Author: ITPulse

The 2023 threat report released by Sophos indicates that the cyberthreat landscape has reached a new level of commercialization and convenience for would-be attackers, with nearly all barriers to entry for committing cybercrime removed through the expansion of cybercrime-as-a-service.  The report, which was released yesterday also addresses how ransomware remains one of the greatest cybercrime threats to organizations with operators innovating their extortion tactics, as well as how demand for stolen credentials continues to grow. It stated that criminal underground marketplaces like Genesis have long made it possible to buy malware and malware deployment services (“malware-as-a-service”), as well as to…

The Africa Development Bank and African Union Commission have Signed $9.73 million grant agreement to implement Phase 1 of the Upstream Project for Digital Market Development in Africa and ultimately, drive digital market development in the continent. The signing ceremony, which took place recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was signed by AUC Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, Ambassador Albert M. Muchanga, and the African Development Bank’s Deputy Director General for the East Africa Region, Abul B. Kamara. The African Development Bank’s board of directors approved the grant of 7 million Units of Account ($ 9.73 million)…

By Darijan Bošković The African continent is widely considered retail’s next big gold rush, based on its population of 1.4 billion people, which includes more than 500 million internet users and over 330 million eCommerce consumers. Additionally, with 19 of the top 20 fastest-growing countries in the world, the continent’s trade landscape is set to become even more attractive for new market entrants and Pan-African operations in the retail space. Africa’s five largest economies – Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco and Egypt – also have the most competitive retail sectors and fast-growing eCommerce industries, largely due to several leading global…

The Nigerian government has instructed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria to comply with the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR). In a circular letter with Ref No. SGF/OP/l/S.3/Xll/186, signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, the government noted that designate appropriate officers as their Data Protection Officers (DPOs) who will on regular basis advise management on data processing activities of their organization and ensure compliance with the provisions of the NDPR and all matters relating to the protection of the privacy, rights and freedom of data subjects. Other high…

Critical stakeholders that attended this year’s Nigerian Peering and Interconnection Forum (ngPIF) have highlighted some insights and practical knowledge, which they believe will advance the economics of network interconnectivity in Nigeria. Conversations at the 2-day event, which saw an attendance pool of over 400 infrastructure providers, connectivity stakeholders, content producers and policymakers revolved around interconnectivity, peer-to-peer content sharing, local content availability, peering possibilities in underserved regions, cloud connectivity, human capacity building, education and technology intersection. In his opening address at the annual event, hosted by the Nigerian Network Operators Group (ngNOG), and the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), the…

Infobip is set to deploy Google Cloud, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot building platform, to provide enhanced messaging capabilities to organisations that use Dialogflow to create conversational experiences with users on their preferred channels and improve user satisfaction.  The integration, according to Infobip, an innovative omnichannel communications platform will leverage Conversations, Infobip’s cloud contact center platform, and WhatsApp for Business, to provide rich and meaningful customer messaging. This integration is designed to help improve satisfaction and reduce demand on customer service agents. Disclosing this, the VP of Strategic Partnerships at Infobip, Veselin Vukovic said: “More and more customers would prefer…

As more businesses are seeing the benefits of and investing in as-a-service models, and more vendors are providing them, the level of service required to meet needs has changed. The as-a-service model existed long before it became mainstream and even before it was branded ‘as-a-service’. Initially, it was mainly used by SMBs and start-ups so they could access software and infrastructure that they would otherwise not be able to afford upfront. SaaS (Software-as-a-service) has been around as early as the 1960s when smaller businesses started a time-sharing system so they could access modern computer systems in a cost-effective way. Fast…

Huawei has announced the launch of Fintech 2.0, an innovative fintech offering, which is set to revolutionize mobile money in Africa, increase financial inclusion and ultimately, greatly improve the consumer’s digital user experience. The product, which was announced at AfricaCom, Africa’s largest technology gathering, will empower micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to digitally transform, and provide service providers with greater business agility.  In doing so, Huawei believes it will accelerate industry innovation and digital financial inclusion in emerging markets. Fintech 2.0 brings value to mobile fintech operators through an extremely digital experience, accelerated innovation, and expedited time to market.…

Last week, I passed by the ever-busy Computer Village and saw shop after shop loaded floor to top with laptops. I thought to myself, what happens if there is an incident, say fire? Do they have insurance? I shuddered to think of the sheer loss. Insurance, experts insist, has the potential to transform the economy. The bulk of Nigerians respectfully disagree. This is reflected in the number of people who do not have any form of insurance. To change the story, perhaps, it is time to reform the way insurance is managed in Nigeria. Insurance is not new in Nigeria.…

The Africa Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTECH) has conferred special honours on Professor Isa Ibrahim Ali (Pantami), Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Other special honourees at the award ceremony held during AfriTECH 2.0 are; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General, National Information Technology Agency (NITDA), Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, General Manager, Fixed Broadband, MTN Nigeria, and Dr. Ruth Oji, Faculty Member, Institute of Humanities, Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), Lagos. Prof. Pantami received Digital Economy Hero of the Year Award in recognition of his resilience and leadership excellence in leading to Nigeria’s…