Airline body urges African governments to act on opening market access
‘Strategies don’t move people. Now it is time to make the difficult decisions and execute them,’ senior executive stresses.
CONNECTIVITY
First Google Cloud region on the African continent is announced
By our News Team | 2022
Google says it intends to scale up Cloud capability for Africa through sites in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
Google has confirmed that it intends to establish a cloud region in South Africa, its first in the continent, in an effort to assist users to move their information and tools online.
The company made the announcement during its second Google for Africa event. It is in line with the commitment made by Google last year to deliver a US$1-billion investment in the continent.
Photo by Cottonbro from Pexels
Director of Google Cloud Africa, Niral Patel, said: “We are excited to announce the first Google Cloud region in Africa. The new region will allow for the localisation of applications and services.”
Patel said the firm would expand its network through the Equiano subsea cable and build dedicated Cloud Interconnect sites in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lagos and Nairobi to scale up Cloud capability for Africa.
The cable, which has nine branching points, was initially announced in 2019 and is one of Google’s largest submarine Internet cables. It connects Western Europe to South Africa.
Data prices predicted to drop by as much as 21 percent
Equiano will lead to the creation of 1.6-million jobs, per a report commissioned by Google. The report also predicts that the cable will lead to data prices dropping between 16 and 21 percent in the region.
“We believe in growing an open and healthy ecosystem of technology solutions to support Africa’s digital transformation goals, which leads to more opportunities for businesses. It is part of our company-wide ethos to respect the environment, which is why we operate the cleanest Cloud in the industry, supporting sustainable digital transformation,” said Patel.
Added Philly Mapulane South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies: “Our National Development Plan 2030 calls for stimulating growth in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector and innovation by driving public and private ICT investment, especially in network upgrades and expansion. Google’s recent efforts in this regard have been particularly encouraging.”
According to the tech industry website Data Center Dynamics, Google is playing catch-up with other cloud providers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, with both players entering the continent in the last few years.
Uganda Tourism Board partners with major European ice hockey league
UTB says its ambition is to turn the visibility into interest, bookings and more visitors choosing to explore Uganda.
Researchers explain why 10-second micro ads outperform longer spots
Short ads shown on TV increased website visits within five minutes of airing by 10-40% compared with longer advertisements.
Competition continues to grow in the Moroccan supermarket sector
Supeco’s rapid expansion shows how the discount model is becoming a bigger part of grocery retail in the North African country.
Study identifies harmful paradox behind well-meaning green efforts
Consumers reward visible eco-friendly additions such as reusable bottles, but give little credit to businesses that reduce or remove products.
President Mahama commissions expanded evaporated milk facility in Ghana
Nestlé believes Ghana will continue to play a leading role in the future of Central and West Africa.
Momentum beginning to build for 2027 ACCS gathering in Addis Ababa
Ethiopia’s marketers gather to celebrate hosting next year’s conference – but with an eye on the hard work ahead.
PwC report examines the future of African entertainment and media
Tech is creating more ways for audiences to connect, but lasting value will come from understanding the people behind those connections.
Unilever investment expands its Vaseline production capacity in Africa
The new production line at the historic Maydon Wharf facility in Durban will address growing international demand.
World MICE Awards in Jamaica honour best African and global achievers
Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and South Africa all feature in the African meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions awards.
AI won’t replace market research. But it will expose weak strategy
Much of the broader conversation around AI in market research assumes conditions that do not consistently exist across many African markets, writes Soyinka Witness.