Tag: Technology

  • How Technology Improves Healthcare in Africa

    How Technology Improves Healthcare in Africa

    To improve healthcare in Africa, governments need to work together with the private sector and coordinate their efforts. As a result of the lack of partnership between the private sector and the government, communicable diseases are getting worse.

    The death rates for mothers and babies are high, healthcare costs are rising, the population is at risk, disease monitoring and response aren’t good enough, and services, real-time data, security, and patient comfort are the most important. Health administrators use technology extensively.

    Moreso, he usage of IoT devices in healthcare is growing, so it’s important to share data properly and keep it close to the consumer. Luckily, advances in technology like “edge computing” help doctors deal with these problems and give them new ways to give their patients better care.

    International Data Corporation, a research firm, says that Edge lets healthcare companies offer new services and be more flexible.

    Read also: How Technology help Prostate Cancer Treatment before symptoms

    Information technology in healthcare

    The COVID-19 pandemic showed how important it is to rethink healthcare partnerships and build health systems that are strong, modern, data-driven, and of high quality. Digitization in healthcare has helped edge computing take off. In technique, this involves protecting patients’ medical records when they get care at many facilities.

    For healthcare professionals to work together and find illnesses faster, which could help or even save lives, the data they share must be safe and private.

    Using computers, some hospitals can link up and keep an eye on operating rooms at all times, either in person or from afar. For instance, uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) and isolation transformers keep the lights on in MRI and theatre rooms.

    These devices are watched over by screens in these rooms and by mobile devices far away. This gives medical staff important information that helps keep patients safe. 

    Medical technology realizes sci-fi fantasies. Surgeons use robots nowadays. Faraway specialists conduct treatments in remote regions. 

    Both people and technology are resolving health problems. In order to achieve results in months rather than years, artificial intelligence (AI) is being used. Edge computing is a key part of ensuring that these systems’ networks last.

    Care for patients improved 

    Innovations in technology are also making patients more comfortable and improving the quality of care they get while they are in the hospital.

    Digital footwalls are the latest method hospitals use to prioritize patients. These let healthcare personnel see medical information and adjust room lighting and temperature. In the hallways, digital footwalls update employees on care information.

    Additionally, the patient rooms become even more linked as the low-voltage (LV) infrastructure becomes completely connected and incorporated into the monitoring infrastructure. It is possible to link and track information for all IT and other LV equipment systems, including HVAC, in the patient rooms.

    Data protection 

    Cybercriminals have additional attack surfaces as a result of connectivity. Every linked endpoint becomes a potential point of failure. Healthcare institutions must prioritize cybersecurity; each product must have robust, integrated security. Regular security upgrades, for example, must be applied to products and systems.

    Security systems depend a lot on the people who work in them, and all industries, including healthcare, must constantly monitor and reduce stop social engineering attacks on healthcare facilities. Staff must be taught about possible threats and made aware of them regularly and consistently basis.

    As a way to make patients happier and improve clinical efficiency, the healthcare industry will keep digitizing at a fast rate. Security solutions that also improve healthcare administration will need to be used in healthcare institutions. Computing on the periphery will help these solutions immensely.

  • How Technology help Prostate Cancer Treatment before symptoms

    How Technology help Prostate Cancer Treatment before symptoms

    Prof. Kingsley Ekwueme, a Consultant Urologist and Robotic Surgeon located in the United Kingdom (UK), has characterized males waiting for prostate cancer signs before beginning treatment as a death sentence and emphasized the need for early identification.

    After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men, so it’s important to know what it is and what makes you more likely to get it.

    At a Christ the King College Onitsha Old Boys Association “Feast Luncheon” commemorating the “Feast of Christ the Universal King,” he spoke about prostate cancer.

    He said, “The myth that guys have about prostate cancer is not only in Nigeria; I have seen it even in the UK.” Men come to me and claim they have no symptoms, so how can they have prostate cancer?

    “The PSA blood test actually allows us to detect prostate cancer before it shows clinical symptoms.”

    Read also: South African Telehealth Startup, Contro, Raises $5.6 Million In Pre-seed Funding

    How could you treat Prostate Cancer?

    If you don’t have any symptoms but have a lot of prostate cancer, the treatment will go much better than if you do have symptoms. And if you have symptoms, it could be a bad sign that cancer has spread from the prostate and is no longer localized there.

    Prof. Ekwueme called open surgery “morbid” when he talked about new ways to treat prostate cancer. He added that open surgery would need a headlamp to view the prostate, “then you need to withdraw, and it’s really difficult to get the prostate out of a very deep hole.”

    But with minimally invasive surgery, whether robotic or laparoscopic, the camera system increases the field of action so much that you can operate with accuracy and reach areas previously believed unattainable.

    So why would you submit a guy to open surgery with a bucket full of blood loss and three to four weeks in the hospital? Compared to a two-night procedure, some patients die throughout this process. “My message is that.”

    Therefore, he advocated for the progressive phase-out of open surgery for prostate cancer and other operations and the use of robotic or laparoscopic surgery, which is more successful.

    Barr. Chuks Nnalugha, the association’s vice president and feast commission chairman, noted that most members are at high risk of prostate cancer, so the association invited an expert.

    “We know that prostate cancer impacts old age,” he said. We want to raise awareness and show our members that it can be treated.

    Pre-prostate cancer symptoms 

    The prostate gland is close to the bladder and urethra; hence, prostate cancer may produce urinary symptoms, particularly in the early stages. A tumor may squeeze the urethra, preventing urine flow. Early prostate cancer symptoms:

    • Painful urination

    • Problems initiating or ending urination

    • Nighttime urination increases.

    • Incontinence

    • Urine flow decreases

    • Urine blood (hematuria)

    • Semen blood

    • Erectile dysfunction (ED)

    • Ejaculation pain

  • Nissan To Showcase New technology In South Africa

    Nissan To Showcase New technology In South Africa

    Nissan is set to showcase its innovative new technology and industry expertise to the first-ever South African Auto Week event.

    The global automobile company made the announcement on the Nissan website today, assuring that participants would get to enjoy the first-hand experience.

    South Africa Auto Week

    sa auto

    The maiden SA Auto Week organized by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) would bring together the world’s industry giants and other stakeholders to South Africa for futuristic and ground-breaking conversations and potential business opportunities.

    Read also: Uber Commences Electric Car Services

    The International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers [OICA] General Assembly and its Council meeting in Johannesburg will also be hosted at SA Auto Week scheduled to hold between 24-28 October 2022.  Discussions at the event will focus on the theme “REIMAGINING THE FUTURE TOGETHER | ‘The Rise of the African Auto Industry: investing in new energy vehicles, infrastructure, and people.’”

    The schedule for the event includes Pre-Activation Activities; 3-day Thought Leadership Indaba, OICA General Assembly, Careers | Skills Development, Enterprise and Supplier Development, Captains of Industry Dinner, Driving Carnival, Media Activations as well as NAAMSA Accelerator Awards.

    NISSAN’s Showcase

    Nissan would be alongside other industry leaders and regulatory bodies at the Kyalami International Convention centre for the five-day event. The Japanese brand aims at showcasing its state-of-the-art vehicles and will participate in panel discussions around sustainability and the future of the African automotive manufacturing industry.

    At the auto week, guests would have the opportunity to test drive the new Nissan Qashqai e-POWER, the all-new third-generation model which offers smoother acceleration as well as a responsive, efficient, and noiseless drive.

    The Country Director for Nissan South Africa, Kabelo Rabotho, explained that the company’s Qashqai e-POWER is a revolutionary vehicle that will further display Africa’s transition to adopt electronic cars.

    According to him, “The Qashqai e-POWER delivers the unmistakable pleasure of electric driving without the need to recharge – taking the stress out of urban driving. We believe it is a key lever in the practical transition for Africa from ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) to EVs.”

    The latest versions of Nissan’s classic models, including the locally produced and award-winning Nissan Navara, will be on display at the auto week for attendees to experience.

    The Nissan Navara is at present being produced at Nissan Africa’s light commercial vehicle hub in South Africa, following an R3 Billion investment in the manufacturing plant by the Asian automobile company. The Navara is also assembled in Ghana with long-time Nissan partner and distributor Japan Motors.

    According to Rabotho, “We are proud to showcase these vehicles, made in Africa for Africans, at SA Auto Week. As leaders in the nurturing of a sustainable auto sector, we look forward to continuing with discourses that shape our industry for the better.”

    As part of the lineup of events, two Nissan executive team members will be part of a series of industry-building panel discussions. Rabotho will be chairing a breakaway session on “Recycling of New Technologies to Reduce Waste and Protect the Environment”, with a focus on sustainable business practices in the industry. On the other hand, Nissan Africa Managing Director, Mike Whitfield, will be lending his expertise to a discussion session on driving the development of the auto industry across Africa.

    Nigeria Will Begin Manufacturing Electric Cars In 2023

    Nissan’s Operation In Africa

    Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is an automobile company that supplies innovative and exciting models across the hatchback, SUV, sedan and pickup segments in Africa, with three operational hubs and factories on the continent ̶ Egypt in northern Africa, Nigeria and South Africa in Sub-Sahara Africa ̶.

    Nissan South Africa is the operational hub for the Sub-Saharan Regional Business Unit. In South Africa, the firm offers a range of 24 vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands, including the popular locally-produced Nissan light commercial vehicles – the NP200 half-ton pickup and NP300 one-ton Hardbody – produced at the Rosslyn plant, Northwest of Pretoria.

    Nissan is targeting significant growth on the African continent with a robust sales network and expanded product range introduced in emerging markets with innovative vehicles across the board, including award-winning models such as the Qashqai and X-Trail.

  • WTO Charges African Nations to Adopt Digital Technology for Trade

    WTO Charges African Nations to Adopt Digital Technology for Trade

    The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has emphasised the importance of adopting digital technology for trade in Africa as a way to fast-track the attainment of economic integration and sustainable development on the continent.

    This was encapsulated in the Africa Agenda 2063 of “The Africa We Want”. The drive for digital technology adoption was highlighted at the WTO Public Forum 2022 held recently in Geneva, Switzerland.

    WTO Encourages Technology for African Nations Trade 

    During the working session of the forum, the Lead Advisor, Dynamics Impact Advisory (DIA), Gbemisola Osadua, harped on harnessing technology and digital innovation in order to advance Africa’s Trade and Sustainable Development Agenda.

    On her part, the President of Borderless Trade Network (BTN), Dr Olori Boye-Ajayi, identified unique challenges that women encounter while trading in Africa in relation to maximising the potential of digital innovations.

    Read also: Tradeshift partners with Dooka to launch a pan-African B2B marketplace

    In vivid instances, Boye-Ajayi stated the collaborative efforts BTN has embarked on alongside different agencies to assist women and ease their trading and business operations by maximising technology. She also raised awareness of the need to create fair opportunities for women in trade in terms of accessing digital tools.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Supply Chain Africa (SCA), Adebayo Adeleke, focused on Africa’s disjointed and fragmented economic and trade situation post-COVID. He explained how a consolidating platform, SCA, has been championing the right activities for supply chain systems in Africa while showcasing innovative African stories.

    He also underlined the peculiarities of Africa and how these set the continent’s operations and procurement systems apart from other continents of the world.

    The Head of Trade Logistics Branch of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Jan Hoffmann, discussed how the speed at which technology will advance would significantly increase over the years compared to how it is currently. He gave instances from recent multilateral approaches to leveraging digital innovation, such as the UNCTAD requirement, which mandates every country’s customs administration to publish their rules, duties and procedures.

    Dr Bright Okogu, the WTO’s chief of staff, also spoke at the event, emphasising the need for an African strategy that goes beyond simple speculations about the possibilities for bold action. He underlined the indispensable key value of digital innovation and technology in Africa’s commerce and development and added that the private sector and SMEs, not the government, are responsible for driving the continent’s economic growth.

    Read also: AFDB Approves Establishment of African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation

    In response to a question from a session participant, Prof. Gabrielle Marceau, Professor of WTO Law and Practice and Senior Counsellor at the WTO, discussed the necessity of fostering partnerships between the public and private sectors as a multi-stakeholders approach to addressing the challenges of digital trade in Africa.

    Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Makes History As World Trade Organization's New Leader : NPR

    She gave the approach taken by Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Director General of the World Trade Organisation, in enlisting the private sector to work together to facilitate trade in order to quickly recover from COVID-19 and other pressing issues that the multilateral trading system was facing.

    Other panellists discussed the role of supply chains in promoting trade and commerce, the necessity of empowering MSMEs in Africa, and the need to finance the initiatives required for the continent to fully capitalize on digital and technological innovations made by young people to advance its trade and economic development agenda.

  • Nigerians Await August’s Commencement of 5G

    Nigerians Await August’s Commencement of 5G

    A wide range of industries is expected to benefit from Nigeria’s 5G rollout scheduled for August 2022. For the most populous country in Africa, 5G will help deliver improvements in the fields of education, business, smart cities and entertainment.

    Benefits Of 5G To Nigeria’s Economy

    According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the benefits of 5G wireless technology include offering Nigerians higher data speeds and improving reliability and availability among others. It connotes that Nigerians can connect smart devices in the home, including home security systems. 

    Meanwhile, The NCC recently disclosed that subscriptions to mobile broadband currently stand at the sum of 83.37 million in the country. 

    Read: Zambia Updates Its 5G Spectrum Roadmap

    On a broader scale, this network will also create smart cities, raising the prospect of driverless cars. This comes on the heels of the announcement of Nigeria’s first smart city project, Silicon Delta, in Port Harcourt. The project is expected to be a smart, green city with smart accommodation, and the targeted completion date is the year 2030.

    Benefits Of 5G To Nigeria’s Entertainment Industry

    5G is set to transform the entertainment industry in Nigeria, as it will enable excellent streaming of 4-8K video, enabling Nigerians to watch the latest Nollywood film releases on Netflix or follow live streams of sports matches from around the world.

    The technology will also provide gamers with a stable, lag-free online gaming experience on consoles and PCs and the opportunity to stream live on sites such as Twitch and YouTube. This technology will enable Nigerians to benefit from the latest developments in iGaming, such as live casinos, for which many new UK slot sites have dedicated pages within their sites for traditional casino games such as roulette, and blackjack and poker with live dealers. 5G is essential in the field of live streaming in order to enable users to enjoy optimum service.

    Across Nigeria, the fifth-generation network will also benefit the education sector as 5G will enable virtual learning in Nigerian schools, greatly reduce download speeds for documentaries to be shown in classrooms and create the opportunity for hologram technology to provide virtual guest speakers in schools.

    The fifth-generation mobile network will enable Nigeria to participate in what is known as the Internet of Things, which enables the worldwide collection, transmission and sharing of data on the internet via smart devices. 

    In business, this means companies will be able to optimise supply chain management and enable more efficient manufacturing. 

    The result will be that being able to participate actively in the Internet of Things (IoT) will allow businesses to reduce costs, create efficiency and increase profits. 5G is an essential prerequisite in order to access the Internet of Things. It will provide a wide array of other benefits to Nigeria, which will be felt across a range of industries. 

    Nigerian businesses will reap the rewards of 5G as it provides access to the IoT, while the online entertainment industry will be able to provide improved video streaming experiences to Nigerians, which will benefit online gaming and live streams. It is hoped that 5G technology will create a wealth of opportunities for Nigerians.

  • Hashgreed Secures $1 Million, For Expansion Across Africa

    Hashgreed Secures $1 Million, For Expansion Across Africa

    Hashgreed, an NFT Marketplace, multipurpose NFT and super dapp platform under the Krosscoin Ecosystem has secured over $1 million in funding to help scale operations across Africa.
    The platform is programmed to assist both individuals and businesses having an experience with web3 solutions for creative, commerce and asset tokenization.
    Hashgreed has created a platform called Hashdealz, a web3-powered e-commerce platform, where users can create, sell and buy NFTs, own Fractional NFTs, hire and pay freelances in cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, send more to other countries via stablecoins, amongst others.
    The platform has also allowed Nigerians to access NFTs via its stablecoin called $HASH. They also plan to release stable coins for other African countries.
    The CEO and founder of Vinekross Technology, the parent company of Krosscoin Ecosystem, Efosa Ighodaro, has stated that the funding received will enable Vinekross to strive to get registered with the Nigeria Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as it prepares for an ICO event which is scheduled to come up later this month. In a statement, he said:
    “Vinekross is determined to be the largest native blockchain ecosystem and community in Africa, through very safe and sound tokenomics and governance where all outstanding tokens are governed by the KSS holders. We would like to be a company trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in a couple of years”.

    Hashgreed Logo

    NFT and its benefits to the African economy

    NFT, which means Non-fungible tokens, is one recent phenomenon that took the world by storm when an NFT sale was made worth $69 million in march 2021. This huge sale made people put on their reading glasses and began intense research on anything NFTs.
    NFTs have become a new type of digital asset, and it has been the major drive which has increased the value of NFTs. Here are the benefits of NFTs:

    Read: NFT Marketplace For Creatives, Ayoken Bags $1.4M To Help Users Grow Their Revenue

    They foster market efficiency

    This is the most important benefit of NFTs as it makes the market more efficient by converting physical assets to digital ones, which can streamline processes, eliminate the need for middlemen or intermediaries, enhance the supply chains, and increase security.
    In the art world, arts and sculptors can access the audience directly, eliminating the cost of intermediaries and cumbersome transactions. The digitization of artwork also improves the authentication process, further streamlining transactions and reducing transaction costs.
    The use of NFTs has gone beyond the marketplace as they can be an efficient way to manage and control sensitive data and keep records of individuals and organizations.
    The use of physical passports at airports means that they need to be produced at the point of entry and departure, but by converting them to NFTs, we could greatly reduce the stress involved in travelling processes and identification of individuals, which could cut the cost involved and save time.

    They can be used to fractionise ownership of Physical assets:

    When in its physical form, it is very easy to fractionize items such as jewellery, artwork and real estate, but when provided in its digitized version, it is easier to divide among multiple owners without complaint.
    The digitisation of physical products can greatly widen the market for those assets, leading to liquidity and higher prices. For individuals, it can increase how financial portfolios are constructed, allowing for greater diversification and more precise position sizing.

    The technology used in NFTs is one of the safest ever

    NFTs are created through Blockchain technology, which is used to store information in a way that makes hacking, altering and deleting impossible. In simple words, a blockchain is a ledger of transactions which is duplicated and distributed across an entire network of participants.
    Once an NFT is created, it is stored on the blockchain while possessing distinct records of originality and chain-of ownership, which prevents them from falling into the wrong hands or being stolen. Once the data of an NFT is added to the blockchain, it can not be changed or deleted, which means that the scarcity and originality of each NFT are kept, and this brings about trust, which is lacking in most marketplaces.

    They can provide diversification benefits to an investment portfolio

    Since NFTs are different from traditional investments such as bonds and stocks, they provide us with distinctive qualities and offer benefits that the world is still exploring.
    As we all know, the NFT risk profile differentiates from other traditional assets. Adding NFTs to an investment portfolio could improve efficiency and attain a better balance of risk and return.

    NFT and its challenges to the African economy

    All advantages must surely have some disadvantages, and NFTs are no better as there are also some risks associated with owning an NFTs:

    They are illiquid and volatile

    Due to the immature state of NFTs, people who know and trade NFTs are few, which means that when you own an NFTs-it is very hard to sell, especially during distress periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This can also imply that their prices can be highly volatile, which means that the prices are not stable.

    They do not generate income

    Since NFTs are not like traditional assets such as stocks and bonds, they don’t offer any income potential, so their returns are based on price appreciation and are unreliable.
    NFTs have proven to be a future investment which would be a major trend, and blockchain technology has sown that it is the safest online ledger to store information.

    NFTs have advantages and disadvantages, but the advantages have superseded their counterparts and are on their way to beating traditional investments like stocks and bonds on popularity.

  • Facebook Sells Its Digital Currency Project

    Facebook Sells Its Digital Currency Project

    Diem, the Facebook-backed digital currency project, has announced the sale of its technology for $182 million, capping a year-long initiative that attracted significant regulatory scrutiny.


    Facebook’s announcement in 2019 of plans to design a cryptocurrency and payment system raised immediate red flags for global finance officials, who expressed a barrage of criticism about the security and reliability of a private network.


    “The idea of Facebook doing a cryptocurrency was a bridge too far for regulators,” said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group. They have made it clear they don’t trust Facebook with what they are doing now, we are not going to let it go into the money business.”
    Diem Networks’ US CEO Stuart Levey said in a statement that the initiative made progress, but “it nevertheless became clear from our dialogue with federal regulators that the project could not move ahead.


    Over the coming weeks, the Diem Association and its subsidiaries expect to begin the process of winding down,” the association’s statement said.


    The technology was bought by Silvergate Capital Corporation in California is a go-to for crypto projects, which put the sale price at $182 million.

    Silvergate bought development, deployment, and operations infrastructure, as well as tools for running a blockchain-based payment network for payments as well as cross-border wire transfers.

    Read Also: The Impact of Internet Disruption on African economy


    “As far as I can tell, Diem is dead,” Enderle said.
    “As we undertook this effort, we actively sought feedback from governments and regulators around the world, and the project evolved substantially and improved as a result,” the Diem association’s statement said.

    Facebook developed the technology, initially named Libra, and then entrusted control of the project to an independent entity based in Geneva.


    After the defection of several major partners such as PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard, the organization scaled back its ambitions, before renaming itself Diem at the end of 2020.
    The so-called stable coin — a type of digital money tied to other kinds of assets — never launched. It was not clear what will become of related plans for Facebook-parent Meta to build a virtual wallet for holding cryptocurrency.


    “The combination of a stable coin issuer or wallet provider and a commercial firm could lead to an excessive concentration of economic power,” US regulators said in a 2021 report.
    “These policy concerns are analogous to those traditionally associated with the mixing of banking and commerce, such as advantages in accessing credit or using data to market or restrict access to products,” the report said.


    Facebook, which renamed itself, Meta, in October, has faced criticism on the dominant position it holds online, yet it’s not the only powerful organization interested in crypto.
    Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi wondered whether Libra-turned-Diem was, from the outset, part of Facebook’s vision of being a platform for the metaverse. “Cryptocurrency is going to get into the metaverse one way or another,” Milanesi said.
    “Maybe that is what Facebook is counting on and decided to leave the headache to someone else.”


    People are already buying real estate in immersive, virtual worlds referred to as the metaverse.


    The European Central Bank in July formally launched a pilot project to create a “digital euro,” in response to the growing popularity of electronic payments and the rise of cryptocurrencies. Central banks are also responding to increased demand for digital payment options as cash use continues to decline, a trend fueled by the pandemic and the desire to avoid contact.


    “There is a lot of distrust surrounding cryptocurrency, and a lot of us in the industry are convinced it is a big Ponzi scheme,” Enderle said. The Diem asset sale “is another red flag on crypto,” he added.

  • Are Venture Capitalists interested in African Development?

    Are Venture Capitalists interested in African Development?

    Two basic principles underline my observation and writing on this topic. Firstly, the African Union and most countries in Africa have no data protection policy. Secondly, the increasing rate of investment in various African businesses. The investment in various African start-ups must be a welcome idea as it contributes to and enriches the continent’s overall technology ecosystem. It stimulates the enthusiasm, innovation and widespread adoption of different technology solutions to numerous Teething African problems. 

    However, as a criminologist interested in cybercrime, I have always been very critical of any technological free lunch. One fundamental understanding of this rapid technology evolution is the importance of data. It has become a powerful stimulant and viable commodity in the current digital economy. Every major brand is fighting and competing for any data they can collect.

    Data is the new oil.” (Clive Humby)

    In this twenty-first century, the oil that powers every economy is data, similar to how crude oil powered the global economy in the eighteenth century. The more we get connectivity, the more information is generated, making it an untapped asset that is most valuable. Hence, any organisation that discovers how to extract data and exploits it will always remain profitable and competitive. 

    Read Also: Norrsken, VCs and 30 Unicorns team up to back African startups with a $200M fund

     

    Considering strict regulation in different parts of the world, is it not logical that Africa becomes the bride of the technology investors with one of the weakest data protection laws? The big technology CEOs visit African countries and enjoy Goodwill. In hindsight, should Africans not be critical of the ulterior motives of this sudden love. One fundamental point is that these guys are businessmen and will be attracted to raw materials. 

    Zuckerberg in African city of Zanzibar
    Zuckerberg in Zanzibar (source: Ghana Talks Business)

    For example, Gokada has left Nigeria. But what happens to the vast amount of data collected during the operations. Both the government and the people are not interested. It is evidence of the free reign these innovators have in various African countries. The lack of attention to this natural asset remains a significant disservice by the multiple stakeholders. 

    Read Also : Nigerian-owned and US-based housing startup “Whose Your Landlord” secured $2.1M funding led by BlackOps Ventures

    Most African technology start-ups are always influenced by foreigners. For example, the white privilege in the technology space is causing a major rift in Kenya. Also, a significant amount of other dominant Africans in this space are either schooled in the west or have substantial financial ties with various investors of foreign heritage. 

    Jack Ma with Nigerian Vice President
    Jack Ma with Nigerian Vice President (source: Naira Metrics)

    On the other hand, African countries seem not to understand these investments’ increasing drive. With Presidents and other African leaders opening their arms to these individuals, the template of the slave trade might be replicated through technology investment before we know it. As a matter of fact, they do not need ships that ferried our forefathers. All they need is a couple of transatlantic cables in the name of global connectivity. 

  • Technologies That Power Football

    Technologies That Power Football

    As the EPL, AFCON, and other leagues continue to generate immense nostalgia, some technologies power the good old game called football. We will highlight five of these technologies.

    Video Assistant Referee (VAR)

    The VAR could make a referee change their decision once every 3.29 games. During the 2018-19 season, in La Liga, VAR interfered in 27% of its games, or other words, in 1 out of 4 games.

    Typically, it should only interfere once. According to the data provided by FIFA, during the 2018 World Cup, referees’ sensible decisions increased from 95% to 99.32%, thanks to VAR. Referees’ bias towards those better-ranked teams is still a fact.

    Extra time in games is higher when the best teams are losing than when the score is in their favour. The distance covered by players above 21 km/h has not altered. However, the distance covered by teams did decrease very slightly when comparing games in which VAR did not interfere.

    Vanishing Spray

    Vanishing spray, also known as vanishing foam, is applied to an association football pitch to provide a temporary visual marker. The referee often uses it to indicate the minimum distance the defending team may position themselves from the ball during a direct free-kick. It shows the spot from where the kick occurs.

     

    The spray appears similar to white paint or watered-down shaving foam when applied. It completely disappears within a minute, leaving no visible residue behind. It is used mainly at the highest levels of competition. Vanishing spray is said to help prevent unnecessary delays by preventing the defensive team from encroaching closer than the mandated 10 yards (9.15 meters) from the ball during a free-kick. It can prevent the attacking team from illegally moving the ball from the spot where the referee awarded the kick.

     

    Goal Line Technology (GLT)

    Goal-line technology (sometimes referred to as a Goal Decision System) uses electronic aid to determine if a goal has been scored or not. In detail, it is a method used to determine when the ball has completely crossed the goal line in between the goal-posts and underneath the crossbar with the assistance of electronic devices and at the same time assisting the referee in awarding a goal or not.

    The objective of goal-line technology (GLT) is not to replace the role of the officials but rather to support them in their decision-making.

    The GLT must provide a clear indication as to whether the ball has fully crossed the line, and this information will serve to assist the referee in making his final decision.

    Referee Assistant Communication 

    In the current Laws, the term “Assistant Referee” technically refers only to the two officials who generally patrol the touchlines, with the wider range of assistants to the referee given other titles.

    The assistant referees’ duties consist of judging when the ball has left the field of play. It also includes which team is entitled to return the ball to play.

    They judge when an offside offense has occurred and advise the referee when an infringement of the Laws has happened. These two officials are positioned on opposite touchlines and each stays beside different halves of the pitch.

    Electronic Performance and Tracking System (EPTS)

    Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS), which include camera-based and wearable technologies, control and improve player and team performance.

    EPTS primarily track player (and ball) positions. It can be used in combination with microelectromechanical devices (accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) It is also used as a heart-rate monitor and to measure load or physiological parameters.

    However, they can be used not only on match days by lower league clubs who may not have the budgets for other options. It helps top teams during training sessions to keep a keen eye on players’ speed.