Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has assured taxpayers and the general public that it will continue supporting them as the country faces a global health challenge. Individuals and businesses will access KRA services which the authority will facilitate timely payment of taxes
In line with the Presidential directive to mitigate the effects of COVID – 19 to the Kenyan economy through; KRA has implemented the reduction of Personal Income Tax top rate (PAYE) from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. 100 per cent Tax Relief for persons earning up to Ksh. 24,000.
Also, KRA has facilitated the reduction of Resident Corporate Income Tax rate from 30to 25 per cent and reduction of Turnover Tax rate for SMEs from 3 to 1 per cent. Including Immediate reduction of VAT rate from 16 to 14 per cent, lowering of Central Bank Rate (CBR) to 7.2 per cent and lowering of Cash Reserve Ration (CRR) to 4.2 per cent.
Following the Central Bank of Kenya’s announcement to offer flexibility to banks on loans that were active as of March 2020 to maintain liquidity levels. KRA will facilitate expedited payment of VAT Refunds by allocating an additional Ksh. 10B. And finally setting up a fund to which players in the Public and Private Sector are contributing in support of Government efforts.
Whereas all efforts will be made to facilitate payment of taxes. KRA will decisively handle any matter that pertains to deliberate non-payment of taxes. In the event that a taxpayer is not able to honor the agreed payment plan. Taxpayers will provide proof of transactions in response to VAT inconsistency reports. And appreciates that is not tenable in the current environment.
To mitigate this, KRA has deferred the physical submission of documents and appearance. Taxpayers will be duly notified of when they can appear in person. In the interim, taxpayers are advised to submit evidence of transactions through callcentre@kra.go.ke.
KRA is also calling upon citizens to play their constitutional role and pay all taxes due. And support the Government in the provision of critical services.
Uber has introduced a new feature “The Work Hub” to help drivers earn money through the company’s other ventures like Uber Eats or haul freight with companies tracking business.
The feature allows drivers can use to receive orders, pick up a shift from Uber’s temporary work program Uber worksor respond to an opening from over a dozen other companies that are looking to hire.
Uber is among the companies that have been hard by the Coronavirus pandemic globally with a drop of up to 70 per cent in service delivery. Among them, is the temporary service suspension in Uganda following the 14-day lockdown.
There has been a significant drop in ride-hailing services globally following the lockdown and social distancing directive. For instance, in Kenya. Ride-hailing services have been limited to 5:00 am to 7:00 pm following the government’s directive on the night curfew. Normally, Uber drivers operate 24 hours with the curfew their less time to operate.
As well, the introduction of social distancing to flatten the curve of infection. Which has tremendously led to a steep drop in the services. For example in Seattle, the services have dropped down by almost 70 per cent. With a similar decline in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.
The Work Hub is designed to help drivers find new opportunities while mostly keeping them working within Uber’s ecosystem. There also has been a spike in Uber Eats especially now that people are fully at the home. The most things that re need are food medicine and other necessities.
Also, Uber Freight is looking for drivers with commercial driver’s licenses to help with freight hauling. The company has identified 240,000 regular drivers with CDLs. Uber will expedite interested drivers’ onboarding and connect them to carriers through the Hub.
The company is working to partner with dozens of other companies to cover every drive looking to earn. Through its Uber Works program available in the west, the company is working with staffing companies in Chicago, Dallas, and Miami to connect drivers with temporary work in grocery, food production, and supply chain businesses that are staffing up.
Jumia has announced the implementation of ‘contactless’ delivery for prepaid packages on the platform to keep consumers and agents safe during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Coronavirus spreads largely through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. Hence people have been advised to practice social distancing.
While distancing doesn’t prove to cure the virus, it reduces the chances of contracting the virus.
To drive the initiative, Jumia has implemented the ‘contactless safe delivery’ option on JumiaPay, a Jumia payment platform. This will enable consumers to make prepaid payments for products online and get it delivered without a direct body contact or cash exchange with the delivery agent.
“We are uniquely positioned to step up and be part of Africa’s response strategy in this challenging time. We have implemented a “Contactless” delivery option, which will eliminate any possibility of physical contact. Convenience, social distancing, and cashless measures are woven into one solution to combat the current situation.”
Further, delivery agents have been trained to enforce necessary standards during delivery. They have been instructed to call or text when they arrive at the customer’s place and drop off the package at their doorstep, then step back to the safe distance limit and will wait for the customer to take the package before leaving.
While on the other hand, consumers are encouraged to pay “cashless” using JumiaPay. This will ensure less physical cash coming into contact with delivery riders. And the wider population and will in turn help reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.
The Jumia “Contactless” delivery payment option is available on all JumiaPay/ Prepaid Packages. As well as all cashless delivery modes that are contactless such as mobile money.
Education and wisdom are the backbones of this fast-paced, smart life. It requires knowledge expertise, intelligent planning, and vision to build a smart economic country. The genius minds behind these achievements are the graduates with masters and Ph.D. It will not be wrong to say that smart people make smart economic progress. Let’s have a detailed view of the relation between PhDs and Smart Economy.
According to Martin Luther, Ph.D. is an essential degree in the world that enables you to find and solve a problem, builds your confidence, make you the master of particular subject or field of study.
Acquiring a degree of Ph.D. is the most challenging task. The passionate students about a specific subject, looking forward to exploring their knowledge and showcase their potential skills and knowledge through their research always go for Ph.D. courses. It allows contributing a particular field of study by educating the students and conducting analyses in your way.
Smart Economy
The smart economy is urban development with increasing productivity, technology, intellectual progress, and competitiveness. It includes the smart planning, design, advertisement, and branding of the smart cities. There is no specific definition of the smart economy to explain the growing popularity and promotion of the smart economy in the cities.
The economy is not only based on the amount of money spent in the development of a State; it is wisdom and perception, which leads to the economic growth and progress of a country.
Role of Smart People in Smart Economy
The purpose of a PhD graduate is not confined to conduct research on a specific topic and write a mere dissertation literature review chapter. They have a lot more scope in the industrial development and economic growth.
A nation’s innovative systems and progress require world-class research and genius people to turn a dream into perception, a perception of an idea, and a specific idea into reality.
Knowledge, innovation, and skills are closely associated with the development of the smart world. Globalization calls for increased skillset and innovation to meet the challenges of the current technologies, inventions to promote and upgrade the productivity of the skilled workforce.
Due to the increasing demand for advancements in science and technology, several educational programs of training are majorly facilitated by industries and governments in many countries.
Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation (SSTI) decided to plan and build advanced research programs through high standard research teams, supporting infrastructure as well as conducting a “structured programs” to develop the standard of Ph.D. process.
This strategy has encouraged a majority of advanced researchers to head towards the enterprise sector and this lead to the increased popularity and demand of Ph.D. students. In many countries, the SSTI is associated with public policies to motivate doctoral holders to build careers in enterprise.
They get an opportunity to showcase their polished and upgraded skills, making a considerable contribution to the growing economy of the Industry as per the demanding time and requirements of science and technology.
Impact of Ph.D. Holders on The Business World
Well-equipped scientific research and training programs foster the emergence of new inventions, ideas with innovative strategies to develop the economy of any specific enterprise.
Ph.D. employees not only bring their academic achievements along with them but also step in with their smart and unique vision to embark on the journey of new inventions and researches to make tremendous contributions to the innovative workforce.
An individual with highly intellectual expertise can monitor technological information and make necessary decisions for the growth of the firm’s status and economy in a smarter way.
It is a challenging role to transform a firm’s position through frequently changing processes through knowledge-based practical decisions.
The growing competition in technology has demanded high technology capital to create new production systems with the help of employers with advanced skills in upgrading abilities.
The employers also required to represent their work in an international network which makes Ph.D. skills even more significant and relevant to the field of smart economy.
Government Policies and Entrepreneurship Programs
Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the development of a nation’s modern economy. It is the way to foresee the profit chances to increase productivity through solving the risk factors which hinder the development process.
Developing the cognitive skills of the employees through training programs and policies may lead to a significant decrease in poverty, unemployment in the under-developing countries as well as developed nations.
The government can support this smart development by providing schemes and policies to open a gateway to the new world of career opportunities and new inventions. It may help the students continue their research without needing to face any obstacles due to the lack of opportunities and infrastructure.
Demand for Ph.D. Researchers in Private Sectors
The demand for Ph.D. scholars has increased in every economic sector. According to the studies, a majority of researchers found a career in the following private sectors.
ICT- Software and hardware
Pharmaceuticals and chemicals
Medicinal devices
Financial services
Engineering
Food and drink
The majority of Ph.D. researchers are offering services in Software, Pharmaceuticals, Electrical and Electronic sectors.
Structured Ph.D. Programs for Advance Researchers
Students can acquire their Ph.D. through a team of supervisors undertaking the research process followed by the guidance of the supervisors. It enables them to work with experts and brush up their skills efficiently.
Bottom Line
Ph.D. scholars have contributed massively in the smart economy through their smart innovations and skills. However, there is a need to promote a well-equipped education system to make Ph.D. programs accessible for all the aspirants of Ph.D.
It requires smart planning, implication, funding, and the support of renowned industries as well as the government to enhance the career opportunities for young students. It may lead to the transformation of under-developed countries and their economic development, which in turn increases the world economy.
But now Netflix has introduced Netflix party, a new way through which you can watch Netflix together. Do you want to know how? Netflix Party is a Chrome extension that allows you to chat and watch Netflix with your friends online at the same time.
You just need to log in and share a viewing link with friends, once your chosen show plays out in the bulk of the screen, a chatroom pops up on the right-hand side.
Here is a step by step guide you can follow to use Netflix Party and watch Netflix together. But before you go for it remember it will only be available on Chrome browsers that too just on desktop, computers or laptop.
How to use Netflix Party: A complete guide
Follow the below-given steps to use Netflix Party.
Step 1: First you need to install the Netflix Party
To install Netflix Party, you first need to visit nextflixparty.com
After that, you can click on Get Netflix party for free or Install Netflix Party
It will redirect you to the Chrome Web Store, click Add to Chrome to finish installing Netflix Party.
Step 2: Open a Video in Netflix
Now open a new tab and login to your Netflix account by entering the required details
Now choose any show you would like to watch.
Step 3: Create your party
You can create your party, click on the red NP icon located next to the address bar.
After that click Start Party to get the party started, and share the party URL to people you want to have the party with
Users can simply tap on the link to join the party.
How to join a Netflix Party
You can join a party just by clicking on the party URL, which will redirect you to Netflix’s website. Then click on the NP button next to the address bar, and you will automatically join the party.
You need to choose one person who will have the control can pause, play, forward the ongoing movie. You can join over 1,000,000 people and use Netflix Party to link up with friends and host long-distance movie nights and TV watch parties.
Do’s and don’t of video conferencing while working at home.
While you’re working from home, you will probably have a lot of video meetings and some companies prefer to see your face while you’re on. It’s easy to get rid of etiquette when doing video conferences but how you conduct yourself while you’re doing videos really matter.
Be punctual and introduce yourself before speaking so that everyone knows who’s talking and can address you by name. Take note of the other speakers so that you can also address them by name. Lastly, turn off the sounds on your smart phone and absolutely no texting.
2. Make sure everyone can hear you
A audio check should be done before the virtual meeting begins to ensure that everyone can hear you. Know your material – uncertainty will cause you to mumble. Speak naturally but slowly and pronunciate each word.
3. You don’t need to scream
Avoid screaming. If someone can’t hear you, then adjust the level on the microphone and make sure it’s not covered by your clothing or something else. Yelling will cause viewers to turn down their volume and potentially miss what you have to say.
4. Do keep your body movement minimal
Don’t interrupt people while they are speaking. Wait for an opening in the conversation before putting in your two cents. Cutting other speakers off is rude. Another option is posting pending questions by instant message so that every comment is addressed.
5. Maintain eye contact
Keep your focus on the camera. The worst thing is having your audience look at the top of your head because your typing or looking down at notes – or worse – at your Blackberry.
6. Be present in your meetings
Chances are if you wouldn’t do it in a face-to-face meeting, then you shouldn’t do it in a virtual one. That includes tuning out of the present conversation to talk to someone else sitting next to you, on the phone, in an IM chat, anywhere and anybody not in the current meeting.
7. Dress well
Striped shirts or shirts with intricate patterns do not transmit well on camera, because they are visually distracting. Red, white and black are also poor choices. Go for a pastel or other light colored shirt.
8. It’s never that serious
Relax and have a good time. Be lively, break the ice with a joke, and make viewers laugh. It’s uber easy to tune out in a face-to-face meeting, so imagine how easy it is in a virtual one. The more fun you interject, the more people will stay focused and interested in what you have to say
9. Reduce the noise around you
Your focus should always be on the person or people at the other end of your video conference. Avoid typing on your keyboard, turn off all sounds on your phone, and close yourself into a room with no or minimal background noise.
Members of the Digital Lenders Association (DLAK), which represents 17 major digital lenders in the Country, have today agreed to waive the late repayment fees as part of the measures to support customers during this time of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had business close down indefinitely, and most employees have to stay at home to flatten the curve of spreading the virus. Especially fr those people who do manual jobs, it will be difficult for them to repay the loans, which are now a source of their livelihood.
Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge. During a briefing last month on the impact of the Coronavirus on the Country’s economy. He stated that lenders would work out repayment plans with their customers. To allow them to repay the loans for up to a year period.
Banks will review requests from borrowers for extension of their loan for a period of up to one year. They are advising that customers contact their respective banks.
Since then, most banks and Telco’s have scrapped off transaction fees for their customers.
The move will cushion the customers who are under distress especially financial. Following the slowdown in the economy after disruptions to their day to day operations that could have affected regular income flow. However, customers have to seek more detailed information on the specific aspects of the waiver from their respective providers.
The Association also supports the Presidents’ directive on the temporary suspension of the listing with Credit Reference Bureaus (CRB). For any person, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and corporate entities. Whose loan account falls overdue or is in arrears, effective 1st April 2020.
A.P. Moller Capital has completed its first investment in Kenya with the acquisition of the Nairobi based thermal power plant Iberafrica from Naturgy.
Located in Nairobi’s industrial area, Iberafrica is a 52.5MW Independent Power Producer (IPP) plant. It has provided baseload and reliable power to the grid since the start of its operations in 1997. It is operated by a highly experienced local management team with extensive knowledge of the Kenyan energy market.
Iberafrica sells electricity to the national utility Kenya Power and Lighting Company Plc under a long-term power purchase agreement.
The acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Iberafrica, one of Kenya’s leading IPPs, is part of A.P. Moller Capital’s efforts to invest in infrastructure assets including power and energy in Africa. The acquisition provides A.P. Moller Capital with an effective platform to advance its investment commitments in Kenya. The company is also planning to invest further in greenfield and brownfield power and energy infrastructure assets in the country.
“Kenya is one of our focus countries with its sizeable, growing, and well-diversified economy as well as its strategic location in East Africa. The transaction represents A.P. Moller Capital’s first investment in Kenya, where we are planning to be an active long term partner in the energy transformation, creating employment and driving foreign investments to advance the national development and growth agenda,” said Lars Reno Jakobsen, Senior Partner at A.P. Moller Capital.
Naturgy is a leading multinational group in the energy sector, a pioneer in the integration of gas and electricity in Spain and Latin America. The company, as at the end of 2019, has more than 18 million customers worldwide, an installed capacity of 16.8 GW and a diversified mix of power generation. It is also a leader in the distribution of gas in Spain and one of the largest distributors of natural gas in Latin America. It currently has renewable energy developments in countries such as Spain, Australia, Mexico, Brazil or Chile.
A.P. Moller Capital, founded in 2017, as an affiliate of A.P. Moller Holding. It manages stand-alone funds focusing on infrastructure in growth markets. A.P. Moller Capital launched its first fund, The Africa Infrastructure Fund, in August 2017. It invests in infrastructure assets on the African continent with a focus on energy and transportation.
Going out and buying makeup for the first time is so exciting! You’re opening yourself up to a whole new world of colour, textures, technique and creativity – not to mention just good fun! One of the very best things about makeup is that it’s not too serious, it washes up and it allows you to really express yourself whilst you enhance your favourite features. You’ll feel bolder, more confident and maybe even a little more beautiful with just a few products applied here and there. If it sounds magic, that’s because it kind of is! Here are a few beginners-friendly tips for when you buy makeup for the first time…
Think about the products that you’ll need to use everyday to avoid splashing too much cash on admittedly amazing makeup that you might not want to use on the regular (ahem, glitter). Focus on items such as concealer, eyebrow gel, lip balm, powder and mascara first, the exciting stuff will be there for you once you’ve mastered the basics!
Consider Your Skin
In order to really find the right essentials for your face, you’ll need to have a think about the condition of your skin and your overall skin type . If you have dry skin you’ll want creamy, hydrating products. Oilier skin will need a heavy duty powder and waterproof eyeliner whilst acne prone faces will want to focus on coverage. By shopping in accordance with your skin type, you’ll be sure to nab yourself a few products that really work for you each and everyday!
Look at Light
When you’re in a makeup store, you’ll notice that the lighting is pretty different from any other light that you tend to spend your time in. When you’re trying out swatches, make sure you step out in natural light before you buy anything. If you’re shopping for makeup online, do plenty of research and make sure you’re buying a shade that suits your skin undertone as well as the general colour.
Get the Right Advice
Online or in store, you should have some access to well informed advice and tips. Makeup professionals are always keen to give their two cents as to what is going to suit you best, so listen and learn from their expertise and you’ll wind up with some pretty much perfect products! Look through magazines, read online reviews and ask your friends for some of their favourite product recommendations to really do your research. With the right resources, you’ll be able to slap on some make up like a pro!
Think About your Lifestyle
You’ll need to find makeup that works with your day to day life. For example, if you’re always at the gym or you’re breaking a sweat on a daily basis, you’ll want waterproof products that can be brought on the go for touch ups. If you’re a big traveller, look for smaller products that can come with you anywhere. Shop for your daily routine and you’ll thank yourself down the line, promise!
Gather your Tools
You’ll need to have a few tools handy to help you create your most flawless face. The basics you’ll want to keep an eye out for include a fluffy kabuki brush, a flat edged foundation brush, a tapered pencil brush, a fluffy loosely packed eyeshadow brush and a sponge. Keep a couple of spoolies and Q-tips on hand to clean up and brush your brows neatly.
Don’t Forget About Skincare
Don’t forget about your skincare, this gets even more important once you start wearing makeup. A cleanse, tone and moisturise routine every morning and night will be a big help for making makeup sit perfectly and for keeping skin smooth and clear.
StarTimes Kenya has rolled out a homeschooling program “Elimu TV” that will enable primary and high school students to continue learning through audiovisual programming that will be available to subscribers on the platform.
Elimu TV that has a key focus on secondary school students. It has over 2,000 educational videos specifically geared towards the 8-4-4 system of education. The TV program will be available at no subscription cost in the month of April with the introduction of the local education channel being a significant step towards the delivery of homeschooling content during this period and will include live lessons by experienced teachers.
StarTimes has also introduced a new channel for primary school students, Mindset Learn. The channel will broadcast lessons on several subjects such as Mathematics, physical and life Science. Additionally, the broadcaster has adjusted programming on various children channels among them ST Kids andBaby TV with the introduction of homeschooling content to cater for primary education through creative animated lessons including science, handcraft, painting, and music.
Speaking on these developments, StarTimes Regional Marketing Director Mr. Aldrine Nsubuga noted there is a need to have content aimed at encouraging students to continue learning away from school.
“We want to make sure that every student stays safe at home. And access a variety of audiovisual lessons tailored to their requirements. With these channels and updated content. We are confident learning will not stop and that the school programming will go a long way. And they will keep up with their peers while learning at home,” noted Mr. Nsubuga.
Subscribers will also be in a position to access the content on the company’s over the top platform StarTimes ON which will enable users to broadcast the contentlive and replay the same on mobile devices at their convenience.
Rocket Internet, the German tech investor and company builder has exited Jumia, its Amazon clone for Africa founded in 2012 in Lagos, Nigeria.
Rocket Internet sold its 11% stake in Jumia towards the end of last year according to a report by Reuters. The troubled etailer went public in April 2019 on the New York Stock Exchange Jumia a share price of $14.5, raising the firm $196 million for its retail, food delivery, real estate, logistics, hotel and flight bookings verticals.
After launching its IPO, Citron Research published a report questioning data contained in Jumia’s April 2019 IPO materials versus data contained in an October 2018 confidential presentation. The report accused Jumia of overstating certain financial metrics in the prospectus, and omitting adverse information about the number of returned, undelivered, or cancelled orders from the prospectus. In response, the price of Jumia ADSs significantly fell on May 9, 2019.
Further losses pegged on fraud and operational infrastructure in Africa led to Jumia’s unattractiveness even though it went ahead to attract a number of investors such as Mastercard and other minor sales of its travel and real estate verticals to various firms across Africa.
Oliver Samwer, founder and CEO of Rocket Internet commented: “2019 has been a successful year for Rocket Internet and many of its companies. The Corona pandemic has introduced a high degree of uncertainty to the development of the global economy this year and will also negatively impact our network of companies in the coming months and quarters.”
As of March 31, 2020, Rocket Internet had an available net cash position of EUR 2.1 billion. Bettina Curtze, the firm’s head of finance and investments, said the sale was part of the 2.1 billion euros ($2.30 billion) of net cash Rocket Internet had as of March 31.
In September 2019, Rocket Internet reported EUR 32 million of consolidated revenue and a consolidated profit of EUR 548 million in its H1 2019, representing EUR 3.65 earnings per share (EUR 1.84 earnings per share in H1 2018).
Jumia, listed via ADS on NYSE, grew GMV to EUR 521 million, a 64% increase over H1 2018. In the same period, marketplace revenue grew by 96%. Jumia’s number of active consumers reached 4.8 million at the end of H1 2019, compared to 3.2 million twelve months earlier. As of August 31, 2019, Rocket Internet had an available net cash position of EUR 3.0 billion.
Rocket Internet reported EUR 67 million of consolidated revenue and a consolidated profit of EUR 280 million in its FY 09, representing EUR 1.90 earnings per share (EUR 1.28 earnings per share in FY 2018).
Rocket Internet now runs its online furniture marketplace Home24 and Global Fashion Group an online fashion and lifestyle destination in growth markets. Global Fashion Group grew group revenue to EUR 1.3 billion in FY 2019, which represents a year on year growth of 17% on a constant currency basis. It active customers reached 13.1 million at the end of FY 2019, a 17% increase compared to a year ago.
Home24, its furniture marketplace, grew revenue to EUR 372 million in FY 2019, a 20% increase versus the prior year on a constant currency basis (19% including foreign currency effects). In Q4 2019, home24 reached adjusted EBITDA break-even for the first time on a group and regional level, thus achieving an important IPO milestone within 18 months after listing.
Safaricom has today rolled out Bonga For Good. An initiative that will see customers use Bonga Points to pay for essential goods and services. Customers will redeem 1 Bonga Point for KES 30 cents. Which is a 50% increase from the previous KES 20 cents per point, at over 140,000 Lipa na M-PESA merchants countrywide. This service will be available for the next 30 days.
Merchants accepting Lipa Na Bonga will receive a cash equivalent of the points redeemed, making it a normal business transaction.
This campaign is a response by the company to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Majority of Kenyans have little income. The initiative will also empower customers to donate their Bonga Points to those in need as a show of goodwill during this period.
“We have seen Kenyans lose some or all of their income as a result of this pandemic, making it difficult to meet their needs. This initiative seeks to empower Kenyans to use the points earned from using Safaricom products over the years to pay for their essentials or to donate them to the most vulnerable in the society,” said Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO.
To redeem or transfer points, customers will dial *126#. You can redeem as little as KES 1 via Lipa na Bonga at key merchants. This includes Naivas Supermarket, Tuskys and Eastmatt.
Since the Bonga loyalty scheme was introduced in 2007. Kenyans have enjoyed great rewards on data bundles, airtime and devices for their loyalty. “We are opening this up further for Kenyans to use during this time of need,” added Ndegwa.
Customers accumulate a point on the Bonga loyalty scheme t for every KES 10 spent on airtime.
Zoom has been on criticism fo the past month with users discovering some of the malfunctions of the app. It has since become the to-go site for office meetings, client pitches organizing family, friends, groupie meetings and everything else online.
The Coronavirus pandemic has had everyone working from home and as now zoom has become an all-time solution. The app has grown drastically from 10 million users in December to over 200 million users in March and the surge continues.
Zoom’s founder and CEO Eric S. Yuan posted in a blog on Wednesday explaining that in December Zoom had approximately 10 million daily users. By March that number grew to 200 million. The platform, Yuan writes, was built for large businesses and institutions with their own IT departments.
He further concludes that “we did not design the product with the foresight that in a matter of weeks, every person in the world would suddenly be working, studying, and socializing from home. We now have a much broader set of users who are utilizing our product in a myriad of unexpected ways. Presenting us with unprecedented challenges. ”
Some of the noted challenges include having unwanted guests crashing and harassing strangers in video chats a trolling technique known as zoombombing.
the company has taken up the matter promptly. And has listed some of the steps it will be taking to address the issues. Yaun has also confirmed that they will freeze any work not directed towards safety. Or the privacy of the users for the next 90 days.
The company will be conducting a review with third-party experts, running a series of security penetration among other tests. They will also be a weekly webinar to provide updates to users in the 90 day period.
“I will be transparent and honest on areas we will strengthen our platform. And areas where users can take steps to best use and protect themselves on the platform,” says Yuan.
Tala has today announced a Ksh 605Million COVID-19 fund to boost Kenyan businesses and communities during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
Most people have closed or if not struggling to make ends meet with businesses almost crippling down due to lack of clientele. Tala plans to help them grow through additional funding and partnerships. The fund will prioritize existing Tala customers as well as Tala businesses that provide essential services to their communities.
Tala joins other companies in supporting the country in dealing with this crisis. Banks and some of the Telcos have also waived transaction fees to reduce the burden on Kenyans.
“We believe small businesses are the backbone of the Kenyan economy. Businesses, and business owners, who provide essential goods and services to their broader communities will help Kenyans survive this crisis. And will be on the front lines leading efforts to rebuild,” said Ivan Mbowa, General Manager, Tala Kenya.
“We want to give those businesses the ability to get a head start in helping communities recover and rebound. That’s why we are offering select business owners 0% fee Community Support Loans with extended tenures,” said Mr Mbowa.
Eligible customers will be invited to apply for the Fund’s first new product at a 0% fee, 6-month Community Support Loan of Ksh. 30,000. the loan will support businesses that are helping Kenyans recover and rebuild. Especially those businesses offering essential services such as food, water, health & medical services, critical household supplies, education, and logistics related to these services.
“By investing in entrepreneurs and small businesses we can multiply our impact. We believe that supporting small businesses is the best way to contribute to reviving communities and local economies. But this is just the beginning for the Rebuild Fund. We are constantly evaluating additional ways to support customers and their communities by providing timely tools and assistance,” He added.
Chinese tech giants Huawei and Tencent will be setting up a game development lab that will explore technologies such as cloud gaming, Artificial Intelligence, (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR).
The lab will work on ways to optimise game engine features, rendering, and power consumption. The companies will jointly develop new chip features and debugging tools that will create new gameplay formats.
The project will tap into Huawei’s powerful Kunpeng processor that will now develop Tencent’s GameMatrix cloud gaming into an industry-leading high quality and low-cost cloud gaming solution.
Tencent already runs the world’s biggest video games business by revenue, which is a relatively new field for Hauwei.
“For Tencent, the cooperation, on the one hand, shows its support of the home-grown Kunpeng industrial ecosystem and on the other hand, gives players using Huawei smartphones access to its cloud games,” said Wen Hao, an analyst form Tianfeng Securities.
Especially during the ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic, gaming is one of the hottest industry at the moment. Everyone is at home and a good percentage of them are downloading video games . Or dedicated to streaming games to entertain themselves.
Noting from a comment on South China Morning Post. Huawei, having more partners join its Kunpeng ecosystem can help grow the company. also “reduce the negative impact of overseas sales of its smartphones which have been hurt by the US ban.
Huawei, introduced its first cloud gaming management platform in June 2019 incorporating the company’s 5G technology. While Tencent has ‘Start’ cloud gaming service that has been in Beta testing since December.
The new partnership will leverage Huawei’s Kunpen processor and Tencent’s GameMatrix platform. Which could be a growth moment for mobile cloud gaming. Tencent is already a mobile game originator and topping the Huawei’s first-grade technology will pave way for mobile cloud gaming.
Erik Rind, founder and CEO of ImagineBC has been asked several times to describe who he is, and though it looks easy and straightforward. It’s a complex question and Rind has been trying to answer it for 59 years but still don’t quite have a handle on it.
As the founder and CEO, standing for both Chief Executive Officer and Chief Evangelist Officer, Rind ensures the company’s strategy is properly and efficiently executed. He is out there every day trying to get people to understand that the current world created by the tech giants leads to a dystopian future. For the sake of his newly born grandson’s generation and all future generations, Rind sees the need for people to act and take back control of our personal data and more importantly demand that we be fairly compensated for any use of that data by a third party.
Rind tells TechMoran.com that ImagineBC started when he got interested in blockchain technology.
After doing some considerable research, he came to understand that if properly used, the technology had world changing capability. As a hands on technologist, he began playing with the technology by building a prototype self-service mobile app to connect to his existing companies Human Capital Management (HCM) product. The idea was to use the distributed security of blockchain to remove the risk of loss of personal information by a “dark hat” hacking into HCM’s centralized database. About 6 months into this effort, they pivoted because they felt they needed a “sexier” solution than HCM to convince people they needed to take back control of their personal information. That was the birth of ImagineBC. Instead of focusing on an HCM solution, instead they focused on ImagineBC becoming a mediator of individual data (MID).
Below is the rest of the interview TechMoran.com had with Erik Rind.
How does ImagineBC work?
ImagineBC acts as a middleman between advertisers, consumers and sellers of digital content. Our goal is to create what we call “free” money and “new” money for consumers which they can then use to purchase digital content, donate to a social cause or charity or just transfer into their bank account. “Free” money is created when a user purchases a debit card within our platform. ImagineBC pays the user 5% on every dollar they put on a card. Say your mobile phone bill is $100. Purchase a $100 debit card from us, ImagineBC will put $5 back into your account and you can use the $100 card to pay your phone bill. Voila free money. ImagineBC of course hopes you use some of that money to purchase digital content because that’s where we make our money but if you would prefer to donate it or transfer it to your bank account, you are free to do so at no cost. That’s correct. ImagineBC takes 0% from any donation made through our platform. “New” money is created when marketers and advertisers use the aggregated data, we make available to them, to run advertising campaigns, surveys or focus groups through our app. If a company runs a $50,000 advertising campaign inside our ecosystem, 90% of that money is distributed back to our user base. ImagineBC only keeps 10%. These economics are built into a blockchain smart contract and cannot be altered without 51% of our user base agreeing.
How is ImagineBC unique from the pack in the same sector?
We believe we are the only company out there that has built a production ready blockchain solution that helps both the consumer and the content provider monetize their data and intellectual property. We are also not crypto based. Our transactions are all done in USD. There are a number of company’s out there focusing on either helping consumers monetize their personal data or helping content providers monetize their intellectual property. We are the only company which integrates both solutions into one streamlined marketplace.
What are the major services you provide at ImagineBC?
We provide a centralized marketplace for content providers to control their intellectual property and turn their creativity into real money. We also provide the technology needed to help the individual consumer turn their personal data into real money. Where the tech giants use AI/ML technology to aggregate their user’s personal information for the benefit of themselves and their shareholders, ImagineBC, working with its partner WeR.ai, has built the same technology but we put it to use for the benefit of our users. Remember, 90% of every dollar spent on a commercial transaction within our ecosystem is distributed back to our users. I don’t see Facebook making the decision to distribute 90% of their advertising revenue to their user base any time in the near future. We also provide some additional free services to our users. One is that we transmit donations for free. If you want to donate $100 to Toys for Tots then use our platform, because Toys for Tots will receive the full 100%. Platforms like Patreon and Cameo take an 8% cut or higher. We also provide educational institutions, associations and companies with a secure mechanism to communicate with their sub-communities. Since any content uploaded onto our platform requires the input of a private blockchain key, the recipients of communications can be 100% sure that the information they are receiving came from the actual source. There is no ability to create fake news on our platform.
Are we at the peak of Big Data or at its decline? What is the future like?
Absolutely not! There is a common expression going around that “data” is like the new “oil”. This is not true. Though fortunes can be made mining data like oil, data is not a finite commodity. You can never exhaust the resource of data. Every time you touch your mobile device, or switch a channel on Netflix, or count your steps on your FitBit you are creating new data. With an infinite resource, there will be infinite ways to use this data for both good and bad. We are just in the infancy of data usage. As the use of AI/ML becomes more available and less expensive to use, we will find more and more ways to put that data to work for us. Here’s the thing. If we allow this power to be controlled by the tech giants the future looks bleak. Such power should never be in the hands of the few. Here’s the good news. We the People still have the power to say not on my watch.
What types of businesses can benefit from ImagineBC?
Everyone benefits from a platform like ImagineBC’s. The only ones who don’t are the big tech companies. Larger advertisers still get the advantage of targeting their message to an audience determine by AI/ML. but instead of their budgeted dollars going into the hands of a select few companies, 90% of those dollars goes directly back to the consumers they are trying to reach. Small to mid-size business greatly benefit from using a platform like ImagineBC’s because we significantly lower the risk to run an advertising or marketing campaign. Since a company’s budgeted dollars are only spent when a consumer has actually interacted with the company’s message, the small to mid-size companies can now jump into the marketing game just like the big guns.
What is the secret of your success?
Our success is totally based on people understanding that through ImagineBC they have way to control their personal data and intellectual property and turn that control into new income. Will people be willing to change two decades of behavior? Well, the United States Congress believes the answer is yes. Although there is no consensus yet on what type of legislation should be passed to help govern the use of individual data, that very fact that there are numerous Senators working on plans and that the idea remains in the public discourse is very positive for ImagineBC.
What is the market size and demand for your services, and who is your average user?
Our market is everyone who owns a smart mobile device. We of course believe that everyone should want to participate in our community, but time will tell on whether we are successful in getting our message to go viral. We are only in the early launch phase but there are some encouraging signs. Our first content partner got 100 people to download and register for their channel on our app but those 100 people create an additional 200 users through word of mouth. That is what we are looking for. Right now, our focus is on helping social media content providers with followings up to about 150k make money from their content. The content provider invites their followers to join to get access to exclusive content on the ImagineBC platform. To pay for this exclusive content, the user can create “free” money..
How is ImagineBC harnessing the power of technology to tackle the pressing global issue of dataprivacy?
One word: Blockchain. By creating a data wallet for our users where they are in complete control of when and how their data is used, the global issue is resolved. If everyone adopted this type of solution there would be no more annoying popup ads on your laptop, no more creepy text message ads arriving on your phone. There will still be advertising but each individual will choose when and how often they wish to watch ads and answer surveys and every time they do they will earn “new” money. Content will no longer be interrupted by ads. Instead, by watching ads you will be able to pay for the content you’re interested in. The more you participate on the advertising side, the more content and services you can purchase without having to use money from your paycheck.
What are the benefits of using the ImagineBC’s services?
For individuals the benefits are earning new income by putting your personal data to work for you and also removing the annoyance of unwanted and intrusive advertising. For content providers, the benefit is controlling the monetization of your creativity by removing the unneeded and unwanted middlemen. For advertiser and marketers, the benefit is better control of how dollars are spent and a more intrinsic results from the consumer.
How Safe is ImagineBC> Would you like to talk about your technology and security measures?
Every user’s data is secured within an Ethereum blockchain distributed network is running as a private blockchain network within the Microsoft Azure cloud. So, for some “dark hat” to gain access to your information, they will first need to pierce Microsoft’s cloud security and if they can somehow accomplish this task, they would then need to mount a 51% attack against our distributed network all before Microsoft identifies the threat and shuts them down. Since no public blockchain has every had a successful 51% attack achieved against it, I like our chances of totally securing your information within our private network. Every user’s money is protected in a sub-trust account within a master trust account we have with our sponsor bank.
Why Ethereum and not any other blockchain network?
We started this project 2.5 years ago. Back then the only commercially viable blockchain platform that ran smart contracts was Ethereum. The decision was simple. However, we have architected our solution in such a way that porting our ecosystem onto another network is achievable if we every deem it practical to do so.
How did you enter the blockchain space?
I was introduced to blockchain by John Cronin, CEO of the BuildCoin Foundation. John was an absolute blockchain zealot and, prior to meeting him, had never heard of the technology. After spending two days listening to him tell me about the global impact the technology would have, I was left with more questions than answers. This got me on a 3 month intensive program of studying everything I could find about blockchain. Of course, the challenge was differentiated between the hype around cryptocurrencies and the underlying technology. At the end of these 3 months, I was every bit the zealot John was and maybe even more.
What does ImagineBC offer or do within the blockchain sector? Are there any challenges it has experienced in the blockchain sector?
ImagineBC utilizes blockchain technology and the IPFS to secure all our user’s personal data. This is data that individually or combined can be used to determine who our user is. Information like name, street address, city, email address and phone number. Without blockchain technology, we could never 100% guarantee that only our user is in control of their identity. The challenge with creating a blockchain identity for all our users is that with extra security comes extra responsibility. We have had to work extra hard on dealing with the UI/UX challenges of helping a user create their identity wallet and access this wallet throughout the feature of the mobile app.
What areas of blockchain do you think will soon become part of our everyday lives?
I think the 3 areas that will standardize on blockchain technology in order of acceptance and delivery will be financial transactions, supply chain management and identity management. Interestingly enough none of these solution need involve cryptocurrency and none of them need to be publicly deployed blockchains. With the exception of identity management, most people will not notice any change in service. Financial transactions will become more secure and affordable. Supply chain management will become more transparent to involved parties, but these are not things that will jump out at the individual consumer. Identity management though will definitely be a change for people and will need government cooperation.
What has been the biggest success in your firm to date?
We have been in development for 2.5 years so just getting a solution this large and with the potential impact we can have to market without the assistance of outside capital is a pretty big accomplishment. That being said, we now face the task of building interest in our solution. We understand that this will be slow going at first, but we know that if we stick at it, we will eventually hit a point of virality, and our user base will start to grow exponentially.
What has been the biggest failure in your firm and how did you adapt?
The most disappointing thing we have encountered is the complete lack of enthusiasm from the capital markets to support a project like ours. Every investment group we spoke with wanted us to prove our model works before investing in it.
What is your revenue model?
ImagineBC takes 10% from any commercial transaction completed between two members. So, if member A sells a monthly subscription to Member B for $5.00 per month, ImagineBC keeps $0.50 from that transaction. If Member Y runs a $100,000 advertising campaign inside our community and the entire budget is exhausted, ImagineBC will have earned $10,000 from that campaign. ImagineBC does not earn anything from direct donations or when a user purchases one of our debit cards.
Has COVID-19 affected your industry in any way and how has it changed the way you work.
I can’t imagine any industry could say that they have not been affected by the government’s response to COVID-19. You don’t just shut down the United State economy and expect there to be manageable ripple effects. As a technology company ImagineBC can continue to operate remotely but the implementation of “social distancing” as a policy has had an impact on our community growth strategy. Certain key target areas for us are not currently available because people are no longer permitted to come together as a group. However, the response has also created an opportunity for us as many intellectual property creators who have existed on income from playing performances are now look for ways to monetize their creativity on the web.
How can blockchain technology and ImagineBC help bring the world back to normalcy after COVID-19?
Honestly, I don’t think either will have any significant impact on the short term recovery. But if you look just beyond the horizon of COVID-19 you may see where blockchain and ImagineBC will have a significant impact on society. If you are like me and believe that the adoption of AI/ML robotics will have a devastating effect on the future of employment, then COVID-19 has given us an opportunity to see the future. Today, people working in the service and hospitality industries are out of work because of a public health crisis. But in the not too distant future, these same people will be permanently out of work because their jobs have been replaced by AI/ML driven robotics. Short term 30% unemployment due to COVID-19 may become permanent 20-25% unemployment due to technology if we don’t act now. That’s why the work we are doing at ImagineBC and the work Senators Gillibrand, Hawley and Warner are doing on the Hill is so important. People need to wake up and understand that they need to take back control of their data and be fairly compensated for the use of their information. ImagineBC is solution ready. Now we need everyone to take the “red pill” and wake up to what we can already see.
Uber has temporarily suspended its services for UberX, and UberBoda in Uganda for 14 days. This comes after the announcement by HE Yoweri Museveni that the country will go on a 14-day lockdown. The lockdown becomes effective as from 1st and it will be lifted on April 14th.
The growing number of confirmed cases globally are worrisome. And especially in Uganda where the cases have clocked to 44 in two weeks. The president prohibited all people to people movement including the use of private vehicles, bodabodas and Tuk-tuks. Earlier, on the president had suspended bodaboda services and before implementing a total lockdown for all public transport. Uber had already suspended its uberBoda survives.
Uber has taken the move positively to protect the safety and well being of the community. the company will not be in operation throughout the 14 days until the ban is lifted or the government gives a new directive.
He further added that “Some private car owners had turned their cars into taxis, transporting people from one area to another while even charging an exorbitant fare of up to Ush50,000 from Kampala to Jinja. Amove that would spread the virus further”
Prior to the lockdown, Uber had put up measures to protect its drivers during the COVID-19 period. The company had vowed to compensate drivers affected by COVID-19, which will be based on their average daily earnings over the last six months. The company further commented that ride-hailing and delivery drivers are among the most vulnerable. Since the virus spreads because of the social nature of their jobs.
How can you connect to people using social media during social distancing?
Honestly staying at home is just tiring, having to keep away from people can be depressing that even introverts are unhappy. Most people are spending a lot of their time on social media and you can actually use your time there wisely.
For your mental health and well-being, you must not let the anxiety that is being caused by this physical distance overpower your mind. But how do you stay sane during social distancing?
Consider using the following platforms or tools to connect with your family and friends.
1. Use Social Media or Zoom to Catch up With Friends & Family Members
Almost all the social media websites and applications today offer this feature where you can video chat with your friends and family. You can even have a group video chat with more than 2 people on most of the social media platforms out there. You might be in quarantine and start feeling a little restless, but through these applications, you can stay connected with the people who matter the most every day, even if you are video calling them just to say hi.
2. Host or Join Live Watch Parties
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused many events to be called off as larger gatherings are discouraged during this phase. And therefore, people are missing out on a lot of events that they would have been attending otherwise, including concerts and seminars. If you are someone who was hosting a concert, or a party, or even an informative seminar, then you can host ‘Watch Parties’, and let people join these watch parties virtually and have fun within their apartments.
3. Host Virtual Events & Invite Your Friends
A number of people had birthdays and weddings planned for these months, which unfortunately will not be taking place in large gatherings any more since Coronavirus is spreading pretty quickly. But that should not stop you from celebrating your happiness through virtual forums, right? You can plan virtual events, invite several people to join you online, and just have a ball!
4. Use FaceTime or Messenger to Connect With Friends & Family
If you are an Apple user, now is the best time to connect with your family using FaceTime. And all Android users out there, you can opt for Facebook Messenger, which is yet another amazing online application that keeps you connected with your family and friends who are far away, quarantined in their own homes.
5. Create a Netflix Party
Before being locked down in isolation, everyone had movie nights with family and friends, where you would eat popcorn while you watch and laugh together. Since you cannot do that anymore, this is something that is missed by many these days. You can still do that virtually by creating a Netflix Party. It is something not everyone is aware of.
You can create a Netflix party with your family and friends, and even when you are physically distant, you can virtually enjoy a movie night together.
YouTube is currently working on a new feature called Shorts. The feature is rumoured to rival TikTok which will appear on the YouTube app as a feature. Shorts will allow YouTube users to create very brief videos similar to what TikTok users do. Shorts will will be unveiled towards the end of the year.
According to reports by the Information blog, Shorts will exist inside the YouTube mobile app as a feature which will include a feed of brief videos posted by users inside the Google-owned app. It will take advantage of the video service’s catalog of licensed music, songs from which will be available to use as soundtracks for the videos created by users.
YouTube already boosts of about 2 billion monthly users and getting users to shift to the feature can be easy. A good percentage of YouTubers use other streaming services. While people who have access to streaming services, both paid and ad-supported. The app also has the advantage of being able to lean on its advertising revenue to counter any losses that might occur.
Internet users have adopted short videos in the recent past. Especially at a time when almost everyone is social distancing or in quarantine due to Coronavirus. People are using their free time to create short videos to entertain themselves instead of meetups.
Another thing is that TikTok in the last two years has grown by over 125 per cent. A positive growth curve which gives YouTube and other video streaming service providers a run for their money.
YouTube has reportedly been working offering offer third-party subscriptions to video streaming services like Netflix, CBS to give customers a chance to sign up for a wider range of streaming services from other entertainment companies.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe came out guns blazing expressing rage over the social media attack on Brenda Cherotich, one of the recovered coronavirus patients.
According to the CS, a section of Kenyans took to social media to make a mockery of the Government’s effort to raise awareness.
The Government has been trying to raise awareness about COVID-19 but as usual Kenyans thought it was just another attempt to try and cause a propaganda while using Brenda.
However, CS Mutahi Kagwe was not having it with Kenyans online.
Yesterday I informed you about our two young people who have recovered from coronavirus. However, some have decided to trivialize our efforts and in so doing, trivialise two Kenyans.
Kagwe castigated the perpetrators saying instead of reenergizing their efforts and raising alert levels, some decided to make fun and brand the session with Brenda and Brian as a public relations exercise.
Really? A PR exercise? Why would a government in collaboration with the World Health Organization and other inter-governmental organizations decide to make a PR exercise with two innocent Kenyans?
Kagwe described the claims as ‘unpalatable’ and described those trivializing the Government’s efforts as ‘unpalatable, archaic and retrogressive.
He added:
I condemn in the strongest terms any person who would attempt to do that.
The Health CS further warned that those found culpable will be be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
His sentiments come a day after Brenda and Brian held a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta via teleconference with the session beamed live on local television stations.
The two were speaking in public for the first time since leaving the Mbagathi District Hospital isolation centre.
They updated the President on their health status and experience after they contracted coronavirus.
Brenda, who was confirmed as the first Kenyan patient to contract COVID-19, said she believes she contracted the virus in London while returning to Kenya from the United States.
She later held an interview with Citizen TV’s Jeff Koinange on the JKL show where she revealed that she was quarantined for 23 days, a period that many people thought was a bit too long.
However, Brenda never once said anything bad about the people that took care of her and urged Kenyans to stay at home to stop the virus from spreading any further.
Safaricom PLC has partnered with education content providers to give primary and high school students free access to educational content.
Two weeks ago, the president ordered the closure of all schools to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic days after the first patient was diagnosed with the virus. Since then, learning has been paralysed. Safaricom will be partnering with Eneza Education, Longhorn Publishers and Viusasa to allow students to access learning materials while at home.
“These are difficult times for our country and the world at large and as a company. We are constantly looking at ways of being present for our customers. Through this initiative, we want to ensure that all students can access educational content. Whether through feature phones or smartphones. And keep up with their studies for the time they will be at home,” said Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO.
The students will access material for free on Shupavu Web, Viusasa E-learning. They will also access through the Longhorn E-learning portal and through the Safaricom network at no data cost, up to 250MB per day. This will go on for the next 60 days. At the moment the platforms will be available for students from grade 4 to form 4 only.
Students who don’t have access to smartphones and computers will also benefit from the program. The Eneza education platform, Shupavu 291 is an SMS based platform. And students can access the content any time form any phone.
Alternatively, the students will also access learning material on the Safaricom website Shupavu web, Viusasa E-Learning platform and on the Longhorn E-Learning platform.
“Eneza Education is excited to partner with Safaricom to make the Shupavu291 learning platform available for free to learners across the country via USSD *291# and the shortcode 20851. This ease of access has seen more than 5.3 million students use the platform,” said Wambura Kimunyu, Eneza Education CEO.
” And more than 1 million questions asked on the Ask-A-Teacher learning platform,” said Wambura.
Kasha, an e-commerce platform improving women’s access to genuine health, hygiene and self-care products in East Africa has secured $1 million investment from Finnfund for pan-African expansion.
Kasha sells menstrual care products, contraceptives, pharmaceuticals and a range of beauty products via its own platform, accessible through basic phones and a website and delivered to customers confidentially. Kasha will use the funds to develop the environmental and social policies to meet the international benchmarks even when scaling up the business.
Kasha was first founded in 2016 in Rwanda and has since expanded to Kenya. The company has served over 55 000 clients, of which 75% are low-income, and delivered close to 600 000 products out of which 275 000+ are health products.
“We are a very purpose-driven company with a strong focus on our customers. We deliver the products that women actually want and need in a way that is most private and discreet for them”, says Kasha’s CEO Joanna Bichsel. “What drives us is that we can change the way women in emerging markets get their health products. Partnering with Finnfund, we look forward to growing our presence in Rwanda and Kenya as well as expanding to other countries in Africa – and eventually to other parts of the world.”
Finnfund started negotiations with Kasha in February 2020. “We were convinced by their strong mission and at the same time, we see that e-commerce is rapidly growing its share of consumer spending”, says Finnfund’s Investment Manager Johanna Raehalme. “During the investment process, Kasha’s role has become more relevant than ever: At the moment, they are preparing for an active role in protecting people from COVID-19”, says Raehalme.
Kasha is also supporting the directives of the Ministry of Health, in Kenya and Rwanda to serve as a channel for the safe delivery of COVID-protection related products, information and services.
Kasha is also part of a technical working group identifying technology solutions to help with the situation.
Finnfund is committed to investing 105 million euros in businesses that advance gender equality during 2019-2021. The investment in Kasha promotes gender equality by creating access to health-related products as well as creating employment and leaderships opportunities for women. “This investment fills all the 2X Challenge criteria that we apply to our gender investments”, says Raehalme.
Kasha increases the access to health products and health information while also employing low-income women in the rural communities as Kasha agents.
OPPO Reno3‘s international version is set to be launched in Kenya on April 14th promising its users powerful photography settings and great video shooting capabilities.
OPPO Reno3 comes with a rear 48MP Zoom Quadcam and 44MP Front Camera with Ultra Night Selfie Mode, OPPO Reno3 captures clear images under any life scenarios. Reno3 challenges the restrictions of distance, lighting and shaky footage to deliver photos and videos of outstanding quality.
In other markets, the phone was announced and released in December 2019 but the international version is jus being released across Africa and in some other emerging markets where OPPO is working to be the best smartphone vendor against OEMs such as Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi among others.
Key Specs
Height: 160.2 mmWidth: 73.3 mmThickness: 7.9 mmWeight: Approximately 170 g
Color: Sky White, Midnight Black, Auroral Blue
OS: ColorOS 7, based on Android 10CPU: MTK MT6779V (MTK P90)
Battery: 3935/4025 mAh (min/typ)
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB (SD card is expandable up to 256GB)
Size: 16.2cm(6.4”) Touchscreen: Multi-touch, Capacitive Screen Resolution: 2400 by 1080 pixelsColors: 16 million colors Screen Ratio: 90.8%
Yebo, a video-on-demand platform to be the guide of Africa through stories has been launched by Africa 24 Media to offer authentic stories from more than 30 different African countries, FREE of charge.
Yebo content has been curated over the last 12 years and captures the diversity and creative energy of Africa. It is home to educative, inspiring and entertaining narratives about Africans, their overcoming spirit and aspirations for the future.
According to Africa 24 Media founder and C.E.O, Asif Sheikh, “For two decades I was away from home, studying and working in North America. While there, I constantly craved for news back home, sadly, all we got at the time were stories of a continent ravaged by war, corruption and disease. Most of these stories were told by foreign journalists, when I came back, I found amazing stories that were not covered by international press and that gave me the inspiration to allow more of our people tell these stories.”
Documentaries: Watch half hour documentaries on the History of major events on the continent, Biography of Africa’s history makers and Discover the continent in a fun and adventurous.
Short Stories: Get hundreds of short stories on health, politics, sports, women and children, adventure and many more.
Weekly Shows: Make a date with fresh episodes of our weekly magazine shows and journey with us as we speak to opinion shapers around the continent on The Scoop, travel to different destinations and celebrate our diversity On The Road, jam to Africa’s biggest hits and get the back stories from the artists themselves on Up Beat. Learn how to take better care of animals on Animore.
Snackables: Find out what our editor has picked to snack on the go, as you discover the continent through our eyes.
The flexibility of the platform is swift and effortless making each minute of your experience worthwhile. Distinctively, the YEBO audio cast feature to the content makes the platform suitable to visit anywhere, anytime.
Journey with us today on https://www.yebo.live/en/ and get to share in our experience of a positive Africa, dating back 50 years with more content uploaded daily. Come discover Africa with us, get a sneak peek here http://bit.ly/2lVRgjg
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the product of the state of the art technology which enables a robot to imitate human behavior while conducting routine or rhythmic functions. Often we get the wrong impression it is a humanoid robot, which is not factual. RPA is a robotic software that is specially programmed to perform tasks with preset rules and conditions. The task performed by the robots are more accurate and acquiescence than manual activities. It can continue to work for a prolonged period performing those cyclical jobs without fatigue or taking a break. RPA meets and sometimes go beyond potential enhancing compliance (92%), better quality accurateness (90%), enhanced productivity (86%), and cost reduction (59%).PEA technology is widely used across industries like; banking, transportation, the casino industry, and government organizations.
Advantages of RPA
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a combination of software, AI, and machine learning capabilities to manage huge volume repetitive tasks with minimum human interference. This automation production system lowers production costs by 80to 90%. As human interference is minimum, the chance is error is negligible; this enhances the accuracy of the product. RPA technology can work tirelessly around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year, thus increasing productivity many folds than human-operated production assembly. No system integration is required in RPA, as the software is programmed according to the predetermined rules and conditions. Production time is significantly diminished, with enhanced accuracy and optimal use of resources.
Transformation of casinos
Is the estimated total revenue of the online gambling industry will reach $525 billion by the year 2025? Parlor games have been exciting and thrilling for many years. But modern technologies have made casino games more lively, vivid, interacting, and engrossing. Bingo is gaining popularity since the 1920s, but now people play it online instead of visiting a bingo hall. Digitization of parlor games has added so many varieties and variations; there are at least eight kinds of bingo games available in online casinos.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing, evolving, and improving in leaps and bounds. A few decades ago, the computer beat world chess champion, Gary Kasparov, in games of chess. The microprocessors used in computers are becoming more integrated, more powerful. A modern computer can beat professional poker players with ease. AI is now used extensively to increase the quality of customer care service. It is also used to deliver tailor-made customer service to individuals. Based on previous data AI can suggest games that suit your gaming style, and persona.AI is changing the gaming experience, and Virtual reality (VR) is changing the games you play.AI have changed the online gambling for the better good.AI, and online slot games go hand in hand. The casino industry has an extraordinary track record of quickly embracing modern technology. You can see the vast difference between the earlier 16-bit online poker and modern video poker games. Online casinos have taken giant steps to engage and appease players. Sports betting, like boxing betting, has taken quantum steps to please and satisfy wagers.
COVID-19 or as Coronavirus as popularly known has brought the world into lockdown but it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to pass time. There are several top online casino sites offering opportunities for users to play via their mobile phones or desktop computers.
Growth of casino gaming technology
Casino gaming technology has evolved for years since the introduction of technology and the internet back in the late nineties. According to reports, the industry recently beat out the US movie industry for overall income and is expected to break $103bn by 2025. However, choice of a perfect casino website is not an easy one as there are so many casino websites online nowadays.
An internet connection
A number of them include casino websites where individuals play casinos on the web with either a mobile phone, gaming console or a PC and an Internet connection. There are top online casinos such as Betsson or other small scale or huge virtual casinos offering a variety of mainstream casino games such as roulette, poker, and blackjack to streak games, for example, online casinos slots.
What we offer to our players
Betsson offers Sportsbook, Horse Racing, and Live Betting for betting on sports like football, racing, rugby, and eSports. For Casino for playing games such as blackjack, roulette, and slot machines. For Live Casino users can play table games with a real-live dealer on webcam. For lovers of Poker, there is a chance to play the world’s favourite card game either on a mobile device, or on your desktop.
The firm says it gives a welcome bonus of free spins on the Starburst slot machine. It slots are low-cost, can return frequent rewards, and can even play themselves if a player has other tasks to do. Betsson says it has exclusive rights to the slot machine games Ivory Citadel, Troll Bridge 2, Loco Habanero, Moonshine Riches, and several other unique titles.
How it works
The platform works simply. Users are asked to create an account with limited-time offers for new users, casino tips, or other unique promotions to help get new users started. Users are then allowed to set deposit limits and sign up for bonuses and promotions. To play, a player will make a deposit after logging into their accounts. The deposits can be around €10 – €5,500 via Skrill or visa.
As the virus continues to spread, entertainment is needed and Betsson has over a thousand slot games for players to choose from in and is always adding new slots to the collection. The platform also has a wide selection of odds in its Sportsbook and players can place a bet before the game starts, or try a Live Bet.
Tournaments and offers
Betsson also offers weekly casino and sportsbook promotions, tournaments among others to help its users not to end up on fraudulent casino sites online. Players should know that their wellbeing is the most significant online especially against spammers who are in credit card financial fraud and online theft. The firm also has betting tips, game guides, and interviews with big winners, and aims to inform, educate, and of course, entertain its players globally.
How to win
Depending on what a player needs, to either play for fun or win, a player needs time to study the game and as well work hard to perfect their game and be ready to win. Online casino has many players who are good at their games and one should aim to play each game to the best of their ability. If a player doesn’t win at first, they should not give up but continue playing and working hard at their judgements so that they can win in their next game.
Casino games have been attracting gamblers from around the world since the Dark Ages. Today, they are more affordable than ever because of the creation of the Internet and the development of digital technologies. Nowadays, you can sit comfortably in your living room or relax while you are in a break at work, and enjoy your favourite titles. But that’s not all! Betting companies are now offering a true live casino experience to their customers. A chance to play with a professional live dealer and feel the genuine emotion like never before!
Live casino opportunities
Each from the major gaming platforms is offering a live dealer casino section on their websites. Playing with a real person in front of you is preferred by the players and casinos strive to provide a variety of games and features to their customers. In the beginning, the first online casinos offered only one live game – Blackjack. But now you can also easily find different variations of roulette, craps, poker, baccarat, etc.
Live dealer roulette has become one of the most played games ever. Different software providers like Evolution Gaming, for example, brought the experience to the next level. It is not just the well-trained native speaking croupiers that make the difference. You also have features like speed live roulette, HD streams with possible slow-motion replays, different camera angles, and many others. Definitely worth to try!
If your passion is card games then you will have a hard time choosing your favourite game. There are dozens of variations of live blackjack accessible both in desktop or mobile versions. You can choose either to play alone on the table or with other players. Many innovative features like side bets and bets behind, pre-decision and infinity modes, VIP and speed tables are also available to satisfy every taste.
Losing someone intimate to your heart is one of the most significant losses, no doubt. However, you always try your level best to get that person back in your life. Therefore searching for the individual alone is a hard nut to crack. In that regard, you can always look for professional help like the companies with competence in reverse people looking up.
In this context, you should note that the reverse people lookup depends on the online documents. It is linked with the phone number as well as the landline number. The information includes all types of data about email address, location, public data, name, social media detail, and phone number.
Searching for the phone number:
Exploring the specific information related to a lost person is seriously a tough job. But the competent people search finders do use the phone number to get the email address. Things work like this that whenever you get online on any site, you are asked to sign in; that moment, you need to enter your email address. Now the moment you enter the information automatically, it gets stored on the system, and that information can be used later for future reference. You can use any of the media platforms to find out the person you are looking for.
Look for the property information:
The productive people searching companies use reverse lookup information, which turned out useful when they bought a new property as well. Like, in that case, the experts do search through the real estate portals and pick the relevant information. The property information guides them in detail about the whereabouts of the person.
What are the steps to follow while using reverse lookups?
The first thing is that they can use the reverse lookup to find all the regular information in regards to the phone number. But in that case, they need to make sure that the telemarketer is a known one. Later if the company wants, they can put them in the block list. The following are some of the privileges that you can get from the reverse lookup
The professionals do track the person where he is precisely from or has he moved to a different place.
Suppose you were in love once, but now separated still, you can check the details of the public record to find out whether he has remarried or not.
The competent people search for finding companies does assure to take the liability of searching any person no matter whether she is your lost classmate or old girlfriend promptly.
To sum up:
In conclusion, it is imperative to highlight some rational facts about one of the people searching for a company known as Radaris. The company came into the industry with great hope to help customers find their near ones. The best is that they will update you on the information based on real-time data.
If you’re sitting at home right now, sheltering from the coronavirus pandemic – and there’s a good chance you are – then you are probably either thinking about a home delivery, or waiting for one. Paul Ducklin, principal research scientist, Sophos warns us on how scammers are targeting home deliveries.
In the UK, for example, even people who have no symptoms of the virus, and who haven’t been in contact with anyone who’s infected, have been instructed to make their shopping outings “as infrequent as possible”.
Indeed, many stores considered non-essential have been forced to shut, including electronics shops, so the new HDMI cable or the replacement mouse you need for working from home may only be available online.
So, with home delivery companies seriously stretched and long shipment times, we suspect that lots of people will be anxiously watching their phones for text messages like this one:
The URL in this case was a short domain name with a brief coded sequence of letters and numbers at the end – pretty usual for links in text messages, which are typically shortened to fit in the limited length of an SMS.
And given that no one wants to see their lovingly awaited shipment of toilet rolls go astray at the very last step of the way for something as minor as an address glitch, it’s tempting to click through to check what’s going on.
As you can see, the site has a reassuring HTTPS padlock, meaning that transmission to and from the site is secure, but the site itself is just a visual ripoff of the Canada Post/Postes Canada brand (this SMS was received by SophosLabs in Vancouver, BC):
In case you are wondering about that HTTPS certificate, here’s what it looks like – we used Firefox on our laptop, where clicking on the padlock in the address bar makes it easy to inspect the details:
The server is running on the popular cPanel web hosting service, which provides a web certificate automatically (that’s a good thing, because unencrypted web traffic can be snooped on and tampered with far too easily).
Highlighted above is the fact that the certificate was created on 2020-03-24, the very same day that this scam campaign went out.
Anyway, your delivery is held up by a mere $3 shortfall, which is the sort of amount you’d probably consider paying anyway and arguing about later, if the alternative is to lose your delivery slot.
If you do proceed, then the crooks first want you to confirm your address, as stated in the original SMS message…
…and then they want to “process” your $3 payment by capturing your credit card details to complete the transaction:
What to do?
Don’t be fooled just because you’re expecting a delivery. The crooks don’t have to know you are waiting for a delivery to get the timing right. Especially during the coronavirus pandemic, they can simply assume you are and they’ll be right for a lot of people a lot of the time.
Treat delivery SMSes as notifications instead of links. It’s a bit more hassle, but avoid clicking on links at all in messages like these. When you order items online, make a note of the right website to use for tracking the item, and go there yourself if there is any problem reported with delivery.
Check the URL in the address bar. These days, most cybercriminals are using HTTPS websites, because everyone expects a padlock in the address bar. But the padlock doesn’t say you are on the correct site, merely that you are on a site with an HTTPS certificate. Consider going to your laptop if you can, and checking out the link from there. It’s worth the extra trouble because the address bar is bigger and tells you more.
Use a third-party security product on your phone. Sophos Intercept X for Mobile adds to the built-in protection in your phone because it helps to keep you away from risky websites to start with.
Report compromised cards immediately. If you get as far entering any banking data into a “pay page” and then realise it’s a scam, call your bank’s fraud reporting number at once. (Look on the back of your actual card so you get the right phone number.)
P.S. Don’t forget that just typing data into a web form exposes it to crooks because they can “keylog” what you type into a webpage even if you never press the [Finish] button.
In the contemporary era, marketing is required to kickstart your startup. It is imperative to build a huge audience for your new business. You need to be creative with your marketing to make a big splash. If you are wondering what can be the potential marketing channels for your startup, then check below for some ideas:
In modern times, content marketing has become an influential strategy for many B2B and B2C businesses. Around 90 percent of the B2C companies and 88 percent of the B2B companies are dependent on content marketing. Content marketing is the concept of sharing online material, for instance, images, videos, blogs, media posts, etc. to promote a brand or business. It can be an ideal strategy for your startup to boost its market credibility. Content marketing guides you to create useful content to target appropriate audiences and ramp up conversion rates.
Guest blogging under a content marketing head is a valuable tactic to drive traffic to your website. It can potentially increase brand visibility, build long-lasting relationships with consumers, boost brand recognition, and create thought leadership. If you don’t have an in-house team for guest blogging, you can even hire a guest posting agency at a reasonable price. go here for more information.
#2: Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is another powerful tool to build a positive brand image. According to the stats, approximately 90 percent of the marketers agreed that social media marketing is a compelling tactic to survive in today’s competitive environment. They further added that social media initiatives have proved significant in generating high exposure for their organizations. Social media marketing makes use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. to promote a product or service.
Social media marketing can be advantageous for your startup in many ways. It can boost exposure, bring traffic to your website, attract loyal customers, improve search rankings, generate high leads, increase sales volume, and eventually maximize profitability. Thus, you must devise plans, which can circulate high-quality content on different social media platforms regularly. This way, you can potentially engage with your audience.
#3: Email Marketing
Next on my list, I’ve email marketing. It is an old-fashioned marketing tool; it still has to offer valuable results. For many businesses, it is considered a dead marketing idea. But, it can deliver a handsome ROI (return on investment) for startups. It is a low-cost marketing idea that can impressively provide four times higher results than other marketing strategies. It means that you can achieve a lot for your startup, even if you have restricted funds. You won’t need to break your bank to market your products or services. Precisely, email marketing is the practice of sending commercial email/message to a group of audience via email. For your new business with a limited customer base, it is a great idea to attract more new customers.
When writing a commercial email, make sure you add a catchy subject line to instantly attract your audience’s attention. Next, write in plain format-avoid jargon and use persuasive language. Besides, break up texts into smaller paragraphs so it would be easy for the readers to understand. Lastly, you must mention the benefits that your products or services can significantly offer to the customers.
#4: Influencer Marketing
There is going to be a massive trend of influencer marketing in the coming years. At present, this marketing idea is catching on quickly from one business to another business. It doesn’t matter if you have an existing well-established company or you are coming with a startup, influencer marketing has to offer equal benefits. It is predicted that around 85 percent of the marketing gurus are ready to launch the influencer marketing campaign in the coming 12 months. Influencer marketing is a technique of product placement and endorsements from social influencers or people who have a specific level of product knowledge, or they may relate to the same field.
Influencer marketing is an operational means for startups to grow their businesses at a rapid rate. It is an inexpensive marketing idea as compared to other traditional marketing strategies. Influencer marketing is an easy-to-execute idea for your startup. It can possibly spread good word-of-mouth and build trust for your product/service. The audience will be more attracted to your brand because of the authenticity of your brand ambassador or social influencer.
