Author: Kaluka wanjala

The Kenyan government and Huawei Kenya have launched an independent evaluation report of digital skills training provided by DigiTruck program.  Launched in 2019 in Kenya under Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative, the DigiTruck is a mobile, solar-powered classroom equipped with Internet connectivity, laptops, and smartphones. Converted from a used shipping container mounted on the back of a truck, the DigiTruck travels to remote communities in Kenya, providing free training in digital skills to youth, empowering them to participate more fully in the digital economy. The report was launched at the Connected Africa Summit by Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Eliud…

Huawei’s rotating chairman, Eric Xu, urged developers to collaborate on the development of native apps for the company’s mobile operating system HarmonyOS. “We call on all app developers and owners in China to join our HarmonyOS-native app ecosystem as soon as possible, and work together to deliver a better experience to consumers,” said Xu. HarmonyOS is the company’s next-generation operating system that can run on a wide range of smart devices, e.g. smartphones, wearables, tablet computers and smart TVs. By the end of 2023, HarmonyOS had been deployed on more than 800 million devices. According to Counterpoint Research, Harmony OS reached 4%…

Qualcomm has today announced the 10 shortlisted startups for Qualcomm Make in Africa 2024. It is an equity-free mentorship program that finds promising early-stage startups that use advanced connectivity and processing technologies such as 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Compute, and IoT to innovative end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware.  According to Qualcomm, the shortlisted startups have shown exceptional potential in applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies to innovative end-to-end systems solutions. They will receive free mentorship, business coaching access to engineering consultation for product development, and guidance on protecting intellectual property. The 10 shortlisted startups are: “I am thrilled with the overwhelming response…

The OPPO Reno11 F 5G was recently unveiled in Kenya and is available in stores from Ksh 47,999. This is one of the devices in the Reno 11 series that was launched in Kenya earlier this year. This is the affordable model of the series and should be on your list if you are looking for a smartphone under Ksh 50,000. I have the Reno11 F 5G in for review which should be up in a couple of weeks. Before we get to the review, this post will highlight my first impressions of this phone and show you what you…

As Kenya’s digital asset landscape matures, Yellow Card shares its perspectives on the unfolding regulatory developments. In an exclusive interview with Sharon Tum, the Regional Operations Manager for Yellow Card in East Africa, we talk about the company’s operations, challenges faced in the crypto market, and its take on the Blockchain Association of Kenya’s (BAK) Virtual Assets Service Provider (VASP) draft Bill. Yellow Card’s Background Yellow Card, the largest and first licensed Stablecoin on/off ramp in Africa, has risen to become one of the leading exchanges in Africa. In the interview, Sharon Tum shares Yellow Card’s mission – to make…

The Redmi A3 is the latest entry level smartphone from the company to launch in Kenya. The phone is available in retail stores starting from Ksh 11,599. This is the successor to the Redmi A2 series from last year that impressed me. The Redmi A series is maturing to be the stand out entry level smartphone series. The phones in this series offer good value for money compared to what you get from its competitors. I have been using the Redmi A3 for a couple of weeks and in this review I will be sharing my experiences with it. Is…

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced that its AI Ready initiative will be available in Kenya. This initiative seeks to equip 2 million people with AI skills by 2025. The current estimates by the World Economic Forum predict that AI could replace over 85 million jobs by 2025.  “Amazon is launching AI Ready to help those with a desire to learn about AI and benefit from the tremendous opportunity ahead,” said AWS.  Through this initiative, Kenyans will have access to free AI skill training ranging from machine learning, deep learning to Natural language Processing (NLP). This training is suitable for…

It is 2024, and Wall Street firms, led by the world’s biggest asset manager, BlackRock, race to provide bitcoin exposure to mainstream investors via regulated exchange-traded products. Around the world, millions of people use digital assets to protect the value of their savings amid raging inflation and devaluation of their national currencies as well as to take advantage of low-fee and near-instant cross-border money transfers. Traditional domains from charitable giving to art are being enhanced and reimagined with new efficiencies and capabilities that the use of blockchain technology offers. And yet, oddly enough, there are still people out there stubbornly…

Vertiv has announced the introduction of the extension of the Vertiv Liebert GXT5 Lithium-Ion double-conversion, on-line uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system for 5kVA-10kVA Global Voltage (GV) (200V-240V; Default 230V) applications. This expansion of the Liebert GXT5 Lithium-Ion line to 10kVA (from 1-3kVA) further rounds out the Vertiv portfolio of lithium-ion UPS systems and solutions for the edge of the network. Vertiv is now accepting orders for the new 5-10kVA GV models in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and shipping from current inventories.  The Liebert GXT5 Lithium-Ion models are designed for the smaller spaces typical of the network edge, with a convertible rack/tower design and only…

Madica has announced its first set of investments in three African startups. Madica is a structured investment program designed for pre-seed stage startups in Africa. Each of the three startups will receive $200,000 and will be part of Madica’s comprehensive investment program. This consists of 18 months of dedicated company-building support tailored to the unique needs of each startup. Madica offers highly personalized curriculum, hands-on mentorship, invitations to fully-funded week-long founder immersion trips, executive coaching opportunities, and access to madica’s global network of investors for follow-on funding – all designed to spur growth and ensure the long-term viability of the…