Ecobank Group Launches 2024 Fintech Challenge with $50,000 Prize!
Ghana's digital ecosystem week in review: Africa Data Centres partners Onix Data Centre, Bawumia’s Promised e-Gates fact checked, Arian Simone awards grant to local start up, "Ajuma rolls out soon.
Digital Digest No. #111111
Date: June 2 - June 9 2024
Dear Friends,
Happy new week!🎉
Here are the most important news, perspectives, analysis, and insights about the Ghanaian digital ecosystem from last week.
Digital governance
News updates
Cybersecurity Authority To Monitor Students’ Online Behaviour
The Director General of the Cybersecurity Authority, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has disclosed that the Cyber Security Authority is developing a framework that will tackle and monitor students’ behaviour online and also protect them from cyber security threats. By combining the provisions of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) and Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) 2020, the Cyber Security Authority is in the process of developing a comprehensive framework to address the behaviors and implications of students’ online activities. This comes amidst the increasing spate of cyberbullying on social media and other online platforms.
Legal framework key to proper use of AI – Margins CEO
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of Margins ID Group, Moses Kwasi Baiden Jnr, at the 8th Ghana CEO Summit emphasized the need to collaborate with key international players to develop a clear ethical and legal framework for the proper use of artificial intelligence in the country noting that data generated by the National Identification system could be used by the government to plan budgets and test the assumptions underlying policies, manifestos, and other initiatives aimed at delivering services to the public, such as education, infrastructure, subsidies, and healthcare.
Digital infrastructure and platforms
News updates
Africa Data Centres and Onix Data Centre announce partnership
Ghana is set to become a key player in the continent's data storage revolution as Africa Data Centres joins forces with Onix Data Centre in a strategic partnership.
Dr. Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Executive for West Africa at Africa Data Centres, and other stakeholders at the signing ceremony highlighted the partnership's potential positive impact, including local data storage for African nations, improved performance of internet-based platforms throughout the country, etc.
Bawumia’s Promised e-Gates Is A Past World Bank Funded Project – Bright Simons
IMANI Africa Vice President, Bright Simons, has disclosed that a recent announcement by the Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia, to rollout an e-gate project at Ghana’s main airport would constitute brazen abuse of donor funds.
According to him, the project has twice been funded through World Bank money with the project recorded as “complete & successful.”
Telecommunications, Emis Chamber Engage NDC Flagbearer On The Telecoms Manifesto
Leadership of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications (GCT) and its sister outfit, the EMIs Chamber of Ghana have engaged the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama and his team, calling for increased attention and support for the telecommunications industry as well as the digital payments ecosystem, citing issues such as an enabling tax regime, Repeal of the E-Levy law, cost of doing business and ease of access to the Ghana card database
Digital finance
News updates
Ecobank Group Launches 2024 Fintech Challenge with $50,000 Prize
Despite the fintech eruption in the African continent, a McKinsey report reveals that fintech start-ups in Africa are still facing several challenges such as reaching scale, navigating an uncertain regulatory environment, or managing scarcity of funding.
Ecobank has opened applications for the 7th Ecobank Fintech Challenge to fintechs and developers from across Africa, challenging them to provide solutions to the aforementioned issues for $50,000 prize amongst other rewards.
Citi Business Festival: Digital Banking solutions driving decline in cheque usage – Absa’s Kuyipwah
The Head of Transactional Banking at Absa Bank Ghana, Prosper Kuyipwah, speaking on the CitiBusinessFestival Roundtable on the topic Driving Business Growth in an Era of Digital Technology, disclosed that mobile money transactions have outstripped cheque transactions more than threefold.
“we have seen cheques decline year-on-year, and we have seen that increasingly, because of the availability of digital banking solutions, customers do not use cheques more, but there is still a need for them because people still use them, and so we should find ways to make it easier for those who still want to use them”, he submitted.
Digital entrepreneurship
News updates
Venture Capitalist Arian Simone Visits MEST Africa, Awards Grant To Local Startup
Arian Simone, Venture capitalist and co-founder of the Fearless Fund,(America’s first venture-capital (VC) firm led by women of color that invests exclusively in tech and consumer-goods companies owned by women of color) paid a courtesy call to MEST Africa, Ghana office where she surprised the students by listening to pitches about their businesses. After hearing 14 pitches, she awarded Agriguard—a startup providing financial access to smallholder farmers to increase yield—with a $2,500 grant through her Fearless Foundation.
New Tech Startup For Job Seekers ‘Adjuma’ To Go Fully Online In Ghana
Adjuma, a talent and employer networking platform with over 200 users and 2,500 visitors looking for jobs weekly, is scheduled for a full rollout in Ghana this June, highlighting how different they are from other job portals which are full of fake employers, fake candidates, and fake jobs riddled with ads. The company is calling all employers to reach out and make their job opportunities available to the talents on the platform in Ghana and abroad.
Digital talents
News updates
STU, Vanuatu Trade Commission sign MoU to train students in AI
The Sunyani Technical University (STU) and the Vanuatu Trade Commission (VTC) in Ghana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide an estimated grant of $1 million to ATU to train 1,500 students and staff in Artificial Intelligence (Al) and Applied Research.
The purpose of the MOU is to provide a collaborative framework between STU and VTC in the areas of academic collaboration, grants to support research and infrastructure, training of STU staff, faculty, and students in Artificial Intelligence (Al) for both research and industry.
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