Africa is the dumping ground for 85% of the planet’s e-waste – a situation likely to get worse as Apple prepares to switch iPhone lightning ports to USB-C ports. The E-Waste Issue In Africa E-waste is becoming a prominent issue in Africa because old goods are exported from high-income countries to low-income countries. In addition, as fewer regulations are being enforced in Africa, it is easy for discarded electronic items to find their way into the continent. Discarded chargers generate more than 11,000 tons of e-waste each year, and according
The African tech ecosystem has taken a significant hit in Q3 2022 due to a lack of funding from investors. In 2021, fintech startups successfully raised $2 billion in funding and once dominated the African startup funding space, but the significant increase signifies a problematic time for African startups – so why is that? Several factors have contributed to the slowdown, from the economic downturn which has forced many investors to deploy less capital to the decline in venture capital funding for crypto startups together this has caused global fintech
Many crypto traders in Africa who frequently use FTX platforms have been shocked and unable to withdraw their funds after an unexpected collapse. FTX’s collapse hits Africa hard The cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, and its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, decided to step down from his position. Once valued at $32 billion, FTX, the platform is now valued at nothing with mountains of debts. According to TechCrunch, over 100,000 Africans used FTX to convert their local currencies to dollars and to bump up their savings. This was
Twitter recently terminated the contracts of almost all its staff based in Ghana, but the former employees are fighting back. The team has accused the social media giant of “deliberately and recklessly flouting the laws of Ghana” and, with legal assistance, are demanding national labor laws are followed. Violation of Labor Laws Three days after opening a physical office in Accra, Ghana—the first in Africa—Twitter locked staff out of their emails and work laptops. Since then, the African employees have not been offered any concrete information about compensation or the
Black Girls In Tech are all about making big moves, and the launch of their brand-new cyber academy further proves that. What Are Black Girls In Tech? Black Girls In Tech is a UK-based company that aims to increase women’s representation within the tech industry. According to reports, women comprise approximately 26% of the tech workforce. Unfortunately, they are more prone to leave the industry due to gendered biases and a lack of work-life balance, which is why communities like Black Girls in Tech are essential. Black Girls In Tech,
Tech accessory company, oraimo, has announced a new ambassadorial deal with Grammy award-winning artist Burna Boy. For many, the partnership between one of Africa’s leading tech brands and the artist known as the ‘African Giant,’ is a marriage made in heaven. What is oraimo? Described as ‘as far from your regular smart accessory brand,’ oraimo is Africa’s leading TWS (true wireless technology) and smartwatch brand. The company’s initial product line of durable charging bricks and chords became hugely popular amongst the Nigerian community when it first launched due to its
Microsoft has announced the expansion of its AI for Good Research Lab to Cairo and Nairobi. The expansion aims to close the climate data divide by researching and developing AI machine learning in areas in Africa worst affected by the climate crisis. Africa’s Climate Crisis Research has revealed that high climate risk correlates with income and health inequalities. The findings also coincide with the fact that two billion people in the Global South were found to be living in some of the most climate-risk areas between 2008 and 2018. Despite Africa contributing less
Twitter has terminated the contracts of almost all its staff based in Accra, Ghana. The news comes after Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of the app, which has seen thousands of employees worldwide laid off work. Twitter’s presence in Africa In April 2021, Twitter announced its plans to build a team in Ghana as a part of its broader mission to expand its services across the region. After almost a year of working remotely, Twitter’s African staff finally opened a physical office in the continent. But celebrations were short-lived. A mere
According to a new report by Coding Black Females, the proportion of Black women working in tech is disproportionately smaller than in the rest of the UK workforce. Why are “thousands” of Black women missing from the tech industry? The Office of National Statistics data found that Black women make up 1.8% of the UK workforce but less than 0.6% of the technology sector. Furthermore, although women’s representation in tech has increased marginally over the past five years, Black women are still lagging. Not only do Black women have to undergo biased
In response to the lack of diversity in the UK’s teaching force, Lewis Hamilton’s charitable foundation, Mission 44, has co-launched a campaign to to recruit and train more Black teachers in science, technology and maths (STEM) subjects. The STEM From Black campaign is part of Mission 44’s two-year partnership with educational charity Teach First. Fronting the campaign is Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, tech leader and founder of the award-winning social enterprise, Stemettes. Research by Tech First has revealed that out of 500,000 teachers in England, only 2% are from Black
