Author: ITPulse

Africa’s short-term growth prospects remain favourable, but there are clear regional discrepancies The global economy faced more volatility at the start of the year, driven by signs of a slowdown in world GDP growth, marked dovish U-turns on the monetary front, uncertainty over the US-China trade spat and Brexit. But Africa’s short-term prospects in general remain encouraging, with West Africa in particular set to do well. Southern Africa, however, continues to struggle, with the two largest economies in the region still performing poorly. South Africa is plagued by domestic issues related to policy uncertainty, credit rating risks associated with debt…

The Solve Initiative, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has called on African Technology Startups with innovative solutions to apply for the sum of $1.5 million United States of America dollars it has made available. “Over US$1.5 million is available to winning solutions, while teams will join MIT Solve’s supportive community of peers, funders and experts to help advance their work. Applications are open until July 1,” MIT announced in an email message. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), offers startups funding and access to a global network, advances lasting solutions from tech entrepreneurs to address the…

.China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has cut or canceled orders to major suppliers for components that go into its smartphones and telecom equipment following its U.S. blacklisting, the Nikkei reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) confirmed that orders from Huawei have declined after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a ban on the Chinese firm on national security grounds. Huawei has also downgraded its forecast for total smartphone shipments in the second half of 2019 by “about 20% to 30%” from the previous estimate, the Nikkei reported. Both, Huawei and TSMC did…

The African ICT Foundation has announced the appointment of Ms. Lobna Smida as the Regional Director for North Africa. With the appointment, Lobna will assume the role of directing the activities of the Foundation in the region. Lobna, who is currently working as an Administration Advisor at the Presidential Palace of Tunisia, is also expected to guide the overall direction of the region, develop a regional strategic plan every two years, using input from the regional officers and/or committee members. “In her acceptance speech, Lobna was partly quoted as saying; “I believe in the important role of the ICT’s SDGs…

Sophos has announced Intercept X for Server with Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and Response to Help Businesses of all Sizes Battle New Blended Cyberattacks. By adding EDR to Intercept X for Server, IT managers can investigate cyberattacks against servers, a sought-after target due to the high value of data stored there. Cybercriminals frequently evolve their methods and are now blending automation and human hacking skills to successfully carry out attacks on servers. This new type of blended attack combines the use of bots to identify potential victims with active adversaries making decisions about who and how to attack. The SophosLabs…

Nigeria’s Tele-House and data Centre operator, Medallion Communications Limited has sealed a partnership with AIG, Etix Everywhere and Ngoya to launch West Africa’s First Tier IV certified Data Centre in Ghana, which is expected to commence commercial services in the month of July 2019. From all indication, the Data Centre will be the first operational Tier IV certified data center in West Africa; a certification it received from the Uptime Institute. It also shows guarantee to customers an infrastructure, a capacity and processes in place to provide a truly maximum level of availability. Constructed under a strategic partnership between Etix…

The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) has sealed a partnership with EduFirst Ng to organize the maiden edition of the EduTech Conference in Nigeria, which is believed will help drive education using technology in Nigeria. The conference with the theme ‘Education, Technology & Jobs; A Synergy that Works’, NBCC says is part of its mandateto support the socioeconomic development of Nigeria through educational development. “We believe that the EduTech Conference will provide a platform for government, regulatory agencies and educational professionals to interact and share experiences on the revitalization of Nigeria’s education system, through the application of technology and innovation…

Amplify Digital Agency, a data-driven digital marketing agency on Thursday, at the Workstation, Maryland Mall in Lagos gathered some young Nigerians to discuss the future of brands in a business environment that is utterly leveraging digital strategies. Tagged ‘Think Digital’, the event is designed to expose brands meet their marketing targets, especially in reaching out to prospect clients, which ordinarily couldn’t have been met with traditional strategies. The panelists talking to the participants Speaking to Journalists on the sideline, the Business Development Manager of Amplify Digital, Ponmile Alabi, noted that the event with the theme: ‘Under the Influence: Understanding the…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given explanations why it carries out type approval tests on communication equipment and issues certificates based on the technical specifications and standards. Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, who gave the explanation at a sensitisation forum on “Hazardous Effects of Non-Type Approved Handsets/Equipment on Quality of Service and E-Waste” in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, noted that using non-type approved handsets and other devices has implications for quality of telecom services. Type approval, according to him, is an administrative procedure of technical tests and vetting applied to items of telecoms equipment before…

MTN Nigeria has made final payment of N55 billion being the fine imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for SIM Card registration infractions in 2015. In a statement in Lagos signed by the Senior Manager, External Relations, Funso Aina, the telecom company said the N55billion payment is the sixth and final installment of N330 billion negotiated settlement paid to the Nigerian Communications Commission. The statement, which quoted MTN’s Chief Corporate Relations Officer, Tobechukwu Okigbo, disclosed that the successful resolution of the fine was the outcome of active collaboration between the NCC and MTN. “We are very pleased…