IT News Africa: Top Stories of the Week

Quite a bit has happened in the ICT and technology sector over the past week. Included in this was the announcement of Titus Naikuni being named as Chairman for Airtel Kenya as well as Themba Khumalo being appointed as CEO of MTN Guinea. Also making waves in the headlines this week was the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). According to reports, the NCC has shut down telecom provider Owntel Communications.

Also making the headlines this week was Facebook. According to the social media giant, it is looking to start a project that will essentially provide free internet services in Africa.

Focusing on next week, IT News Africa will be hosting an interactive seminar titled “Selling to the CIO.” The Strategic Seminar will take place on 25 and 26 November 2014, at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, in Johannesburg. This intensive 2-day workshop is aimed at Vendor CEO’s, Business Development Directors, Business Development Managers, Sales Directors, Consultants, Sales Managers, Key Account Managers, Heads of new business and Sales executives. If your organisation wants to become more effective at selling to CIOs, then this seminar is a must attend for your team. To book your place please click here.

We hope you have a fantastic weekend. The top stories of the week can be found below.

News

Titus Naikuni named as Chairman for Airtel Kenya
Bharti Airtel has revealed the appointment of Dr. Titus Naikuni as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Airtel Kenya. Read More.

Guinea: MTN appoints Khumalo as CEO
MTN has revealed that it has appointed Themba Khumalo as CEO of MTN Guinea. Khumalo succeeds Phumzile Joshua Phike. Read More.

Nigeria: NCC shuts down illegal telecom firm
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has shut down telecom provider Owntel Communications. The shutdown is due to the company allegedly offering telecommunications services to customers, without obtaining operational licence. Read More.

Nigeria: Access Bank & Airtel launch Access Money
Financial institution, Access Bank, has collaborated with Airtel Nigeria to develop and launch mobile money service, Access Money powered by Airtel. Read More.

Microsoft set to drive innovation in North Africa
At this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Morocco, Microsoft signed a new strategic alliance with Tunisian startup Saphon Energy, a company that specialises in the research and development of wind energy. Read More.

Ghana: Tigo invests $3.2 Million in overhead fibre project
Tigo Ghana has started work on a USD 3.2 million overhead fibre-optic cable project. The project is part of efforts to boost customer experience in the Western and Ashanti regions. According to Tigo Ghana, it is expected to end indiscriminate fibre cuts by illegal miners, road contractors and property developers which is affecting its network quality and user experience particularly in both regions. Read More.

Kenya: Consumers order more iPhones than Apple can provide
Apple products are growing in popularity across Kenya. According to reports, the brand cannot keep up with the consumer demand for the device. According to figures from mobile operators as well as resellers, the demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is more than Apple can provide. Read More.

BCX sees revenue increase despite tough economic conditions
Business Connexion has released its annual results for the year ended 31 August 2014. Read More.

Nigeria: Tecno Mobile to launch $30 smartphone in 2015
Tecno mobile is set to launch a low-cost mobile device during the course of 2015. According to the mobile device manufacturer, the device is expected to retail for $30 USD. Read More.

Facebook aiming for free internet in Africa
According to reports social media giant, Facebook, is in advanced talks with Avanti, a UK-based satellite operator regarding a project that will essentially provide free internet services in Africa. The project is part of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet.org initiative, as reported by The Telegraph. Read More.

Opinions

The rise of online shopping in Africa
Online transactions make up less than 1% of the overall retail market in South Africa according to Enst & Young. Although this is extremely low when compared with the UK where online shopping constitutes 14% of retail sector purchases, this number is escalating at an impressive year-on-year rate according to latest MasterCard Worldwide Online Shopping Survey. Read More.

Interviews

Airtel to improve network & efficiency moving forward – Airtel CEO
IT News Africa had an exclusive interview with Christian De Faria, CEO – Airtel Africa AfricaCom 2014. The Airtel Africa CEO explains in the interview that Airtel is focusing on its customers, expanding in Africa, and improving the overall efficiency of the network moving forward. Watch the interview here.

Internet connectivity changes lives – Facebook VP
At AfricaCom 2014, IT News Africa had an exclusive interview with Chris Daniels, Facebook’s Vice President for Internet.org. Daniels explains in the interview that Facebook’s mission is to make the world more open and connected. Daniels also explains that Internet.org also has a mission, which is connecting the two thirds of the world that don’t have access to the internet. Watch the interview here.

Top Feature

How ICT is responding to Ebola in Africa
The Ebola outbreak has captured the attention of many large corporations within the ICT sector. Companies like MTN, SES, Liquid Telecom, Econet, IBM, Airtel, LG and Samsung have all responded to the outbreak in a meaningful and impactful way. Read More. Read More.

Top List

7 Tips for Selling to the CIO
Let’s face it, selling to the modern day CIO is not an easy task. These industry executives essentially live busy lives. They are busy 24/7, and are bombarded with technical sales calls day in and day day out; however, there are ways and means to successfully sell to them. Read More.

Top 5 apps to ease exam stress across Africa
Various students from a multitude educational institutions, across the continent, will preparing to hit the books, internet and other forms of educational resources in order to gain knowledge as well as prepare for their upcoming exams. Read More.

10 African tech start-ups to look out for
Africa is bursting with potential, especially when it comes to the tech start-up scene. A great number of companies have entered the African tech scene recently; however, 10 of these start-ups have shined, much like the glorious African sun, in the eyes of IT News Africa. Read More.

Gadgets and Gaming

PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup November 2014
The October lineup was quite honestly a great one. Not only did we receive titles like of Dust: An Elysian Tail, but we also received, Spelunky, Batman Arkham Asylum, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, and a host of other great titles. The PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup November 2014 looks to deliver some great content as well. Read More.

Microsoft launches new Lumia devices in Kenya
Microsoft has revealed the availability of the Lumia 830 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM devices. According to Microsoft, both devices will run on its Windows Phone 8.1 OS. Read More.

Darryl Linington