Fintech company Cellulant pays tributes for six of its senior employees who were killed on the afternoon of Tuesday, January 15th 2019, in the terror attack at the DusitD2 complex where the company has its offices.
Attackers, a suicide bomber and several gunmen burst into the office complex on 14 Riverside Drive, Nairobi, killing 21 innocents and leaving several others injured.
Among those who lost their lives were Cellulant’s Head of Product Development Ashford Kuria, Hub Engineer Kelvin Gitonga, Head of Information Security Dennis Mwaniki, Quality Assurance Tester John Ndiritu, Implementation Engineer Wilfred Kareithi, Head of Hub Jeremiah Mbaria
Cellutant paid tribute to them with the following statements:
Ashford Kuria – Head of Product Development:Ashford was the ultimate geek. His knowledge of everything about everything was hilarious. He will be remembered best for his big smile, warm personality, his kindness, love to everyone and most importantly his tenacity. Acts 6:8 -10 describes him best.
Dennis Mwaniki – Head of Information Security:Denis was a curious explorer, strategic thinker, a gentleman and exemplary leader. He was a calm spirit, humble and a great friend. His intellect and quick thinking got Cellulant the coveted global ISO 27001 information security certification.
Jeremiah Mbaria – Head of Hub:Jeremiah was not just a leader, he was a brother and a mentor to many. He guided his team with humility and corrected with humour. He loved God and everyone he came across; and always challenged his team to grow.
John Ndiritu – Quality Assurance Tester:John was always jovial, calm and best known for his humour. If you needed a laugh, he would be your guy. He was always willing to go the extra mile to put in extra time and effort to help when called upon. “Just because it is not my job, does not mean that I cannot do it”, he would say.
Kelvin Gitonga – Hub Engineer:Kelvin will be remembered as an intelligent and versatile engineer who worked in the Hub implementation department. To him, technology would change world. He was very passionate about his work and wanted to know everything Java script.
Wilfred Kareithi – Implementation Engineer, Global Delivery Team: Wilfred was an energetic, always happy individual who never shied away from taking on tasks, no matter how challenging. He helped unconditionally and always sought to mentor new staff members and share knowledge on any new discovery.
The company said a memorial service will be held tomorrow at the CITAM church, Valley Road campus from 10.30am.
High quality and luxurious, supercars
offer a larger capacity for performance and power than any other automobile on
the market, which is why many aspire to own one.
It is unsurprising, therefore, that people
lucky enough to have these vehicles want to learn the most effective ways of
ensuring their continued value.
So, how can the devaluation of supercars
be avoided? These simple tips can help owners to achieve this.
Avoid
Making Mess at All Costs
Coffees, takeout meals and all other
consumables can be immensely difficult to clean up when spilt in any vehicle –
not designed to be for intense inner cleaning, this especially applies to
supercars. Owners that abstain from eating and drinking avoid the risk of mess
completely, resulting in a clean automobile that is free from the danger of
value depreciation.
Drive
Carefully
Whilst their body shape enables faster
driving than with other automobiles, the proximity of a supercar base to the
road means a higher risk of denting and scratching, all of which can
significantly depreciate its value. Fortunately, this can be easily prevented
by planning journey routes – considering road infrastructure amongst other
elements – in advance.
Whether wanting to flash your new supercar purchased from a company like Romans International at a wedding or you wish to arrive at a hotel in style, this can be hugely useful in reducing the danger of outer damage, and increasing the likelihood of the vehicle retaining its value.
Lamborghini Huracan
Perform
Regular Checks
Conducting regular checks on the entire
car throughout the year may save a driver large sums of money by preventing the
need for repairs. In addition, taking the vehicle on ‘Check-Up Drive’ once a
month can help drivers to detect warning signs regarding the running and inner
workings of the car.
Scheduling a consultation immediately
after an issue arises means that complex issues can be rectified swiftly, and
that mechanics can identify any possibility of ongoing problems. Several classic
car enthusiasts place significance on specialist mechanics, but any
industrial professional can provide help and advice on maintaining a supercar’s
performance.
Either by oneself or with expert
assistance, noting and responding to any decreases in power or performance can
secure its value whatever age it is.
Attractive, speedy and slick, supercars
are exhilarating to drive. And when owners know how best to maintain them, they
ensure their enjoyment of them for many years to come.
Technological advances are changing the
way businesses operate across the globe. As the world turns ever more digital, consumers
have an expectation that their requests can be met instantly at the touch of a
button. Businesses must adapt and change to meet these increasing demands, with
the logistics industry in particular facing challenges that new technology
brings. So, what are the key technological advances that have changed the
industry?
24-hour
Tracking
It may seem a distant memory now, but
previously, customers who ordered a product would only receive a rough delivery
date. They would not be able to gain more information unless they called the company.
Now, high-speed internet and tracking apps allows customers to track their
parcel every step of the way, 24 hours a day. This isn’t limited just to nationwide
deliveries, as companies such as Tuffnells provide
online tracking for deliveries outside of the country too. This improves
customer satisfaction by giving them real-time information, allowing them to
plan the collection of their parcels. Plus, it reduces the amount of time spent
liaising with customers providing data, reducing overall costs.
Driverless
Vehicles
No longer a figment of our imagination, driverless vehicles are now a reality. Some of the biggest car manufacturers in the world such as Mercedes and BMW are developing autonomous technology. The UK government’s Innovate UK scheme has granted millions of pounds of funding into testing driverless vehicles on UK roads, so will the logistics industry soon see the rise of driverless delivery vehicles? Tesla have already begun testing the Tesla Semi – a fully automatic truck with the capability to move goods from A to B. This could cause a huge shift in the industry, making deliveries more efficient than ever before.
Delivery
by Drone
Amazon have announced their intention to deliver packages to customers in less than 30 minutes using drone technology. The service, called ‘Amazon Prime Air’ is being developed in testing centres across the globe and they state their ‘vehicles will be built with multiple redundancies, as well as sophisticated “sense and avoid” technology’. If or when this technology is approved, it could have a huge impact on the way the logistics industry operates.
Internet
of Things (IoT)
Now, the advancement of Wi-Fi has meant
that we can connect to more devices than ever before. We can simply whip out
our phones to turn the heating on, switch lights on and off, and even connect
to cameras around our homes to enhance safety and security. These capabilities
have been integrated into the logistics industry, with sensors being introduced
in transit vehicles to improve monitoring and tracking. Data can be shared on
both sides of the delivery journey, helping both staff and consumers to monitor
the process.
Advancing technology has had a huge impact
on the industry, streamlining services, connecting consumers and making
deliveries faster and easier than ever before.
HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has today announced that the Nokia 5.1 Plus will now begin receiving the latest Android operating system, Android 9 Pie. With Android 9 Pie upgrade arriving on the Nokia 5.1 Plus, a total of seven Nokia smartphones would be running the latest Android OS, giving users access to the latest features from Google. The Android 9 Pie update ensures that Nokia smartphones improve with time, thanks to intuitive AI which learns user habits to ensure the most effective and efficient experience.
Users combining Nokia handsets with Android 9 Pie will enjoy ever improving functionality as their smartphone understands how they use it daily. Features such as predictive system navigation constantly adjust and anticipate user’s needs.
Android 9 Pie brings a host of impressive new features to the Nokia 5.1 Plus users, including App Actions and Digital Wellbeing, brand-new features exclusive to Android One devices and Google Pixel phones.
Key features of Android 9 Pie
· App Actions – Helps you get things done faster by predicting your next move and displaying the right action on your phone
· Slices – Identifies relevant information of your favourite apps to make them more easily accessible when you need them
· Adaptive Battery – Uses deep learning to understand usage patterns and prioritise battery power on important apps
· Adaptive Brightness – Automatically adapts phone brightness by learning from your interactions
· New system navigation – Features a single home button that provides intelligent predictions and suggestions (user enabled)
Digital Wellbeing features:
· Dashboard – Highlights screen time and phone usage including how many times device has been unlocked and number of notifications received
· App Timers – Set time limits on app usage
· Wind Down and Do Not Disturb – Set a daily schedule to get your phone ready for bed. Your screen fades to Grayscale, while Do Not Disturb silences notifications for a restful sleep. You can activate Do Not Disturb anytime you want to disconnect.
Samsung Galaxy J4 Core is Samsung’s second phone running on ultra-light Android Go platform optimized for low-cost devices. Android Go is gentle and optimal. Android Go Edition is a refined version of the operating system for low-end smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy J4 Core, so all experience on the device is quite smooth. Some default applications are also omitted so that the device becomes lighter and does not jerky lag during use.
Samsung Electronics East Africa has today launched the Samsung Galaxy J4 Core smartphone. The Galaxy J4 Core raises the bar of most entry-level smartphones, with optimized storage capacity, processor performance, data management, and security.
Speaking while unveiling the phone, Charles Kimari, Head of Mobile division at Samsung Electronics East Africa said, “The Galaxy J4 Core offers consumers a complete smartphone experience, the phone packs 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 512GB via microSD card, it is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor and it comes with 1GB of RAM.”
The launch of the Galaxy J4 Core comes just months after the launch of its first Android Go phone, the Galaxy J2 Core. Following the partnership with Google, the phone is preloaded with customized Google apps such as Google Go, YouTube Go and Gmail Go. The tech giant has also built in a data manager and various data saving options, data-free P2P sharing with YouTube Go & the Files Go app, round the clock security on with Google play protect and find my phone feature. To further enhance the user’s smartphone experience the Galaxy J4 Core comes with Smart Manager, a handy application that allows you to easily manage your files and clean your memory. Moreover, a Performance Enhancer feature automatically speeds up your smartphone by sleeping unused apps that are not in use.
In a market where Camera capability is key, the sleek device packs an 8 -megapixel (f/2.2) rear camera and a 5-megapixel (f/2.2) front camera that lets you take high-resolution selfies that make you look great. Thanks to the combination of the LED flash and ambient white lighting from screen, you can take natural-looking selfies even in dim rooms or outside at night. Additionally, the phone comes with a 6 inch high definition display with a resolution of 720 pixels by 1480 pixels and is powered by a 3300mAh battery. It measures 160.60 x 76.10 x 7.90 (height x width x thickness) and weighs a paltry 177.00 grams. A maximum power saving mode provides extended usage time from the large 3300mAh battery by automatically decreasing display brightness levels while managing app and CPU performance for enhanced convenience.
The Dual SIM smartphone comes in Black, Gold & Blue color variants. The device will be selling at a recommended retail price of KES 12,999 and will be available in Samsung Experience store and authorized dealers.
Smsung Galaxy J4 Core; Black, Blue & Gold
“Even as we prepare for the next phase of mobile telephony, we are still keen on providing affordable devices that are compatible with modern technologies,” Kimari concluded.
The Galaxy J4 Core offers the kind of flagship experience you’d expect from Samsung from the second you unlock your phone. Samsung’s flagship UX is applied to the Galaxy J4 Core, so this entry-level smartphone feels like a much more expensive model.
RentSmallSmall.com allows you pay your rent monthly for as low as N50,000 a month in Lagos. [Make sure to use the code ”RSSoCSzuA76hE” on the platform]
The startup is solving a very important problem in the country.
Their solutions is suited to fit the cashflow of an average Nigerian.
RentSmallSmall’s model has proven to work numerous times.
Respite has come the way of Lagos residents who undergo untold pains in securing apartments in the commercial city. A property management firm, called RentSmallSmall.com, has been established to address the complexities and intricacies associated with easily finding a suitable, affordable, choice apartment within preferred locations.
With the use of technology, RentSmallSmall.com aims to solve house rent challenges being faced by Nigerians by making the process easy, convenient and affordable with apartments as low as N50,000 per month.
While disclosing this in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Co-Founder of RentSmallSmall.com, Tunde Balogun, noted that the platform is a clear departure from the current practice where landlords would demand for a year and in some cases two-year rent.
Tunde Balogun, CEO & Co-Founder, RentSmallSmall.com
“It is no news that the norm in Lagos State as well as most states in Nigeria is the yearly payment of rent. A huge fraction of inhabitants and tenants largely complain about the impracticality of this scheme over the years. We realized that tenants in Nigeria are unable to access affordable houses with flexible payment just as it is done in developed countries. Hence, RentSmallSmall.com offers a unique plan that proves to be a win-win not just to tenants, but even to homeowners as well.
‘’It is important to state that we are not the first with a flexible payment plan but our model is definitely different as we ensure that all our tenants are insured by our partner AXA Mansard Insurance Plc. We want people to be able to pay their rent effectively and decide how they chose to stay; monthly, quarterly or yearly. Whatever is convenient for you; that’s what we are trying to make happen. People should be able to find suitable apartments with less bureaucracy and move in within 48 hours
According to Balogun, the package would afford home owners the opportunity to get steady, reliable income throughout the year.
“Landlords who are our partners stand to gain a number of seamless advantages over others that insist on collecting one year upfront. Property owners on RentSmallSmall.com are on steady income throughout the year. Our company model and platform give high visibility to property in the market, thereby reducing vacancy period and undue wastage of finished properties. Landlord also get screened and verified tenants who are covered by insurance. This is the first of its kind in Nigeria and we are disrupting the market with our model’’
On getting properties for lease, he said, “we can’t go with all the traditional agents, though we intend working with a few credible ones soon. Right now, we are working with selected agents, who are big time player like Estate Link, Nedcomoaks and Rydal News Ltd. We are also partnering with Furnisure Nigeria to provide ‘’Rent to own’’ appliances and furniture’s for our tenants. With this package, RentSmallSmall.com tenants can get any furniture/appliances of their choice and pay flexibly.
The graduate of Business Administration from Stanford University, said, “When I moved back to Nigeria in 2015, I was told to pay for one year in advance, and agent and agreement fees separate. Knowing that these are not the norms in any sane system, l was resolved more strongly to do something about it as fast as possible.
‘’Few years down the line, I met with my partners and we wanted to solve the problem and change the market; that’s how we came up with RentSmallSmall.com and launched fully in October 2018. Our business model works in a way that landlord gives us the base rent of the property on annual basis and then we mark it up by a certain little percentage and with that mark up, we break it down into monthly payment.”
“By the model above, the landlord gets 92% of the rent while we take 8 percent. This is an advantage to tenants because from the 8%, we pay insurance which protect the tenure of the contract. This is to ensure the tenant is protected for certain months against default. A default could come as a result of job loss, critical illness or accident and the landlordbenefits here’’.
The RentSmallSmall Team
On how it works, Balogun stressed on the ease of getting an apartment on the platform.
‘’For rent seekers, when they come on our platform www.rentsmallsmall.com, they are exposed to varieties of properties and the amount range. Once you find the property you want, you then have the option of choosing either monthly, quarterly or biannually. Before we accept a tenant, we take him or her through a verification process. We will find out what he or she earns and how consistent it is, proof of identification, and we do our documentation.”
“The landlord then gets a comprehensive report on our investigation which helps to give him an informed decision about the tenant. This is done to ensure that whoever is renting a property from us is eligible as the rent default rate in Nigeria is alarming.’’.
He added that the workability and efficiency of the RentSmallSmall.com initiative is quite impressive as well as totally sustainable and it’s not hard to imagine that in the coming months, this design will be adopted by many other states across the federation, as well as other African countries that do not operate this scheme.
New solution to offer cybersecurity and consulting services
Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) enterprise customers can now access a wide range of security solutions to protect their information technology (I.T) systems.
The services include Managed Security Solutions, Security Assurance and Advisory services as well as Managed Security Operations Center solutions.
With the new service, companies, enterprises, and individuals can secure their emails, websites, manage vulnerabilities, test and audit I.T systems and access real time monitoring among other services
“We realise that customers all have unique needs and different budget levels. Our I.T cybersecurity solutions are designed to cater for each customer’s needs so that they can get the best value and strategically select their solutions. We are excited to see that the solution is gathering interest with some of our customers in the financial services and transport industires already signing up for the service,” Said Bob Collymore Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom.
A new global cyber security Report from Vodafone highlights that the more cyber ready a business becomes, the better its overall business outcomes. According to the Cyber Ready Barometer 48% of cyber ready businesses are reporting more than 5% increases in annual revenue as well as high stakeholder trust levels. Despite this, the research also shows that only 24% of businesses globally could reasonably call themselves cyber ready.
“The fifth generation of the cyber landscape gives criminals a wider attack surface and thus more opportunities to take advantage of it. In addition, new vulnerabilities, whether through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, mean both organisations and consumers alike need to be aware of the risks mobile devices pose”, said Jeremy Kaye, Head of Mobile Security, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd in their 2018 cybersecurity report
In its 2017 Internet Security Report, Software company Symantec reported that malicious emails were the weapon of choice for a wide range of cyber-attacks in 2016, used by everyone from state- sponsored cyber espionage groups to mass-mailing ransomware gangs. According to the report one in 131 emails sent were malicious, the highest rate in five years.
The International Trade Centre (ITC) has launched the SheTrades initiative to create an ecosystem of integrated solutions that empower women economically through trade. The SheTrades initiative aims to connect 3 million women to market by 2021; it rallies stakeholders around the world to work together on seven actions to address trade barriers and create greater opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Application is currently open online for the 2019 SheTrades in the Commonwealth Programme, and is set to close by 15th February 2019.
The Project is funded by the UK Department for International Development.
Some of the benefits of the program for female entrepreneurs are: connection to potential customers, suppliers, investors and buiness support institutions, increased visibility, participation in B2B meetings, getting support to attend national, regional and international trade fairs, among numerous others.
Eligibility
All applicants to be considered must be Women-Owned Businesses (WOB): Your company/cooperative is at least 30% owned, managed and controlled by women; and is a legally registered and incorporated company head quartered in Bangladesh, Kenya , Ghana or Nigeria.
Five students from Kisumu Girls High school were selected as winners of the Daily Trust’s African of the Year Award which was held in Abuja, Nigeria on January 16. An award they earned with their app, I-Cut, which aims to put a stop to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). They emerged the best of several nominees for the award.
A press statement by Media Trust Limited, Head of Brand marekting, Gift Ilesanmi said that the girls would receive $25,000 prize money. They will also receive a specially-made plaque from the programme which was started by Daily Trust Newspaper in 2008.
Stacy Owino, Purity Achieng’, Ivy Akinyi, Synthia Otieno and Macrine Atieno, all former and current students of Kisumu Girls High School, call themselves “The Restorers”, as their mission is to restore hope to hopeless girls.
The app connects girls at risk of circumcision with rescue centres and also gives legal and medical help to those who have been subjected to FGM. They are set to partner with several NGOs in a hid to fight FGM. “We established the app after realizing that the efforts of activists against FGM were not being complemented. We wanted to offer our help to the targeted girls so that they are helped and not run away their entire lives,” said Atieno.
The girls’ innovation will become a pivotal tool in the war against the vice, which in some communities is viewed as a rite of passage and is still practiced to this day with little regard for the victims’ welfare.
We can only imagine the hardship that comes with a disability but being a deaf woman in African must be harder. Already, women are discriminated and the fight for independence and employment is not for the weak. This is why Megan MacDonald of SASA Designs by the Deaf, is making real and lasting change happen for deaf women by providing meaningful employment, training and a sense of community, plus the ability to support their children and their education.
So why did she choose to work with the deaf?
Megan noticed that there were a lot of projects and brands that were getting a lot of exposure but did not last as companies. One of the biggest reason why artisan projects would not last was the lack of salary consistency. So far they have managed to provide a full-time, consistent salary at Sasa Designs by the Deaf. They are a team of deaf women who have benefited from this new startup. We know that the true impact will be in their ability to keep their children healthy and in school – that generation is going to reach entirely new heights because of their mothers’ employment.
So what is her team like?
In Kenya, they have a small workshop led by two Lead Artisans (both deaf), Susan and Penninah, and supported by a hearing business manager, who helps communicate with customers and vendors. Some of our artisans have been with them from the beginning which has given them an opportunity to grow further. In the US, they have a sales and marketing manager, Paige Pelot, on the East coast and a trio of incredibly dedicated administrative, financial and design consultants who push the whole project to a better place.
What’s her advice to women who want to start a business?
Your team is critical – don’t do this alone. Do your research – see who is already undertaking the problems you want to solve, and join them if you can. Even if you start something later – you’ll be that much more prepared in the meantime. Figure out where your passion is in the process, and look for a team that can round out the pieces that don’t drive you. Make sure you have some cheer leaders as you will feel like a failure roughly 90% of the time. CELEBRATE when you have victories. Remember who you serve. Let yourself fail. Let yourself move on or take space when you need to (this can be the hardest thing to do). Ask for feedback. Have an exit strategy – not because you have to or will want to, but because it’s the best way to create something sustainable and replicable – and if you do a good job, the world needs more of what you create.
These Kenyan supermarkets have upgraded and can actually deliver your shopping.
As we evolve we somewhat become lazier or have less time to do some things. Comfort makes more sense for many of us and the most convenient service anyone can offer is a delivery service. Some supermarkets and grocery stores have added this service which means you can literally order your shopping from the comfort of your home or office.
1. Chandarana
You can order from Chandarana using this link. They have everything from food to house cleaning products which are incredibly convenient. You can also shop from any supermarket in Nairobi and they claim to deliver fast as well.
2. Naivas
Naivas charges 250 shillings for delivery which is quite okay because it will save you the cab fare that you would have used anyways. All you have to do is order everything online it is included in the cart and then you pay on delivery
3. Zucchini Greengrocers Limited
Zucchini is well-known for their veggies and they can also deliver your groceries. They are open from 09am-04:00pm so it’s best to do it early enough and they are open from Monday to Sunday.
4. City Park Market
They deliver fresh vegetables and fruits straight to your doorstep. They have a 3-hour max delivery time and they also have a Facebook page that you can use to get their service.
Ford Motor Company, Huayou Cobalt, IBM, LG Chem and RCS Global announced plans to use blockchain technology to trace and validate ethically sourced minerals.
The group, which includes participants at each major stage of the supply chain from mine to end-user, will begin with a pilot focused on cobalt and explore the creation of an open, industrywide blockchain platform that could ultimately be used to trace and validate a range of minerals used in consumer products.
Cobalt is in high demand for its use in lithium-ion batteries, which power a wide range of products such as laptops, mobile devices and electric vehicles. According to a report from Morgan Stanley, by 2026, demand is expected to multiply eightfold, especially for its use in electric vehicles and consumer devices*. The typical electric car battery requires up to 20 pounds of cobalt and a standard laptop requires around one ounce of the mineral.
The blockchain pilot is already underway and seeks to demonstrate how materials in the supply chain are responsibly produced, traded and processed. For this pilot based on a simulated sourcing scenario, Cobalt produced at Huayou’s industrial mine site in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be traced through the supply chain as it travels from mine and smelter to LG Chem’s cathode plant and battery plant in South Korea, and finally into a Ford plant in the United States. An immutable audit trail will be created on the blockchain, which will include corresponding data to provide evidence of the cobalt production from mine to end manufacturer.
Participants in the network will be validated against responsible sourcing standards developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Traditionally, miners, smelters and consumer brands rely on third-party audits to establish compliance with generally accepted industry standards. Coupled with these assessments, blockchain technology offers a network of validated participants and immutable data that can be seen by all permissioned network participants in real time. Blockchain can also be used to help network participants address their compliance requirements.
While the initial focus is on large-scale miners (LSMs), an important objective of the group is to help increase transparency in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASMs) and enable these operators to sell their raw materials in the global market, while they meet their internationally ratified responsibility requirements. The network can help enable ASM operators to partner with due diligence data providers and, ultimately, join a blockchain-based network of validated participants. The pilot will also explore the use of incentives or financial benefits for ASMs and their local communities impacted by mining.
Built on the IBM Blockchain Platform and powered by the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Fabric, the platform is designed to be adopted across industry. The solution is built to allow interested parties of all sizes and roles in the supply chain easy access, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across the automotive, electronics, aerospace and defense industries and their supply chain partners such as mining companies and battery manufacturers. Supply chain networks will be encouraged to join this open, industrywide network to trace and validate minerals upon successful completion of the pilot.
Work is expected to be extended beyond cobalt into other battery metals and raw materials, including minerals such as tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold, which are sometimes called conflict minerals, as well as rare earths. Focus industries for the solution include automotive, aerospace and defense, and consumer electronics. There are plans for a governance board representing members across these industries, to help further ensure the platform’s growth, functionality and commitment to democratic principles.
The pilot is expected to be completed mid-year 2019.
In this day and age, a lot of people are willing to gamble their money online. It is often much easier than the alternatives. Just remember that online casinos come with plenty of risks. If you do not take these risks into mind, there is a good chance that you’re going to get yourself into hot water in the near future. The technology associated with online casinos can make a world of difference.
Therefore, it is often best to start with the technology and go from there. Within this guide, you’re going to learn about the most important technologies associated with online casinos and how they’ll impact your experience.
Payment Processing
First and foremost, you should know that online casinos want your money. You’re not going to be able to play any of the casino games until you’ve made a deposit to your account. In fact, some casinos have minimum deposits. For instance, you might be required to deposit two or three hundred bucks. If you do not, your account will eventually be closed or denied in the first place. This is why the payment processing technology is so vital. You need to choose a casino that offers a wealth of payment options. The payment processing system needs to be versatile.
This is one of the key benefits of working with one of the top casinos mentioned at OnlinePokiesPro.net. Make sure that the payment processing system offers numerous options. Otherwise, you might not be able to make your initial deposit.
Website Layout
When attempting to choose an online casino, you’ll have an abundance of things to take into consideration. While it might seem minor in the beginning, the casino’s layout is more important than you could ever imagine. You’re going to be using their user interface over and over again. If it is sluggish and difficult to navigate, there is a good chance that you’re going to hate it. In fact, you may end up depositing your money and never using it. With that being said, you should take some time to do some research. Make sure that the user interface is lightning fast and straightforward especially for free spins. This ensures that you’re able to get the most out of your time and energy.
Security
It is also pertinent to understand that cyber crime is on the rise. Some of the world’s biggest corporations have fallen prey to hackers. What makes you think that your casino website of choice is any different? Hackers have gotten better and they’ll spend hours and hours finding a way to break into an online database. Online casino websites tend to be primary targets. After all, their databases are stored full of private information and credit card details. You need to choose a casino that takes your privacy seriously. If they do not, their database might be breached and you’re going to find yourself in a very difficult situation. Make sure that the casino uses the latest security technology to keep your data safe!
Chatting System
With some games, you’re going to be able to play alongside others. This is often the case with poker. It is indeed much better to play poker when you’re able to speak with your opponents. This will give you the opportunity to bluff against your opponents. Your bluffing could very well make you the victor at the end of the hand. It is important to check out the chatting system available with the casino. Will you be able to communicate with others very easily? Or, is it difficult to send a message? Don’t sign up for a casino website until you’ve taken the time to experiment with the chat system.
Support System
Finally, you should spend a significant amount of time checking out the casino website’s support system. It is true that all casinos will have some type of support technology. Nevertheless, they’re not all equal. Some companies will provide a far better customer support experience than others. There is a good chance that you’re going to be running into many problems when using the casino. If this is the case, you need to make sure that you’re able to get help when you need it the most. This is why you should put a lot of significance into their support technology.
If you’ve been following current marketing trends, you know that 2019 is shaping up to be the Year of Instagram. There’s never been a better time to use this image-based social media platform to build your brand. To target your audience in such a competitive environment, you need the right tools and techniques to produce quality content, attract followers, and convert them into lifelong customers.
Socialrocketer compiled a list of the 20 best Instagram tools. Here are 10 more.
SocialSteeze.
If your goal is to gain real followers for Instagram, SocialSteeze is one of the best services available. It uses targeted hashtags to reach users who are interested in what you have to offer. You can also choose to target specific locations, from a single city to an entire state, province, or country. Once you sign up and connect with your growth expert, the service is completely hands-free.
Magic Social.
With this Instagram service, you can increase your exposure by using smart filters that target hashtags, locations, or usernames. Because the targeting is automated, you can devote your time to other things. Simply register and customize the settings to match your marketing strategy, and Magic Social will engage with your audience on your behalf. While you will likely see results within hours, growth experts will provide detailed performance reports upon request.
Ingramer.
With its cutting-edge automation technology, Ingramer delivers fast and efficient likes, follows, and unfollows. The service also provides a hashtag generator and account analytics. Unlike most bots, the service’s smart algorithm knows how to mimic the interactions of a real person and recognize which followers are fake and which have the potential to become customers.
LikeSocial.
Many Instagram automation tools provide likes and followers, but this service goes the extra mile to ensure your followers are posting high-quality engagement on both your photo and video uploads. like social also distributes likes and followers throughout the month to mimic a natural engagement flow. You can purchase plans from 100 to 2000 views, 100 to 10,000 followers, and 50 to 2000 likes.
Agorapulse.
This multifaceted scheduling tool allows you to draft, edit, and post content to multiple social media accounts and view all incoming comments and messages without clogging your inbox
with push notifications. Collaborate with team members in real time and export ROI data to PowerPoint. If you’re looking for deeper insights into your audience, engagement rates, hashtag performance or overall brand awareness, Agorapulse’s unlimited report generation is a gold mine.
Later.
Later is one of the few scheduling tools with a visual content calendar. The intuitive, image-based platform is perfect for creating a consistent brand aesthetic. Drag and drop photos and preview your feed before posting. Sync the app with your phone, desktop, Dropbox, or Google Drive to create multiple content libraries.
The free version supports one Instagram account and 30 monthly posts, while annual memberships ranging from $16 to $41 per month provide a complete package of services for growing businesses. The Auto-Publish feature is available to all Instagram business profiles. Because Later is an Instagram partner, it uses the Instagram Graph API to keep your account
secure.
Visual Marketing Index.
This unique analytics tool uses six different metrics and regression-based modelling to generate an overall Instagram performance score. The Visual Marketing Index gives you a more nuanced understanding of how your brand is performing compared to all other brands, regardless of size. Within 24 hours of registering, you’ll receive a free, easy-to-read report detailing your account’s engagement rate, top-performing content, and the reach of your brand hashtags.
Have2Have.It.
Making your products easy to find and purchase is the key to boosting your conversion rate. Because Instagram doesn’t allow links in individual posts, you need a different approach to making your online merchandise discoverable. By linking to Have2Have.It in your profile, you create a curated, shoppable gallery with the same look and feel as your main Instagram feed. Tag the objects in your posts, and your followers can access your e-commerce site by tapping
on any image.
Boomerang.
Instagram Stories are growing in popularity, and this app makes creating them easy and fun. Available within the Instagram platform, Boomerang captures a series of 10 photos and stitches them together into a mini video. For each frame you snap, you can add drawings and text in a variety of colours and edit the sound. The animated GIF plays on a loop, smoothing out any bumps in the footage.
Shortstack.
To build your following, you need to give your followers an incentive for engagement. Shortstack is a platform for creating interactive contests and giveaways. With a few simple steps, you can create a campaign to embed in your account or website and customize your email marketing to keep in touch with participants and generate leads. You can also track user activity after the
the contest is over to improve future marketing.
Which Instagram tools are you using to build your following? Let us know in the comments.
23 inch Full Screen display (19:9) with notch, Full HD 1080p resolution
Rear camera: 16 MP with LED flash
Front camera: 25 MP with AI beauty mode
Color OS 5.0 UI running on top of Android 8 Oreo
CPU: Octa core Mediatek Helio P60
GPU: Three core Mali G72 MP3
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage, expandable via micro SD card
Dual SIM, 3G. LTE
3400mAh battery
In the box
OPPO F7 device
USB charging and data cable
Earphones
Clear Silicone case
Documentation
Design
The first thing you realize when you take the device out of the box is the light weight. I mean, this is a device with 6.23 inch screen, your mind is usually preparing for some heft, but no, the OPPO F7 is super light, weighing only 158g. In fact, the OPPO F7 is lighter than the iPhone X (158g VS 174g) which is amazing considering that the Apple device only has a 5.8 inch screen.
The reduced weight has been achieved by using a shiny polycarbonate material to build the rear panel. The material looks like glass and reflects light beautifully on its surface; it will surely turn some heads. The other benefit is that the polycarbonate is lighter, cost effective and more durable than glass; we applaud OPPO for using it here. To reduce the smudges on the glossy back, you can put the device in the free clear silicone case you get in the box, it adds protection as well.
You can get the device in various premium looking and glossy colors called solar red and moonlight silver, this is probably the first device whose all color variants are equally attractive, am yet to decide which one I like better.
Under the phone’s chin is a single loud speaker, USB 2.0 port, a 3.5mm audio jack (luckily) and a pin hole for the microphone. On the right we have the power button and the sim tray while the left side holds a volume rocker.
On the back is the fingerprint reader, the 16MP camera and the OPPO logo. The front has that breath-taking 6.23 inch full screen notched display that has been fitted in a compact and slim body.
Display
When you turn on the device, you are blown away by how much the display takes over the front panel. The bezels are barely there, especially on that top bezel. The bottom bezel has a small chin that shouldn’t count as bezel. I personally love the notch, some people over the internet don’t but, if you ask me, the notch introduces a very fresh design touch to smartphones, it’s a nice departure from the rectangular unimaginative displays we are used to. For the haters out there, the notch can be hidden using black bars to emulate a notch-less display by selecting the option in the display settings. These solves the issue whereby the notch hides parts of a game that isn’t optimized for notches.
The 6.23 inch display has natural color tone and is bright enough to use outdoors with ease. Since it is an IPS panel, the viewing angles are perfect, the Full HD resolution keeps texts and images sharp and detailed. With a 19:9 aspect ratio, the screen may not be fully utilized by 16:9 videos out there but, you can zoom them in to fill the screen, however, that hides the content on the outlines.
Software and performance
The software was built to work well with the notch and the full screen display. Black bars automatically appear when you are watching videos on YouTube. The full screen display has on screen keys but OPPO implemented handy gestures to replace them (optional). The gestures show three lines at the bottom that are used to initiate gestures for back, home and multitasking respectively. Split screen multitasking is especially great on such a huge screen, both apps get huge real estate for usage. Make sure to check out our full review where we will further explore the software.
The performance is excellent; the Octa core Helio P60 can easily handle every task you throw at it. Coupled with the 4GB RAM, you can move in between apps and multitask like a breeze. Gaming is particularly great on the huge screen. We will try and push the CPU further with different scenarios and write how it performs on the full review.
Camera
The front 25MP camera marks the highest pixel count of any device available locally. OPPO paired it with AI beautification which performed wonderfully on the F5, we have very high hopes for the F7. In fact, the F7 has made improvements over the F5 beauty mode, the AI uses 292 points to correctly beauty you, up from the 260 used in the last generation. Additionally, the camera can now apply beautification on 4 faces up from the sole face it did in the F5.
The rear camera also benefits from AI-boost, a feature that intelligently recognizes the scenes you are photographing. The rear 16MP also has 2X zoom that can be activated with a single touch of a button. Initial samples have great contrast, vivid colors and sharp detail. We will continue testing the camera for the full review; we have high expectations for both shooters.
Battery
OPPO F series have always excelled in battery life. The Helio P60 available on the F7 should efficiently utilize the 3400mAh battery pack. Even if the VOOC charge found on OPPO flagship isn’t implemented on the F7, the charger you get in the box fills up the battery relatively fast and we have no issues there.
Helios Towers Ltd. (“Helios Towers”), the independent telecoms tower infrastructure company, today announces that it has entered into an agreement whereby it will create a South African infrastructure platform with South Africa’s Vulatel (Pty) Ltd. (“Vulatel”). The infrastructure platform, Helios Towers South Africa (“HTSA”), will build out wireless and fixed line open-access infrastructure in South Africa.
As a leading independent tower company, with over 6,500 towers in four key markets (Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”), Ghana and Congo Brazzaville), Helios Towers has long considered South Africa an attractive opportunity due to its economic growth, population demographics and demand for advanced telecommunications services. Helios Towers also expects the South African market to lead the way on 5G rollout in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a consumer and industrial business case for better coverage and enhanced connectivity delivered through the country’s current mobile network operators. HTSA expects to be able to support this by building greenfield mobile tower infrastructure and the associated high-speed microwave and fibre-optic infrastructure that will enable MNOs to meet their customers’ needs.
Vulatel and Helios Towers are ideal partners to capitalise on the large South African wireless and fixed line open-access infrastructure opportunity. Vulatel complements Helios Towers’ extensive international towers expertise and access to capital with their experienced management team and established relationships within the South African market. Together with a nationwide footprint of field teams and specialist fixed and wireless telecoms expertise, Vulatel will help HTSA deliver not only in the tower space but also in other attractive open-access telecom infrastructure verticals.
Vulatel is led by its CEO and Chairman, Tlhabeli Ralebitso, who was the founding Managing Director of Vodacom Ventures and previously led Vodacom Group’s M&A and Investor Relations’ functions. He is supported by Vulatel’s Managing Director Jean-Pierre Crouse, who has 24 years of experience in the sector and was part of the Vodacom team and was Chief Implementation Officer at Dark Fibre Africa. Vulatel is a 69% black owned and 45% black women owned business with a Level 2 B-BEE rating.
Commenting on this agreement, Kash Pandya, CEO of Helios Towers said today:
“I am thrilled to announce our entry into South Africa, which delivers against our stated strategy of providing MNOs with open-access infrastructure to meet the growing demands of their customers in Africa for fast, stable and available networks. We are delighted to be partnering with Vulatel, a business with impeccable telco sector expertise and deep local credentials in South Africa.
Today’s deal creates a platform that will further diversify our geographic mix and allow Helios Towers to enter an exciting market and expand our product offering.”
Tlhabeli Ralebitso, Chairman and CEO of Vulatel added:
”There is a significant infrastructure gap in South Africa today, which means the demand in data services is not being met. We are convinced this provides an unrivalled opportunity to build a leading open-access infrastructure platform to address that gap. Our vision has always been to establish a nationwide service network before entering into the open-access telecoms infrastructure market on the back of our trusted relationships with the telecoms operators in South Africa. We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with Helios Towers, which will allow us to accelerate our plans by leveraging our joint expertise in the sector and Helios Towers’ strong balance sheet and international experience.
Lendable, Inc., a New York and Nairobi based technology-enabled funding provider to frontier market alternative lenders, or non-bank lenders in Mid December secured dual tranche 36 month note program, called Multi-Originator Segregated Portfolio 2, or “MOP2”, it’s second fundraise of secured pass-through notes backed by consumer, SME, solar and productive asset loans originated by Sub-Saharan alternative lenders using mobile payment technology.
The MOP2 will be used to purchase existing loan receivables or make secured loans directly to alternative lenders, who lend to small and micro enterprises and low-income consumer borrowers in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana.
This was Lendable’s first institutional investor-led round for MOP notes. MOP2’s Senior Note investors included Prudential Financial (their first investment in sub-Saharan African credit), Ceniarth, LLC, Calvert Impact Capital, Sarona Asset Management and Variant Investments.
Lendable, through its asset management subsidiary, was the holder of MOP2’s subordinated notes (which comprise 10% of the total outstanding principal amount of all MOP2 notes). Lendable also received the support of an innovative convertible grant for a portion of the Subordinated Notes from the Dutch Development Bank FMO.
“MOP2 marks a significant milestone towards Lendable’s goal of providing fair credit to the under- and un-banked consumer and SME market segment in frontier markets. We are excited that we were able to structure MOP2 to allow institutional investors to participate in our mission and to further diversify our investor base in this way. We are also very excited about the partnership with the Dutch Development Bank FMO, which provides an interesting template for cooperation between Lendable and other DFIs in the future,” commented Daniel Goldfarb, Lendable’s CEO and co-founder.
Lendable was founded in 2014 and provides asset-backed funding facilities to fast-growing alternative lenders across African markets, including off-grid energy companies, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) lenders and asset finance companies.
The taxi-hailing app has faced a lot of backlash over the last couple of months.
Kenyan women and in Africa have been complaining about Taxify and with very good reasons. There have been scary stories of women being abused by drivers and women are now taking a stand against Taxify. Here are the reasons Kenyan women are scared of Taxify.
1. The stories of being robbed
There have been stories of drivers stealing from clients. The problem with Taxify is that the company has no employee employer relationship so they can hardly take any legal actions against their own drivers. Passengers are then forced to take their own action.
2. The stories of sexual abuse
There have been cases of sexual abuse. The two cases that made rounds on social media is where a lady claimed that she was drugged and left on the roadside with her clothes torn. Another lady said that while she was sleeping the driver attempted to put his hand up her skirt, this has been widely reported and is the most disturbing on this list.
3. The stories of violent and rude drivers
Sometimes drivers use a longer route or are unnecessarily rude. Questioning some drivers is hard especially when they feel the need to make stops like fueling which they really shouldn’t do during the trip. They tend to be harsher towards women which is totally unfair.
4. The hiking of prices unnecessarily
This goes for both men and women but I think women are the victims as men expect less from them. There have been stories of fraudulent apps being used by drivers where they hike the price so the fare estimate you had will basically be nonsense.
AIIM, a member of Old Mutual Alternative Investments, has been investing in the African infrastructure sector since 2000 with a track record extending across seven African infrastructure funds.
10 million people will gain energy access following a deal between BBOXX, a next generation utility platform, and Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM). AIIM, though its AIIF3 fund, is investing USD 31 million for a minority stake in BBOXX’s operations in Rwanda, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The deal with AIIM – Africa’s largest and most experienced infrastructure-focused private equity fund manager and a member of Old Mutual Alternative Investments with USD 2.1 billion AUM – will allow BBOXX to install two million solar systems by 2022, bringing electricity to 10 million people in these African countries.
This investment will accelerate the roll-out of BBOXX’s solar systems which combine solar panels and batteries with pioneering technology, available on a pay-as-you-go basis via mobile money.
The funds will be applied across BBOXX’s distribution mix, positively impacting a range of customers including households, schools and SMEs across rural, urban and peri-urban regions. It will help in enabling economic growth in these communities by creating new markets through the entry point of electricity.
Mansoor Hamayun, CEO and co-founder of BBOXX, said: “This latest deal with AIIM shows BBOXX’s commitment to mobilising greater investment and capital in the off-grid sector, through partnering with major global companies.
“AIIM’s investment will turbo-charge our operations in Rwanda, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This will allow us to scale rapidly and continue to drive disaggregation in what has traditionally been a vertically integrated market.
“We look forward to working together to power economic growth and transform the lives of underserved communities, by creating a platform which will bring access to affordable utility provision and value-added services.
Jurie Swart, CEO of Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) added: “We are delighted to be working with BBOXX to expand off-grid solar electricity to millions of people previously without access to basic utilities. BBOXX shares our vision to remove barriers to economic growth and facilitate the development of Africa’s economies.
“It is also telling that an infrastructure fund like ours is backing distributed solar through investing in a company of the calibre of BBOXX. It reflects both the ambition of BBOXX and the maturity of the off-grid sector.”
This AIIM investment is the latest in a string of deals that has seen BBOXX forge strategic partnerships across the industry, working with leading global electricity company EDF in Togo, world-leading telecommunications firm Orange in West Africa, as well as technological partners, investment institutions and local governments, to expand energy access at scale.
BBOXX has brought electricity to 750,000 people in frontier markets, with substantial operations in countries including, Rwanda, Kenya, Togo, the DRC, Nigeria and Pakistan.
The GrowthAfrica Business Scaleup Acceleration Programme is still open for applications. The programme is designed to help young entrepreneurs scale their ventures, make them investment ready and develop leadership skills.
The accelerator applications are open for entrepreneurs from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Zambia, and will close on the 31st of January.
The programme is looking for ambitious and committed entrepreneurs with high potential to grow, with a focus on high impact employment and income generating opportunities.
Here is what GrowthAfrica offers:
Growth strategy: Led by experienced facilitators, own designed proprietary process and learning methodology that leads to an increase in your revenue and profits
Catalytic support: Get individualised and tailored business development support from growth catalysts who will walk you through and support you in your business journey
Financial modelling: Build a financial model for your business growth and investment readiness
Investment support: Receive support in identification of, access to and engagement with potential and relevant investors
Peer-peer learning: Connect and benefit from peer-to-peer learning and networking with like-minded entrepreneurs
Mentorship: You will have a personal executive mentor who will offer you advice and be your sounding board
Leadership: Acquire tools to develop stronger entrepreneurial leadership
Networking and partnerships opportunities with GrowthAfrica’s networks locally and internationally
Eligibility for the programme: Applicants must be a for-profit, post-revenue business with an innovative product, service or methodology.
Ready to scale the business
Turnover of min 50,000 USD
Existed for 2 years or more
Dedicated Full time founding team consisting of at least 2 founders
Full time and dedicated core team
Open to raising external investment as part of your growth strategy
The accelerator is open to all sectors but are particularly skewed towards:
Agribusiness
Education
IT/mobile solutions
Financial services and Fintech
Renewable energy
Health
Manufacturing/processing
Retail/e-commerce
The programme’s first phase consists of 18 workshop days spread over a 6 months’ period. After each workshop, entrepreneurs will work in-company with the assistance of external business experts, GrowthAfrica growth catalysts and financial modelers.
The second phase of the programme involves 24 months of one-on-one support from the GrowthAfrica team, a pool of external business leaders and support by GrowthAfrica’s investment facilitation team.
The 2019 programme will commence in June 2019, after shortlisting of the entrepreneurs.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation, is now accepting applications for the 2019 cohort of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme.
The Programme is a 10-year, $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 African entrepreneurs. The Programme’s objective is to generate at least 1,000,000 new jobs and create at least $10 billion in new business revenue across Africa. Now in its 5th year, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme has empowered 4,470 entrepreneurs, using a bespoke and robust selection, training and implementation process to create visible and sustainable impact across all 54 African countries.
Outstanding African entrepreneurs running existing start-ups with high growth potential and aspiring business owners with transformative ideas are invited to apply. We are particularly looking to grow representation from French, Arabic and Portuguese speakers, as well as female entrepreneurs.
Inspired by Tony Elumelu’s economic philosophy of Africapitalism and his vision to institutionalise luck and democratise opportunity for a new generation of African entrepreneurs, the Foundation has implemented one of the most ambitious entrepreneurship programmes globally. Selected entrepreneurs from previous years have transformed their businesses and their communities after gaining from the Programme’s 7 pillars: $5,000 in seed capital; business development training; one-on-one mentoring; access to TEFConnect; pan-African meetups; TEF network membership; and participation at the annual TEF Entrepreneurship Forum, the largest convening of the African entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Founder, Tony O. Elumelu, CON, stated: “The private sector must be the core driver of Africa’s economic transformation, but this sector cannot attain its full potential if entrepreneurs are left behind. We call on all stakeholders – policymakers, business leaders and development agencies – to actively commit to creating a better future for our young Africans who have demonstrated intellect, skill, and passion, to empower them to succeed because their success is Africa’s success. The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme is by far the most impactful project of my life and represents my commitment to transforming Africa through entrepreneurship”.
Parminder Vir, CEO, Tony Elumelu Foundation, said: “Our entrepreneurs illustrate the Foundation’s commitment to transform the African economy, by building on the intelligence, skills and resourcefulness of Africans. I encourage all ambitious young Africans to take advantage of this unique opportunity”.
The Foundation, which has recently hosted President Macron of France, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana in dynamic interactive sessions with young African entrepreneurs, is committed to supporting the entire entrepreneurship ecosystem – from the entrepreneurs themselves, governments who must provide enabling environments, to capital, advice and most importantly access and networks.
The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme is open to citizens and legal residents of all African countries, who run for-profit businesses based in Africa that are no older than three years. The deadline for applications submission is March 1, 2019.
Applications will be judged based on criteria including: feasibility, scalability and potential for growth of the product/service; market opportunity for the idea/business; financial understanding, leadership potential and entrepreneurial skills.
Applicants can apply on TEFConnect – www.tefconnect.com – the largest digital networking platform for African entrepreneurs.
Application exclusively available on TEFConnect.com – the largest digital networking platform for African entrepreneurs
Invitation to join existing 4,470 programme Fellows
4th Cycle drew over 150,000 applications from across the African continent
Impact Documentary showing the transformative and impactful stories of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs: http://bit.ly/TEFimpactFilm
Telkom subscribers will now be able to enjoy up to 10GB free data every night, until mid-January 2019, contingent on the customer having a valid bundle at the time. Telkom’s MD for the Mobile Division, Amer Atwi, said: “Through the free data, we enable our customers to experience our Data. This also underlines our commitment to continually enhance the value that we deliver to our customers.”
Any unutilized free data will be forfeited at 6 am, upon which subscribers sign up for another bundle before the existing one expires, the data and minutes will accumulate but the free data allocation will not.
In November, Telkom introduced the All-Network-Bundles, on which customers make calls for as low as Sh1.50 cents, per minute.
The firm has been expanding its network intensively across the country to ensure availability to subscribers and enhance indoor coverage. This involves expanding the 4G network and optimizing the 3G and 2G network.
Subscribers can sign up for the bundle by dialling *544#.
Everyone is looking to make changes in the New Year, both personally and professionally. If you’re a small business entrepreneur and you have some decisions to make as January approaches, you may be looking at ways to improve your digital marketing and lead management as one of your target resolutions.
While you may already know that there are many things on Instagram to look forward to in 2019, perhaps you stepping back and taking a good, hard look at your digital marketing strategies as a whole would be useful as well. If you aren’t sure where to start, ask yourself these questions.
How long has it been since I assessed my technology?
It’s important to know how and where your budget is allotted. Spotting gaps in your workflow and correcting them will save you time and money. In order to determine what technology stack you need to accomplish the goals you’ve set for the new year, you need to consider a couple of things. Check to see if your message is aligned so it will be consistent across all of your social media networks. You don’t want to waste time reinventing the wheel every time you post on a different channel. Also be certain you’ve done your homework and know which channels your consumers use the most. Do the research on potential leads, as well, so that you can focus on conversions. And always pay attention to the kind of voicing you are using.
At a minimum, you should have a Content Management System (CSM) like WordPress or Squarespace. You should also ensure that your marketing automation is in line with a must-have platform like Hubspot. Don’t forget to add social media channel monitoring technology that can help with scheduling and engagement and provide reports that help you optimize performance across networks. Hootsuite is one that we suggest. And a Customer Relations Management System (CRM) like Salesforce should also be in place. Once you have put all of these systems into action, you will be able to start aligning your company’s key objectives with the core capabilities of these technology systems.
Are you effectively monitoring the success of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies?
It’s important to audit your SEO score regularly. If people cannot find you on the web, you run the risk of falling between the cracks in your attempt to get noticed. Your team should ensure your content is optimized with focus keywords, Google-friendly HTML formatting, and a URL structure that is aligned with product keywords. There are tools you can use to assess the score of your product page. Regularly addressing issues ensures that improvements are made where they are needed in your marketing campaign.
Be sure that the auditing process you use evaluates all of the digital assets, including blog posts, case studies, or any other content that is part of what you do. You may want to use Moz, which will provide you with a base score and make suggestions for changes. Monitor your traffic using Google Analytics, which can track the volume and break it down into categories for a closer look. Collecting data from a heat map is also useful because you can see how much time your customers spend on your page and where consumers are clicking the most on your site. Knowing what content is impactful will help you plan for future content curation and posting decisions. A/B testing may also help you assess different subject lines and calls to action to evaluate what approaches you use to attract the most clicks.
Are you aware of what content creates the greatest buzz among your consumers?
We don’t want to sound preachy, but content matters. By providing relevant and meaningful content that is appropriate for distribution across platforms, you optimize your reach. Remember that content includes all of your written copy and relevant images. Blogs, shared user-generated content, how-to videos, graphics, and downloadables count. Measuring the reach of your content is a critical part of auditing the effectiveness of your marketing strategy, and this means look at both the internal and external reach. If you want to know what content types, topics, and messaging are effective, you must put a system in place.
When you’re looking for basic numbers to use in your data assessment, make sure to look at the number of engagements per month, categorized by engagement type. Also find the number of engagements based on content type, persona, and sales stage. Pull up the ten most engaged assets per quarter and the ten most shared assets per quarter. Calculating internal reach is often overlooked, but posting meaningful and relevant stores and links provides your consumers to continue engaging with you on social media. Adopting a content-first mentality and monitoring the success of that strategy allows you to become a true industry influencer and convert those leads into sales.
What is at the top of your plan for digital marketing improvements in the New Year? Feel free to share here.
At some point, anyone that aspires to become a professional trader or even just a hobby trader will have to make a decision on which market they want to focus on. Naturally, there are many things to consider when making the decision, and in the end, it’s a personal choice, but it’s nevertheless very important.
Maybe you prefer stock trading or you have an interest in cryptocurrencies or commodities. In that case, you should pick the market that excites you the most. However, if you want to do what most professional day traders do, you should start trading forex.
But why is that? How come the forex market is so popular among day traders?
There are a few very good reasons for that which we’ll take a closer look at now.
What is Forex Trading?
Since beginners might end up reading this post, we thought we’d start by outlining what forex trading is before we get into why it’s more popular than other types of trading.
Forex is short for foreign exchange, and it refers to the international currency market. It’s also the biggest market in the world with enormous margins. We’re talking billions of dollars a day bigger than all other markets. Also, unlike stock trading where one trades one instrument at a time, forex trading is done using currency pairs, and your job is to trade on the exchange between two currencies.
To learn more about forex trading in detail, you can check out the forex guides at BullMarketz.com – one of the most comprehensive forex trading sites on the internet.
The Forex Market is Superior Compared to Other Markets
As mentioned, the forex market is much bigger than any other market in the world, and the interest for it is huge. But that’s not the reason why it’s so popular.
In our opinion, there are four main reasons why forex trading is so popular.
Availability and Optimization
Unlike most other instruments and markets, the forex market was designed and optimized for day trading from the get-go. Stocks, for example, were designed for long-term investments long before people started trading them.
In other words, forex trading is very accessible because the instruments were designed for trading. It’s as simple as that.
Volatility and Leverage
Currencies can be quite volatile which is great for traders that want as many opportunities as possible on a daily basis. However, even though some currencies are volatile, they usually don’t move very far on a short-term basis. Therefore, forex trading is always done with leverage which helps maximize potential profits for traders.
The Best Brokers
The third reason why most day traders prefer forex trading is because all of the best online brokers are forex brokers. Simply put, if you want to trade forex, you’ll also get to use the best brokers and tools.
Moreover, many of the leading forex brokers offer other types of trading such as CFDs, which means you always have the option of trading on several markets at once.
Relatively Easy to Learn
Any type of trading is associated with risks, and becoming a great trader requires time and dedication.
That being said, compared to some other types of trading, forex trading is relatively easy to learn. Also, since the market is so popular and supported by great brokers, there are tons of useful resources out there that you can use to speed up the learning process. And let’s not forget the multitude of successful traders that you can be inspired by.
Final Thoughts
Naturally, there are other amazing benefits of forex trading as well, but we believe these are the four main ones. And, as mentioned, it is up to you to decide which market you want to focus on and why.
Truehost Cloud Limited, a premier cloud computing company with operations in Kenya and Nigeria has started offering free SSL certificates to all users across the globe. This was revealed by the Truehost Cloud Limited CEO, Mr Jacob Mugendi, who announced that the services will be offered in collaboration with Let’s Encrypt, and gives all websites hosted with Truehost Cloud a basic SSL certificate to secure the site.
The move by Truehost to offer free SSL follows a growing need for data encryption and enhanced security in the modern world, as cyber criminals continue to target data. Many browsers are now actively warning users when they visit unsecured websites, and unsecured websites getting lower SEO rankings with major search engines. “The internet operates like a road network, and involves data moving from one point to another, passing through many intermediary points. This data needs to be secured while in transit.” said Mr Mugendi. “We all benefit when we know our data is safe, and that no one is stealing our personal information out there for malicious or unknown purposes.”
Let’s Encrypt is the leading free SSL certificate in the world today, offered by Internet Security Research Group. The organization works to eliminate barriers to secure communication over the internet, thus the move to offer free SSL. SSL certificates encrypt data that is being sent from a web browser to a server, ensuring that a third party (also known as Man in the Middle) cannot intercept and read the data. This is a major step in safeguarding private information.
Truehost Cloud is a registered .ke domain registrar by KeNIC, and operates in Kenya and Nigeria, offering domain registration services, web hosting, SSL certificates, and virtual servers through its global subsidiary CloudPap. It has grown exponentially by offering the revolutionary free web hosting services which has seen many people get a chance to have their own websites. The company hopes that the move is a step further to bettering the experience people have on the internet, with the launch of free SSL.
There is very little more frustrating for a consumer than waiting for days to receive a parcel only to find the item doesn’t work as it should.
This is the start of a time consuming and often annoying process which hopefully ends in the item being replaced.
However, what the average consumer doesn’t appreciate is that this process can be just as frustrating for the manufacturer / supplier.
If a supplier has dispatched a product in good condition and it arrives not working then they will need to make an insurance claim. The insurance firm will need to decide if it was an issue with the product in which case they won’t pay out. Or, it could have been caused during the delivery process in which case the courier firm should cover the cost of postage and replacing the item.
In short it is strapped to the parcel and will register if the parcel receives an impact, is exposed to temperatures outside a prescribed range or even if the box is held at the wrong angle.
This indicator will allow the customer to reject the parcel without opening it; confirming to the supplier that the courier company was at fault. This dramatically reduces the hassle associated with recuperating the money.
The Importance of Impact Indicators
There are several reasons why every supplier should use these:
Good faith for the customer
If the customer sees a parcel arrive with an impact indicator they know that the supplier is doing their best to get the product to them in the best possible condition. This is reassuring and will quickly boot the reputation of the supplier; potentially increasing future sales.
Reduces losses
Because it is easy to pinpoint when and how the damage occurred it is much easier for a supplier to reclaim their funds. The reduction in time sent handling these issues will allow for more time marketing and improving the product.
It will also ensure the company is not unnecessarily out of pocket financially.
Encourages good handling by courier
The mere fact that there is an impact indicator on the parcel will tell the courier service to handle it with care. They will not want to be found liable for damaging it in transit.
There improved approach to handling will increase the chances of the product arriving with you safely. Considering the cost of some of the latest gadgets, such as the latest iPhone; this is an important part of getting you your new ‘toy’ on time and fully working.
Impact indicators may not provide the answer to every shipping issue, but they can help to track a product and ensure it reaches you in the best possible condition; that in itself is a good reason to use them.
ZACube-2, South Africa’s most advanced nanosatellite to date, is scheduled for launch into space on 27 December, with the Russian Soyuz Kanopus mission from Siberia, Russia.
Nanosatellite is a generalized term for satellites weighing anywhere between 1 to 10 kilogrammes. It covers Cubesats, PocketQUbes, Tubesats, Suncubes.
The ZACube-2 nanosatellite will be launched together with other small satellites from the United States, Japan, Spain, and Germany and will be orbited as a secondary payload in a launch mission designed for real-time monitoring of natural and manmade disasters and other emergencies.
ZACUBE-2, is touted to be the most advanced on the continent yet, and will provide cutting-edge remote sensing and communication services to South Africa and the region.
Weighing just 4kg, the ZACube-2 is South Africa’s second nanosatellite to be launched into space and three times the size of its predecessor, TshepisoSat. It is regarded as the continent’s most advanced cube satellite and is, in fact, a precursor to the MDASat – a constellation of nine nanosatellites that will be developed to provide cutting-edge very high-frequency data exchange communication systems to the maritime industry.
Global alternative asset manager, The Carlyle Group, has announced its move to invest $40 million in Nigeria-based Wakanow.com Limited (Wakanow), an online travel agency focused on West and East Africa, with principal operations in Nigeria.
Wakanow was founded in 2009 and has since become one of West Africa’s largest full-service online travel companies, providing customers with a one-stop online booking portal for flights, hotels, holiday packages, and other travel services and ancillaries.
Carlyle’s is an experienced investor in the online travel sector, with a portfolio of investments in companies such as C-trip, one of the major online travel agencies operating across China, the Latin American travel and tour operator CVC Brasil, and Vasco Turismo, one of the largest travel operations groups in Peru. Wakanow.com being the latest addition to its portfolio.
Co-Founder and CEO, Wakanow, Obinna Ekezie, expressed his excitement about the investment saying, “We are excited to partner with Carlyle as we continue to grow and expand in Africa and beyond. Carlyle’s global footprint and scale, as well as its extensive experience and networkin the online travel sector, will help us to further develop our offerings and broaden our customer base.”
Carlyle Group MD, Idris Mohammed said, “Wakanow has experienced incredible growth since inception, disrupting the travel market and taking market share both online and offline. We believe that this strong growth trajectory will continue as Wakanow benefits from an expanding middle class across the continent in addition to increasing internet penetration and mobile connectivity, which is driving increased online traffic. We look forward to working with Wakanow’s management team to help them deliver on their vision for growth and expansion.”
Platform Capital’s Chief Investment Officer, Mayowa Ayodele said, “We are happy to partner with Carlyle and look forward to working together with them to strengthen Wakanow’s market position, accelerate innovation, deepen its systems and processes to realise the vision of a truly world class online travel agency with African roots.” Platform Cap is one of Wakanow’s lead investors.
Fintech startup, CowryWise has been selected as one of the 50 winners of Kairos K50 Tech Summit held late November in New York. The summit is an initiative of New York-based Kairos, an early stage venture capital firm.
Kairos K50 is held annually to identify transformative companies based in different parts of the world. It provides thousands of startups from around the world an opportunity to showcase how they are sustainably innovating around some of the world’s biggest problems.
Of the 2,500 early-stage startups from 65 countries, 50 startups have been selected to join the K50, Nigeria’s CowryWise making the cut. This fete comes a little over a year since the company started its operations.
The CowryWise app makes saving easier for the average person. The app automatically saves users’ money over a user-defined amount of time, the savings earning them interest over time. CowryWise makes low-risk investments such as in Treasury Bonds and bills in order to earn users the interest.
CowryWIse has had a good year, having raised $120,000 from joining YCombinator incubator in July, and raising $50,000 from the early-stage venture firm, Microtraction.
Its selection into K50’s cohort provides the founders with the opportunity to be mentored by industry bigwigs such as Amazon’s CTO, Werner Vogels and former CIA Director, Mike Hayden.
The Drivers and Partners Association of Kenya (DPAK) has jumped into the competitive and ever-growing ride-hailing industry with Bebabeba, a locally developed taxi-hailing app targeting corporate, leisure and low budget travellers all parts of the country.
Bebabeba currently has 2300 drivers, each of whom are charged a 15% commission, with a KES150 set base fare and a charge of KES25 per kilometre charged to riders.
The app is available on Android Playstore and will soon be launched on Apple app store.
DPAK chairman Simon Njuguna said the app offers normal taxi services for singular clients, families, executives and premier services that include pre-booking of luxurious rides and mini-buses for large-group travels. “The services are customised for every client and some refreshments like water and local dailies will be available for our clients,” he added, speaking during its launch in Nairobi.
Riders and firms will be able to create ride accounts for their families and employees using the app.
Therefore, it is often best to start with the technology and go from there. Within this guide, you’re going to learn about the most important technologies associated with online casinos and how they’ll impact your experience.
