Social media giant Facebook announced Friday a new office in Lagos, Nigeria, meant to support operations in sub-Saharan Africa. It is expected to be operational next year. The office will be home to several teams for sales, partnerships and communication, as well as becoming the first Facebook office on the…
People living in the European Union have an average income that’s 11 times higher than that of sub-Saharan Africa, and the disparity grows to 16 times higher when compared with North Americans. That’s according to the new World Social Report, presented Tuesday by United Nations Chief Economist Elliot Harris and…
African leaders have completed a two-day conference in India, designed to boost economic opportunity and international partnership through education. The event in New Delhi, coordinated by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), saw education ministry staff from Ghana and South Africa join their Indian counterparts to discuss opportunities for training…
From the agricultural use of drones in Mozambique to solar irrigation systems in Niger, the African continent is embracing digital technologies to boost its food productivity and profitably – and that only becomes a more critical goal as young populations grow across the coming decades. That’s one reason why youth…
Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has named 10 breakthrough technologies that will help to reinvent the future, and listed them in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Review article published Wednesday. Gates said he first thought of the plow, in use since 4000 BCE, while contemplating how technologies create…
African youth and the continent’s future will shape the planet in coming decades, and technology is the key to unlock that potential, said Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during the Google for Nigeria event in Lagos. “In Nigeria, we cannot train our nearly 200 million young people by 2045, in…
Mobile money access is a cornerstone of Africa’s economic future and among the technologies highlighted by Christine Lagarde during remarks in Addis Ababa on Friday. The managing director for the International Monetary Fund was in Ethiopia to address the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, with a speech that emphasized…
Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, this year’s recipient of the World Food Prize, says that Africa has the potential to help feed the world but needs assistance to cultivate a modern agribusiness sector and infrastructure to support it. “Africa cannot grow in the dark,” said Adesina in remarks made this week while…
The “ransomeware” attack Friday that involved compromised computer systems in a reported 99 countries – at last count – may be among the largest reported in years, but it’s not a new problem and some experts say African businesses and organizations are especially vulnerable. The ransomware strain WannaCry (also known…
About 200 experts and policy decision makers wrapped up a conference on science and technology in Nairobi on Friday. Kenya hosted leaders from 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa who connected with their counterparts from China and other “innovation nations.” The Partnership for Skills in the Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET)’s…
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a USD $10 million equity investment in a fund designed to invest in technology-driven companies seeking to lower the cost of services in a range of industries. The Technology and Innovation in Developing Economies (TIDE) Fund I will initially invest in Nigeria, Kenya…
In a sign of their strengthening ties, the nations of Rwanda and Israel began an official political dialogue this week that marks the first such meeting in the history of the relations of the two countries. “Today in Kigali, many of my partners in promoting Israel’s ties with Africa took…
Viber, the free calling and messaging app announced that it as opened its latest social channel, Public Chats in Africa and the Middle East. The app has over 644 million unique users and public chats enables influential figures throughout the world to “reach local and regional audiences”, reported AFK Insider….
South Africans have hit back at a proposal to protect the country’s mobile service providers against competition from free communication apps. A South African women’s magazine, All4Women created the petition fighting to prevent telecoms from regulating free to use services (after downloaded) such as WhatsApp and Skype, known as over-the-top (OTT)…
Technology is not often the first thing that comes to mind when we think of international development. Usually we are more focused on overarching ideas like clean drinking water or halting a disease that was eradicated in the developed world decades ago. But in reality, some of the very same…
Andy Prinsen is a writer and multimedia producer based in Denver, Colorado. He has a Masters degree in public affairs and bachelors in journalism. @andyalacarte. Alexis Barnes is a multimedia journalist currently working in development in Zambia. @AlexisKReports.