IT News Africa: Top Stories Of The Week
Yet another week has flown by where all the biggest news stories from across Africa and indeed the rest of the world have all had one thing in common, the have been about technology.
This past week, Samsung announced that the firm would be scrapping its plans to build a manufacturing plant in Nigeria due to its poor market share in the country.
As the World Economic Forum took place in Davos, The CEO of Visa revealed that the company does not view Bitcoin as real money and will not touch it.
The team at IT News Africa also produced a number of quality features this week which included, Top 5 Nigerian job sites revealed as unemployment stats surface and 5G could ignite smart city development in South Africa.
From all of us at IT News Africa, have a great weekend. The top stories of the week can be found below.
News
Samsung scraps Nigerian manufacturing plant plans
On Thursday 18 January 2018, Samsung revealed that the company will no longer look to establish a manufacturing plant in Nigeria because its market share in the country is not big enough. Read More.
Bitcoin is not really money and Visa wont touch it says CEO
In an interview with CNBC, Alfred Kelly, the CEO of credit card giant Visa, revealed that he believes that Bitcoin – the world’s largest cryptocurrency – is not really money and Visa won’t touch it. Read More.
6 Nigerian telcos are in danger of losing their licences
On 23 January 2018, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed that it may suspend the operational licences of six telco companies in the country, according to a report by Nigerian Communications Week. The companies have been implicated for their alleged involvement in call masking- a technique used to allow SMS messages to be sent or calls to be made to people without revealing the identity of the sender or caller. Read More.
Kenya: Mobile money interoperability to launch in March 2018
Kenyans will now be able to transfer funds across networks, this comes after three of the country’s mobile money platforms Safaricom’s M-Pesa, Telkom money, and Airtel money went into an agreement which aims to bring down the cost of money transactions. The pilot phase of the platform was launched on Monday, 22 January 2018. The interoperability will be rolled out nationally in March 2018. Read More.
Eskom’s controversial CFO resigns before court appearance
On Monday 22 January 2018 Eskom, an energy supplier in South Africa, announced that its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – Anoj Singh – has resigned. Read More.
Top Opinions & Features
5 things to expect from 5G in South Africa
At the beginning of 2018 MTN and Ericsson announced that they have begun the first 5G technology and applications trial in Africa. Mobile Internet usage has grown exponentially the world over, South Africa has in turn looked to leverage faster network connectivity to accelerate digital transformation on the continent. Read More.
Top 5 Nigerian job sites revealed as unemployment stats surface
On Sunday 21 January 2018, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Nigeria released its Labour Force Statistics Vol. 2: Employment by sector report in Abuja. The report revealed that 7.5 million Nigerians were left doing nothing between January 2016 and December 30, 2017, due to the hair-raising unemployment rate in the country. Read More.
Social media reacts to George Weah being sworn in as President of Liberia
From being one of the biggest football icons in the 1990s to becoming the president of Liberia in 2018, George Weah made history when he was sworn in as the president of Liberia on Monday, 22 January 2018. Read More.
5G could ignite smart city development in South Africa
Looking for real estate investment opportunities around the world? The secret is to think “smart”. The term “smart city” is coming up more and more frequently in real estate and investment circles. Cities either claim to be or are aspiring to be smart. Although there is no set definition for what this entails, cities that come close to achieving this ideal usually exhibit a strong degree of technological integration, environmentally friendly policies and solutions, and an intelligent approach to town planning and the delivery of transport infrastructure. Read More.
5.7 million jobs are at risk of total automation in South Africa
New research from Accenture highlights the impact of digital technologies on jobs and economies. It’s an important topic for South Africa as new local research indicates that more than a third of jobs in this country may be automated. Read More.
Gadgets and Gaming
Monster Hunter World to receive important day one patch
It’s official, Monster Hunter World launches on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at the end of this week. While we are eager to get our hands on the full retail release, it looks as though Monster Hunter World will need an update before we can all enjoy the full experience. Read More.
Taking a closer look at the LG 27-inch UltraFine 5K display
Designed and optimised for the new MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 3 running macOS 10.12 and later, the LG 27-inch UltraFine 5K display appeals to a range of creatives, including video and photography professionals. Read More.
Why your child should wear a smart watch
The growing selection of affordable smartwatches designed specifically for children has opened new options for parents who are shopping for wearables for younger kids. Wearables give parents peace of mind by helping them track a child’s location and allowing them to stay in touch via text and phone calls. Read More.
Watch 40 minutes of Monster Hunter: World gameplay
Battle gigantic monsters in epic locales. As a hunter, you’ll take on quests to hunt monsters in a variety of habitats. Read More.
Dell reveals XPS 13 and XPS 15 South Africa launch
Dell revealed the all new Dell XPS 13 and the first 2-in-1 device by the company the Dell XPS 15 at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES), held in January 2018 in Las Vegas. According to Dell the devices are aimed at the c-suite and individuals who expect their devices to perform, look good and be available in an instant. Dell have also revealed that both of these products will hit South African stores in February 2018. Read More.
By Dean Workman
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