnership signed with the Stellar Development Foundation. The agreement became effective last year, with the launch of an initial service aimed at offering a bridge between cash and cryptocurrency. The service has been extended to eight digital wallets on the Stellar blockchain, offering consumers the ability to make withdrawals in over 180 countries and cash-ins in more than 30 countries worldwide.
As such, the new non-custodial wallet will use the Stellar network and MoneyGram's fiat transfer services to facilitate instant transactions. It will be a “zero-fee service” until June 2024, redefining cross-border payments and giving MoneyGram customers new ways to send and receive money.
Samira Njoya
With digital transformation accelerating across Africa, it is now crucial to build the continent’s digital skills. In Kenya, private and public stakeholders are multiplying partnerships for that purpose.
Last week, MaMa Doing Good, a Kenyan NGO headed by First Lady Rachel Ruto, announced a memorandum of understanding with Huawei to provide digital literacy training to some 14,000 women groups in the country.
The partnership between the two institutions encompasses several key areas, including bridging the digital divide, improving digital skills, advocating for digital literacy, and communicating and documenting the program and its impact.
“We are thrilled to join forces with MaMa Doing Good to empower women with the digital skills they need to thrive in today’s world. Through this collaboration, we aim to bridge the digital divide and create a brighter future for women in Kenya,” said Steven Zhang, Deputy CEO at Huawei Kenya.
For MaMa Doing Good, the new partnership “symbolizes a shared commitment to building an equitable society where every individual, especially women, can lead lives that are not just happy and fulfilled, but profoundly transformed. It resonates deeply with Kenya’s Vision 2030, underlining the paramount importance of digital literacy and economic empowerment” on Kenya’s roadmap to progress.
According to John Chumo (photo, center), CEO of MaMa Doing Good, investing in women's economic empowerment will pave the way for gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic growth. Digital equipment and skills will be a catalyst for change that will profoundly improve their lives, he believes.
Samira Njoya
With the ongoing digital transformation, investments are pouring into Africa to guarantee quality internet connection for populations. Over the past three years, new telecoms infrastructures have been commissioned for this purpose.
Demand for high-speed Internet services in Africa has been rising since 2020. This need is currently having a direct impact on the continent's transmission capacity, which has recorded the fastest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the world over the past three years, indicates the Broadband Commission of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in its report "The State of Broadband 2023 Digital Connectivity: A Transformative Opportunity."
Between 2020 and 2023, a dozen new submarine cable systems were commissioned on the continent, boosting total available bandwidth by more than 70 terabits. In addition to cables such as the South Atlantic Inter Link, Orval, METISS, DARE1, EllaLink, Maroc Telecom West Africa, Equiano, 2Africa, etc., thousands of kilometers of terrestrial fiber optic cable have also been deployed by suppliers such as Liquid Telecom. Added to this are the data capacities of national and international satellite communication systems such as Eutelsat, YahClick, Intelsat, Starlink, OneWeb, etc.
Source: Broadband Commission
In its June 2020 Mobility Report, tech company Ericsson reported that in sub-Saharan Africa, home to more than half the African population, monthly internet trafic per smartphone was 1.9 gigabytes in 2019. By June 2022, this monthly traffic had climbed to 4.7 gigabytes. Ericsson estimates that this growth in demand volume will reach 19 GB by 2028, for individual consumers alone. However, the rapid annual growth in high-speed transmission capacity does not always benefit all African populations, even though 83% of them are covered by a telecoms network (49% by 4G and almost 30% by 3G), according to the ITU. The Internet access rate is only 33% (87% in Europe, 81% in the USA, 61% in Asia-Pacific), despite the significant potential for high-speed connectivity. A number of obstacles are still holding back the full exploitation of the various Internet investments made by governments and service providers. These include the high cost of entry-level broadband services. They are still well above the threshold set by the Broadband Commission: less than 2% of monthly gross national income per capita.
Source: UIT
The cost of internet-enabled phones is another obstacle. In its study "To Luxury To Lifeline. Reducing the cost of mobile devices to reach universal internet access" covering 70 countries worldwide, the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) drew up a heat map revealing the markets where the price of a smartphone is most affordable. Access to computers is also expensive. Only 1% of the African population is connected to fixed broadband at home (35% in Europe, 23% in the USA, 17% in Asia-Pacific), out of the nearly 2.5 million km of fiber optic cable already deployed on the continent.
Source: Alliance for Affordable Internet
According to the ITU, the Internet is currently an undisputable catalyst for economic and social development. The UN agency states that improving mobile and fixed broadband penetration rates by 10% would add 2.5% and 1.5 respectively to gross domestic products (GDP).
Muriel Edjo
After enabling Nigerian startups to raise capital on the exchange, the NGX is going a step further with the federal government’s approval.
Nigerian authorities want local start-ups to be listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), the country's main stock exchange. This was stated by Bosun Tijani, Nigeria's Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, at a technology event entitled "Invest in Africa's Future - Let's talk about exits" held last week in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The aim is to stimulate the listing of startups on the NGX Technology Board index. "We want to prioritize the ability of our technology companies to export products and we are targeting Africa first and then eventually start selling to the rest of the world," Minister Tijani explained.
This decision is in line with the country’s plan to diversify its economy, therefore reducing its high dependence on oil revenues by capitalizing on its very buoyant and dynamic tech sector. According to Partech Africa, Nigerian startups captured $1.2 billion of the $6.5 billion raised in Africa in 2022. In 2021, they captured $1.8 billion of the $6 billion, against $307 million of the $1.43 billion in 2020 and $747 million of the $2 billion in 2019.
Apart from being the country whose startups attract the most funding in Africa, Nigeria also hosts four of the eight unicorns on the continent. Those unicorns are namely Chipper Cash, Flutterwave, Interswitch, and Opay. Flutterwave co-founder Olugbenga Agboola, who took part in the event in New York, explained that his company would bank on the project and capitalize on the opportunities offered to evolve and bring more value to its customers and investors.
"We will continue to do a lot of work that makes us able to attract local capital and the day tech start-ups come to the exchange, we are confident that there would be a very good audience of investors that would want to own a bit of their shares. This is what we at NGX are doing by removing all barriers for that to happen," says Temi Popoola, Chief Executive Officer of NGX.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In 2021, Starlink began negotiations to get the necessary authorizations to provide its satellite internet services in certain African countries. Pursuing the same objective, the company is partnering with African companies with converging ambitions.
Pan-African broadband connectivity provider Paratus announced on Friday, September 22 that it had signed an agreement to distribute Starlink's broadband Internet services on the African continent.
Under the terms of the agreement, Paratus will supply Starlink to customers across the continent as and when licenses are granted to Starlink in Africa. For the time being, Starlink will be available from Paratus in Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda, and Nigeria, before being extended to other countries.
"This agreement aligns perfectly with our vision of transforming Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service. It means we can offer industry sectors – such as land and offshore energy, mining, hospitality, education, healthcare, agriculture, and more – the reliable and constant connectivity they need to flourish, no matter how remote they are," said Martin Cox, Paratus Group Chief Commercial Officer.
For Starlink, the new agreement is part of its expansion strategy to bring satellite broadband Internet services to every corner of the globe, including remote and landlocked areas hardly accessible for mobile operators' terrestrial networks.
In this way, the partnership between Paratus and Starlink should help to strengthen competition in the African Internet market and promote digital inclusion. According to a 2022 report by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in 2021, 33% of Africans used the Internet, compared with 63% for the global average. These figures have risen sharply in 2022 with the arrival of new telecom operators and the construction of new infrastructures in several countries.
Samira Njoya
To fulfill its digital transformation ambitions, the Chadian government is multiplying initiatives with key partners.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy of Chad, Mahamat Saleh Ibrahim, and the Vice President and General Manager of Huawei CEMAC zone, Léo Lingyu Kong, signed a memorandum of understanding on Saturday, September 23 in Shanghai, on the sidelines of Huawei Connect 2023.
Under the terms of the agreement, Huawei is committed to becoming a key partner of the Chadian government and supporting it in its mission to build a favorable ecosystem for the emergence of digital talents in Chad.
"In the era of the digital economy, digital talent is key, and Huawei is committed to transferring and sharing ICT knowledge and skills, continuously improving digital competencies, and supporting the development of local digital economies and emerging industries," the ministry said in a note posted on social networks.
This initiative is part of the National ICT Modernization Project, financed by a concessional loan granted by the Chinese government to the Chadian government. In its first phase, which is still underway, the government benefited from the support of Huawei and other partners such as telecom operators Moov and Airtel.
Launched in 2020, the project is divided into several components, namely the construction of a national data center, the building of a 1,200 km fiber optic network crossing the country from south to east, a 50 km fiber optic loop around the city of N'Djamena, the modernization of the Sotel Tchad group's network through the construction of 200 2G/3G/4G sites, and the extension of subscriber capacity from 300,000 to 1,000,000.
All these initiatives underway in the country were reviewed in Shanghai by the Chadian delegation and Huawei vice-president Richard Jin. The second phase of the project was also discussed.
Samira Njoya
Sattelite internet provider Starlink has expressed its interest in conquering the African market by 2024. To date, the company has launched operations in five countries and is looking to do the same in Chad, with plans to extend its reach to 23 African markets.
The Chadian Electronic Communications and Posts Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) has issued a warning to individuals illegally marketing and operating Starlink terminals in the country. In a press release published on social networks on Friday, September 22, the telecoms regulator warns offenders of the penalties provided for by law in the event of continuation of the aforementioned activities.
Providing unauthorized electronic communication services or maintaining the services despite legal orders to suspend it is punishable by one to five years imprisonment and fines ranging from XAF100 million ($162,500) to XAF200 million or one of the two penalties, the release informs quoting Article 113 of Law No. 014/PR/2014 on electronic communications.
ARCEP's release comes as the Starlink network is increasingly used in Chad. On social networks, users are approving the new services, which they say are bridging the digital divide in the country by providing Internet access to underserved communities at an affordable cost.
For the telecoms regulator, the problem lies in the license that Starlink would need to obtain before launching operations in the country. Two days earlier, ARCEP held a consultation meeting on Starlink's application to become a Satellite Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Chad. A response is expected in the next few days.
In Chad, the legal use of Starlink should stimulate the digital sector and offer a high-speed Internet connection to a population that constantly complains about the poor quality and high costs of the Internet in the country.
Samira Njoya
True to its mission, which is to assist African countries “in their efforts to achieve economic development and social progress,” the AfDB is signing strategic partnerships to enable every member country to capitalize on the opportunities offered by the ongoing tech revolution.
On Thursday, September 21, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and American technology giant Google announced the signing of a letter of intent during the Global Africa Business Initiative at the UN General Assembly in New York. The aim is to harness emerging technologies, expand and improve technology infrastructures, and develop talent and skills to accelerate digital transformation on the continent.
"Our journey from a 2% telephony penetration in 1998 to today's era of 4G, 5G, and AI signifies immense progress. With 70% of sub-Saharan Africans under 30, our focus is on catalyzing businesses to create jobs and offer innovative solutions," says AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina (photo, center).
African countries are accelerating digital transformation with various programs and projects. They are multiplying partnerships to this end, and all sectors of activity are being positively impacted. The establishment of ecosystems and regulations to encourage the proliferation and emergence of startups is also at the heart of many governments' actions, fostering collaboration with global technology giants such as Google, Huawei, and Microsoft.
In collaboration with the AfDB, which has already injected more than $1.9 billion into various digital-related projects on the continent, the Mountain View firm will offer, among other things, “technical assistance to bolster entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises in digitizing their businesses, securing financing, mastering digital marketing, and advancing private sector development.”
Adoni Conrad Quenum
After inaugurating digital learning centers in Mauritania last June, Digital School is shifting up a gear on the dark continent.
Dr. Waleed Al Ali, Secretary General of Digital School, and Ute Klamert, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), signed a memorandum of understanding at the United Nations General Assembly, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Friday, September 22. The MoU aims to broaden the scope of the Digital School initiative's activities, strengthen partnerships, and reach rural communities and students across sub-Saharan Africa.
"The future of education relies significantly on the utilization of digital solutions, which are a pivotal factor in empowering students worldwide to access quality education. The launch of the new partnership reflects the Digital School's humanitarian message and translates its endeavor to expand the circle of interest and reach more students across the African continent," said Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Telework Applications and Chairman of Digital School's Board of Directors.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, distance learning has emerged as an attractive alternative to traditional training. With an Internet connection, it is possible to receive training in a variety of fields by attending online courses or consuming content (video and/or audio) uploaded to web platforms. Education technology startups are proliferating on the continent, and authorities are joining forces with various technical partners to improve Internet quality. However, Internet penetration in sub-Saharan Africa remains low, at around 30% presently.
Present in eight countries worldwide, including two in Africa (Mauritania, and Egypt), Digital School was launched in 2020 and has already trained over 1,500 trainers and welcomed over 60,000 students. Last June, it strengthened its presence in Mauritania by inaugurating 66 digital learning centers, to spread digital education skills and solutions throughout the Arab region.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
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The International Telecommunication Union considers broadband access to be an indicator of development. At a time when digitalization is accelerating in Africa, ensuring connectivity for the population is more than just an economic issue.
Repairs on the West African Cable System (WACS), South Africa Transit 3 (SAT3), and Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine fiber optic cables, damaged in early August 2023, have been completed. The three high-speed telecoms infrastructures linking the west coast of Africa to Europe had been severed off the coast of the Democratic Republic of Congo following a rockfall in an underwater canyon. Repairs were carried out by the cable-laying vessel Léon Thévenin, which arrived in South Africa on August 21.
Openserve –the broadband Internet arm of South African telecoms group Telkom, which is also one of the members of the WACS and SAT3 cable consortium– confirmed the successful completion of the repairs on Wednesday, September 20.
“The completion of this work is good news for Internet users as this means that there is more available capacity and improved network resiliency," said Openserve.
Because of the break in the three undersea fiber optic cables, Internet service providers and consumers have been deprived of a total of 154.5 terabits per second (Tbps) of data capacity for over a month. That's 20 Tbps for the ACE system, which connects ten African countries; 120 Tbps for SAT3 and 14.5 Tbps for WACS, which together connect eleven African countries.
For some countries, such as Benin, Cameroon, and Côte d'Ivoire, which host all these cables, the inconvenience caused by the incident to telecoms infrastructures was somewhat more severe. However, the alternative solutions adopted by operators enabled Internet services to continue uninterrupted.
This is not the first time that the SAT3, WACS, or ACE cables have been damaged. In 2017 and 2020, the cables were severed, hampering business continuity in several countries. To remedy the situation once and for all, many countries are increasing their access to subsea systems, while others are opting for satellite technologies.
At a time when the United Nations considers the Internet to be a basic service capable of contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the diversification of connectivity sources is more than just an economic issue for African countries.
Samira Njoya
Information and communication technologies have become key drivers for efficiency and growth in several economic sectors. Realizing the importance of such technologies, Cameroon is stepping up initiatives in the digital sector. The government recently launched a major project to rapidly develop the sector.
On Friday, September 15, Cameroon’s State Minister Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh granted an audience to a delegation of Chinese tech giant Huawei. According to local media, during the audience, the two parties discussed a range of topics, including the development of the digital sector in Cameroon.
"Given Cameroon's potential, Huawei Group officials reaffirmed their commitment to working alongside the country to develop a high-level national strategy for the digital economy, to make Cameroon an ICT hub in the French-speaking African region," reports the state-owned daily Cameroon Tribune.
The technology group's visit to Cameroon comes a month after the launch of the Project for the Acceleration of Digital Transformation in Cameroon (PATNUC). The project, financed to the tune of $100 million by the World Bank, is designed to accelerate the country's digital transformation through three main complementary components on the supply and demand sides of the digital economy, with a particular focus on digitizing the agricultural sector.
Thanks to this mutual commitment, Cameroon will be able to benefit from Huawei's technological advances and expertise to strengthen its digital sector and foster economic development. The two parties will also be working together to transfer ICT technology to Cameroon's youth, as well as promote rural electrification using solar energy and develop the concept of smart cities using video surveillance at the national level.
Samira Njoya
For the first cohort, Investing in Innovation selected 31 startups. This time, it has selected 29 startups operating in healthcare technologies, particularly in healthcare supply chains.
Last Tuesday, the pan-African initiative Investing in Innovation (i3) announced the second cohort of its i3 program. The cohort comprises 29 startups from ten African countries. The startups will take part in the annual market access event in Nairobi from November 14 to 15, 2023.
"Selected startups receive introductions to leading potential customers in industry, donor agencies and governments, a $50,000 grant, and tailored investment readiness support from leading accelerators Villgro Africa, IMPACT Lab, Startupbootcamp Afritech, and CcHUB," we learn.
For the startups selected for this second cohort, 38% are headed by women, and 17% are active in French-speaking Africa, a region that is "less attractive" to foreign investors. Against a backdrop of slowing startup fundraising in Africa, these various programs show that the African technology sector is still attractive.
According to Kieran Daly, Director of Global Health Agencies and Funds at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the program, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored by the likes of Cencora and Microsoft, complements state and international initiatives to improve health outcomes and strengthen local health systems. “Programs like i3 help us understand, support, and engage with technology-driven solutions emerging across Africa, hand-in-hand with our partners,” he added.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Tourism is a key economic sector in Namibia. At a time when the government is struggling to showcase the country’s attractions, digital solutions could contribute to the effective implementation of ongoing projects.
LEFA Transportation Services, a Namibian e-mobility solution that connects drivers and passengers via its digital platform, announced on Monday, September 18 a partnership with Google Maps, the global online mapping service developed by Google.
The partnership aims to showcase Namibia's vast expanses on Google Street View, a virtual navigation service that complements Google Maps and Google Earth by enabling 360° panorama views.
"By making the nation’s natural wonders, historic sites, and urban landscapes accessible with the click of a button, potential tourists can be enticed to experience the beauty of Namibia first-hand," said Melkies Ausiku, founder and general manager of LEFA Transportation Services.
As part of this ambitious 17,000 km project, Google Maps will carry out a major update on Namibia. Eventually, locals and visitors alike will discover greater precision in the names of the streets and newly mapped roads.
According to Melkies Ausiku, the project will provide an authentic and comprehensive digital representation of Namibia. The digital representation will thus serve as an innovative marketing tool, opening up opportunities for businesses to attract a global customer base. Local businesses, from charming accommodations to restaurants, cultural sites, and tour operators, will benefit from unrivaled visibility.
Samira Njoya