Vodacom partners with China's Alipay to create 'super app' in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Vodacom Group (VODJ.J) plans to create a ‘super app’ in partnership with digital payment provider Alipay, part of China’s Alibaba group (BABA.N), to allow consumers in South Africa to shop online, pay bills and send money to family from next year.
The app will also help small to medium enterprises (SME) access financial services such as lending and insurance, the two companies said in a joint statement on Monday.
Vodacom and other mobile operators in South Africa are seeking to expand their mobile payment apps into online market places to leverage their network and customer base.
They are also looking to tap more than 11 million South Africans who do not have bank accounts, to offer lending and other financial services.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vodacom-grp-alipay-safrica/vodacom-partners-with-chinas-alipay-to-create-super-app-in-south-africa-idUSKCN24L1LY
#africa #southafrica #vodafone #alipay
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Vodacom Group (VODJ.J) plans to create a ‘super app’ in partnership with digital payment provider Alipay, part of China’s Alibaba group (BABA.N), to allow consumers in South Africa to shop online, pay bills and send money to family from next year.
The app will also help small to medium enterprises (SME) access financial services such as lending and insurance, the two companies said in a joint statement on Monday.
Vodacom and other mobile operators in South Africa are seeking to expand their mobile payment apps into online market places to leverage their network and customer base.
They are also looking to tap more than 11 million South Africans who do not have bank accounts, to offer lending and other financial services.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vodacom-grp-alipay-safrica/vodacom-partners-with-chinas-alipay-to-create-super-app-in-south-africa-idUSKCN24L1LY
#africa #southafrica #vodafone #alipay
The internet is back on in Ethiopia but there’s every chance it’ll be off again soon
If you type “Is the internet back on in…” into Google the likely first suggested word is “Ethiopia”. It perhaps reflects the frequency with which internet shutdowns have been selectively applied over the last few years in the Africa’s second-largest country by population.
Ethiopia resumed full internet connection on Thursday morning (July 23) after a 23-day hiatus. Full internet means ordinary Ethiopians can now access the internet again, last week partial internet was restored in Addis Ababa to fixed line connections but not mobile phones. But even during the three-week shutdown the internet had stayed on in key locations in Addis Ababa, often described as Africa’s diplomatic capital. Institutions like the African Union, United Nations agencies, international hotels, big businesses and government offices were able to stay connected for the most part.
The shutdown followed last month’s killing of Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa and the subsequent protests his fellow Oromos which have so far resulted in the deaths of more than 239 people as well as the displacements of thousands and the destruction of many properties across the nation.
https://qz.com/africa/1884387/ethiopia-internet-is-back-on-but-oromo-tensions-remain/
#africa #ethiopia #censorship
If you type “Is the internet back on in…” into Google the likely first suggested word is “Ethiopia”. It perhaps reflects the frequency with which internet shutdowns have been selectively applied over the last few years in the Africa’s second-largest country by population.
Ethiopia resumed full internet connection on Thursday morning (July 23) after a 23-day hiatus. Full internet means ordinary Ethiopians can now access the internet again, last week partial internet was restored in Addis Ababa to fixed line connections but not mobile phones. But even during the three-week shutdown the internet had stayed on in key locations in Addis Ababa, often described as Africa’s diplomatic capital. Institutions like the African Union, United Nations agencies, international hotels, big businesses and government offices were able to stay connected for the most part.
The shutdown followed last month’s killing of Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa and the subsequent protests his fellow Oromos which have so far resulted in the deaths of more than 239 people as well as the displacements of thousands and the destruction of many properties across the nation.
https://qz.com/africa/1884387/ethiopia-internet-is-back-on-but-oromo-tensions-remain/
#africa #ethiopia #censorship
Quartz
The internet is back on in Ethiopia but there’s every chance it’ll be off again soon
Even during the shutdown Ethiopia's government managed to keep the internet on for diplomats, UN agencies and top hotels