Industry News

Rwanda’s Mara Group launched two smartphones on Monday, describing them as the first “Made in Africa” models and giving a boost to the country’s ambitions to become a regional technology hub.

The Mara X and Mara Z will use Google’s Android operating system and cost 175,750 Rwandan francs ($190) and 120,250 Rwandan francs ($130) respectively.

They will compete with Samsung, whose cheapest smartphone costs 50,000 Rwandan francs ($54), and non-branded phones at 35,000 Rwandan francs ($37). Mara Group CEO Ashish Thakkar said it was targeting customers willing to pay more for quality.

“This is the first smartphone manufacturer in Africa,” Thakkar told Reuters after touring the company alongside Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame.

Companies assemble smartphones in Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria and South Africa, but import the components, he said.

“We are actually the first who are doing manufacturing. We are making the motherboards, we are making the sub-boards during the entire process,” he said. “There are over 1,000 pieces per phone.”

Thakker said the plant had cost $50 million and could make 10,000 phones per day.

Mara Group hopes to profit from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, a pact aimed at forming a 55-nation trade bloc, to boost sales across Africa, Thakkar said.

The agreement is due to begin trading in July next year, aiming to unite 1.3 billion people and create a $3.4 trillion economic bloc. But it is still in the very early stages and no timelines have been agreed for abolishing tariffs.

Kagame said he hoped the phone would increase Rwanda’s smartphone usage, currently at around 15%.

“Rwandans are already using smartphones but we want to enable many more. The introduction of Mara phones will put smartphones ownership within reach of more Rwandans,” Kagame said.

Source: Reuters

U.S. based OpenRAN company Parallel Wireless on Monday announced working with Vodafone to deploy a macro OpenRAN pilot in Asia (Turkey) and in Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Both production trials are a part of a telecom infra project OpenRAN initiative to reduce deployment and maintenance costs for RAN platforms, according to a joint statement.

The association stems from the need to reduce operating expenditure(opex) amid growing demand for mobile broadband services and rising capital expenditure(capex) and operating expenditure (opex) in relation to network deployment, both the companies added.

Amrit Heer, head of Business Development, EME, Parallel Wireless said, “Hardware-based networks are costly and difficult to maintain and upgrade. By shifting networks to virtualized OpenRAN, telecom operators can cloudify their networks to deliver coverage to every single subscriber at much lower cost.”

Lux Maharaj, Director, Africa Sales, Parallel Wireless, said, “ Parallel Wireless enables cloud native architectures, providing greater flexibility for operators.”

Source: Economic Times

The National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2019 and the Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Incident Reporting Point of Contact (PoC) have been launched in Accra.
The PoC is a platform that will facilitate the reporting of cybercrime and cybersecurity incidents in the country.

The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, who launched the two programmes yesterday, said the establishment of the platforms demonstrated the country’s readiness to enhance the state of security in its cyberspace.

She said the PoC cuts across all demographics, which include government, the private sector, the public and children, explaining that the “multi-platform approach had been adopted to provide multiple channels through which incidents could be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre by e-mail, corporate and government sectors or by filing through online platforms such as Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook.

A voice call PoC is also available for children, businesses, government and individuals who are less technology savvy, and citizens who do not possess smart phones or have access to the Internet to report on incidents”.

Mrs Owusu Ekuful added that an SMS option was also available, saying voice calls and SMS use were all toll-free.

A mobile app was also available for people who were technology enthusiasts to report on cybercrime incidents, she said, adding that it also served as repository of cybersecurity and safety advisory to users, allowing them to access cybersecurity safety tips on a regular basis.

She said apart from facilitating the reporting of cybersecurity incidents by the public, the initiative would also improve the collection of statistics on cybercrime and cybersecurity incidents.

“The lack of credible statistics on cybercrime is a major concern, as it affects the ability to critically analyse cybersecurity issues affecting the digital economy to inform relevant interventions and capacity-building programmes,” she added.

She noted that the platforms would further enable the government to produce relevant statistics in a timely manner to support strategic planning, as well as investment in cybersecurity.

It would also help the security and the law enforcement agencies to conduct evidenced-based analysis of criminal issues and the impact of cybercrime on a wider criminal justice system in order that they no longer relied on anecdotal evidence, she said.

The minister, therefore, urged citizens to take full advantage of the platforms and report incidents in a timely manner for prompt response.

“I urge you all — organisations, individuals, businesses and children — to report all cyber-incidents as soon as they become known, whether you are a victim or a witness.

The part you play in this will go a long way to secure Ghana’s digital journey, and I cannot stress how important your role is in this process,” she said.

The National Cyber Security Advisor, Dr Albert Antwi-Bosiako, said cyber security was increasing at an alarming rate, both regionally and globally.

He said cyber attacks were likely to escalate in the near future, especially with the increase in Internet penetration and the massive reliance on information and communications technology (ICT) devices such as mobile phones for day-to-day transactions and interactions by citizens.

He said over the past two-and-a-half years, the country had shown tangible deliverables with respect to cybersecurity development “because we have been privileged to have a President who believes that building a digital economy requires sustainable investment in our cybersecurity”.

Members of the National Cyber Security Technical Working Group, comprising agencies with responsibilities over cybercrime and cybersecurity, had been instrumental in working towards enhancing the state of security in cyberspace, Dr Antwi-Bosiako said.

According to him, the launch of the two cyber platforms constituted another milestone in ensuring that Ghana achieved its mandate of addressing cybercrime.

Source: Graphic Online

The MTN Ghana Foundation has been highly commended for the decision to put up a six hundred (600) capacity girls’ dormitory block, washroom facilities and a housemistress’ bungalow for the Tamale Secondary School (SHS).

The commendation follows the sod cutting ceremony which was held recently at the school by the Vice President of Ghana Dr Mahamadu Bawumia and the CEO of MTN Ghana Selorm Adadevoh.

The sod cutting was also done with the assistance of a Board member of the MTN Ghana Foundation Mrs Nabilla Williams and other dignitaries.

Speaking to the media, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh said, “this dormitory project will be the 148th project of the MTN Ghana Foundation since its inception in 2007.

The Foundation is honored to be given the opportunity to brighten the lives of the people in the communities in which we operate”.

He said, “Aside providing a healthy living environment for our young, female future leaders, this project is expected to touch the lives of thousands of young ladies in the surrounding communities and the regions of the north”.

The school currently has a female population of 1,200 with accommodation for only half of the girls’ population. Upon completion, the dormitory block will be fully furnished and fitted with beds to suit the needs of students of Tamale SHS.

H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana who was the Special Guest of Honor highly commended the MTN Ghana Foundation. He said “Indeed, MTN continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the socio-economic development of Ghana.

The decision by MTN Foundation to invest in providing accommodation for 600 girls as well as a housemistress’ bungalow in Tamale SHS is a major step in helping to keep our girls in school”.

He added “access to secondary education in this country has never been this higher. Our hopes to achieving gender equality has never been greater.

MTN’s support with this project is therefore very timely and laudable. It is worthy of note that this is the single largest support to the school since 1967 and it will help address the current accommodation challenges facing the Tamale Senior High School.”

Mr. SW Adams, the headmaster of the school was full of praise for MTN Ghana Foundation and said the girls who get the opportunity to use the dormitory upon its completion will always remember MTN for the intervention.

Among dignitaries who graced the occasion were the Northern Regional Minister, Deputy Regional Minister, Regional Police Commander, Municipal Chief Executives and the Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency.

Source: NewsGhana

Vodafone Ghana has launched October as a “Care Month” with a host of activities to engage its customer base and lead by example in highlighting the importance of the customer to its business.

According to a statement from Vodafone to the Ghana News Agency, with a brand promise of providing an exciting future for its customers, Vodafone was on course to becoming the digital telecommunication of choice in Ghana.

Mrs Patricia Obo-Nai, the Chief Executive of Vodafone Ghana, according to the statement, led by example on Monday when she interacted with customers from various walks of life at the company’s Cantonments Retail shop.

Her presence meant a great deal to the customers, who engaged her for close to two hours and she distributed gifts in the form of e-top ups to them, the statement said.

Mrs Obo-Nai said: “It was exciting to engage the people who guarantee the sustainability of our business. Our customers are the reason we exist and we should never take them for granted. We have a well packaged line up of activities to make this month special for our customers.”

The statement disclosed that Vodafone’s customers across the country stood the chance of receiving airtime, Vodafone cash rewards, hampers and other exciting prizes beginning October 7, 2019, as part of the programme.

Source: GNA

Vodafone Ghana has partnered Hollard Insurance to launch an innovative product in the mobile money space in West African sub-region.

For the first time, Vodafone Cash agents will be insured against robbery and theft at no cost to them; in line with a commitment to ensure their security and well-being across the country.

The product, which addresses a major pain point of agents, is fully funded by Vodafone Cash on behalf of its agents and underwritten by Hollard Ghana.

This implying that agents do not need to pay any monthly premium in order to qualify or keep the insurance cover active.

Since the inception of mobile money services in the country, there has been a myriad of robbery cases across the country.

In some cases, the victims of these robberies are left wounded or in conditions that require immediate medical attention. This product is expected to transform the industry and become the benchmark.

The scheme has two packages, Money Insurance and Life Assurance. Under the Money insurance package, an agent can claim up to ¢5,000 twice in one, should they fall victim to robbery.

The second package, offers the agent a ¢10,000 life assurance cover, in the unfortunate event of loss of life.

Speaking at the launch, Martison Obeng-Agyei, Head of Vodafone Cash, said, “We are excited to introduce this laudable product for our agents. We do understand the risk associated with the work our agents do and we want them to confidently operate in a secured environment.

“This unique product is also a direct response to calls from the Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG) as well as other key stakeholders within the mobile money ecosystem.

Daniel Boi Addo, Managing Director of Hollard Insurance, said, “Hollard Ghana’s purpose is to enable more people to create and secure a better future.

“Our partnership with Vodafone provides agents with the freedom to operate with ease; knowing that they are insured. In case of an unfortunate event, Hollard will indemnify the agents to reduce the impact on their business and ensure continuity.

Source: myjoyonline

In line with its commitment to boost smartphone adoption, telecom operator AirtelTigo has joined forces with Nokia to roll out smartphone offer with free data and voice package for a year.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer, Murthy Chaganti, said, “With our brand promise to make life simple for our customers, we are delighted to partner with Nokia, and we believe that the partnership offers a great proposition to our customers.”

MTN Group has granted third parties access to its Mobile Money Access Programming Interface (API) platform.

The open API enables developers and programmers to innovate on the platform and develop products and other solutions that will create a wider range of digital financial offerings for MTN’s customers.

MTN is inviting developers and entrepreneurs, across five countries, to participate in the MoMo API Hackathon to further foster innovation and enhance financial inclusion.

The Hackathon, run in partnership with Ericsson (MTN’s MoMo technology partner), will give app developers based in Ghana, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Zambia the opportunity to create innovative financial and transactional applications using the MTN MoMo API platform.

Finalists stand the chance to win up to USD 2,500, and one team member will win a trip to Ericsson’s Innovation Lab in Sweden.

Source: telecompaper.com

MTN Ghana Foundation is ready to present scholarship packages to 100 students this Friday.

This follows the completion of the screening of applications received for the second batch of its Bright Scholarship program instituted for tertiary students. The award ceremony will be held on 25th October,2019 at the MTN House, Accra.

A total of 2,674 applications were received from all 16 regions of Ghana and the number was pruned to 300 applicants. The shortlisted candidates were subsequently invited for interviews. The interviews were conducted by an independent panel which comprised academia and accredited human resource personnel.

The panel, after interviewing and verifying information received, selected 100 students who will be awarded the MTN Bright Scholarship.

The scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, accommodation and a stipend for books and other relevant reading materials for the duration of their studies. The list of successful students have been published in selected newspapers.

Commenting on the Bright Scholarship program , the Ag Corporate Services Executive of MTN, Robert Kuzoe said, “the MTN Ghana Foundation is committed to supporting needy and brilliant students to realize their dreams. Through the MTN Bright Scholarship, we want to ensure that under-privileged students who would have missed higher education as a result of lack of funding get the opportunity to tertiary education.”

“The first batch of 100 scholarships were awarded in 2018 to students in public tertiary institutions across the country.

The MTN Bright Scholarship is in fulfillment of a commitment MTN made to Ghanaians during the commemoration of its 20th Anniversary in 2016. During the celebrations, MTN, through the MTN Foundation said it will award 300 scholarships to students in public tertiary institutions over a three year period. In all, 300 scholarships would be awarded.

For over 20 years, Scancom PLC (MTN Ghana) has awarded over 1000 scholarships to students from basic school to the tertiary level. Apart from the Bright Scholarship, MTN Ghana Foundation launched the Teacher Improvement Award Programme in 2015. Since the inception of the programme, 60 teachers have been awarded scholarships to pursue First or Masters degrees at the University of Cape Coast and the University of Education, Winneba.

Source: thebftonline