<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="524" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WPW75XVHCBK5VLWJPUHDR5PTJM-820x524.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-455807" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WPW75XVHCBK5VLWJPUHDR5PTJM-820x524.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WPW75XVHCBK5VLWJPUHDR5PTJM-300x192.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WPW75XVHCBK5VLWJPUHDR5PTJM-141x90.jpg 141w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WPW75XVHCBK5VLWJPUHDR5PTJM-768x491.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WPW75XVHCBK5VLWJPUHDR5PTJM-1536x981.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WPW75XVHCBK5VLWJPUHDR5PTJM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: A women uses an iPhone mobile device as she passes a lighted Apple logo at the Apple store at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, U.S., April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar</figcaption></figure>



BRUSSELS, Feb 13 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;AAPL.O&nbsp;has won an exemption for its iMessage and Microsoft&nbsp;MSFT.O&nbsp;for its Bing search engine from new EU tech rules after the companies convinced antitrust regulators their services are not gateways for businesses to reach end-users.



The European Union&#8217;s Digital Markets Act&nbsp;(DMA), which takes effect in three weeks&#8217; time, requires Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet&#8217;s&nbsp;GOOGL.O&nbsp;Google, Amazon&nbsp;AMZN.O, Meta Platforms&nbsp;META.O&nbsp;and ByteDance to allow third-party apps or app stores on their platforms and make it easier for people to switch to rivals.



The companies are also prohibited from favouring their services over rivals.



Following a five-month investigation, the European Commission found iMessage, Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising &#8220;did not qualify as gatekeeper services,&#8221; the EU executive said in a statement.



The Commission said Apple&#8217;s App Store, iOS operating system and Safari browser will continue to be classified as gatekeepers as will Microsoft&#8217;s Linkedin social network and Windows operating system.



It made &#8220;a thorough assessment of all arguments, taking into account input by relevant stakeholders&#8221;, the Commission said without providing details of the companies&#8217; arguments.



Apple had said iMessage usage is negligible, even on its devices, compared to rival messaging services in the EU and that iMessage is not an important channel for businesses to reach users in the bloc.



&#8220;Consumers today have access to a wide variety of messaging apps, and often use many at once, which reflects how easy it is to switch between them,&#8221; an Apple spokesperson said.



Microsoft said that Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising operate as challengers in the market and are of relatively small scale, meaning they are not important gateways for business users.



&#8220;We will continue to engage with the Commission and industry at large to ensure Microsoft&#8217;s other designated platforms comply fully with the DMA,&#8221; a Microsoft spokesperson said.



Lazar Radic, an antitrust expert at the International Center for Law and Economics, said: &#8220;It is a good sign that the Commission has considered market realities, instead of just slapping the &#8216;gatekeeper&#8217; label on iMessage because it fulfills certain quantitative thresholds.



&#8220;This suggests the Commission is capable of avoiding the temptation to over-regulate.&#8221;



However, the&nbsp;Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE), whose members include Google, Meta Platforms&nbsp;META.O&nbsp;and Qualcomm&nbsp;QCOM.O,&nbsp;disagreed with the&nbsp;Commission&#8217;s decision&nbsp;to exempt&nbsp;services such as iMessage.



&#8220;Today’s surprising decision undermines the objectives of the DMA, as well as its potential to improve choice and contestability for all Europeans,&#8221; it said in a statement.



(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Barbara Lewis and Keith Weir)

women uses her iPhone mobile device as she passes a lighted Apple logo at the Apple store in New York

Apple, Microsoft win exemptions for iMessage, Bing from EU rules

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/107283162-1691491519512-gettyimages-1580920005-porzycki-playstat230806_nph3Q-820x547.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-451066" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/107283162-1691491519512-gettyimages-1580920005-porzycki-playstat230806_nph3Q-820x547.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/107283162-1691491519512-gettyimages-1580920005-porzycki-playstat230806_nph3Q-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/107283162-1691491519512-gettyimages-1580920005-porzycki-playstat230806_nph3Q-135x90.jpeg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/107283162-1691491519512-gettyimages-1580920005-porzycki-playstat230806_nph3Q-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/107283162-1691491519512-gettyimages-1580920005-porzycki-playstat230806_nph3Q-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/107283162-1691491519512-gettyimages-1580920005-porzycki-playstat230806_nph3Q-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The PlayStation DualSense controller and PlayStation 5 console. Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Sony is making a bold bet on Africa’s video game industry.&nbsp;



The Japanese consumer electronics and gaming giant has invested an undisclosed sum into Carry1st, a video game studio based in Cape Town, South Africa, via its Sony Innovation Fund venture arm, Carry1st told CNBC exclusively.&nbsp;



The deal is a strategic investment that will see the two companies partner on a range of commercial opportunities. For now, the two companies are in the “exploratory stages” of that partnership.



Cordel Robbin-Coker, CEO and co-founder of Carry1st, said talks with the Sony Innovation Fund began about eight to nine months ago, and that his pitch to the PlayStation console maker was that Africa is the next big market to find growth in video games.&nbsp;



“As large companies like Sony that have really strong footholds in tier-one and tier-two markets start thinking about where the next billion customers and gamers are going to come from, our pitch is that Africa is a prime market for that,” Robbin-Coker told CNBC in an interview.&nbsp;



“We believe very firmly that there is an incredibly underrated console opportunity in Africa,” Robbin-Coker said, citing countries like Nigeria, Morocco and Algeria as places where console adoption is rising a lot.&nbsp;



Sony is coming into an emerging gaming market with blistering growth potential. Sub-Saharan Africa’s gaming industry is expected to generate over $1 billion for the first time in 2024, according to research from Carry1st and venture capital firm Konvoy. 



Many gamers in Africa are buying consoles on “gray” markets — in other words, from vendors who’ve imported consoles from overseas to resell them locally, Robbin-Coker added.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-playstation-in-africa-nbsp"><a></a>Expanding PlayStation in Africa&nbsp;</h2>



One aspect of Carry1st’s partnership with Sony was about helping the games and entertainment giant expand PlayStation’s footprint in Africa. 



Sony forecast it would sell a record 25 million PlayStation 5 units in its 2023 fiscal year, which would mark the best year for any PlayStation console in history. The PS5 was initially blighted by shortages due to a scarcity of chips and supply chain disruptions.



Sony’s bet with its stake in Carry1st is that Africa will be the next major market to drive growth in PS5 sales.



“Our hope is that we can help [Sony] to expand their reach of PlayStation in the region and support them in a range of ways, including broader go-to-market strategies, as well as digital payments,”&nbsp;Robbin-Coker told CNBC.



He noted Carry1st could take advantage of the changing console business model, where sales have gone from primarily in-store payments for physical consoles and games to a more online experience marked by digital downloads, free-to-play games, and in-app purchases.&nbsp;



Carry1st’s localized payment service Pay1st allows African gamers to buy games using local infrastructure, bank accounts, and payment methods including M-Pesa and mobile wallets. Game makers can monetize their games on Carry1st, the company’s online marketplace for games and add-on content.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>Original games in the pipeline&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>



Carry1st, founded in 2018, specializes in developing mainly social and casual puzzle-based mobile games for an African audience.  



Carry1st currently only makes and scales games for other clients, like Activision. But the company is now planning to develop its own original titles this year, with development underway on three new games.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Little is known about the original games for now, but Robbin-Coker says he is “very confident” about the road map for Carry1st’s original titles, and that he “firmly believes” the company is on track to launch its debut first-party game sometime in 2024.&nbsp;



Carry1st is still an early-stage startup, but its growth has been on a tear in recent years. Carry1st says its revenues climbed nearly ninefold between 2021 and 2023. Carry1st said it was unable to give a fuller picture of its financials given the sensitivity of the numbers.&nbsp;



Carry1st works with the likes of Activision, Supercell and Riot Games to bring Western game franchises like “Call of Duty: Mobile” and “Valorant” to Africa.&nbsp;



The company is behind the mobile games “Mancala Adventures,” “SpongeBob Krusty Cook-Off” — made in partnership with Nickelodeon — “Ludo Blitz” and “Mine Rescue.”&nbsp;



Sony’s investment in Carry1st marks the first financial commitment of its new flagship African venture fund, Sony Innovation Fund: Africa, which launched in October 2023 to invest in early-stage startups in Africa’s entertainment industry.&nbsp;



Sony Ventures Corporate, Sony’s venture arm, allocated an initial $10 million to its Africa fund.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Carry1st’s latest deal adds to its list of venture backers, with another top name on the cap table. Andreessen Horowitz, Bitkraft Ventures, Google, Riot Games, and rapper Nas have so far backed the company with $60 million of funding to date.&nbsp;

107283162-1691491519512-gettyimages-1580920005-porzycki-playstat230806_nph3Q

Sony is making a bold bet on an African gaming startup to boost PlayStation’s reach in the continent

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="548" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FSG7ZJLZSVPYDIAQ4I25PVA7XY-820x548.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-442871" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FSG7ZJLZSVPYDIAQ4I25PVA7XY-820x548.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FSG7ZJLZSVPYDIAQ4I25PVA7XY-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FSG7ZJLZSVPYDIAQ4I25PVA7XY-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FSG7ZJLZSVPYDIAQ4I25PVA7XY-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FSG7ZJLZSVPYDIAQ4I25PVA7XY-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FSG7ZJLZSVPYDIAQ4I25PVA7XY-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Italy&#8217;s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni holds her end-of-year press conference in Rome, Italy, January 4, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane</figcaption></figure>



ROME, Jan 4 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Supporting African development and tackling the dangers posed by artificial intelligence (AI) will be two key themes for Italy during its one-year presidency of the Group of Seven, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday.



Speaking at a wide-ranging news conference, Meloni added that Italy would maintain its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia and warned that a further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East could have &#8220;unimaginable consequences&#8221;.



Italy took over the rotating presidency of the G7, which includes the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Italy, at the start of January.



It will host numerous ministerial meetings throughout the year, including a leaders&#8217; summit in June. However, Meloni said she wanted to hold a special session before June focused on AI.



&#8220;I am hugely concerned about the impact (of AI) on the labour market,&#8221; she told the news conference to mark the end of the year, held over from last month when she was unwell.



&#8220;Today we are faced with a revolution where (human) intellect is in danger of being replaced.&#8221;



She told reporters that supporting African development would also be a central theme of her G7, saying it was vital to boost local economies and living standards to dissuade would-be migrants from heading to Europe.



&#8220;What I think needs to be done in Africa is not charity. What needs to be done in Africa is to build cooperation and serious strategic relationships as equals not predators. What needs to be done in Africa is to defend the right not to have to emigrate &#8230; and this is done with investments and a strategy.&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-war-on-the-agenda">WAR ON THE AGENDA</h2>



Among other issues likely to dominate Italy&#8217;s presidency is the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.



Meloni called on Israel to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza and said that a more permanent solution needed to be found for the Palestinian issue.



&#8220;I believe&#8230;it&#8217;s an error to say &#8216;First let&#8217;s destroy Hamas and then we&#8217;ll talk about it&#8217;,&#8221; Meloni said.



&#8220;One of the best ways of calling the bluff of Hamas, which has no interest in the Palestinian cause, is to work for a structural solution of the Palestinian question,&#8221; she added, saying the European Union should play a more prominent role in diplomatic initiatives.



Meloni, who took power in October 2022 as Italy&#8217;s first woman prime minister, said she believed that the West should continue to supply arms and material support to Kyiv.



&#8220;The only way to reach any kind of diplomatic solution in Ukraine, any kind of negotiation, is to maintain the balance between forces on the ground.&#8221;



(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni and Giuseppe Fonte; Writing by Crispian Balmer and Keith Weir; Editing by)

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni holds her end-of-year press conference in Rome

Italy to put Africa development, AI at heart of its G7 presidency

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-969437892-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-436426" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-969437892-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-969437892-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-969437892-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-969437892-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-969437892-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-969437892-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, the year 2024 promises to be a pivotal moment for the tech industry. As we step into this era of innovation and digital transformation, it&#8217;s essential to take a closer look at the top jobs that are driving this technological revolution. These roles not only define the future of the industry but also offer exciting career opportunities for those who are passionate about shaping the world through technology. From software engineering to blockchain expertise, these professionals are the architects of our digital future.



1. Software Engineer



Highly sought-after, highly-paid; a software engineer designs, develops, tests, and maintains software applications, systems, and programs. The professional uses principles of computer science, engineering, mathematics, and project management to create solutions that meet specific requirements or solve problems.



2. AI/ML Engineer



There’s a growing trend of generative AI applications, which requires skills from an AI/ML engineer to develop, implement, and maintain AI and machine learning solutions. Their key focus is to create algorithms, models, and systems that enable computers to learn from and make predictions or decisions based on data without explicit programming.



3. Data Scientist



Over the years, data scientists have become more in-demand as big data has become key to decision making. They gather, analyse, interpret, and draw insights from large amounts of data, which can be used for stats, ML, or programming. Data scientists also uncover patterns, trends, and valuable information from complex datasets.



4. Cybersecurity Engineer



As technology increasingly becomes integrated into our lives, the need to protect digital assets, sensitive information, networks, and systems from cyber threats becomes more critical. A cybersecurity engineer designs, implements, and maintains security measures to protect an organisation.&nbsp;



5. Project Management



According to the Project Management Institute, the global economy needs <a href="https://www.pmi.org/learning/careers/talent-gap-2021">25 million</a> new project professionals by 2030. An IT project manager plans, executes, and completes projects within an organisation, relating to infrastructure, software development, system upgrades, network installations, and anything else tech related.



6. Full-Stack Developer



A full-stack developer is a software engineer who works on both the front-end and back-end of web development, which requires a broad skillset. They handle all aspects of software development, including designing user interfaces, building databases, creating server-side logic, and ensuring the overall functionality of web applications.



7. Cloud Solutions Architect



According to <a href="https://www.cloudwards.net/cloud-computing-statistics/">Cloudwards</a>, 94% of enterprises globally make use of the cloud, and over 100 zettabytes (one zettabyte is a billion terabytes) will be stored in the cloud by 2025. A cloud solutions architect designs, develops, and deploys cloud computing solutions and architectures that is scalable, secure, and efficient to meet an organisation’s needs.



8. Blockchain Engineer



Blockchain technology has revolutionised the financial landscape and as a result, the demand for blockchain engineers has skyrocketed. It entails designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining blockchain-based solutions, which is a decentralised and distributed ledger system that securely records transactions across a network of computers.&nbsp;



9. Product Manager



Given the demand for software engineers and full-stack developers, naturally, product managers are in demand. A product manager overseas everything from development, strategy, and lifecycle of IT products and services. They focus on creating and enhancing products to meet the demands of the market to bring value to users.



10. UX Designer



There will always be a need for a good end-user experience (UX) and thus, UX designers will always be in demand. The key focus area for this role is to enhance the user’s overall experience when interacting with systems, services, or products to ultimately deliver intuitive and enjoyable user experiences for the target audience.

Young businesswoman looking at smartphone in spaceship like corridor

The Top 10 Technology Jobs In 2024

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/XYLRJGDDEBIFFEYH3ILGDOLHJM-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-424605" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/XYLRJGDDEBIFFEYH3ILGDOLHJM-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/XYLRJGDDEBIFFEYH3ILGDOLHJM-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/XYLRJGDDEBIFFEYH3ILGDOLHJM-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/XYLRJGDDEBIFFEYH3ILGDOLHJM-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/XYLRJGDDEBIFFEYH3ILGDOLHJM-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/XYLRJGDDEBIFFEYH3ILGDOLHJM-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: A man counts Nigerian naira notes in a market place as people struggle with the economic hardship and cashflow problems ahead of Nigeria&#8217;s Presidential elections, in Yola, Nigeria, February 22, 2023. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



In a <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/media/6341841699112/expanding-africas-digital-payments-systems-/">recent interview</a> with CNBC Africa, Dr. Robert Ochola, CEO of AfricaNenda, discussed the challenges and opportunities for expanding Africa&#8217;s digital payments systems to promote financial inclusion. While progress has been made in reducing the number of financially excluded individuals, Dr. Ochola emphasized the need to accelerate efforts to onboard the remaining 350 million people.



Digital public infrastructure, comprising data, payments, and digital ID systems, is a critical component of Africa&#8217;s financial inclusion agenda, according to Dr. Ochola. By using open-source technology, African countries can build cost-effective payment systems, as demonstrated by Brazil&#8217;s success with its PICS system. However, the infrastructure required for these systems is still expensive, and alternative models, such as partnerships and data embassies, may be necessary.



Addressing the gender gap in access to financial products is another crucial aspect of expanding Africa&#8217;s digital payments systems. Dr. Ochola highlighted that 60% of the 400 million financially excluded Africans are women. To bridge this gap, solutions need to be designed with a gender lens, considering factors like onboarding, product design, and accessibility. Collecting and disaggregating data on transactions and usage by women is also essential for data-driven policy decisions.



Creating an enabling environment for the uptake and rollout of digital public infrastructure strategies requires several key actions, according to Dr. Ochola. First, there is a need for harmonization of policies at a pan-African level, which can then be implemented at regional and national levels. Second, partnerships and cost-effective infrastructure models are essential to reduce the expenses associated with building and maintaining necessary infrastructure. Finally, there is a need for upskilling developers and system integrators to harness Africa&#8217;s expertise in programming and technology development.



Ensuring the safety and security of digital payments is paramount to build confidence among users. Dr. Ochola mentioned that African Enda, in collaboration with partners, is piloting various solutions, including fraud management systems. The goal is to provide cost-effective tools to fintechs and create a local ecosystem that can serve customers affordably. By addressing concerns around cybersecurity and integrity, more individuals who are currently excluded due to cost constraints can be brought into the digital payments space.



Expanding Africa&#8217;s digital payments systems to promote financial inclusion requires focusing on onboarding the financially excluded, leveraging digital public infrastructure, addressing the gender gap, creating an enabling environment, and ensuring the safety and security of digital payments. By taking these steps, Africa can scale up the adoption of financial payment systems and drive economic growth and development across the region.

FILE PHOTO: Illustration shows U.S. dollars and Euro banknotes

Expanding Africa’s digital payments systems

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1221966026-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-396212" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1221966026-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1221966026-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1221966026-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1221966026-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1221966026-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cell Tower | (Photo by Robin Utrecht/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



Pan African Towers, a leading provider of telecom infrastructure in Africa, h<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/media/6341839886112/pan-african-towers-partners-dpi-verod-capital-for-growth/">as announced a strategic investment from Development Partners International (DPI) and Verod Capital.</a>



 The investment will serve as a launch pad for the next phase of Pan African Towers&#8217; strategy and will help accelerate the Nigerian telecommunications market.



In an interview with CNBC Africa, Azeez Amida, the CEO of Pan African Towers, discussed the significance of this partnership and how it fits into the company&#8217;s overall strategy. Amida emphasized that the investment was long overdue and would enable Pan African Towers to take advantage of the current activity in the telecom sector.



When asked about the attractiveness of the Nigerian market for digital infrastructure, Amida pointed out that Nigeria has a friendly regulatory environment, thanks to the efforts of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). He believes that the boxes are already ticked in terms of the regulatory and business environment, and that Nigeria is a country with a large population and a strong demand for telecom services.



Amida sees the opportunity in the telecom infrastructure space in Nigeria, where there is a significant gap between the number of towers currently in operation and the desired number. According to the NCC, there are currently over 41,000 towers in Nigeria supporting 3G and 4G technology, but the Ministry of Commerce aims to increase that number to 80,000. Pan African Towers plans to close that gap and play for the excess capacity in the industry.



The company&#8217;s strategy is to aggressively roll out new towers, triple its tower count in the coming years, and concentrate its portfolio in areas where it is strongest. Pan African Towers is also open to acquisitions and partnerships, and will assess the demands of mobile network operators (MNOs) in order to deliver value to its customers and other players in the telecom sector.



While Nigeria is currently the company&#8217;s only market, Pan African Towers is keeping an open mind about expanding into other African markets. However, for now, the focus is on growing its presence in Nigeria. Amida expressed optimism about the outlook for the market, citing the industry&#8217;s contribution to the country&#8217;s GDP and the upcoming technological advancements, such as 5G.



Overall, Pan African Towers is excited about the Nigerian market due to its large population, technological advancements, and the role it plays as a bridge in the economy. The company recognizes the importance of providing the right telecom services to enable other sectors, such as banking, to thrive.



The investment from DPI and Verod Capital will undoubtedly propel Pan African Towers forward and help it capitalize on the opportunities in the Nigerian telecom sector. With its aggressive expansion plans, the company is well-positioned to meet the growing demand for digital infrastructure and support the development of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.

Radio mast seen destroyed by a fire outbreak.Last night, a

Pan African Towers Partners DPI, Verod Capital for Growth

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107337930-1700665715409-gettyimages-1258459514-AFP_33GZ4VK-820x461.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-429467" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107337930-1700665715409-gettyimages-1258459514-AFP_33GZ4VK-820x461.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107337930-1700665715409-gettyimages-1258459514-AFP_33GZ4VK-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107337930-1700665715409-gettyimages-1258459514-AFP_33GZ4VK-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107337930-1700665715409-gettyimages-1258459514-AFP_33GZ4VK-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107337930-1700665715409-gettyimages-1258459514-AFP_33GZ4VK-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107337930-1700665715409-gettyimages-1258459514-AFP_33GZ4VK.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sam Altman (L), US entrepreneur, investor, programmer, and founder and CEO of artificial intelligence company OpenAI, and the company’s co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, speak together at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv on June 5, 2023. Jack Guez | Afp | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



After several days of crisis and tumult, Sam Altman has returned as the CEO of OpenAI. Three new board members have replaced the previous leadership that ousted Altman.



OpenAI’s new board doesn’t appear to be fully built. Negotiations are reportedly underway to install representation from Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI, or other major investors.



There’s a notable change in the board’s experience. The previous board included academics and researchers, but OpenAI’s new directors have extensive backgrounds in business and technology.



Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in an interview with CNBC on Monday that governance at OpenAI needed to change. Nadella said Wednesday he is “encouraged” by the changes to the company’s board, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.



“We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance,” he said.



Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, Thrive Capital and Tiger Global are among the OpenAI investors that lack representation on the board but had been pushing to reinstate Altman, as CNBC previously reported.



Here’s who’s in, who’s out, and what the changes may mean.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>Here are the newest members of OpenAI’s board</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bret-taylor-board-chair">Bret Taylor, board chair</h3>



Bret Taylor is currently a board member at the e-commerce platform Shopify. He’s also the former co-CEO of Salesforce and was Twitter’s final board chair prior to Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform.



Taylor co-founded Quip, a collaboration platform that was acquired by Salesforce in 2016. That acquisition propelled him into the most senior ranks of the enterprise software company, where he would eventually take the co-CEO title in 2021. Taylor left Salesforce in January.



The executive launched his own artificial intelligence venture alongside a former Google executive in February. It isn’t clear whether Taylor’s involvement with his own AI startup will cease with his appointment to lead OpenAI’s board. 



Taylor did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Larry Summers</h3>



Larry Summers served as Treasury secretary during the Clinton administration and was the president of Harvard University. An economist by training, Summers also led the Obama administration’s National Economic Council during the Global Financial Crisis.&nbsp;



His connections in Washington could be valuable for OpenAI as the company faces continued regulatory scrutiny from lawmakers.&nbsp;



In December, Summers called OpenAI’s popular generative chatbot ChatGPT a “profound thing for humanity” during an interview with Bloomberg. He compared the advent of the technology to the introduction of the printing press and electricity. 



“This could be the most important general-purpose technology since the wheel or fire,” Summers said.&nbsp;



Summers also serves on the board of Block, a financial technology company led by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, and on the board of Skillsoft, an educational technology company. 



Summers stepped down in 2006 from Harvard’s presidency following backlash on campus about comments he made on gender representation in STEM fields at a diversity conference. Summers later apologized for the remarks, saying in a 2005 letter that he was “wrong to have spoken in a way that has resulted in an unintended signal of discouragement to talented girls and women.”



A representative for Summers declined to comment.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Adam D’Angelo</h3>



Adam D’Angelo is the only member of OpenAI’s previous board who still holds a seat. He joined in 2018 and reportedly played a major role in the negotiations that brought Altman back to the helm. 



D’Angelo is the CEO of Quora, a platform where users can publicly ask and answer questions. He is also developing an AI chat platform called Poe, which he announced in February. He spent several years at Meta, formerly known as Facebook, and served as CTO from 2006 to 2008.



He has not commented publicly since Altman’s ouster Friday, but he retweeted a post on X that suggested his motives were not “crazy” or “vindictive.” OpenAI’s board fired Altman on Friday after determining he was “not consistently candid in his communications,” but its members never elaborated further.&nbsp;



D’Angelo did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here’s who’s no longer on OpenAI’s board </h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Helen Toner</h3>



Helen Toner is a researcher and director of strategy and foundational research grants at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology. Toner was a former employee at Open Philanthropy, serving as an advisor on AI policy.&nbsp;



Toner offered what could be seen as public criticism of OpenAI in an October paper, a decision with which Altman reportedly took issue. The paper suggested that OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT undermined the company’s efforts to develop AI safely, by spurring other tech companies into launching their own competing chatbots and forcing them to “accelerate or circumvent internal safety and ethics review processes.”



She was one of the directors involved in pushing Altman out. She has not responded to CNBC’s previous attempts to contact her.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Tasha McCauley</h3>



Tasha McCauley joined OpenAI’s board in 2018. She is an adjunct senior management scientist at Rand Corporation, and formerly served as the CEO of GeoSim Systems, which developed an automated city modeling system.&nbsp;



She is married to actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who announced the union in 2015. 



McCauley has not commented publicly since Altman’s firing Friday. She did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Ilya Sutskever</h3>



Ilya Sutskever co-founded OpenAI and serves as its chief scientist. He also aligned himself, for a time, with the board members who ousted Altman.



Sutskever is the author or co-author of more than 130 research papers on artificial intelligence, neural networks, and generative AI, according to his Google Scholar profile. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Toronto and had a brief post-doctoral stint at Stanford, according to his LinkedIn profile.



Sutskever co-led OpenAI alongside president Greg Brockman, an idea that Altman at the time described as “non-traditional.” Sutskever is close with Brockman and officiated his wedding at OpenAI headquarters in 2019. 



A personal plea from Brockman’s wife reportedly helped bring Sutskever back into Altman’s camp. Sutskever was one of the first signatories on a letter signed by the vast majority of OpenAI employees that demanded the board’s resignation over the weekend. He repudiated his support for the board in a post on X.



Despite his about-face, Sutskever was removed from the board. His status as an OpenAI executive does not appear to have changed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What’s next?</h2>



Semafor reported that Altman had been pushing for months to add more directors at OpenAI, and reports suggest it’s unlikely that OpenAI’s board will remain this small.



Bloomberg said Thursday that among the changes Microsoft wanted was a larger and more experienced board. The board is currently smaller, and it’s unclear what, if any, kind of other protections or role on the board Microsoft might get.



The composition of the new board — experienced technology and business executives — suggests that OpenAI may be transforming into a more conventional Silicon Valley startup on paper, not just in spirit.



The new governance, however, does not change the fact that OpenAI remains a “capped-profit” entity owned by a nonprofit, with excess profits continuing to flow up to that nonprofit.&nbsp;

107337930-1700665715409-gettyimages-1258459514-AFP_33GZ4VK

Sam Altman’s back. Here’s who’s on the new OpenAI board and who’s out

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="461" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107335423-1700186666155-gettyimages-647053464-_jcg2290-820x461.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-429142" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107335423-1700186666155-gettyimages-647053464-_jcg2290-820x461.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107335423-1700186666155-gettyimages-647053464-_jcg2290-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107335423-1700186666155-gettyimages-647053464-_jcg2290-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107335423-1700186666155-gettyimages-647053464-_jcg2290-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107335423-1700186666155-gettyimages-647053464-_jcg2290-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107335423-1700186666155-gettyimages-647053464-_jcg2290.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">BARCELONA, SPAIN &#8211; MARCH 01: A view of the MasterCard company logo on their stand during the Mobile World Congress on March 1, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Joan Cros Garcia/Corbis via Getty Images) Joan Cros Garcia &#8211; Corbis | Corbis News | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Mastercard is doubling down on its efforts to detect and prevent fraud that’s routed through cryptocurrency exchanges.



The company told CNBC exclusively that it’s partnered with Feedzai, a regulatory technology platform that aims to combat money laundering and financial scams online using artificial intelligence.



Through the partnership, Feedzai will integrate directly with Mastercard’s CipherTrace Armada platform, which is used to help banks monitor transactions from over 6,000 crypto exchanges for fraud, money laundering and other suspicious activity.



CipherTrace Armada will be embedded directly in Feedzai’s technology, rather than accessed through an API, or application programming interface, with Feedzai “inhaling” the data to enable real-time alerts about suspicious crypto transactions.



“This will&nbsp;increase fraud detection by protecting unwary consumers, but will also detect potential money laundering activity and mule accounts,” Feedzai CEO and co-founder Nuno Sebastio told CNBC. Mule accounts are accounts of users that fraudsters exploit to launder their ill-gotten funds.



An estimated 40% of scam transactions exit directly from a bank account to a crypto exchange today, according to Feedzai data.



The tie-up will also give Mastercard access to Feedzai’s artificial intelligence smarts. Feedzai says its software can identify and block suspicious transactions in a matter of nanoseconds — but also recognize transactions that are legitimate.



Feedzai’s RiskOps platform analyzes transactions worth over $1.7 trillion annually. Co-headquartered in Coimbra, in Portugal, and San Mateo, California, in Silicon Valley, the firm holds close to 100 patents and secures an average of 10 patents per year to safeguard its technology.&nbsp;



“Numerous banks that believe they are preventing illegitimate cryptocurrency transactions are, in fact, only blocking transactions involving the widely recognised and regulated entities within the crypto space and omitting the rest,” Sebastio said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crypto-entering-the-mainstream"><a></a>Crypto entering the mainstream?</h2>



The move marks a push from Mastercard into the market for legitimizing crypto as a mainstream financial asset that can be subjected to the same rules and compliance frameworks as traditional assets.



Banks and other large financial institutions have shown increased interest in experimenting with crypto in their products and services. But the next step, deploying commercially available crypto products as part of their core offerings, has proven more elusive.



Banks have been wary of digital assets’ lack of comprehensive regulations and applications in fraud and scams.



Last year, the amount of theft and scams led to a global increase of 79% in crypto-related losses from the previous year, according to data from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. Illicit addresses received $14 billion in 2022 year-over-year, almost twice what they received in 2020.



Mastercard’s vast network is used by banking institutions worldwide to process and monetize payments.



The company competes with fellow payments giant Visa, which is also in the business of supporting card payments, among other fintech services.



In the U.K., banks have shown hesitation when it comes to being associated with crypto. Several larger lenders have halted transactions with crypto exchanges on their networks, citing the risk of fraud.&nbsp;



Top banks including JPMorgan, NatWest, and HSBC have restricted or blocked crypto transactions. This led to criticisms from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who said the development jarred with the U.K.’s ambition to become a global “Web3” hub.



Ajay Bhalla, president of cyber and intelligence solutions for Mastercard, told CNBC that the “interconnectedness of life today and increasing digital penetration of finance has brought risk as well as opportunity.”



“Our latest data shows fraud on transactions where people are buying crypto is 5 times higher than regular fiat transactions,” Bhalla said via email, adding that, with Mastercard’s new tie-up with Feedzai, financial institutions will “be able to tell good transactions from bad.”



The partnership builds on Mastercard’s deal to acquire U.S. blockchain sleutching firm CipherTrace. Mastercard bought CipherTrace in 2021, and the following year launched its first product using the firm’s technology, called CryptoSecure, to analyze and block transactions from fraud-prone crypto exchanges.

107335423-1700186666155-gettyimages-647053464-_jcg2290

Mastercard doubles down on effort to detect and tackle crypto fraud with AI tie-up

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="460" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0xhusky_food_delivery_in_lagos_nigeria_hper_realistic_bb57b045-2d79-4b46-a6d6-0587d8007a64-820x460.png" alt="" class="wp-image-429048" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0xhusky_food_delivery_in_lagos_nigeria_hper_realistic_bb57b045-2d79-4b46-a6d6-0587d8007a64-820x460.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0xhusky_food_delivery_in_lagos_nigeria_hper_realistic_bb57b045-2d79-4b46-a6d6-0587d8007a64-300x168.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0xhusky_food_delivery_in_lagos_nigeria_hper_realistic_bb57b045-2d79-4b46-a6d6-0587d8007a64-160x90.png 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0xhusky_food_delivery_in_lagos_nigeria_hper_realistic_bb57b045-2d79-4b46-a6d6-0587d8007a64-768x430.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0xhusky_food_delivery_in_lagos_nigeria_hper_realistic_bb57b045-2d79-4b46-a6d6-0587d8007a64.png 1456w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lagos is one of the most congested cities in the world. 40 percent of cars in Nigeria are registered in Lagos. Commuters spend at least three hours in traffic. | Image: Midjourney</figcaption></figure>



Lagos, a dynamic urban hub celebrated for its lively markets and diverse culinary tapestry, finds itself at the forefront of a technological revolution in the food industry. As the city undergoes a metamorphosis, so does its gastronomic landscape, witnessing the ascendancy of a vibrant food-tech scene that is reshaping the dining experience for Lagosians.



A standout phenomenon is the surge of food delivery platforms seamlessly linking eager consumers with a plethora of culinary delights. Whether craving traditional Nigerian fare or international flavors, these platforms provide a hassle-free means for Lagosians to relish their preferred dishes in the comfort of their homes or offices. Beyond catering to the city&#8217;s fast-paced lifestyle, this trend bolsters local eateries, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between consumers and businesses.



According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Lagos’ residents splurged N830 billion ($2 billion) on dining out in 2019, constituting 34% of their total food expenditure. Additionally, Jumia Food&#8217;s 2020 Nigeria Food Index Report identifies Lagos as one of the frontrunners in food order volume.



A significant facet of Lagos&#8217; food-tech landscape lies in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics. Innovation is propelled by tech-savvy startups utilizing cutting-edge solutions to elevate the dining experience. The prevalence of smart menu systems and mobile ordering applications is on the rise, empowering diners to peruse menus, tailor orders, and facilitate payments, all through the convenience of their smartphones.



QSR Magazine notes that digital ordering and delivery have outpaced dine-in traffic, growing at 300% since 2014.



In tandem, the online food delivery market in Nigeria surged to $834.7 million in 2022, with projections from the International Market Analysis Research and Consulting (IMARC) Group foreseeing a substantial leap to $1,719.4 million by 2028, reflecting an impressive growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2% during 2023-2028.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-homemade-by-eden-life-revolutionizing-culinary-experiences-through-tech">Homemade By Eden Life: Revolutionizing Culinary Experiences Through Tech</h2>



Eden Life, a tech startup founded in 2019 boasting $1.4 million in investor backing, recently unveiled Homemade by Eden Life, a home service solution designed to facilitate healthy living.



The brainchild of ex-Andela staffers Nadayar Enegesi, Prosper Otemuyiwa, and Silm Momoh, Eden Life secured funding from investors like EXPERT DOJO, Goodwater Capital, Village Global, and Google for Startups Accelerator: Black founders, Future Africa, Samurai Incubate, and Village Global.



In an interview with CNBC Africa, Firi Adoki, Eden Life&#8217;s food production lead, explains the strategic use of technology that propels Homemade to the forefront of the market in Lagos.



Adoki emphasizes the pivotal role of web and mobile apps: &#8220;Our apps enable us to move closer to our customers, offering on-demand or subscription services seamlessly.&#8221; The mobile app not only facilitates easy ordering but also sends timely reminders to subscription users, ensuring a worry-free experience, even for the busiest individuals.



One of Homemade&#8217;s key differentiators, according to Adoki, is its commitment to affordability without compromising on quality. She explains, &#8220;We offer a rotating menu with up to 40 meal combinations weekly, spanning diverse food categories. Our users enjoy this variety without the premium price tag attached elsewhere.&#8221; Additionally, Homemade provides nutritional information for each meal, empowering users to make informed choices aligned with their health goals, a service that usually comes at a premium but is offered for free by Homemade.



For busy professionals in cities like Lagos, Homemade&#8217;s customized subscription model becomes a culinary lifesaver. Adoki notes, &#8220;Users can explore a variety of home-cooked meals without juggling multiple service providers—a pain point for many with hectic schedules.&#8221;



To navigate industry challenges, Homemade continually refines its operations. Adoki states, &#8220;We focus on strengthening backend operations, ensuring proximity to quality suppliers to maintain affordability.&#8221; The company stays ahead by understanding market trends, implementing strategic buying, and unveiling innovative products like the recent beta launch for individuals with diabetes, offering consultation, meal plans, and delivery services tailored to their needs.



Looking to the future, Adoki envisions Homemade as a trailblazer in the intersection of culinary and technology. &#8220;We aim to release features that enhance user experiences across our diverse services, from events catering to office and individual subscriptions.&#8221; Homemade also plans to expand its distribution models to reach untapped audiences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chowdeck-reengineering-food-delivery-in-lagos-bustling-business-landscape">Chowdeck: Reengineering Food Delivery In Lagos&#8217; Bustling Business Landscape</h2>



Founded in October 2021 and headquartered in Lagos, Chowdeck emerged as a leading on-demand food delivery service and marketplace. This innovative platform connects customers with their favorite meals from a diverse array of restaurants, offering a delivery experience in under 30 minutes.



Co-founded by Femi Aluko, former Principal Engineer at Paystack, Olumide Ojo, and Lanre Yusuf, Chowdeck&#8217;s leadership team brings a wealth of experience from the realms of African fintech and engineering.



At the core of Chowdeck&#8217;s mission is the empowerment of African restaurants to efficiently reach customers anytime, anywhere. The platform extends support to its restaurant partners, fostering growth that resonates in the success stories of the majority of establishments within its network while reporting the delivery of over 80,000 meals in the last six months across two major cities in Lagos.



“We are greatly impressed by Chowdeck’s rapid industry growth and its well-established reputation for consistently delivering exceptional customer experiences. As a customer-focused brand, it is crucial for us to align with partners who prioritize the customer at the core of their operations, particularly in addressing the last mile challenge,” says Kofi Abunu, managing director of Food Concepts Plc (owners of Chicken Republic), during the announcement of the restaurant’s integration into Chowdeck&#8217;s ecosystem as a new partner.



Chowdeck reportedly processes more than 800 deliveries daily with $156,000 monthly gross merchandise value (GMV) and $35,000 monthly revenue. Additionally, the startup is reportedly growing 42% month-over-month.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-foodcourt-revolutionizing-lagos-culinary-landscape-through-virtual-restaurants">FoodCourt: Revolutionizing Lagos’ Culinary Landscape Through Virtual Restaurants</h2>



FoodCourt, formerly known as CoKitchen, founded in 2021, positions itself as a virtual restaurant company, having delivered over 350,000 meals.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="509" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/foodcourt-820x509.png" alt="" class="wp-image-429047" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/foodcourt-820x509.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/foodcourt-300x186.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/foodcourt-145x90.png 145w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/foodcourt-768x477.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/foodcourt.png 1259w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Food Court Website | Image: Food Court</figcaption></figure>



Co-founded by Henry Nneji and Paul Adokiye Iruene with a mission to enhance accessibility to high-quality food and convenient goods, FoodCourt employs virtual restaurants and dark stores to address the unique challenges of the on-demand food delivery market.



“Consumer behavior is changing in Africa, and despite the rise of food delivery aggregator apps, there is still a massive amount of inefficiency in the food delivery space. We realized that all customers really wanted was good food and a seamless ordering experience,” Nneji, FoodCourt’s co-founder and CEO told Disrupt Africa.



Distinguishing itself by adopting a comprehensive full-stack approach, FoodCourt takes control of various aspects of the value chain, including technology, production, and delivery.



Bootstrapped initially, the startup participated in Y Combinator’s S22 Batch shortly after its launch, and since then has seen significant uptake. Around 65% of its monthly active users order at least twice a month, and some as much as 30 times in a single month. The startup reported revenues of $222,000 in August 2022.

food_delivery_in_lagos_nigeria_hper_realistic_bb57b045-2d79-4b46-a6d6-0587d8007a64

Feeding The Future: Tech Innovations In Lagos’ Culinary Sector

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="462" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107271046-1689253889759-gettyimages-1529571780-arriens-elonmusk230713_npTNn-820x462.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-428762" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107271046-1689253889759-gettyimages-1529571780-arriens-elonmusk230713_npTNn-820x462.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107271046-1689253889759-gettyimages-1529571780-arriens-elonmusk230713_npTNn-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107271046-1689253889759-gettyimages-1529571780-arriens-elonmusk230713_npTNn-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107271046-1689253889759-gettyimages-1529571780-arriens-elonmusk230713_npTNn-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107271046-1689253889759-gettyimages-1529571780-arriens-elonmusk230713_npTNn.jpeg 929w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Elon Musk announced his new company xAI which he says has the goal to understand the true nature of the universe.  Jaap Arriens | Nurphoto | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Meet Grok, the first technology out of Elon Musk’s new AI company, xAI.



Grok, the company said, is modeled on “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” It is supposed to have “a bit of wit,” “a rebellious streak” and it should answer the “spicy questions” that other AI might dodge, according to a Saturday statement from xAI.



Leading up to the release, Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter, an example of Grok responding to a request for a step-by-step cocaine recipe.



“Oh sure!” Grok responded. “Just a moment while I pull up the recipe for homemade cocaine. You know, because I’m totally going to help you with that.” 



Grok also has access to data from X, which xAI said will give it a leg-up. Musk, on Sunday, posted a side-by-side comparison of Grok answering a question versus another AI bot, which he said had less current information.



Still, xAI hedged in its statement, as with any Large Language Model, or LLM, Grok “can still generate false or contradictory information.”



The prototype is in its early beta phase, only two months in training and is available to a select number of users to test out before the company releases it more widely. Users can sign up for a waitlist for a chance to use the bot. Eventually, Musk said on X, Grok will be a feature of X Premium+, which costs $16 per month.



The Tesla and Space X CEO appears to be positioning xAI as a challenger to companies like OpenAI, Inflection and Anthropic.



On an initial round of tests based on middle school math problems and Python coding tasks, the company said that Grok surpassed “all other models in its compute class, including ChatGPT-3.5 and Inflection-1.” It was outperformed by bots with larger data troves.



“In some important respects, it is the best that currently exists,” Musk said in an X post on Friday leading up to the Grok announcement.



Grok is a term coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 science fiction novel “Stranger in a Strange Land.” In the book, ‘grok’ is a Martian term with no direct Earthling translation. Critics have debated the word’s exact definition but have settled on some version of having very deep empathy or intuition with something. Merriam-Webster defines it simply as a transitive verb that means “to understand profoundly and intuitively.”



xAI launched in July with a team stacked with former employees of OpenAI, DeepMind and more. It is still hiring for several roles.



The company’s self-stated mandate is to build artificial intelligence “to advance our collective understanding of the universe.” Musk has previously said that he believes today’s AI makers are bending too far toward “politically correct” systems. xAI’s mission, it said, is to create AI for people of all backgrounds and political views.



Grok is said to be a means of testing that AI approach “in public.”

107271046-1689253889759-gettyimages-1529571780-arriens-elonmusk230713_npTNn

Elon Musk debuts ‘Grok’ AI bot to rival ChatGPT, others

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="462" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107327057-1698855994841-gettyimages-1757274099-UK_AI_SUMMIT-820x462.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-428722" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107327057-1698855994841-gettyimages-1757274099-UK_AI_SUMMIT-820x462.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107327057-1698855994841-gettyimages-1757274099-UK_AI_SUMMIT-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107327057-1698855994841-gettyimages-1757274099-UK_AI_SUMMIT-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107327057-1698855994841-gettyimages-1757274099-UK_AI_SUMMIT-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/107327057-1698855994841-gettyimages-1757274099-UK_AI_SUMMIT.jpeg 929w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., at the AI Safety Summit 2023 at Bletchley Park in Bletchley, UK, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Chris J. Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



LONDON — Elon Musk thinks that artificial intelligence could eventually put everyone out of a job.



The billionaire technology leader, who owns Tesla, SpaceX, X, the company formerly known as Twitter, and the newly formed AI startup xAI, said late Thursday that AI will have the potential to become the “most disruptive force in history.”



“We will have something that is, for the first time smarter than the smartest human,” Musk said at an event at Lancaster House, an official U.K. government residence.



“It’s hard to say exactly what that moment is, but there will come a point where no job is needed,” Musk continued, speaking alongside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “You can have a job if you wanted to have a job for personal satisfaction. But the AI would be able to do everything.” 



“I don’t know if that makes people comfortable or uncomfortable,” Musk joked, to which the audience laughed.&nbsp;



“If you wish for a magic genie, that gives you any wish you want, and there’s no limit. You don’t have those three wish limits nonsense, it’s both good and bad. One of the challenges in the future will be how do we find meaning in life.”



Musk has on multiple occasions warned of the threats that AI poses to humanity, having once said it could be more dangerous than nuclear weapons. He was one of numerous tech leaders who urged for a pause to development of AI more advanced than OpenAI’s GPT-4 software in a widely-cited open letter released earlier this year.



Other tech leaders disagree with that view, including Palantir’s boss Alex Karp. Speaking to BBC Radio in June, Karp said he is of the view that “many of the people asking for a pause, are asking for a pause because they have no product.”



Musk’s comments Thursday follow the conclusion to a landmark summit in Bletchley Park, England, where world leaders agreed to a global communique on AI that saw them find common ground on the risks the technology poses to humanity.



Technologists and political leaders used the summit to warn of the existential threats that AI poses, focusing on some of the possible doomsday scenarios that could be formed with the invention of a hypothetical superintelligence.



The summit saw the U.S. and China, two countries clashing the most tensely over technology, agree to find global consensus on how to tackle some of the most complex questions around AI, including how to develop it safely and regulate it.

107327057-1698855994841-gettyimages-1757274099-UK_AI_SUMMIT

Elon Musk says AI will eventually create a situation where ‘no job is needed’

African tech startups have collectively raised $1.4 billion in the first nine months of 2023, with $492,418,000 raised in Q3 alone.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="460" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0_1-820x460.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-428692" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0_1-820x460.webp 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0_1-300x168.webp 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0_1-160x90.webp 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0_1-768x430.webp 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0_1.webp 1456w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A representation of startups in Africa. Image: Midjourney </figcaption></figure>



Despite these impressive figures, that total is down 48% on the corresponding period in 2022, according to Disrupt Africa’s annual African Tech Startups Funding Report.



The company says 2023 is set to be regressive, but in line with global trends in investments, it is regarded as the “reset” after tremendous growth.



A total of 186 African startups secured $1.4 billion in 2023 to date, when compared to the 633 that raised a combined $3,333,071,000 in 2022.



Tom Jackson, co-founder of Disrupt Africa, tells CNBC Africa that the pandemic didn’t impact the continent funding-wise, but only in terms of uptake.



“All sorts of sectors – fintech, e-health – took a boost in users, and the tech space got a kickstart; funding was increasing anyway, Covid had no impact,” says Jackson.



Cities like Lagos, Nairobi and Cape Town attracts the most funding in Africa. Jackson says they are “startup capitals” because they are essentially the capitals of the three main markets, with Cairo and Johannesburg ranking close.



“The bigger the city, the better the infrastructure, the more universities, the better the standard of living, the more likely it is to be a ‘startup capital’, hence London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, etc.,” says Jackson.



Fintech receives the lion’s share of funding, with 205 startups representing the 633 African total for 2022. Disrupt Africa says it remains Africa’s most powerful force, driven primarily by Nigeria, which accounted for almost 40% of funds received.



Ultimately, fintech is at the route of everything, adds Jackson. “Payments, and the ability to make them, is key to all sorts of things. So once those rails are in place, commerce, health, agri-trading, whatever it is – can work.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nigeria-a-fertile-ground-for-innovation">Nigeria: a fertile ground for innovation</h2>



Akinbode Roberts, CEO of DataLeum, based in Nigeria, tells CNBC Africa that Lagos has always been a fertile ground for innovation, driven by the need to address local financial challenges, with Nigeria’s youthful population playing a critical role in this trend.



“The rapid adoption of smartphones has enabled the proliferation of mobile apps and USSD-based financial services – these technologies make it easier for people to access and use financial services,” says Roberts.



Nigeria has a demographic advantage due to its population of over 200 million people, which offers tremendous opportunities for startups thanks to a vast domestic market, he says.



The country has fostered a supportive ecosystem, says Roberts. “We have co-working spaces, incubators, accelerators, and various networking events that offer invaluable support to emerging businesses.”



While Nigeria is thriving, Roberts says their biggest challenge is access to funding. “Securing capital, especially in the early stages, can be a hurdle for many startups, and the shortage of skilled tech talent is also a concern.”



There is a need for more qualified professionals in areas like software development and data science, and the competition for these individuals is fierce, says Roberts.



Dataleum, an award-winning edu-tech startup is an AI-driven job matching platform aims to fill a gap in the market. “The demand for data-driven and enabled professionals has been steadily increasing across the continent as organizations recognize the value of data-driven decision-making,” says Roberts.



“There&#8217;s certainly a need for more skilled data scientists, data engineers, analysts and more data professionals to meet this growing demand.”



The company’s operation is based in Nigeria, but recently launched an office in the United Kingdom. “Our goal is to leverage our expertise and solutions to contribute to the growth of data analytics and business intelligence in multiple African countries,” says Roberts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kenya-the-silicon-savannah-of-africa">Kenya, the ‘Silicon Savannah’ of Africa</h2>



Meanwhile in Kenya, dubbed the ‘Silicon Savannah’ of Africa, and home to M-Pesa, has been a pioneer in the tech startup scene.



Jit Bhattacharya, CEO and co-founder of e-mobility startup BasiGo in Kenya, says the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kenya is driven in large part by the fintech sector but with well-known, high-growth technology ventures in energy and climate, health, and education.



He acknowledges that Kenyan’s tech ecosystem has faced a difficult period in 2023, which saw several high-profile startups in the Kenyan ecosystem downsize, restructure, or shut down.



“While these challenges are real, Kenya remains a hub in Africa&#8217;s overall tech ecosystem and a preferred place to launch a technology venture in Africa,” says Bhattacharya.



“Tech hubs are an excellent meeting place for startups, investors, and the supporting ecosystem that helps these technology companies get off the ground,” he says.



And like Nigeria, the key challenge Kenyan tech startups face is getting access to funding. He believes the challenge for funding globally is more pronounced in Africa because funding comes from overseas investors.



BasiGo, founded in 2021, received a total of $10.9 million in funding to date, according to Crunchbase.



“What has attracted investment to BasiGo is the potential climate impact of our Electric Bus solution, says Bhattacharya. East Africa is home to some of the cleanest electricity in the world, with over 90% of Kenya&#8217;s electricity already generated from renewables.”



“As a result, replacing a single diesel bus in Kenya with an electric bus mitigates over 50 tonnes of CO2 per year, more than almost anywhere else in the world.&nbsp;Our bus market is entirely private sector, which makes it an attractive market for climate venture capital investors, adds Bhattacharya.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-south-africa-to-the-world">From South Africa to the world</h2>



South Africa’s startup funding grew from $50 million in 2015 to near $350 million in 2021, according to Disrupt Africa. Though Cape Town is referred to as the “startup capital” of South Africa, Johannesburg is a close second.



The company says while other countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt often surpass it for funded ventures or total funding, South African startups are by far the most successful when it comes to successful exits.



Knife Capital, a venture capital investment firm in Cape Town that focuses on accelerating international expansion of African innovation-driven businesses, tells CNBC Africa it does this by leveraging knowledge, networks and funding.



Keet van Zyl, co-founder and partner at Knife Capital, says early stage ventures looks for three main things: an amazing product or service; a large addressable market for it; and an entrepreneurial team&nbsp;that can execute an ambitious business plan.



“The magic&nbsp;happens when these three things lead to visible traction and a path to positive unit economics,” says van Zyl.



“Knife Capital assists in accelerating the international expansion of African&nbsp;entrepreneurial businesses that&nbsp;achieved a product/market fit in a beachhead&nbsp;market,” he says.



“The common appeal for startups that successfully expand out of Africa is access to new markets that diversifies the client base and offers hard currency revenue off a lower cost base,” explains van Zyl.



“International clients embrace the advanced technology and unique approach to overcoming user challenges that some African startups offer.”



“Africa is a great investment frontier based on the fundamentals of a rapidly expanding population, a rising middle class, a young urban&nbsp;citizenry entering the workforce and increased digital penetration that provides access to new technologies,” says van Zyl.



“Investment is all about calculated risk and probability of returns, and Africa offers good value for the savvy investor. With more investors getting exposed to amazing start-ups across the continent, more capital will flow.”

The Rise Of African Tech Hubs: How They Are Becoming The Silicon Valleys Of The Continent

Rather than viewing artificial intelligence as an existential threat, African countries can use its benefits to bolster education and employment. It holds prowess and promise for the future workforce, say experts in education.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-548929143-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-428486" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-548929143-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-548929143-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-548929143-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-548929143-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-548929143-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-548929143-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">School teacher teaching students in class, working with tablets</figcaption></figure>



David Sokefun co-founded Codar Tech Africa in Lagos, Nigeria, in December 2021 realizing that tech training was inadequate in Africa’s biggest economy. With the swiftly-changing job market because of advancements in generative AI, he knew the importance and urgency of teaching tech skills that would set people apart in an AI-influenced landscape.



“An adage rings true – in the 21st century, illiteracy pertains to those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn,” Sokefun says. “History attests to the fate of companies that failed to adapt during the internet era, as well as those that successfully navigated the shift.”



Sokefun’s will to build a company that learns to work with AI is perfectly timed. Open AI’s ChatGPT has redefined the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can do. Whether it’s writing a complex code or a poem, generating a travel itinerary for the summer holidays, or learning a new language, the chatbot doesn’t hesitate to help you within seconds. Unsurprisingly, it attracted over one million users within five days of its launch, and OpenAI is currently valued at about $29 billion.



The staggering progress of ChatGPT has led many to fear for their jobs. Geoffrey Hinton, the godfather of AI, resigned from Google, citing concerns over the likelihood of AI to upend the job market. In an open letter, many technology leaders and researchers, including Elon Musk, urged AI labs to pause the development of the most advanced systems, stating, “Advanced AI could represent a profound change in the history of life on Earth, and should be planned for and managed with commensurate care and resources.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1472335476-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-428485" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1472335476-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1472335476-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1472335476-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1472335476-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1472335476-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1472335476-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Digitally generated image of multi coloured vertical bars. Concept of fintech technology, new banking and investment. Clean design.</figcaption></figure>



Their concerns can’t be dismissed. Goldman Sachs estimates AI can impact 300 million full-time jobs. International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) expects AI to replace 7,800 jobs within the company. With the powerful technology eating up massive industries, there’s no denying the worldwide trend will impact African livelihoods, too, as discussed in this year’s Future of Education (FoE) summit in July hosted by CNBC Africa.



Many speakers brought up AI rapidly changing the job market during various enlightening discussions in the virtual summit. The lack of tech training provided to students and employees forged an expanding skills gap in Africa, leading many to remain jobless.



“There is a huge number of graduate students who are unemployable because they lack the skills that create this wide mismatch,” Dr Marwa Haddar, Vice-President of Finance and Strategy of Blue Monsoon Capital, an integrated financial services company, said in a panel discussion at FoE. “They spend long years studying at universities or 12 years of curricula. And then they are with degrees that have really no market value locally or regionally or not to say at the global level.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-augmented-automation">Augmented automation</h2>



Other panelists focused more specifically on augmented automation brought about by ChatGPT.



“Things that you can write – scripts, collating information – that’s something that ChatGPT does much better than any of us could do,” Barry Vorster, Director of BDO South Africa, a group of accounting firms, said at the summit. “So there is a piece where if you’re an excellent editor, there’s still a job. But there’s less of them.”



AI’s ability to take peoples’ jobs can threaten several industries, even pushing them to the brink of extinction.



“The reality is that many companies take a very short-sighted, immediate-term view on the situation and believe that AI can replace humans at their jobs, which equates to increased savings and profits,” Professor Grace Leung of the University of Johannesburg says. “We are already seeing how Hollywood and other companies are foregoing human labor and handing over work to AI to complete.”



For many African countries, AI-threatening jobs come at a time when unemployment levels continue to rise. About half of all people under 34 are without jobs in South Africa. Unemployment in North Africa is projected to be 11.2%, which is above pre-pandemic levels.



“Many African countries have a high dependency on a few sectors, such as agriculture or commodities, and with limited economic diversification, alternate employment options are scarce,” says Dr Angela Lusigi, UNDP Resident Representative in Ghana. “The skills mismatch in the labor market, informal sector with its unpredictability, and lack of protections for the vulnerable coupled with political instability have contributed to the rise in unemployment rates in Africa.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-on-the-future-of-work">Impact on the future of work</h2>



Despite the predictions of doom, history offers enough reasons to be optimistic about new technology and its impact on the future of work. Jobs have been destroyed throughout various centuries, but new, previously inconceivable career paths have forged their way. For most of the 20th century, typing was viewed as a desired job, and typists were in high demand. With the coming of computers, the typing profession disappeared, but the need for web designers, graphic designers, and copy editors accelerated.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1437209386-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-428484" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1437209386-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1437209386-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1437209386-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1437209386-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1437209386-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1437209386-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">African man giving a presentation to the team at coworking office. Male entrepreneur standing by a whiteboard with statistical reports explaining new strategies during meeting.</figcaption></figure>



“Many technological platforms can create new tasks and jobs that nobody dreamed of before – think of radiologists, computer-assisted design, management consultants, or app developers – did anybody think that these jobs were likely to arise in the 1940s?” says Daron Acemoglu, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the world’s leading technology and science universities, and author of Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity. “AI has even greater capabilities to do that. This is the promise of AI. If it goes in a human-complementary direction, it can be a powerful tool to boost the productivity of workers with diverse skills.”



While a World Economic Forum report projects that jobs will be split evenly between humans and AI by 2025, some of the speakers at the FoE summit were confident in individuals’ ability to retain occupations that required skills AI hadn’t yet developed.



Professor Harlene Hayne, Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University, said during a one-on-one conversation at the summit: “Some of the professions that, over the past three or four decades, have been seen as primarily women’s work or probably not as prestigious, like teachers and nurses and psychologists and other allied health professionals; all of those jobs will still need to be held by humans.”



By learning to work with generative AI, schools and universities can better equip students for a changing job landscape that requires a plethora of technical skills.



“There is growing evidence that personalized teaching improves student outcomes, especially for kids from low socio-economic backgrounds or for those who are not native English speakers,” says Acemoglu. “The right tools would enable teachers to determine in real-time how the curriculum should be adaptively altered for different subsets of students.”



“The field of education has historically grappled with individual learning differences, and AI’s prowess emerges as a promising solution,” Sokefun says. “A prime illustration of this lies in the initiatives undertaken by Codar Africa, where personalized curricula, round-the-clock monitoring, and innovative assistance are fortified by AI. This technology aptly bridges the gap, offering students guidance akin to that of an instructor, yet unburdened by human limitations.”



Entrepreneurship is viewed as another solution to challenge the stubbornly high unemployment levels in Africa. Teaching entrepreneurship skills in universities can propel students to set up their businesses, which is especially helpful when they have limited job prospects.



But setting up a business comes with its own challenges. Entrepreneurs need financial resources, an acute marketing strategy, and a steady customer base to launch a venture successfully. ChatGPT and other forms of AI can help budding entrepreneurs and startups succeed as it’s immediately accessible to anyone, unlike other disruptive technologies. AI can cut business costs because process-driven activities such as payroll, onboarding, and IT help desk support can be streamlined. AI can also make workers more productive by combing through reams of data-rich, time-sensitive information so that they can instead focus on creating new things and solving new problems.



“For startups in Africa, AI offers an avenue to optimize resource utilization and trim costs, thereby fostering sustainability,” Sokefun says. “A prime example lies in the context of Nigerian and African companies, which can strategically harness generative AI tools like ChatGPT to expedite idea generation and research endeavors. The transformative potential of AI emerges in multifaceted ways, even extending to the creation of advertisements, videos, and textual content, removing the necessity of engaging external ad agencies.”



Instead of dreading the future, countries can use the new technology to their advantage and put Africa on the world map. Steering AI in a better, pro-human direction can unleash new boundaries of previously thought-impossible fruitions.



African universities such as the University of Johannesburg (UJ) are increasingly offering courses such as Master of Artificial Intelligence, which teach students how to use AI across a range of fields, including engineering, commerce, and computer science. In fact, UJ has also introduced free online courses to the public that make learners aware of how AI can transform economies, politics, and societies.



“With AI posed to reshape industries, traditional roles will evolve and transform,” Sokefun concludes. “The remedy lies in a proactive approach – meticulously analyzing the trajectory of one’s industry, identifying skills that will become obsolete, and redirecting efforts toward acquiring novel proficiencies demanded by the emerging landscape. By aligning one’s upskilling journey with the contours of AI’s trajectory, individuals can navigate the impending shifts with acumen and resilience.”

Teacher assting students working with tablets

The Future Of Work In Africa: A Proactive Approach To AI In Education

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="462" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/107275413-1690199074848-gettyimages-1550550550-RAFAPRESS_23072023-07631-820x462.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-428388" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/107275413-1690199074848-gettyimages-1550550550-RAFAPRESS_23072023-07631-820x462.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/107275413-1690199074848-gettyimages-1550550550-RAFAPRESS_23072023-07631-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/107275413-1690199074848-gettyimages-1550550550-RAFAPRESS_23072023-07631-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/107275413-1690199074848-gettyimages-1550550550-RAFAPRESS_23072023-07631-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/107275413-1690199074848-gettyimages-1550550550-RAFAPRESS_23072023-07631.jpeg 929w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rafael Henrique | Lightrocket | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



X, the social media service formerly known as Twitter, will launch two new tiers of subscriptions for users, its owner Elon Musk said on Friday.



One tier will be “lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads,” while the other is “more expensive, but has no ads,” Musk said.



This week, X announced it will begin a test that charges users $1 per year in New Zealand and the Philippines in order to “post &amp; interact with other posts.” X said it is part of a program designed to fight spam and bot activity. Those who opt out will only be able to read posts.



It’s unclear if the $1 annual subscription is one of the two new subscription tiers that Musk is referencing.



The social media company already has a $8 per month subscription service called X Premium. Users who signed up to this can get the blue checkmark on their account as well as other features, such as the ability to edit a post.



Since taking over Twitter in October 2022 and rebranding to X, Musk has made sweeping changes, including making cuts to trust and safety teams and removing the blue checkmark from non-paying accounts. The blue checkmark helped users identify authentic accounts belonging to public figures. Musk has also reinstated previously banned accounts on the platform.



Those changes have scared off advertisers. In July, Musk said X’s cash flow remains negative because of a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue coupled with “heavy debt.”



New subscriptions could be a bid to improve the company’s finances and open new revenue streams.



X is facing challenges from less mature players such as Meta’s Threads and Bluesky.

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X, formerly Twitter, will launch two new subscription tiers, Elon Musk says

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="437" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cnbc-africa-1500-800-820x437.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-428197" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cnbc-africa-1500-800-820x437.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cnbc-africa-1500-800-300x160.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cnbc-africa-1500-800-160x85.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cnbc-africa-1500-800-768x410.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cnbc-africa-1500-800.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>



Television business news&nbsp;channel CNBC Africa is introducing a new newsreader on Friday – and it’s an artificial intelligence-powered avatar.



The avatar, a blend of AI and human likeness, is modelled on Chanel Retief, who works for Africa Business News (ABN), the parent of CNBC Africa.



The channel said the new AI is designed to augment human productivity, not replace it.



The AI newsreader will work in tandem with CNBC Africa’s team of journalists, analysts and anchors to create “a mix of human expertise and technological efficiency”.



The world’s first AI anchor debuted in November 2018 at an internet conference in China.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="SA industry panel formed to advance digital transformation" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_1FoKhFNjQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



Modelled on China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency’s Zhang Zhao, the new anchor learns from live videos and is able to work 24 hours a day, reporting via social media and on the Xinhua website.



Watch CNBC’s AI anchor in the video above — the AI newsreader is on from the one-minute, 2o-second mark.&nbsp; –&nbsp;© 2023 NewsCentral Media

cnbc-africa-1500-800

CNBC Africa gets a new anchor – and it’s an AI avatar

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="462" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/107268892-1688996618217-gettyimages-1513200328-kaluthotage-notitle230707_npKjG-820x462.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-427707" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/107268892-1688996618217-gettyimages-1513200328-kaluthotage-notitle230707_npKjG-820x462.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/107268892-1688996618217-gettyimages-1513200328-kaluthotage-notitle230707_npKjG-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/107268892-1688996618217-gettyimages-1513200328-kaluthotage-notitle230707_npKjG-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/107268892-1688996618217-gettyimages-1513200328-kaluthotage-notitle230707_npKjG-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/107268892-1688996618217-gettyimages-1513200328-kaluthotage-notitle230707_npKjG.jpeg 929w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Thilina Kaluthotage | Nurphoto | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Meta’s Threads real-time messaging app is struggling to attract new users like it did during its blockbuster July debut.



The Twitter clone now ranks near the bottom of the most popular social media platforms, ahead of only Tumblr, as measured by the number of U.S. users, according to Insider Intelligence’s first Threads forecast, published Tuesday.



Insider Intelligence said it expects Threads to have 23.7 million U.S. users in 2023, far behind Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, which have 177.9 million, 135.2 million and 102.3 million users, respectively. Its closest rival, X, will have 56.1 million U.S. users in 2023, the forecast said, which means that Threads will have less than half of the U.S. user base of the messaging app formerly known as Twitter.



For the U.S. market, the analyst firm said Threads will continue to “rank second-to-last among social networks” through 2025.



Meta did not respond to a request for comment.



The new forecast joins a growing list of third-party estimates from mobile analytics firms such as Sensor Tower and Similarweb that have recently documented declining usage of Threads.



When Threads debuted, it rapidly gained millions of users due in part to its easy sign-up process for existing Instagram users. The messaging app also benefited by being a mainstream alternative to X, which several analyst firms including Insider Intelligence have said is losing users amid the ownership of Tesla chief Elon Musk.



“Threads received an initial boost from Twitter’s missteps, but it can’t rely on X defectors to continue to grow,” Insider Intelligence principal analyst Jasmine Enberg said in a statement.



If Musk decides to charge all X users a monthly subscription fee, as he said during a recently livestreamed talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Meta could have a “clearer avenue to monetize Threads,” Enberg said.



“Assuming Musk doesn’t backtrack, the move will likely alienate more X users and potentially increase advertiser interest in Threads,” Enberg added.



Still, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously said that the company has no plans to monetize Threads until it’s bigger and more established.



The social networking giant has been releasing several new features for Threads intended to make it more compelling, such as a desktop version and a search tool. Indeed, both advertisers and creators have previously told CNBC that Threads needs certain features such as analytics tools to become a more robust platform that they will invest time and money into.



Enberg said Threads needs to establish an identity that’s “more than an extension of Instagram or an alternative to X” in order to become a major player in the social media market.



“TikTok was able to break through largely because it offered users a unique new social experience,” Enberg said, referring to the ByteDance-owned short-video app’s rise to prominence.

107268892-1688996618217-gettyimages-1513200328-kaluthotage-notitle230707_npKjG

Meta’s Threads struggles to grow amid rivalry with Elon Musk’s X, ranking ahead of only Tumblr

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/65GOX4BM3RI3VORRYQ5THS3W6M-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-419396" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/65GOX4BM3RI3VORRYQ5THS3W6M-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/65GOX4BM3RI3VORRYQ5THS3W6M-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/65GOX4BM3RI3VORRYQ5THS3W6M-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/65GOX4BM3RI3VORRYQ5THS3W6M-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/65GOX4BM3RI3VORRYQ5THS3W6M.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A view of a sign above the entrance of the Google office, ahead of presentation of the detailed investment plan for Germany, in Berlin, Germany, August 31, 2021. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse</figcaption></figure>



ABUJA, (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Google plans to train 20,000 Nigerian women and youth in digital skills and provide a grant of 1.2 billion naira ($1.6 million)&nbsp;to help&nbsp;the government&#8217;s&nbsp;create one&nbsp;million digital jobs in the country, its Africa executives said on Tuesday.



Nigeria plans to create digital&nbsp;jobs for&nbsp;its teeming&nbsp;youth&nbsp;population, Vice President Kashim Shettima told Google Africa executives during a meeting in Abuja. Shettima did not provide a timeline for creating the jobs.



Google Africa executives&nbsp;said a&nbsp;grant from its philanthropic arm in partnership with Data Science Nigeria and the Creative Industry Initiative for Africa&nbsp;will facilitate the programme.



Shettima said Google&#8217;s initiative aligned with the government&#8217;s commitment to increase&nbsp;youth&nbsp;participation in the digital economy. The government is also working with the country&#8217;s banks on the project, Shettima added.



Google director for West Africa Olumide Balogun said the company would commit funds and provide digital skills to women and young people in Nigeria and also enable startups to grow, which will create jobs.



Google is committed to investing in digital infrastructure across Africa, Charles Murito, Google Africa&#8217;s director of government relations and public policy, said during the meeting, adding that digital transformation can be a job enabler.



($1 = 759.00 naira)



(Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Josie Kao)

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