Author: Brand Spot

LG Electronics has today awarded more than 320 young technology leaders with disabilities from 16 countries for their effective participation and skills exhibition in executing computer-based activities. Drawn from across the globe, the leaders were hosted and awarded at the 11th Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities (GITC) which not only inspired them but also tested their skills for computer-based activities in a series of four timed challenges – eTool, eLifeMap, eContent and eCreative. Commenting on the awards and empowerment of the young leaders, Chairman of the GITC Organizing Committee Kim In-kyu said, “Technologies can help all of us to overcome obstacles in our daily lives…

Liquid C2 has opened the doors of its first Cyber Security Fusion Centre (CSFC) in Nairobi, Kenya, making this the second centre of its kind in Africa. “Kenyan businesses have seen increased digital adoption, and the country’s connected population in early 2021 was nearly 22 million. The increased number of digitally transformed businesses and individuals means that the target pool for malicious entities is also becoming wider. As a result, we have witnessed immense interest from customers wanting to partner with us to benefit from the services our Fusion Centre offers in South Africa. And now, we have brought the…

Tanzania’s fintech company,  Ramani, has today announced the close of its $32million series A round of equity & debt. The round was led by renowned global technology investors Flexcap Ventures and revered founder/CEO of Infoscout, Jared Schreiber. Ramani also raised an undisclosed seed funding in 2021 that included participation from Village Global, Goat Capital, Musha Ventures, Hustle Fund, Future Africa, Launch Africa Ventures, Raba capital, and renowned angel investor, James Beshara. Ramani was originally backed by Y combinator. With this new capital funding, Ramani will scale its network of micro-distribution centres (MDCs) and also launch a new micro-credit offering for select…

Cellulant and Solv Kenya have signed a financial services partnership that will enable Solv Kenya’s expanding MSME partners to access digital payment and collections services offered by Cellulant. Following the announcement of Solv’s commercial operations in Kenya last month, this partnership will enable MSMEs using the Solv Kenya platform to reconcile, receive, and view all their payments on the go under one roof. In a 2021 report released by the Kenya Bankers Association, Micro, Small Medium-Enterprises (MSMEs) employ over 15 million people in the country contributing significantly to supporting livelihoods and creating growth in the Kenyan economy. However, despite this,…

Avenews, a multinational financial technology company, is building the first financial super app for Kenya’s Agricultural Small and Medium Enterprises (agri-SMEs).  The super app provides a comprehensive financial management tool that enables advanced ML (machine learning) algorithms to process hundreds of data points and create personalized financial products – including access to digital credit. The one-stop-shop app assists agribusinesses with operations and team management, as well as digital invoicing and payments. Avenews’ Country Manager, Emmanuel Murai notes: “Agri-SMEs are the driving force behind Africa’s economic growth, but their financial needs often go unmet. With Avenews, agri-SMEs can finally make informed…

Microsoft, through its Africa Transformation Office (ATO) has announced a partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to support digital transformation in Africa’s agricultural sector.  In a session during the Adaptation and Agriculture Day at COP27 in Egypt, the two organisations highlighted the partnership that aims to deliver digital agriculture products that support African agribusinesses to strengthen food security and develop greater resilience against climate change.  Through the partnership, digital tools such as Microsoft’s AgBot and Community Training applications are integrated with IFC’s Agribusiness Leadership Program to provide better information, newer technologies, and management capacity training to agribusinesses, farmers and…

The African music industry has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years due to a variety of factors, including collaborations with local and international artists, music streaming, and social media. However, only a select number of artists are enjoying this success, and many talented creators are still struggling to break through. This is why Spotify has launched Spotify Talks Africa, a video series that brings the continent’s music industry stakeholders together in conversation. Spotify Talks Africa is a forum for featured panelists to discuss the issues that the African music industry faces and the solutions needed to…

Yego taxi app is the latest cab hailing application to launch in Kenya. This app wants to differentiate itself by taking 12% commission for every ride. This is the lowest rate in Kenya at the moment and is even lower than the 18% recommended by the law. It is even lower than the 15% commission Little takes for every ride.  Yego Mobility Kenya limited says they are here to “revolutionize urban mobility in the country with better terms for drivers and fair fares for passengers.” The company says they have done  in-depth on-ground feasibility studies over the past two years…

Over 73% of Information Technology security decision-makers are concerned about the growing digital attack space because of the Covid-19 pandemic’s increased digitalisation. Trend Micro, a leading cybersecurity provider, has recently released its’ latest industry report. The report contains several interesting trends and developments within the cybersecurity space.  The continued growth of threat detections, which has increased exponentially since the pandemic forced greater adoption of digital functions, is one key finding. According to the report, many IT decision makers are concerned about the rapid digitalisation, with 43% claiming that the digital attack surface is spiralling out of control and 37% describing…

Safaricom partners with Boomplay to offer subscription rates starting from KES 20 per day  Safaricom has today announced a new partnership with Boomplay to offer subscribers affordable subscription rates starting from KES 20 per day.  Boomplay is a music streaming service with over 85 million local and international tracks and Podcasts. The hass seen massive growth over the years rivaling most other music streaming services.  The partnership will offer Safaricom customers Boomplay subscription bundles at discounted rates coupled with free data, ranging from a daily bundle of KES 20 with 50MB, a weekly bundle of KES 120 with 300MB and…