| This is a troubling development out of Kenya. Facebook’s latest transparency report says the Kenyan government asked the social media giant to hand over the private details of Kenyan users on five separate occasions in the first half of this year.
Facebook says that in four of the five instances, the government failed to use the proper legal channels, instead citing the urgency of the situation. It appears Facebook, however, acceded to the government’s demand once. It’s unclear why the government requested for this sensitive information but it’s nonetheless chilling to know your government could be in possession of your data via a third party social media company. It also raises many questions about free speech and privacy. |
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| Moyinoluwa Adeyemi is a runner, coder and Google Developer Expert. In 2016, she developed the wildly popular Yoruba Watch Faces, possibly the first-ever clock app designed in an indigenous African language. You get the point: she’s a talented Android developer who also runs marathons. Kay Ugwuede sat down with her to discuss life and work in yet another fascinating episode of My Life In Tech.
And ICYMI: My Life in Tech is a series where we focus on some of the people behind innovative startups, investments and policy formations driving the technology sector across Africa. You can find all previous entries here. |
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| Cairo-based chatbot building platform Botme has raised an undisclosed six-figure amount from unnamed angel investors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Founded by Hosni Ahmed, Saais Elhakeem and Soliman Abaza in 2017, Botme helps its clients build chatbots. It charges a 2% transaction fee on orders received through bots it has helped build and offers its platform for free to users with under 500 bot users. |
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| Ventures Platform has announced a partnership with the Embassy of Ireland in Nigeria to launch AgriLab – an ideation workshop and bootcamp targeted at startups within the AgriTech space. VP says the programme is aimed at transforming the ideas of startups into full-fledged business models capable of taking over the market.
Startups stand a chance to receive $2,000 in funding, hands-on mentorship from industry experts, and office spaces. The winning team will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Ireland where they’ll meet and network with potential business partners and state agencies. Interested startups can apply here and the deadline is December 18. |
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| Dimeji Falana is the CEO/Cofounder of Edves. Edves supports collaboration between administrators, teachers and parents on kids’ education to track learning outcomes and discover students with a tendency of falling behind.
TC Townhall Edtech & the Future of Work will hold on November 29, 2019, at Zone Tech Park, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos. Here’s the agenda for the Townhall.
We are bringing together regulators, government agencies, investors, entrepreneurs, NGOs, social enterprises and schools to set a strong agenda about how to use technology to leapfrog Africa’s education challenges and prepare our citizens for future jobs.
To attend the Townhall, click here to buy your tickets. To enjoy our early-bird discount, click here or use the code TCEDTECH at checkout. Further discounts apply for companies/individuals buying at least 5 tickets. Please click here to enjoy our corporate discounts. |
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| At a packed hall in Lagos, a gathering of education and technology enthusiasts cheered for a milestone moment: the launch of Nigeria’s first book on artificial intelligence for primary and secondary schools.
Written by Data Science Nigeria founder, Olubayo Adekanmbi, the book is eight chapters long and illustrated with animations, and is part of DSN’s mission to democratize artificial intelligence application and research in Nigeria. TechCabal’s Alexander Onukwue was there and he wrote this report. |
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| Nigeria is planning to digitise tourist visa applications before the end of this year, making it possible for tourists to apply online, pay, and get their visas within 24-48 hours, according to Muhammad Babandede, the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The scheme is set to kick off in December and should ease the pain typically associated with securing a Nigerian visa. This is good news for prospective tourists. |
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| Planning for an 80-day journey across West Africa is no mean feat. From worrying about transport logistics to money, and several points in between, it’s very easy for things to go south. In the latest entry of the #JollofRoad journal, Fua’d goes into detail about instances where the trip almost turned sour.
Don’t miss any of the stories and videos as the #JollofRoad trip draws closer to an end. There are 4 countries and 20 days to the end of the trip. For inside gist, join the conversation on Telegram and WhatsApp. |
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Gbenro Dara, the former CEO of car classifieds, Cheki will join Opera to lead its new initiatives in Nigeria, including OList, a newly formed marketplace.
“Excited to announce that I’ve joined Opera to lead its new initiatives in Nigeria. Also, happy to introduce OList Nigeria. The work continues as we build a vibrant internet economy across Africa. Looking forward to engaging our users on here,” Dara wrote in a tweet. |
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| Microtraction in partnership with Lagos Young Professionals Innovation Club (LYPIC) is hosting an intimate knowledge circle event centered around what investors look for when investing in startups. It will hold on December 7 at Flutterwave Inc, 8 Providence Street, Lekki, Lagos.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Confirmed speakers for this event include the Founder/CEO of ReelFruit, Affiong Williams, Co-founder/CEO of Cowrywise Razaq Ahmed, Partner at Microtraction, Dayo Koleowo and Director at Itanna, Tomi Otudeko. |
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That’s all we’ve got,
See you tomorrow!
– Aanu
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