Fintech Association Of Kenya

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐈𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐴 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑠, 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑏𝑒.

During the 41st World Conference of the IASP - International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation in Nairobi, Kenya, the Solution Innovation District (SID) has become a full member of the IASP. Global innovation leaders and policymakers came together at the conference that focused on demographics, entrepreneurship, and technology's role in shaping future economies. This membership provides SID the opportunity to tap into IASP’s worldwide network of over 400 organizations in 76 countries comprised of innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs. The achievement also dovetails into the vision of Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo to make the region Africa’s Silicon Valley. SID’s inclusion in this prestigious network will enable the SID to access such international partnerships and best practices in innovation ecosystem development. #InnovationEcosystem #GlobalTech #AfricanInnovation #DigitalTransformation #TechDevelopment

A recent BudgIT Nigeria report shows that Nigerian states heavily depend on federal operations allocations. It also reveals that in the past five years, only Lagos and Rivers states have generated internal revenue comparable to their federal allocations. This report identifies a serious fiscal imbalance in which states have enormous expenditure responsibilities but limited revenue generation capacity. The dependency on federal allocations exposes states to great risks (as during periods of economic volatility or reduced federal revenue). The oil revenues traditionally responsible for the bulk of federal allocations have fallen, compounding the situation. In order to address these challenges, states need to strengthen revenue-generating institutions and come up with more efficient strategies to raise internal revenue beyond monthly allocations. Improving tax administration systems, expanding the tax base, and adopting transparent fiscal management practices are all part of this, including securing the country’s sustainable development in the face of rising government operational costs and growing infrastructure deficits. #NigerianEconomy #FiscalPolicy #StateRevenue #PublicFinance #EconomicDevelopment

𝐀𝐆𝐅 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐆𝐅𝐈𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 The African Guarantee Fund (AGF) has signed a significant framework agreement with @Banque Gabonaise et Française Internationale (BGFIBank Cameroun), marking a strategic partnership to enhance SME financing in Africa. This collaboration represents a major step in addressing the financing gap faced by small and medium enterprises across the continent, with AGF providing partial guarantees to BGFI Bank to facilitate increased lending to SMEs. The partnership builds on AGF's proven track record of supporting financial institutions in Africa, with a particular focus on green financing and women-led businesses. BGFI Bank, as one of Central Africa's leading banking groups with operations in 11 countries, brings substantial regional expertise and distribution capabilities to the partnership. This agreement is expected to leverage AGF's guarantee mechanisms to unlock significant funding for SMEs, which are crucial drivers of economic growth and job creation in African economies. #AfricanFinance #SMEFinancing #AGF #BGFIBank #AfricanBanking #FinancialInclusion #EconomicDevelopment #AfricanBusiness #SustainableFinance #FinancialPartnership

Apple has released the first round of Apple Intelligence AI features in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. These features, initially announced at WWDC in June, include a redesigned Siri that can handle typed requests and understand context better, writing tools for proofreading and summarizing text, an updated Photos app with more intelligent search and a memories feature for creating movies, priority messages and smart replies in Mail, and a new "reduce interruptions" focus mode. iPhone 15 Pro and later users can request activation via a waitlist in Settings. Additional features like Genmojis, image playground, and integration of OpenAI's ChatGPT are slated for December, with language support expanding beyond US English. While some analysts predicted Apple Intelligence would drive a surge in iPhone upgrades, it remains to be seen if the AI features will significantly boost sales in Q4 after a Q3 slowdown.

𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 AfriLabs has secured key partnerships with RLabs, Ethiopian Airlines, and Southern Sun Hotels for its #AnnualGathering2024, scheduled for November 6-8 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The event, themed "𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛," aims to foster collaboration among Africa's technology and innovation ecosystem leaders. Specialized tracks at this year’s gathering will include Green and Blue Economy; Gender and Inclusion; Investment; Creative Digital Economy; and Policy, Data, and AI. The event is expected to host government officials, investors with portfolios in excess of $300 million, innovation leaders and entrepreneurs from across the continent, to provide a platform for meaningful partnerships and knowledge exchange in Africa’s technology sector. #AfricanInnovation #TechEcosystem #DigitalTransformation #AfricanStartups #InnovationHub

Gebeya Inc., the pan-African talent marketplace, has announced its partnership with NVIDIA to train 50,000 African developers in artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. The initiative addresses the growing demand for AI expertise across the continent while creating opportunities for African tech talent in the global digital economy. The program will provide developers with access to NVIDIA's cutting-edge AI tools, frameworks, and learning resources. Participants will receive specialized training in areas including deep learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. The partnership also reflects the broader trend of major tech companies investing in African talent development to fill the continent’s digital skills gap and to create a pipeline for local developers to enter the AI revolution. African developers will be trained on practical, industry relevant skills that will give them the edge over their peers in the international tech marketplace. #AfricanTech #AITalent #SkillsDevelopment #TechEducation #DigitalTransformation

Competition Tribunal of South Africa has prohibited Vodacom's proposed R14 billion investment in fibre infrastructure company MAZIV, a subsidiary of Community Investment Ventures (Pty) Ltd. The decision follows a comprehensive 26-day hearing that concluded in September 2024, despite earlier approval from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa in November 2022. Under the proposed transaction, Vodacom would have received a 30 percent stake in Maziv, with an option to raise this to 40 percent by bringing its assets together with those of Dark Fibre Africa and Vumatel. In the deal, it committed to investing R10bn to build fibre infrastructure over five years, create 10,000 jobs and offer free internet to over 600 schools and police stations. But the Tribunal voiced fears about market competition, noting in particular Vodacom's dominance as South Africa's biggest mobile operator. Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub expressed disappointment with the decision, emphasizing the deal's potential benefits for digital infrastructure development in lower-income areas. Both Vodacom and Maziv await the Tribunal's detailed reasoning and may consider an appeal through the Competition Appeal Court. #TelecomRegulation #SouthAfricanTech #DigitalInfrastructure #MarketCompetition #FibreNetwork

Huawei Morocco and Hassan II University of Casablanca have partnered to launch 𝐶𝑜𝑑𝑒 212, a digital skills center aimed at providing targeted training in key technology areas including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, and Internet of Things (IoT). The initiative is part of Morocco's broader national strategy to accelerate the transformation of higher education and scientific research by 2030. The program addresses a critical need identified by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which indicates that Africa must train 650 million people in digital skills by 2030 to fully capitalize on technological opportunities. Morocco has set an ambitious target of training 100,000 young people annually in digital professions, with the goal of creating 240,000 jobs in the technology sector by 2030. The Code 212 center, already established in other Moroccan universities, represents a strategic step toward achieving these objectives and supporting the country's digital transformation agenda. #DigitalSkills #MoroccanTech #TechEducation #DigitalTransformation #AfricanTech

The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) and the Italian Space Agency have launched a comprehensive two-week training program focused on CubeSat development at the Luigi Broglio Space Centre in Malindi. The initiative will run from October 28 to November 8, bringing together experts from the Italian Space Agency and professors from Sapienza University of Rome to train Kenyan engineers in nanosatellite technology. The program targets five selected Kenyan university teams with exceptional mission concepts, including SimbaSat, AgMonSat, FloodSat, KilimoSat, and CombatSat, along with the Tafiti team representing university students involved in KSA's satellite development platform. This collaboration builds upon previous online training conducted in July and August, advancing from theoretical concepts to hands-on practical experience in nanosatellite design and development. #SpaceTechnology #KenyaSpace #TechEducation #InternationalCollaboration #Nanosatellites