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Last week, U.S. group META announced the upcoming deployment of the Metaverse in Côte d’Ivoire. At a forum in Abidjan, last Friday, Balkissa Ide Siddo, Meta Public Policy Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, said the metaverse could help medical students practice surgery. It could also make classes engaging and fun.
On Monday, May 15, 2023, Maurice Lévy, former head of French multinational communications company Publicis, inaugurated a new digital art platform called "YourArt" at the modern art museum Palais de Tokyo.
According to the former executive, YourArt wants to become the world's leading art and tech platform, allowing professional and amateur artists to showcase and sell their work.
In a statement released on Thursday, May 18, California-based OpenAI announced the launch of the iOS app of its artificial intelligence-based conversational agent, ChatGPT.
"The ChatGPT app is free to use and syncs your history across devices. It also integrates Whisper, our open-source speech-recognition system, enabling voice input. ChatGPT Plus subscribers get exclusive access to GPT-4’s capabilities, early access to features, and faster response times, all on iOS," the release reads.
Currently, the app is available for US users only but it will expand to additional countries “in the coming weeks.” The Android version is also coming "soon".
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) recently opened applications for its virtual mentorship program Women in Cyber (WIC). Applications are open to women residing in Africa, Arab regions, Asia, and the Pacific till May 22.
The program was initiated about three years ago to foster gender inclusion in the cybersecurity industry.
Last Tuesday, UNHCR representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angèle Dikongue-Atangana (photo, right), granted an audience to Congolese Digital Minister Désiré-Cashmir Kolongele (photo, left).
The two parties agreed to strengthen their collaboration in the digital sector, particularly in the management of population data through the upcoming implementation of a unique identification system.
The system will allow the general identification of every resident, including citizens, refugees, and aliens.
The Ivorian Minister of SMEs Souleymane Diarrassouba (photo) launched on Monday (May 8), a mobile application to fight against the cost of living crisis and monitor market prices.
According to the government official, the app dubbed “contrôle citoyen” allows any resident to report illegal pricing practices, the sales of outdated goods, and merchants who fail to display their prices.
Adaverse, a Cardano blockchain accelerator focussed on Africa and Asia, announced on Tuesday (May 9) its investment in BitSport, a blockchain-based Web3 gaming platform founded by Victor Ogunshina and Charles Adenuoye. The amount invested was not disclosed.
"Bitsport’s AI-powered Web3 gaming platform represents the future of gaming, and we are thrilled to be a part of it. Adaverse’s investment in Bitsport highlights our commitment to supporting the development of cutting-edge technology that has the potential to revolutionize the gaming industry," said Vincent Li, founding partner at Adaverse.
Fifty Lybian start-ups, including 36 women-led companies, were selected on Saturday (May 6) to participate in the TEC+ Accelerator program launched by UNDP in partnership with Tatweer Research.
The 8-week TEC+ program will allow the selected start-ups to build their physical and scientific capacities to accelerate their growth and create job opportunities in the market.
Last Monday, LinkedIn announced a reorganization of its global sales organization and China strategy. The decision involves the reduction of roles for 716 employees and the phasing out of its local China jobs application, InCareer, by August 9. The decisions stem from the group’s desire to adapt to the changing market, and customer demand as well as become more agile and align teams for its next growth phase.
"As we plan for FY24, we’re expecting the macro environment to remain challenging. We’re adapting as we have done this year and will continue to operate with the ambition we need to deliver on our vision and the pragmatism required to run the business well," wrote Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn's CEO.
In Nigeria, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recently partnered to develop the digital economy. The partnership aims to develop the digital economy in Nigeria by increasing awareness and encouraging the youth to adopt emerging technologies. Under the agreement, training will be offered to youth corps members interested in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
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Last weekend, Congolese Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Leon Juste Ibombo (photo, right) granted an audience to Guinean Minister of Transport, Evita Oma Honorato (photo, left).
The two officials discussed future agreements to develop the ICT sector in their respective countries. The envisaged cooperation will focus on mobile money interoperability and the implementation of the Oyola training project.
The PAYAIG (Pan-African Youth Ambassador for Internet Governance) initiative developed by Cyber Czar and supported by the British government announced, Tuesday (May 2), the opening of applications for its Internet governance program in Africa.
Applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old, reside in any African country, be able to communicate effectively in one of five languages: English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, or Swahili, and be motivated by Internet governance. The deadline for applications is May 19.
Last Saturday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced an order requiring Cornelius Johannes Steynberg, CEO of South African company Mirror Trading, to pay $3.4 billion over bitcoin fraud. Specifically, Steynberg will have to restitute in excess of $1.7 billion to defrauded victims and pay over $1.7 billion in civil penalties.
Non-profit organization Tech4Dev recently announced the launch of its Women Techsters initiative, aimed at providing scholarships for a virtual learning program to girls and women in Africa.
The program will equip participants with skills in blockchain, cybersecurity, data science, and artificial intelligence engineering, mixed reality/3D animation, mobile app development, product design (UI/UX), product management, and software development.
African women between the ages of 16 and 40 interested in the program are invited to apply by May 27.