Burning our North: So much more than carbon farming
If you thought Indigenous burning practices in Australia’s North were all about accruing carbon offsets, think again. Dr Otto Campion, Yolgnu Senior Traditional Owner, Arafura Swamp Rangers. The Arafura Swamp is a wetland of national significance, the largest freshwater ecosystem in East Arnhem Land and one of Australia’s largest contiguous paperbark swamps. Held at the Mal Nairn Auditorium at Charles Darwin University in Darwin, the meeting attracted more than 30 Indigenous ranger groups, 35 international delegates from ten countries, and savanna fire management experts from across north Australia. Topics ranged from biocultural knowledge and monitoring biodiversity impacts to carbon markets, environmental markets, and health impacts from smoke from fire.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 07:33 UTC
Cross Switch Ghana receives approval from Bank of Ghana to operate as Payment Service Provider
Cross Switch Ghana and Cross Switch International are pleased to announce that Cross Switch Ghana has obtained approval from the Bank of Ghana to operate as an Enhanced Payment Service Provider. Cross Switch Ghana has been granted approval by Bank of Ghana to operate as an Enhanced Payment Service Provider, EPSP. Cross Switch recently announced its acquisition of a 50% stake in Vantage Payment Systems, a Moroccan fintech providing online payment solutions. Cross Switch’s CEO, Tim Davis, remarked “We have witnessed the evolution of Cross Switch Ghana from a local fintech company to a licensed Enhanced PSP. With their exceptional team and proven ability to provide relevant value-added services, we believe the company will excel in the fast-moving fintech space.”Saqib Nazir, CEO of Cross Switch Ghana said, “Cross Switch Ghana, as part of the Cross Switch Group of Companies, is excited about this next step of our journey as an EPSP.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 04:40 UTC
Telecom Egypt to adopt IBM Cloud Pak for Watson AIOps and IBM RPA
Telecom Egypt, TE a network operator in Egypt announced that they are working with IBM, to adopt intelligent automation technologies to implement an umbrella solution for all its operations support systems, OSS on mobile, fixed, and core networks. TE will adopt IBM Cloud Pak for Watson AIOps deployed on RedHat OpenShift and implement IBM Robotic Process Automation, solutions. To help reduce operational and reporting time, IBM RPA, part of IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation, will enable TE’s engineers and IT operators to track the network’s operating capacity and service quality across Egypt. The new solution will allow TE to identify, analyse, address and resolve complex IT issues in dynamic and complex environments. Telecom Egypt is the first total telecom operator in Egypt providing all telecom services to its customers including fixed and mobile voice and data services.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 04:40 UTC
Top Turkish diplomat to visit Egypt after a decade of tension
The visit by Mevlut Cavusoglu will be the first time Turkey has sent its top diplomat there since Egypt's army chief, now president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the ousting of Mursi in July 2013Disclaimer: The content of this article is syndicated or provided to this website from an external third party provider. We are not responsible for, and do not control, such external websites, entities, applications or media publishers. The body of the text is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither we nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this article. Read our full disclaimer policy here.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 04:25 UTC
SA agri-tech startup swiftVEE launches new app to help farmers
South African agri-tech startup swiftVEE has launched a new app – PrysWys – aimed at reducing input costs for farmers. swiftVee is an online livestock trading platform, and PrysWys leverages off its established customer base of approximately 100,000 commercial farmers. The app offers users a digital request form where farmers can list multiple products required for their farming operation and receive price quotations electronically. “PrysWys was developed to curb the rising input costs for farmers in the current economic climate,” said Russel Luck, CEO of swiftVEE. “Following our success in the online livestock trading space, we have noticed that farmers pay high premiums for their inputs at brick-and-mortar retailers.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 03:21 UTC
74% vulnerable to deepfakes finds survey in Mauritius, Egypt, Botswana, South Africa, Kenya
The problem is, awareness of deepfakes and how they work is very low in Africa and this puts users at risk. Deepfake technology has become so sophisticated that most people would find it challenging to spot a fake. Just over 50% of respondents said they were aware of deepfakes, while 48% were unsure or had little understanding of what they were. “These deepfake platforms are capable of creating civil and societal unrest when used to spread mis- or dis-information in political and election campaigns, and remain a dangerous element in modern digital society. However, nearly 21% said that they would believe it and 17% believed a video is impossible to fake.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 02:41 UTC
South Africa: Government sends wrong signal for electric vehicles, warns auto industry
“In that white paper, we map how our journey could look like in terms of … [EVs] and charging infrastructure. We’ve had a lot of conversations,” VWSA MD and CEO Martina Biene told The Africa Report. Biene explained that the first step for South Africa’s trajectory in EV production will be to create a framework that, at least, does not penalise the import of EVs. “Because it will start with imports and lower numbers to ramp here in South Africa.”While there were a lot of expectations for the EV sector on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget speech delivered on 22 February, he was silent on South Africa’s EV framework. He announced tax incentives pertaining to solar installations for both households and businesses.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 02:38 UTC
Mine blast kills three soldiers, injures 11 in north-east Nigeria
Three people were killed, with others injured in a bomb blast in north-east Nigeria. Three Nigerian troops were killed and 11 other people, including seven civilians, were injured by a highway bomb in north-east Nigeria near the border with Cameroon, where jihadists are active, military and militia sources told AFP on Friday. "Three soldiers died in the explosion and four others were badly injured, while seven civilians were also injured," anti-jihadist militia Usman Hamza said. READ | Nigeria launches $672 million tech fund for young investorsThe military did not immediately respond to a request for official comment. The decade-long jihadist conflict has killed 40 000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast, according to the UN.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 18, 2023 01:12 UTC
Relief for trading partners as Kenya lifts ban on powdered milk imports
Kenya’s trading partners who have been or intending to sell powdered milk to the country are set to enjoy the market opportunity after importation ban on the dairy product was lifted. “Take note that the importation of products under the East African Community (EAC) protocol refers to goods being imported from outside the East African Community, while goods traded within the EAC are referred to as transfers,” said Kimtai. This move has been warmly received by Uganda which sells milk products and especially powdered milk to Kenya. According to Rebecca Kadaga, Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, the decision was arrived at after a fruitful discussing with Mr Abdi Dubat, Permanent Secretary in Kneya’s Ministry of East African Community on bilateral issues. Chief buyerKenya has been the chief buyer of the Ugandan powdered milk, however, the trade relations have not been good due to several barriers that has existed for some times now.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 17, 2023 23:14 UTC
REFINERY NEWS ROUNDUP: Companies in Africa eye refinery investments
A number of refineries have closed in recent years, including Zambia's Indeni and South Africa's Engen. Meanwhile South Africa's Sapref and PetroSA have been mothballed while others remain idle, such as Ghana's Tema and Cameroon's Limbe. Ghana's new refinery, being built by the Sentuo Group, was expected to come online later this year or early 2024. Separately, as Africa's energy demand and population grow, the continent is looking to ensure its energy security but also combine it with clean energy projects as the increased energy demand coincides with global energy transition efforts, according to delegates at the ARDA conference. In other news, TotalEnergies has signed a 20-year, 260-MW renewable power purchase agreement with Sasol South Africa and Air Liquide Large Industries South Africa, the French energy company said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 17, 2023 21:53 UTC
Fintech
Improved access includes the usability and quality of these services, with most fintech solutions targeting the underserved population, including the youth, women, low-income earners, rural communities, and SMMEs. In the decade since, that number has grown to 43%, much of which can be attributed to the fintech and mobile money solutions developed since 2011. The success of these fintech startups has been driven by their ability to meet an underserved need in the market. Large commercial banks are competitively trying to retain market share, with fintech companies challenging their previously moated positions. In response to these fintech pressures, large corporates are engaging in M&A activity for various reasons, including access to disruptive intellectual property and tech products, scarce tech talent, and gaining speed to market.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 17, 2023 20:47 UTC
Global Recycling Day 2023 focuses on Africa
The initiative has been launched today to “mark the start” of Global Recycling Day, which is taking place tomorrow. The foundation’s Africa programme for 2030 is set to focus on five key areas over the coming years “to help build a collective approach for Africa”. Meanwhile, the book series is to comprise of eight educational study guides about recycling and waste management, targeted at children between 5-12. ResourceMr Baxi said that in celebration of the Global Recycling Day tomorrow (18 March), 10 winners of ‘recycling heroes’ chosen from across the world will be announced, each awarded $1,000. “Now is the time for Africa to embrace solutions that tackle the climate emergency head on, and recycling is a critical part of the picture.”
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 17, 2023 17:09 UTC
North Korea says ICBM test aimed to strike fear into enemies
Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The meeting in Tokyo was partially aimed at rebuilding security ties between the often-estranged U.S. allies in the face of North Korean nuclear threats. North Korea has long portrayed U.S.-South Korean military drills as rehearsals for an invasion, although the allies describe those exercises as defensive. “South Korea and Japan need to work closely together and in solidarity to wisely counter the threat.”___Find more AP Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 17, 2023 15:16 UTC
Egypt and Turkey look for ways to mend fences
Turkey’s top diplomat will visit Egypt on Saturday as relations ease after a decade of strained ties, Cairo’s foreign ministry said. The visit to Cairo by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will “kick off the return to normal relations between the two countries”, the ministry said. Relations ran into trouble after the 2013 ouster of Egypt’s Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, an ally of Turkey. At the time, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would “never” speak to “anyone” like Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. However, while diplomatic exchanges were once frosty, business never stopped — in 2022, Turkey was the largest importer of Egyptian products totalling $4 billion.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 17, 2023 14:37 UTC
Gulf startups Almentor, COFE, Qlub snag VC funding; Tamara gets debt from Goldman
Gulf startups Almentor, COFE, Qlub snag VC funding; Tamara gets debt from GoldmanCredit: 123RF.comStartup funding activity in the Middle East remained robust this week, shrugging off the dismal sentiment in other regions after the collapse of California-based Silicon Valley Bank. Startups in the region struck funding deals ranging from pre-seed to pre-Series C rounds and debt deals in sectors including fintech, fashion, and food e-commerce. In June 2021, the company raised $6.5 million in a Series B round led by Partech. AdvertisementCOFEKuwait-based online coffee marketplace COFE raised $15 million led by Wa’ed Ventures, the $500-million Saudi-focused VC fund wholly owned by Aramco. BazaaraBazaara, a resale fashion app in the UAE, raised US$230,000 in its pre-seed round from Flat6Labs UAE and angel investors.
Source:The North Africa Journal
March 17, 2023 14:31 UTC