Author: Ewang Johnson
Google today announced the selection of 15 promising tech startups for its Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa Class 9 program. These innovative startups, hailing from Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa, are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to address significant challenges across diverse sectors, including fintech, agritech, healthtech, and professional services. In an era where startups are at the forefront of solving critical challenges across Africa, these innovators often face significant hurdles to scale their operations, particularly in securing essential support, mentorship, and funding. Programs like the Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa play a crucial role in providing…
In uncertain times, clarity is leadership. And across Africa, too many governments still underestimate just how vital it has become to speak clearly, consistently, and with purpose. Public trust is eroding. Misinformation spreads in seconds. Confusion, once a political inconvenience, is now a direct threat to stability. The way African governments speak to their people must change. Traditional methods no longer work. Speeches delivered late at night. Statements issued days after the crisis. Ministries hiding behind technical language or scripted silence. This model fails to meet the demands of modern governance. People want clarity. They want honesty. They want to…
There has been quite a bit of discussion recently about how much (some) men apparently think about ancient Rome. Whether it’s the history of battles, the togas, the architectural feats survived by ruins spread throughout the Mediterranean basin, or the array of films from Ben-Hur and Spartacus to Gladiator and Gladiator II, some people seem particularly fascinated with ancient Rome. But recent and forthcoming films suggest that we might all benefit from spending more time thinking about ancient Greece. The Return is a 2024 film adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, directed by Uberto Pasolini and starring Ralph Fiennes as…
In this episode of Arts 24, Eve Jackson speaks with Arab Nasser, co-director of “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” – a striking, Cannes‑awarded film that reframes Gaza not through destruction, but through resilience, surrealism and cinematic boldness. Blending genre and personal memory, the film offers a hauntingly beautiful portrait of life under siege. Source link
Building digital and AI fluency to prepare youth for the future economy In a groundbreaking move to bridge the AI access gap, Goodwall has joined forces with Microsoft and HP Inc to launch the NextGen AI Alliance, an innovative global partnership designed to equip young people with the skills to harness the opportunities AI creates. Timed ahead of key global milestones such as United Nations General Assembly and International Youth Day (UNGA), the NextGen AI Alliance is more than just another tech initiative, it’s a blueprint for making complex digital skills, including AI, more accessible, engaging, and applicable to local market contexts. AI is reshaping industries at…
For centuries, depictions of Cleopatra have emphasised her beauty and romantic entanglements – much more so than her two-decade rule of Egypt. The Institut du monde arabe (Arab World Institute) in Paris aims to change that with “The Mystery of Cleopatra”, a new exhibit running until January 11, 2026. Source link
Onafriq, in collaboration with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), announced the launch of a new cross-border payment service that will initially pilot outbound transactions in Ghana. This launch operationalises the partnership established in 2022, aimed at promoting intra-African cross-border trade and enhancing financial inclusion. The service improves financial interoperability by making transactions faster, more convenient, and cost-effective for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals. Effective immediately, banks partnering with PAPSS and Onafriq’s authorised fintech, mobile money service providers and traditional partners in Ghana can enable their customers to send and receive money directly into mobile wallets and…
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, one of the most powerful people in the fashion world, said on Thursday she will be looking for a new head of editorial content at American Vogue as she steps down from the role after nearly 40 years. Source link
AlamyOne of show business’s most glamorous – and notorious – images, there’s more to this 1957 snapshot of Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield than might first appear.On the night of Sophia Loren’s “Welcome to Hollywood” dinner party in April 1957, Jayne Mansfield walked into the exclusive Romanoff’s restaurant in Beverly Hills with a plan. The swanky soirée being thrown by Paramount Studios was packed with some of the biggest Hollywood stars of the era, from Barbara Stanwyck and Montgomery Clift to Gary Cooper and Shelley Winters. But it would be a candid photograph of Mansfield and Loren that would earn…
In a first for the continent, Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking is the first authorised bank to offer transactions through China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). The bank was recently granted license to offer CIPS transactions at this year’s Lujiazui Forum. The Forum was created as a high-level global platform for government officials, world financial leaders and outstanding scholars to discuss and foster international financial cooperation and further the financial reform and market opening in China. eponymous conference held in Shanghai. The payment system will allow for interbank payments between Africa and China using Chinese Renminbi (RMB) as the…