Emanuela Saccarola. Image: LinkedIn The successful modernisation of a country’s domestic payments infrastructure onto faster, instant payment rails like South Africa’s PayShap does not always translate into similar success in the cross-border payments space – and regulation is often a bottleneck. Speaking to TechCentral in an interview on Wednesday, Emanuela Saccarola, head of global cross-border…
Over 600,000 South Africans use South African Sign Language (SASL), and it’s one of the country’s official languages. However, Deaf and speech- and hearing-impaired South Africans still struggle to access essential services. This is why collaborations like the one between ER24 and Vodacom are so crucial in ensuring South African communication services are more accessible….
PayInc CEO Stephen Linnell The Competition Commission in August recommended to the Competition Tribunal that the South African Reserve Bank’s proposed acquisition of a 50% stake in payments clearing house PayInc – previously BankServAfrica – be approved without conditions attached. The move radically changes the ownership structure of PayInc, the developer and manager of rapid…
Limu Lab’s interactive app aims to help children learn South Africa’s indigenous languages. South African start-up Limu Lab has launched a language-learning app to make isiZulu and other indigenous languages accessible to children through games, animations and storytelling. Limu Lab has partnered with schools and major platforms to bridge the gap in local digital education….
GirlCode has launched the Digital Skills Employment Acceleration Programme for Women, aimed at equipping young women (aged 18 to 35) with software development skills that will enable them to secure work in SA’s growing tech sector. Supplied image Zandile Mkwanazi, founder and chief executive officer of GirlCode, says the programme goes beyond learning how to…
Africa’s continental free trade area offers long-term promise, but expecting it to quickly compensate for US trade losses may be unrealistic. There’s a lot of hype right now about how intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could replace the considerable loss of African exports to the United States (US) precipitated by…
Nigeria is hosting one of Africa’s biggest tech gatherings on Tuesday, with debates ranging from Wolof-speaking chatbots to medical algorithms. The ambition is to harness artificial intelligence to transform economies – but patchy internet, unreliable electricity and low investment remain major obstacles. In Lagos, the African Digital Economy and Inclusion Conference is bringing together policymakers,…
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in the financial services industry. As artificial intelligence (AI) takes on a growing role in financial services, from granting loans, to automating small-business bookkeeping, banks grapple with how to use it responsibly and authorities seek to put rules in place. Ciko Thomas, group managing executive of personal and private…
Monrovia — As global financial aid continues to decline, experts warn of the increasing risks posed to low-income countries and urge regional stakeholders to look inward to fund much-needed development. Speaking at the African Transformation online briefing on Tuesday, the Manager of Resources and Partnerships at the African Development Fund (ADF), Valerie Dabady, said the…
The Africa Think Tank for Infrastructure Development (ATTID) has projected that the continent requires between $130 billion and $170 billion annually to meet its infrastructure needs and drive sustainable development across sectors such as energy, transport, water, sanitation, and urban systems. This was disclosed during a press conference in Lagos ahead of a major infrastructure-focused…
