Author: Brand Spot

The economic transformation driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is projected to surpass the impact of the mobile money revolution, tech leaders have predicted, urging African countries to urgently invest in local data centres and renewable energy. To understand the scale of this prediction, one must look at the current mobile money landscape. According to the latest data from the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), the global lobby for mobile network operators, Sub-Saharan Africa processes roughly $1.4 trillion annually in mobile money transactions, solidifying its place as the definitive global powerhouse for digital wallets. Kenya remains a critical driver…

By Collins Emadau, Director, Westcon Rest of Africa at Westcon-Comstor There is a statistic in INTERPOL’s latest African Cyberthreat Assessment that should get the attention of anyone responsible for technology in the region. AI is now enabling 55% of reported cybercrime across Africa, and cybercrime losses have also more than doubled since 2024, from $192 million to $484 million. Those numbers come as Africa becomes more digitally connected. The GSMA estimates that mobile technologies and services contributed $240 billion to the African economy in 2025, equivalent to 7.8% of GDP. That growth is creating enormous opportunity, but every new digital service, application, connection and…

By Victor Mumo, Investment Analyst, Jubilee Asset Management Limited The U.S.-Iran ceasefire has become the geopolitical equivalent of a politician’s manifesto: clear during the campaign, uncertain while in office. Proposals, counterproposals and diplomatic assurances have come and gone, yet markets continue to treat peace as fragile. Africa’s technology investment prospects remain sensitive to geopolitical decisions made thousands of kilometres away. When and if the ceasefire holds begs the question: how resilient is our ecosystem? Africa’s technology ecosystem is no longer merely a promising story waiting for its turn. According to Partech’s 2025 Africa Tech Venture Capital Report, African tech companies…

Samsung is expanding its retail presence in Kenya with the opening of a new SIS at City Gate Mall in Kitui. Established in partnership with Maureen Mutua and Mutua Ndungi, the shop-in-shop outlet extends Samsung’s retail network into the region, creating a dedicated space for consumers to explore its smartphone portfolio and engage directly with the brand. Kitui County’s economic activity spans agriculture, trade and small-scale enterprise, with Kitui town serving as an important center for commerce and public services.[1] These activities create varied technology needs among consumers, from traders and entrepreneurs using digital tools to run their businesses to individuals…

By Trudie Keys, Executive Associate at Change Logic Organisations talk about culture constantly, yet it can still be hard to pin down. We measure it through employee surveys, engagement scores and experience data. We compare teams, track whether scores are moving up or down and look at external benchmarks to understand how we compare with other organisations. I have learned not to treat culture scores as hard evidence but as indicators. For example, a strong average can look reassuring until you see low participation, or one part of the organisation having a very different experience from another. Sometimes the people who…

Visa has announced plans to strengthen its engagement with financial institution partners, regulators and other stakeholders in Senegal through the opening of a new office in Dakar by the end of 2026 and its sponsorship of the Summer Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, taking place from 31 October to 13 November 2026. Under the platform “Visa at Dakar 2026: Powering the Payment Experience,” and through its global Olympic partnership and payment capabilities, Visa will help deliver secure, convenient digital payments and a seamless payment experience for athletes, fans and visitors. Dakar 2026 will be the first Olympic sporting event held on African…

By Michael Etale – Chief Information Security Officer at Absa Bank Kenya For years, cybersecurity operated on the assumption that cyberattacks depended heavily on human intelligence and expertise. Scammers relied on phishing emails, but these were often generic and easy to spot by a careful reader. Today, that premise no longer applies, as artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the cybersecurity landscape.  Artificial intelligence is a technology that allows computers and machines to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence. When used well, AI can save time and help people work more efficiently. Unfortunately, criminals are also using it to plan and carry…

Akuna Learning, from The Akuna Group, chaired by Sir Idris Elba, today opened applications for From Script to Screen with AI, a free programme that equips eligible African creators to tell stories on screen leveraging artificial intelligence. Delivered in collaboration with Google and supported by US$1 million funding from Google.org, with curriculum developed by Curious Refuge, the programme is open to aspiring filmmakers in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Applications are open now at akunalearning.com and close on 15 November 2026. The  programme is free to apply and, for those selected, free to attend.  Over fifty weeks,…

To help defend the African region against cyberthreats as they emerge, Kaspersky has recently supported INTERPOL-coordinated Operation Serengeti III combating a full spectrum of digital threats faced by both users and companies. The threat intelligence data pieced together by the Kaspersky Threat Research expertise center served as an enabler for a law enforcement action that had 1,462 suspects arrested and US$105 million recovered. The third edition of Operation Serengeti took place from June 29 to August 31, 2026. In the law enforcement action, INTERPOL brought together its private partners, including Kaspersky, and investigators from 20 African countries* and the United…

Nutanix, has announced it is collaborating with NVIDIA, Supermicro, and Netris to deliver new AI solutions that aim to simplify the infrastructure required for production AI and help organisations bring new capabilities online faster. By combining Nutanix software with leading hardware, networking, and silicon technologies, Nutanix aims to help enterprises deploy and operate production AI environments more efficiently at scale.   As organisations push more AI workloads into production, capacity constraints and operational complexity can make it harder to move quickly. Nutanix and its partners are working to simplify that path to make it easier to bring AI into production…