Development

News : Development

Caribbean countries facing challenges exacerbated by COVID-19

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC - Grenada's Finance and Economic Development Minister, Gregory Bowen, Wednesday said the region is facing a number of challenges exacerbated by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Addressing the virtual 51st... (webremix.info)


Vodacom Reveals More Details About VodaPay – its “All-Encompassing” Super App

Vodacom has announced the next phase of development for its e-commerce super app, VodaPay. The app is scheduled for release in South Africa with reports claiming a date closer to the end of the year. The telecom giant also revealed more details about the app, including insights into its development and its ‘Mini Programs’ feature. […] (webremix.info)


Huawei Pens Deal with African Telecom Union in Bid to Boost Digital Transformation in Africa

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinese tech giant Huawei that will see African countries and organizations build capacity for ICT transformation. Under the agreement, Huawei will provide training on skills development, including reskilling and upskilling for ATU members. The MoU will also see the two organizations collaborate […] (webremix.info)


Regional finance ministers to discuss impact of COVID-19 on Caribbean countries

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC - The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) says it will host a high-level panel of government and business leaders to explore the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the region. The CDB said... (webremix.info)


Muslim Characters Had Speaking Roles in Less Than 2% of Top Recent Films, Study Finds (webremix.info)


Unemployment Stats Downplay SA’s Jobs Crisis

The Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) and the Assembly of the Unemployed (AoU) note the results of the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) with concern. The results of the survey show that unemployment in South Africa has reached some of the highest levels in the country’s history. It is the youth unemployment who […] (webremix.info)


Nat Geo’s ‘SharkFest’ Expands to Megalodon-Sized 6 Weeks Across 4 Networks and Disney+ (Exclusive) (webremix.info)


Why Broadband Connectivity is Crucial to Sustainable Development in Africa

Over the past year or so, digital transformation accelerated at an unprecedented rate in societies around the world. Whether we were working, learning, or staying in touch with friends and family, being online became more critical than ever. Even as vast numbers of people were adapting to their new realities, it became increasingly apparent that […] (webremix.info)


WTO calls for development of vaccines in Africa, Latin America

BRUSSELS (AP) -- The head of the World Trade Organization says it's paramount to diversify vaccine manufacturing and develop production in Africa and Latin America to contain the coronavirus pandemic. On the eve of a global health summit... (webremix.info)


Major investment by cement company to boost construction sector

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Audley Shaw, says the Caribbean Cement Company Limited's planned investment of another $1.75 billion, will contribute to the continued development of the construction sector.... (webremix.info)


With ‘Jupiter’s Legacy,’ Netflix Finally Has Superheroes of Its Own (webremix.info)


Google to offer 40,000 developer scholarships in Africa; continues accelerator program

Google today announced the launch of 40,000 new developer scholarships in Africa. Google will offer the scholarships — created in partnership with tech talent companies Pluralsight and Andela — to developers spread across mobile and cloud development tracks. According to the statement released by the company, Google will give full scholarships (with certifications in Android and […] (webremix.info)


Should African Governments Digitise to be Innovative, Inclusive and Resilient?

It’s been said before, but it bears repeating – the COVID-19 pandemic offers Africa the chance to leapfrog development through digitisation, and potentially position itself as a global digital powerhouse. And while the private sector has an important role to play in this development, governments across Africa have a critical role to play in enabling […] (webremix.info)


How the Haller Foundation is Helping Smallholder Farmers Across Africa

The Haller Foundation is a grassroots organisation that guides communities through a holistic four-stage economic development model that is sustainable and environmentally sound.  The model kick-starts a fragile farming community and, over a 3-year collaborative partnership, educates them to restore their soils, improve their environment and ultimately build the capacity to achieve economic resilience.  Throughout […] (webremix.info)


M-Pesa Africa Appoints New Managing Director

Safaricom’s M-Pesa Africa has appointed Sitoyo Lopokoiyit as its new Managing Director. He is a “mobile financial services expert who has directly managed mobile money in two of the largest markets in the world – Kenya and Tanzania,” reveals MyBroadBand. Lopokoiyit joined Safaricom in 2011 as head of M-Pesa strategy and business development. He then […] (webremix.info)


Guard slain in credit union robbery

A HawkEye security guard died valiantly while responding to a robbery in progress at the Public Sector Employees Co-operative Credit Union at the Caribbean Estate housing development in Portmore on Tuesday. An eyewitness said that four gunmen were... (webremix.info)


Telkom to Support Community-Led Coding Programme in South Africa

Telkom has partnered with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to hand over a community lab as well as a community-led coding programme to the Alice community in Eastern Cape, South Africa. As part of the Digital Skills Development Programme, Telkom has identified 25 unemployed youth aged between 18-35 with IT background from the […] (webremix.info)


Music Industry Moves: EMPIRE Opens West Asia-North Africa Division; Warner Chappell, LVRN Partner on Publishing

Independent label, distributor and publisher EMPIRE has opened a division in the US to help grow the local scene in West Asia and North Africa and its diaspora. To head up the territory, EMPIRE has hired Suhel Nafar (pictured above) as Vice President of Strategy & Market Development. Nafar will be based in San Francisco […] (webremix.info)


JAY-Z + Jack Dorsey Invest Millions Into Bitcoin (webremix.info)


Jack Dorsey and Jay Z invest $23.6 million to fund Bitcoin development

Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey and rapper Jay Z have created an endowment to fund bitcoin development initially in Africa and India, Dorsey said Friday. The duo is putting 500 bitcoin, which is currently worth $23.6 million, in the endowment called ?trust. The fund will be set up as a blind irrevocable trust, Dorsey […] (webremix.info)


Technology: Doomsday or Godsend – the Choice Is Ours (webremix.info)


TT100 Awards Interview: VNI Consultants

VNI Consultants (VNI) is a consulting firm in South Africa specialising in Organisation Development and Continuous Change Management based on sound business consulting and training delivery experience design. Due to the current business complexities and global systemic realities VNI has undergone a strategic direction change to provide inclusive and holistic cloud services for SMMEs.  What […] (webremix.info)


IDB approves record US$21.6B in lending to regional countries

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) said it provided a record US$21.6 billion this year to assist its 26 member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to manage the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The... (webremix.info)


Major water supply project set to benefit rural Jamaicans

Nearly 100,000 rural Jamaicans are poised to benefit from improved water supply, under a major project to be executed with funding support of US$30 million from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The loan was approved for allocation from the... (webremix.info)


J’can prisoners: armed and dangerous – report

An Inter-American Development Bank study has revealed that Jamaica leads the Caribbean in the number of inmates who were armed with weapons when they committed a crime. And it is not during killings that the high percentage of the inmates have... (webremix.info)


Tamron Hall, Chriselle Lim, Shannon Watts, Ai-jen Poo and More Join Power Women Summit 2020 (webremix.info)


Alphabet’s X partners with Econet Group to roll out Project Taara wireless light-beam broadband in Africa

Alphabet’s X ‘Moonshot Factory’ subsidiary has a lot of cutting edge projects in development, so it’s always exciting when one of them gets ready for real-world deployment. On Tuesday, X announced that its ‘Project Taara’ high-speed optical wireless broadband endeavor is working with internet provider Econet and its subsidiaries to begin rolling out its tech […] (webremix.info)


Huawei Collaborates with Geekulcha to Host a Series of Developer Workshops Online

Global tech giant Huawei and local tech entrepreneur Mixo Fortune Ngoveni, Founder and CEO of Geekulcha, have collaborated to host a series of app developer workshops. These are aimed at helping budding developers and students in South Africa to harness Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) Core capabilities for app development skills and to advance innovation.  Geekulcha […] (webremix.info)


How Digital Payments could Foster African Development

The World Bank has estimated that Africa could potentially hold 90% of the global poor population by 2030 and has recently cut its economic growth predictions to between -2.1% and -5.1% in 2020 from the 2.4% of 2019. The situation has been significantly worsened by the global pandemic, as the continent hits its first recession in 25 […] (webremix.info)


Sundance Institute Expands Board With Diverse Group of 7 New Trustees (webremix.info)


Simon Kinberg to Write ‘Battlestar Galactica’ for Universal (webremix.info)