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Category: Technology

  • TD seeks brighter tech future for Africa with Accra Synergy Summit

    TD seeks brighter tech future for Africa with Accra Synergy Summit

    Accra Ghana, recently, played host to great majority of Africa’s top technology industry players, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and key stakeholders who networked exchanged ideas, and foster collaborations that will shape the future of technology in the continent.

    The remarkable gathering, which was at the instance of foremost technology distribution company, TD Africa, saw tech industry leaders, visionaries, and policy-makers show great interest in growing the  continent’s  technology base to the height no world market will ignore.

    Tagged the Accra Synergy Summit the event, held at the Kempinski Hotel Accra, the event was seen as a catalyst for action.

    CMD of TD Africa, Chioma Chimere, set the tone for the event by warmly welcoming guests and partners who she described as “men and women redefining Africa’s technological landscape”.

    For her, Africa has enough talents to turn things around and so, she charged the important dignitaries who graced the event, including renowned tech disruptor and serial entrepreneur, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh;  Mr.  Emmanuel Morka, CIO of Access Bank and Regional CIO of Access Bank West Africa;  Dr. Bryan Achempong,the  former  Minister  of Agriculture  in Ghana;Mr. Chimaraoke Nwogwugwu, the COO of M-Technology Solutions Limited on the need  for partnership emphasizing that together, they can achieve smooth digital transformation across the region.

    A major highlight of the summit was Emmanuel Morka’s thought-provoking discussion on Financial Inclusion, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Blockchain Technology.

    Addressing the audience, he said the core idea behind Financial Services Innovation (FSI) is to create inclusive financial system that leaves no one behind.

    According to him, “AI and Blockchain are not just buzzwords; they are game-changers that have the potential to revolutionize financial inclusion in Africa. The challenge before us is to develop systems that can reach every individual, no matter their socio-economic status, and empower them with financial tools that drive economic growth.”

    He also expressed deep appreciation for TD Africa, noting that “this summit is a testament to TD Africa’s commitment to fostering digital transformation and providing platforms where crucial conversations like these can take place.”

    He posited that the Accra Synergy Summit was more than just a gathering; that it reinforced the urgency for tech industry leaders to go beyond discussions and take deliberate steps in transforming Africa through technology.

  • New Horizon links four universities with ICT training partnerships

    New Horizon links four universities with ICT training partnerships

    As a response to the increasing demand for qualified graduates who possess academic excellence and internationally recognized professional certifications, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Schools, Hillside University of Science and Technology, Aletheia University, and Ahman Pategi University have entered into high-level collaboration to train students in 21st-century-oriented skills.

    The training will arm the students with lucrative international certification-based ICT and project skills that can solve the pervasive graduate unemployment problem,

    MD/CEO of New Horizon, Mr. Tim Akano, who witnessed the partnership expressed happiness that four universities had taken a bold step toward making their institutions relevant in the 21st century by embracing the rapid advancements in emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, and machine learning.

    He stated that New Horizons would leverage its 43 years of international experience as a U.S-based organization with 370 centers in 71 countries and 20 years of operations in Nigeria, to ensure that undergraduates are equipped with internationally recognized IT, e-business, and project development skills.

    The stakeholders emphasized that the initiative was designed to enhance post-graduation employability and entrepreneurial opportunities for graduates, positioning them to compete on an international level with their counterparts from the U.S., Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world.

    Professor Iheayinchukwu Okoro, the Vice-Chancellor of Hillside University of Science and Technology, Oke-Imesi, Ekiti State, led other principal officers of the institution to sign the commencement of the program with New Horizons

    Similarly, at an event hosted by Professor Wasiu Lanre Adeyemo, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LUTH, where a strategic partnership was established, the principal officers, led by the CMD, expressed excitement over the achievement, stating that the collaboration would enhance the institution’s training programs with ICT, aligning them with global medical developments.

    for the partnership at Aletheia University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, the principal officers, led by Professor Amos Adeyinka, stated that the collaboration would increase the value of students both before and after graduation by providing entrepreneurial empowerment and preparing the institution for global competition.

    Also, Ahman Pategi University in Kwara State expressed happiness that it began the new year with a partnership with New Horizons. The collaboration aims to empower students and staff, positioning them ahead of their counterparts in other universities without similar training. By acquiring international skills and certifications, graduates from Ahman Pategi University will become highly employable and gain access to numerous opportunities.

  • Elon Musk’s Tesla rolls out advanced self-driving functions in China

    Elon Musk’s Tesla rolls out advanced self-driving functions in China

    US electric vehicle giant Tesla has started offering advanced self-driving functions for its cars in China, including autopilot on city streets, the company announced on Tuesday.

    The functions described in Tesla’s statement are similar to the “Full Self-Driving” capability it offers in the United States.

    Cars with that capability are not fully autonomous and are meant to be used under driver supervision.

    The news was first reported by the state-owned Shanghai Daily on Tuesday.

    Tesla said in a statement on its WeChat page that it will gradually roll out a software update that includes “automatic Autopilot-assisted driving on city streets”, as well as a rearview mirror function that detects whether drivers are paying attention.

    The update “has already been released for some car models, and will be gradually rolled to other suitable car models”, Tesla said.

    China is a major market for Tesla, where the company has two factories and is trying to compete with fast-growing domestic manufacturers.

    The firm has been working to gain approval for FSD in China, which needs to be compliant with strict data and privacy laws.

  • Just in: Microsoft to invest $1M to equip one million Nigerians with AI skills

    Just in: Microsoft to invest $1M to equip one million Nigerians with AI skills

    Tech giant Microsoft has announced a $1 million (approximately ₦1.6 billion) investment in the Nigerian economy over the next two years to equip one million Nigerians with Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills.

    The announcement was made today in Lagos by Ola Williams, Microsoft’s Country Manager for Nigeria and Ghana.

  • Honda and Nissan scrap merger talks

    Honda and Nissan scrap merger talks

    Japanese auto giants Honda and Nissan confirmed on Thursday they had scrapped merger talks that would have created the world’s third-largest automaker by unit sales.

    The bid to join forces had been seen as a bid to catch up with US titan Tesla and Chinese firms in the electric vehicle market, as well as providing a lifeline to struggling Nissan.

    The firms said in a joint statement that they “agreed to terminate the MOU (memorandum of understanding) signed on December 23 last year for consideration of a business integration between the two companies”.

    “That the both companies were not able to reach an agreement is very regrettable,” Honda’s CEO and president Toshihiro Mibe told reporters.

    Mibe insisted in December that any merger would not be a bailout for Nissan, which announced last year thousands of job cuts after reporting a 93 percent plunge in first-half net profit.

    Further illustrating its problems, Nissan said on Thursday that it was now expecting an annual loss of $518 million owing to slumping sales.

    Japanese media reports have said the discussions unravelled after Honda proposed making its struggling rival a subsidiary instead of the plan, announced in December, to integrate under a new holding company.

    The automakers confirmed in the joint statement that Honda “proposed changing the structure from establishing a joint holding company… to a structure where Honda would be the parent company and Nissan the subsidiary through a share exchange”.

    Under a joint board, “the decision-making speed may slow when a tough decision is required,” Mibe said.

    – Partnership –

    The automakers, however, will continue to seek “synergy effects” through a strategic partnership announced in August last year that also includes Nissan’s junior partner Mitsubishi Motors, Mibe said.

    Within the partnership agreement, the companies will collaborate to thrive in “the era of intelligence and electrified vehicles, striving to create new value and maximise the corporate value of both companies”, the joint statement said.

    Toyota has once again emerged as the world’s highest-selling brand. TikTok has restored its service in the US following comments made by Trump. This series presents our Turning Points and Secrets of Success, featuring a special focus on 50 Chief Executive Officers of Distinction in Nigeria.

    The cancellation of the merger talks would have no impact on the earnings of both automakers, it said.

    Following the announcement, French automaker Renault, which holds some 35 percent shares in Nissan, said it welcomed “Nissan’s intention to focus first and foremost on the execution of its turnaround plan”.

    It said it would “continue to support Nissan in its ongoing projects.”

    The head of Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn said earlier this week it was open to buying Renault’s stake in Nissan after reports last year said it had made an approach for the company.

    Analysts have said the both firms will need to seek alternative partners in the long term, to strengthen competitiveness in the technology race, and Foxconn could be an option.

    – Nissan loss –

    Nissan said Thursday it expected a net loss of 80 billion yen for the 12 months to March, sharply down from 426.6 billion yen profit achieved in the previous year.

    Honda separately reported a net profit of 805.3 billion yen ($5.2 billion) for the nine months to December.

    This was a 7.4 percent decline on-year chiefly due to a decline in sales in China, even though overall sales increased 8.9 percent to 16.3 trillion yen.

    Honda made a slight change in its sales forecast for the full year to March, to 21.6 trillion yen from 21.0 trillion yen in the previous estimate, but kept its operating and net profit forecasts at 1.42 trillion yen and 950 billion yen, respectively

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  • Apple renames Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ on US app

    Apple has renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for US users of its mapping application to comply with an executive order by President Donald Trump.

    People using the Apple Maps application from the United States will find the body of water is now called the “Gulf of America.”

    Those accessing the service from abroad however will still find it called the “Gulf of Mexico.”

    Apple’s decision comes after Google on Monday changed the name to “Gulf of America” for those using its Maps platform inside the United States.

    Google wrote in a blog post that users outside the United States will continue to see both names.

    “People using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Gulf of America,’ and people in Mexico will see ‘Gulf of Mexico.’ Everyone else will see both names,” Google wrote.

    Trump signed executive orders changing the names of Denali, a mountain in Alaska, and the Gulf of Mexico soon after his January 20 swearing-in as president.

    The term “Gulf of America” was soon used by the US Coast Guard in a press release on enforcing Trump’s new crackdown on migrants, as well as Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, when discussing a winter storm.

    The move raised diplomatic concerns in Mexico, and President Claudia Sheinbaum said the government would write to Google and object to the name change.

    The Associated Press said Tuesday that its White House reporter was barred from an event with Trump over the top US news agency’s refusal to use “Gulf of America”.

    Trump’s order to change Denali to Mount McKinley reverses then-president Barack Obama’s 2015 decision to officially recognize Denali, the name used by Alaska Natives for centuries for North America’s highest peak.

  • Google switches Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ for US users

    Google switches Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ for US users

    Google on Monday changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” for those using its Maps platform inside the United States, complying with an executive order by President Donald Trump.

    The tech giant wrote in a blog post that users outside the United States will continue to see both the original and new name for the Gulf of Mexico, as is the case for other disputed locations.

    “People using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Gulf of America,’ and people in Mexico will see ‘Gulf of Mexico.’ Everyone else will see both names,” Google wrote.

    Google said the change aligns with its policy of following official US government geographic designations through the Geographic Names Information System.

    Upon taking office, Trump signed executive orders not only changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico but also reverting the name of Denali, America’s highest peak, to its former moniker Mt. McKinley.

    In 2015, then-president Barack Obama officially recognized the Alaska mountain as Denali, the name used by Alaska Natives for centuries.

    Trump’s renamings sparked criticism from indigenous groups in Alaska, who have long advocated for maintaining the Denali name and raised diplomatic concerns with Mexico.

    Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has cheekily suggested calling the United States “Mexican America,” pointing to a map from before one-third of her country was seized by the United States in 1848.

  • South Korea blocks DeepSeek access

    South Korea blocks DeepSeek access

    South Korean ministries and police said Thursday they were blocking DeepSeek’s access to their computers, after the Chinese AI startup did not respond to a data watchdog request about how it manages user information.

    DeepSeek launched its R1 chatbot last month, claiming it matches the capacity of artificial intelligence pacesetters in the United States for a fraction of the investment, upending the global industry.

    South Korea, along with countries such as France and Italy, have asked questions about DeepSeek’s data practices, submitting a written request for information about how the company handles user information.

    But after DeepSeek failed to respond to an enquiry from South Korea’s data watchdog, a slew of ministries confirmed Thursday they were taking steps to limit access to prevent potential leaks of sensitive information through generative AI services.

    “Blocking measures for DeepSeek have been implemented specifically for military work-related PCs with Internet,” a defence ministry official told AFP.

    The ministry, which oversees active-duty soldiers deployed against the nuclear-armed North, has also “reiterated the security precautions regarding the use of generative AI for each unit and soldier, taking into account security and technical concerns,” it added.

    South Korea’s police told AFP they had also blocked access to DeepSeek, while the trade ministry said that access had been temporarily restricted on all its PCs.

    The trade, finance, unification and foreign ministries also all said they had blocked the app or had taken unspecified measures.

    – Bans ‘not excessive’ –

    Last week, Italy launched an investigation into DeepSeek’s R1 model and blocked it from processing Italian users’ data.

    Australia has also banned DeepSeek from all government devices on the advice of security agencies.

    Kim Jong-hwa, a professor at Cheju Halla University’s artificial intelligence department, told AFP that amid growing rivalry between the United States and China he suspected “political factors” could be influencing the reaction to DeepSeek — but said bans were still justified.

    “From a technical standpoint, AI models like ChatGPT also face numerous security-related issues that have not yet been fully addressed,” he said.

    “Given that China operates under a communist regime, I question whether they consider security issues as much as OpenAI does when developing innovative technologies,” he said.

    “We cannot currently assess how much attention has been paid to security concerns by DeepSeek when developing its chatbot. Therefore, I believe that taking proactive measures is not too excessive.”

    Beijing on Thursday hit back against the ban, insisting the Chinese government “will never require enterprises or individuals to illegally collect or store data”.

    “China has always opposed the generalisation of national security and the politicisation of economic, trade and technological issues,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

    Beijing would also “firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” Guo vowed.

    – ‘Complex competition’ –

    DeepSeek says it uses less-advanced H800 chips — permitted for sale to China until 2023 under US export controls — to power its large learning model

    South Korean chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are key suppliers of advanced chips used in AI servers.

    The government announced on Wednesday an additional 34 trillion won ($23.5 billion) investment in semiconductors and high-tech industries, with the country’s acting president urging Korean tech companies to stay flexible.

    “Recently, a Chinese company unveiled the AI model DeepSeek R1, which offers high performance at a low cost, making a fresh impact in the market,” acting President Choi Sang-mok said Wednesday.

    “The global AI competition may evolve from a simple infrastructure scale-up rivalry to a more complex competition that includes software capabilities and other factors.”

  • Google Maps: Obasanjo’s Library, Abia Tower, Emir’s Palace among Nigeria’s top reviewed places

    Google Maps: Obasanjo’s Library, Abia Tower, Emir’s Palace among Nigeria’s top reviewed places

    The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abia Tower Roundabout in Umuahia, and Emir’s Palace in Kano have emerged as some of the most reviewed places in Nigeria, according to a recent report by Google commemorating the 20th anniversary of Google Maps.

    Other notable mentions include popular restaurants such as Farmcity Lekki Lounge, Crush Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe, and Domino’s Pizza in Wuse and Yaba. Highly rated cafés include Flowershop Cafe, Oliver’s Café, Salamander Cafe, Café de Vie, and Wood House Cafe.

    Visitor attractions such as Dimplediva_scent, Oniru Private Beach, The Good Beach, and New Berger Roundabout in Ojodu Ikeja also stood out for their growing popularity.

    Leading the rankings for parks are City Park Abuja, Muri Okunola Park, Tinubu Square, Ndubuisi Kanu Park, and Freedom Park Lagos. Among museums, the National Museum Benin City, Kalakuta Museum, National Museum Lagos, and Open Heavens International Centre topped the charts.

    Commenting on the milestone, Google West Africa’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Mr. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, said:

    “Google Maps has evolved from a basic navigation tool to a dynamic platform that helps people explore, discover, and share their experiences. The most reviewed places in Nigeria highlight the locations that matter most to our users, showcasing the country’s vibrant social and cultural landscape.”

    Since its launch in 2005, Google Maps has transformed how people navigate and explore the world. Kola-Ogunlade noted key features that continue to drive user engagement, such as:

    Gemini-Powered Recommendations: AI-driven suggestions for places to visit

    Augmented Reality (Live View): Real-time navigation cues

    Airport Navigation: The “Directory” tab for exploring airport amenities

    Fuel Station Finder: Helps users locate the cheapest petrol stations

    Street View Time Travel: Offers historical imagery of locations

    Group Planning & Reservations: Simplifies travel coordination

    AI-Powered Route Previews: Explore routes before travel

    Fuel-Efficient Routes: Environmentally friendly travel options

    Highlighting the global impact of Google Maps, Kola-Ogunlade shared key statistics:

    Over 1 trillion kilometers of directions provided

    250 million businesses and locations listed worldwide

    500 million user contributions annually

    100 million daily updates for fresh and accurate information

    As Google Maps continues to innovate, these most-reviewed locations showcase Nigeria’s vibrant cultural and social landscape through the lens of its diverse users.

  • China reacts after Australia bans DeepSeek on govt devices

    China reacts after Australia bans DeepSeek on govt devices

    Beijing slammed Australia Wednesday for banning the Chinese AI app DeepSeek on government devices on security grounds, saying it opposes the “politicisation of economic, trade and technological issues”.

    “The Chinese government… has never and will never require enterprises or individuals to illegally collect or store data,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.