Africa needs to fast-track the operationalization of PAPSS – President Mahama urges

mahamas

President John Mahama has charged African leaders to prioritize fast-tracking the full operationalization of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS).

According to him, this, when done, will facilitate the payment of goods and services across the continent, eliminating a key barrier that continues to hinder increased trade.

He made the remarks at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2025 in Accra, this February.

“We must fast-track the full operationalization of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System to facilitate the payment for goods and services across our continent.”

In addition to the operationalization of PAPSS, President Mahama also highlighted the need to invest in infrastructure, such as an efficient rail and road networks, ports, and digital connectivity, to facilitate trade.

 “Trade liberalization in itself is not enough. We must invest in infrastructure to facilitate trade, such as efficient road and rail networks, ports and digital connectivity. We must strengthen African supply chains to ensure that our industries produce goods and services that meet both regional and global standards. We must harmonize our trade policies to eliminate non-tariff barriers and reduce the cost of doing businesses across borders.”

According to President Mahama, if the above listed actions are taken, Africa can unlock a 3.4 trillion-dollar market, creating jobs and prosperity for millions of Africans across the continent.

The three-day Africa Prosperity Dialogue (APD) brought together presidents, policymakers, and business leaders from across Africa to discuss and look into solutions to the continent’s key challenges, while leveraging available opportunities for accelerated growth.

Digital connectivity key to Africa’s vision of single market – MTN CEO

Stephen Blewett

The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Stephen Blewett, has highlighted the crucial role of digital connectivity in realizing Africa’s vision of a single market.

Speaking at the Africa Prosperity Dialogue (APD) 2025, Mr Blewett stressed that discussions surrounding Africa’s economic integration would be meaningless without significant investment in digital infrastructure and connectivity.kamasa 0260702530(106)

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In view of that, the CEO indicated that MTN as Africa’s leading telecommunications provider is proud to play a pivotal role in advancing digital access, integration, and economic inclusion as continent works towards achieving prosperity.

“At MTN Ghana and the MTN family we’re particularly excited about these important conversations and are proud to play a pivotal role as Africa’s leading telecommunication provider. This is because all the discussions of delivering Africa’s single market will come to naught without investing in connectivity and integration.kamasa233

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“Digital access, internet connectivity, digital literacy, and skills, as well as promotion of E commerce, mobile banking and a host of others are central to our vision for Africa,” he stated.

According to Mr Blewett, MTN’s commitment to digital transformation aligns with the company’s Ambition 2025 strategy, which aims to accelerate economic and social progress through cutting-edge telecommunications solutions.

He noted that by investing in digital infrastructure, the company seeks to enhance cross-border trade, financial inclusion, and access to technology that will enable African businesses and individuals to thrive.

“As a brand that is at the heart of harnessing Africa’s potential, this platform presents a fine opportunity for MTN to position itself as a valued partner in Africa’s progress, steering critical conversations and shaping our future.”

MTN Ghana, through its extensive investments in mobile connectivity and digital solutions, has been a key enabler of economic growth and financial inclusion. The company continues to bridge the digital divide by expanding access to high-speed internet and mobile money solutions, ensuring that businesses and individuals, regardless of their location, are connected to opportunities.

Addressing policymakers, industry leaders, and key stakeholders from across the continent, Mr Blewett underscored the importance of overcoming Africa’s historical challenges and shifting the narrative towards innovation, youth empowerment, and economic resilience.kamasa233 (3)

kamasa233 (3)© Provided by Business and Financial Times

“For many years, Africa has suffered a poor image as the world’s poster child with negative stereotypes such as war, disease, famine, and many others. Whilst the continent does have its challenges, the continent is a vibrant one with a youthful population that can be harnessed for productivity with the right skill set.”AFRICAN PROSPERITY DIALOGUES 2025 (10)

AFRICAN PROSPERITY DIALOGUES 2025 (10)© Provided by Business and Financial Times

The Chief Executive further urged leaders across various sectors to work together in the spirit of Pan-African cooperation to shape the continent’s narrative and seize emerging opportunities.

“When I think of these things, I am always reminded that our time is now. It’s a time of action, and we need to remember that we need to move forward with that mindset. Together, in the true spirit of Pan-African cooperation, we can control and shape our narrative, and I’m confident that we will seize the opportunities for our continent,” he stated.

The APD is an annual platform that convenes Africa’s leadership from both the public and private sector to engage, forge partnerships and commit to accelerating the creation of the continent’s single market as enshrined in the AfCFTA agreement for a prosperous Africa.

APD provides the space for Africa’s political and business leaders to work closely together to shape, drive, and deepen intra-African trade and investments to achieve the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Source: www.msn.com

Ontario cancels Starlink deal in US tariff protest

Ontario

The leader of the Canadian province of Ontario declared it would rip up a CAD100 million ($68.5 million) contract with Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s Starlink in response to trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote on X today (3 February) he is also banning US companies from provincial contracts.

“We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink” Ford wrote.

“Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy.”

He also stated President Trump was the only person to be blamed for the tariffs and Ontario’s response.

“US-based businesses will now lose out on tens of billions of dollars in new revenues.”

Musk was a big backer of President Trump during the US election in 2024.

He was tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with reducing government spending and bureaucracy.

Various outlets reported President Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada, along with 10 per cent tariffs on goods from China on 1 February.  

Financial Times reported Canadian provinces are also fighting back by removing US beverages from stores.

“Canada didn’t start this fight with the US, but you better believe we’re ready to win it,” Ford stated.

NBC News reported the US and Mexico reached an accord to delay the tariffs by one month after President Trump spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

It also reported the US President also delayed the tariffs for the same amount of time after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Source: Mobile World Live

OpenAI clinches deal with Kakao, talks with SoftBank and Samsung about Stargate

ddd

Summary

  • Kakao deal follows unveiling of Japan partnership with SoftBank
  • Altman says Korean firms to be important to Stargate ecosystem
  • OpenAI looking at joining South Korean AI computer centre project
  • SoftBank’s Son: potential Stargate cooperation with Samsung discussed
  • Altman due to visit India on Wednesday, sources say

SEOUL, Feb 4 (Reuters) – OpenAI said on Tuesday it will develop artificial intelligence products for South Korea with chat app operator Kakao (035720.KS), opens new tab, unveiling a second major alliance with a high-profile Asian partner this week.

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman also separately sat down with the leaders of Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), opens new tab, SoftBank (9984.T), opens new tab and Arm Holdings in Seoul. SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son told reporters the Stargate AI data centre project in the United States had been discussed.

On a whirlwind tour through Asia, Altman announced a partnership with SoftBank for AI services in Japan on Monday and is, according to sources, scheduled to visit India on Wednesday where he is seeking to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Like SoftBank, Kakao said it would be using technology developed by the ChatGPT creator for its products.

Kakao operates South Korea’s dominant messaging app KakaoTalk, which has a whopping 97% domestic market share and has expanded into areas such as e-commerce, payments and gaming. It has positioned AI as a new engine of growth but analysts say it has lagged behind local rival Naver (035420.KS), opens new tab in the AI race.

“We are particularly interested in AI and messaging,” Altman told a joint press conference with Kakao CEO Chung Shina in Seoul.

He added that Korea’s energy, semiconductor and internet companies made the country an important market for OpenAI, with demand for AI products growing rapidly.

STARGATE, KOREA COMPUTING CENTRE

Altman also said many Korean companies will be important contributors to the Stargate data centre project, a venture between OpenAI and Oracle (ORCL.N), opens new tab to build AI capacity in the United States that has been backed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Altman declined to elaborate, saying he wants to keep partnership conversations confidential.

Speaking to reporters before the meeting on Stargate at Samsung’s offices, SoftBank’s Son said potential cooperation with Samsung would be discussed. Later pressed on whether Samsung was asked to join the project, he said: “We had a very good discussion,” but did not elaborate.

Rene Haas, the CEO of British chip designer Arm, which is majority-owned by SoftBank, said Samsung was “a great partner”.

Samsung declined to comment on the meeting.

Altman also met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won earlier on Tuesday. Both SK Hynix (000660.KS), opens new tab and Samsung Electronics produce high bandwidth memory chips used in AI processors.

SK Hynix said discussions with Altman covered comprehensive cooperation plans for AI chips and the AI ecosystem.

Son declined to answer when asked by reporters if SK Hynix would join the Stargate initiative, saying only that no details have been decided.

Separately, asked whether OpenAI was looking at joining and investing in South Korea’s AI computing centre project, Altman said the U.S. company was “actively considering” such a move.

Last month, the South Korean government said it planned to build a national AI computing centre that would draw on investment from the public and private sectors worth up to 2 trillion won ($1.4 billion).

Kakao shares fell 2% on Tuesday after surging 9% a day earlier.

Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Jack Kim in Seoul, Additional reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco and Sam Nussey in Tokyo; Editing by Edwina Gibbs

Egypt extends service contract with Ericsson by 5 years

Ericsson

Telecom operator e& Egypt has renewed its contract with Ericsson for the management of its services and customer support. The 5-year partnership includes the integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions to optimize network operations and anticipate customer needs. The aim is to enable e& Egypt to improve the quality of its services, reduce its operational costs and prepare for the 5G era.

“This partnership highlights a shared vision to leverage AI-based network technologies to achieve next-generation advancements in telecommunications. We aim to leverage Ericsson’s experience to integrate AI into network operations, improve quality of service and user experience for our subscribers, while paving the way for future growth,” said Amr Fathy, Chief Technology and Information Officer at e& Egypt.

This renewal is part of a broader dynamic of modernization of telecoms infrastructure in Egypt. Last October, the Egyptian authorities granted the 5G license to several telecoms operators including e& Egypt, with a view to launching in the next 6 months.

The new agreement could, however, facilitate the future deployment of 5G, strengthen e& Egypt’s market position and pave the way for new digital services. Ultimately, this type of partnership could serve as a model for other African operators looking to optimize their networks through AI and managed services.

Source: extensia.tech

Helios Towers CEO Calls for ‘Symbiotic’ Telco–Energy Expansion in Africa

Helios Tower

Helios Towers CEO Tom Greenwood has highlighted the company’s partnership with Tanzanian utility TANESCO as a model for collaboration between telecom and energy providers in Africa. Speaking at the Mission 300 Africa summit, Greenwood emphasized the mutual benefits of such partnerships in expanding both digital and power infrastructure.

Helios has connected around 800 sites to Tanzania’s national grid over the past five years and has similar projects in Malawi. With 79% of its 14,000 towers grid-connected, Helios is pushing to reduce reliance on diesel generators, investing $100 million in low-carbon solutions by 2030.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Helios is leveraging local micro-grids to power sites while selling excess electricity to nearby communities. The company is also trialing wind and solar energy solutions in multiple markets, including Ghana, Oman, and Senegal.

Greenwood called for increased net metering partnerships, allowing surplus power from telecom sites to be fed back into national grids, boosting energy resilience across Africa.

Source: www.telcotitans.com

Vodafone, AST SpaceMobile Claim Video Call First

Satellite

Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile have conducted what they claim is the world’s first smartphone-to-satellite video call in an area with no mobile coverage. The call was made from a remote mountainous region in Wales by Vodafone engineer Rowan Chesmar to CEO Margherita Della Valle in Newbury, UK.

The call used AST SpaceMobile’s Bluebird satellites and Vodafone’s new space-to-land gateway, which connects satellite signals to its terrestrial network. UK astronaut Tim Peake joined Della Valle for the unveiling of the gateway.

Vodafone states its low Earth orbit satellite service is the only one offering direct 4G and 5G broadband to standard smartphones. It plans to launch commercial direct-to-device services in Europe later this year.

AST SpaceMobile, competing with SpaceX and Lynk Global, has achieved multiple milestones in space-based broadband, including the first 5G satellite call.

Source: Mobile World Live

Apple Quietly Adds Starlink Support to iPhones

Starlink

Apple has partnered with T-Mobile US and SpaceX to enable Starlink’s direct-to-device connectivity on iPhones. The integration was included in the iOS 18.3 update, which launched on January 27.

Bloomberg reports that T-Mobile has activated a limited number of iPhones for beta testing, alongside select Android 15 devices. Previously, Starlink compatibility was only available for certain Samsung smartphones.

Apple’s existing satellite service via Globalstar allows emergency messaging when mobile networks are unavailable. However, unlike Globalstar, Starlink’s system reportedly connects iPhones automatically without requiring users to point their devices at the sky.

SpaceX owner Elon Musk confirmed on X that Starlink supports images, music, and podcasts, with video streaming planned for the future. Currently, Starlink’s direct-to-device services are available only in the US, though SpaceX aims to expand globally.

The FCC granted SpaceX conditional approval to enhance T-Mobile’s cellular network using its satellites in late 2024. Apple and SpaceX had previously discussed potential Starlink integration, with Musk hinting at promising talks as early as 2022.

Source: Mobile World Live

SoftBank eyes up to $25B investment in OpenAI

Open AI

SoftBank is reportedly in discussions to invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI, a portion of which may be used to finance the ChatGPT-owner’s commitment to AI joint venture (JV) Stargate.

According to the Financial Times (FT), the Japanese company is considering an investment worth between $15 billion and $25 billion.

Stargate, a JV backed by US President Donald Trump involving OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle, aims to build out AI infrastructure across the US through an initial investment of up to $100 billion

SoftBank’s potential investment would be in addition to the $15 billion it has pledged to the JV, added the report.

Meanwhile, OpenAI plans to invest approximately $15 billion in Stargate and SoftBank’s equity investment could reportedly help fund its commitment to the AI infrastructure project.

While talks are said to be in early stages, an investment of more than $15 billion could make SoftBank OpenAI’s largest individual backer, surpassing Microsoft which committed billions to the company at the start of 2023.

DeepSeek threat
The news comes as the fall-out from the emergence of DeepSeek, the China-based start-up that is rivalling OpenAI, continues.

OpenAI reportedly accused DeepSeek of using its proprietary models to train its open-source AI rival earlier this week.

According to FT, the ChatGPT-owner claims to have evidence that DeepSeek utilised its technology without authorisation, flagging concerns about a breach of its intellectual property.

The US also initiated a national security review of the Chinese AI chatbot.

Source: Mobile World Live

Network International and GIM-UEMOA Partner to Advance Digital Payments in West Africa

Digital Payment

Network International (Network), a leading payment solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with GIM-UEMOA, the regional payment scheme which promotes electronic payments across the banking, financial and public administration sectors in West Africa. This collaboration will drive innovation and enhance financial inclusion across the eight member countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

The partnership will help deliver innovative digital payment solutions under the GIM-Pay framework, leveraging the two organisations’ collective strengths. This initiative aims to benefit the population of the UEMOA region by providing secure, seamless, and accessible payment systems that meet the growing demands of businesses and consumers alike.

In addition to supporting the financial needs of users within UEMOA, the collaboration will enhance the value proposition of GIM-UEMOA’s affiliated member banks, enabling them to better serve their end customers with cutting-edge digital payment solutions. This offering aligns with the region’s commitment to fostering economic growth and financial inclusion.

Partnering with GIM-UEMOA represents a significant milestone for Network International. Together, we aim to harness our combined expertise to empower the UEMOA region with state-of-the-art payment solutions that drive economic inclusion and prosperity.

– Dr. Reda Helal, Managing Director & Co-Head of Processing, Africa, Network International

This collaboration with Network International allows for the pooling of infrastructure and solutions to bring cutting-edge digital payment solutions to the West African banking sector. We look forward to the benefits that will be realised for financial services entities throughout the region.

– Minayegnan Coulibaly, Managing Director, GIM-UEMOA

Under this partnership, Network International and GIM-UEMOA have reaffirmed their shared commitment to innovation and collaboration in West Africa’s financial technology space. This partnership also underscores the importance of alliances in addressing the diverse financial and economic needs of the UEMOA region.

Source: extensia.tech