Author: Anita Bosman
Kasane: TECHz – News Desk In a significant stride toward regional digital integration, Botswana and Namibia signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at Cresta Mowana in Kasane, Botswana. The agreement establishes a structured framework to expand collaboration across digital transformation, emerging technologies, and cybersecurity infrastructure. Championed by David Tshere, Botswana’s Minister of Communications and Innovation, and Emma Theofelus, Namibia’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, the deal directly supports Botswana’s strategy to transition toward a digital knowledge economy while bolstering connectivity across the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The agreement builds on robust…
Abuja: TECHz – News Desk The Airtel Africa Foundation has launched a targeted effort to bridge the financial divide for women operating small and medium enterprises in Nigeria. Through its “Empower Her” initiative, the foundation is actively addressing the structural barriers that have historically limited women’s access to structured financial systems and digital banking tools. The first phase of the programme was rolled out locally by Airtel Nigeria across Lagos, Oyo, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Reaching approximately 2,000 women during its initial deployment, the initiative targets the informal sector, which drives a substantial portion…
Dubai: TECHz – News Desk New customer acquisitions grew more than 80% as organizations increasingly adopt new identity security solutions designed for the age of AI. Saviynt, a leading provider of identity security solutions, announced significant business momentum, surpassing $300 million in annual recurring revenue while growing bookings by more than 80% and maintaining a leading 96% customer retention rate. It also launched Zuma, a complete AI identity security platform that provides organizations with an innovative, agile, and effective solution to adopt, deploy, and scale AI solutions. Saviynt’s financial achievements reflect the growing demand for modern identity security, especially with…
Amman: TECHz – News Desk Valu Jordan, a leading universal financial technology powerhouse in the MENA region, has officially inaugurated a new branch at Sweifieh Village in Amman. This strategic move reinforces the company’s commitment to increasing accessibility to its flexible Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) solutions for customers across the Kingdom while delivering a seamless, multi-channel experience. The Sweifieh Village location joins Valu’s existing customer service touchpoints at the King Hussein Business Park and Taj Mall. Customers can explore diverse financial services, receive hands-on account assistance, and complete registration in minutes to instantly access credit limits. Mohammad Al-Yousef, Chief Executive Officer…
San Francisco: TECHz – News Desk Cloudflare has officially unveiled Cloudflare Wallets and cloudflare.pay, a new suite of tools designed to grant artificial intelligence agents a verified digital identity and the autonomy to make secure online purchases on behalf of their human creators. This launch establishes the foundational infrastructure required for a trusted agentic economy, enabling software programs to autonomously browse, query APIs, and transact with built-in accountability. Traditional Internet infrastructure was explicitly built for human users, leaving businesses unable to distinguish between a legitimate AI assistant and a malicious bot. Older bot detection tools were built for search crawlers…
Johannesburg: TECHz – News Desk In a move highlighting the growing intersection of telecommunications and continental economic policy, leaders from the MTN Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) convened this week to discuss the future of Africa’s digital economy. The high-level meeting focused on macroeconomic outlooks and the transformative power of digital and financial inclusion across the continent. MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita hosted IMF First Deputy Managing Director Dan Katz during Katz’s visit to South Africa, where he is engaging with government authorities and private sector representatives. The discussion centered on the macroeconomic environments…
Pretoria: TECHz – News Desk In a major step toward regional trade facilitation, the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have entered into a digital customs data-sharing agreement. The newly signed IT Connectivity Implementation Arrangement establishes a secure electronic platform for exchanging customs information, aiming to boost revenue collection, combat trade fraud, and streamline cross-border logistics between the two nations. This arrangement advances the operationalization of the Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement (CMAA). Initially negotiated in 2019, the CMAA provides the legal foundation for the two governments to share and utilize customs information. The revenue…
Windhoek: TECHz – News Desk The Namibian government has officially engaged multinational professional services firm Deloitte & Touche to guide the development of its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy framework and broader digital infrastructure. The collaboration follows high-level talks held this week in Windhoek between Emma Theofelus, Namibia’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, and a Deloitte & Touche Namibia delegation led by Country Leader Melanie Harrison. According to the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the discussions centered on several critical pillars necessary for a robust digital future. Key priority areas include ensuring ethical deployment through trustworthy AI and localized…
MEA: TECHz – News Desk Mastercard and Arab Financial Services (AFS) have unveiled a comprehensive digital corporate payments ecosystem integrated directly into the AFS Pro mobile application. Launching initially in the United Arab Emirates with a subsequent expansion into Egypt, the platform consolidates disjointed financial tools to streamline corporate spending and payment acceptance across the MEA region. The unified application eliminates fragmented processes by allowing businesses to issue corporate cards, enforce spending controls, and monitor expenses in real-time. It simultaneously equips merchants to transform standard smartphones into contactless payment terminals via SoftPOS technology, while offering Pay-by-Link functionality for secure remote…
Kigali: TECHz – News Desk The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Smart Africa Secretariat, has officially launched the third edition of the Innovate Africa Challenge. Designed to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence solutions, the 2026 initiative focuses on strengthening climate-smart agriculture and food security across the continent. Under the theme “From Ideation to Deployment,” this year’s challenge deliberately shifts away from recognizing theoretical concepts to focus entirely on scaling proven AI technologies capable of delivering measurable, real-world benefits to farmers. African agrifood systems are currently confronting compounding pressures, including worsening climate…