As Cholera cases mount in Nigeria, this website wants to keep you safe
53. That’s the number of people who have lost their lives to Cholera in Nigeria in the most recent outbreak which began in June. It’s the second cholera outbreak in three years, with 1,598 suspected cases. Cholerafacts, an online resource, hopes to fight the spread of the disease by providing information about prevention and symptom detection. Launched by Yahaya Hassan and Dipo Ayoola in June 2024 shortly after Cholera cases in Nigeria began to pick up, Cholerafacts aggregates useful information about the prevention and early detection of the bacterial disease on its website. “We wondered what if there was a single free forever one-stop-resource that you can always access when there’s a cholera outbreak in Nigeria and that was the primary inspiration for the idea,” Yahaya told TechCabal. The nine-page user-friendly website aggregates information about cholera, with dedicated sections describing the disease, its symptoms, how it spreads, prevention tips, and resources for treatment. The microsite also provides contact information for relevant health agencies, enabling users to promptly report concerns and escalate issues in cases of emergencies or suspected exposure. While prevention is often better than cure, Cholerafacts provides information on how to get a care kit to treat early symptoms. It also provides access to a list of pharmacies across the country where users can get a cholera vaccine in the case of a suspected exposure. Cholerafact comes at a time when government and private institutions are ramping up awareness campaigns about the spread of cholera. The website which mirrors resources like the COVID-19 tracker and Ebola Facts, which were used during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ebola Virus outbreak, can be easily referenced as a crucial resource to help curb the spread of the bacterial disease. So far, Nigeria has recorded 1,598 suspected cases and 53 deaths as a result of the disease which is prominent in areas with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. Cholerafacts also tracks this data and updates it regularly. The website also offers information about previous outbreaks of cholera in Nigeria, including the deadly 2021 outbreak which claimed over 2000 lives. “We hope that in the future, Cholerafacts can serve as a single source of truth for anything cholera,” Hassan concluded.
Read More
How to upload your O’Level results to JAMB CAPS in 2024
Previously, uploading O’Level results to the JAMB Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) could be done through the JAMB eFacility Portal, this option is no longer available in 2024. This guide focuses on the current method to successfully upload your O’Level results to JAMB CAPS for consideration during the admission process. Uploading through an accredited JAMB CBT centre As of 2024, the sole method for uploading your O’Level results to JAMB CAPS is by visiting an accredited JAMB CBT center. Here’s what you need to do: Locate a JAMB accredited centre: Visit the JAMB website or inquire about any JAMB CBT center near you. Get required documents: Have your original O’Level result slip and a printed copy of your JAMB registration slip readily available. Visit the JAMB CBT centre: Proceed to the accredited JAMB CBT center and inform the staff that you want to upload your O’Level results to JAMB CAPS. Submit documents and pay fee: Present your original O’Level result slip and JAMB registration slip to the staff. Pay the processing fee, which may range between ₦1000-₦3000. Staff assistance: The JAMB CBT center staff will upload your O’Level results electronically on your behalf. Verifying your O’Level upload status Once you’ve uploaded your O’Level results at a JAMB CBT center, you can verify their successful upload through the JAMB eFacility Portal: Access the JAMB eFacility Portal: Visit the JAMB eFacility portal at https://efacility.jamb.gov.ng/login. Login with credentials: Enter your JAMB Registration Number and password to log in. Navigate to “Check Admission Status” Section: Locate the “Check Admission Status” section on the dashboard. Click on “Access my CAPS”: Click on “Access my CAPS” to be redirected to the JAMB CAPS portal. View O’Level details: Under your admission profile, you should see a section displaying your uploaded O’Level subjects and grades. If the upload was successful, you’ll see your grades listed. If it’s still pending, you might see “A/R” (Awaiting Result) next to your subjects. Important reminders: Double-check the scanned copy of your O’Level results for clarity before uploading (applicable if the center requires a scanned copy). If you notice any errors in your results uploaded, take immediate steps to correct your uploaded O’level results on JAMB CAPS. Keep a copy of your upload confirmation slip (if provided by the center) for future reference. Final thoughts on how to upload your O’Level results to JAMB CAPS in 2024 Please note that timely submission and accurate upload of your O’Level results are crucial for securing your spot at your desired tertiary institution.
Read More
Côte d’Ivoire doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel
This article was contributed to TechCabal by Leslie Ossete, through The Realistic Optimist. A tale of two cities Africa has seen a schism between its francophone and anglophone startup ecosystems. The latter have vastly outperformed the former, carried by Nigeria and Kenya. Francophone Africa has had a late start to the race, despite ecosystems like Tunisia becoming legislative pioneers in the field. Multiple factors explain the dichotomy, each of them linked. First, anglophone Africa implemented foundational infrastructure such as mobile money earlier than its francophone counterparts. M-Pesa, widely recognized as mobile money’s paragon, hails from Kenya. Mobile money has been the cornerstone of many African startups’ strategies, representing a convenient halfway between burdensome but prevalent cash and efficient but rare online payments. This infrastructure fomented startup creation, putting pressure on the local job market to form startup-ready talent, such as developers. This gave rise to companies like Nigeria’s Andela, tasked with pumping out that tech-literate workforce. A similar trend is picking up pace in francophone Africa through companies like GoMyCode, but the initial infrastructure delay has retarded subsequent steps. This initial lag domino-affected VC funding. In Africa, a group of countries known as the “Big Four” (Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa) received over 75% of the continent’s 2022 VC funding. As the astute observer will note, anglophone Africa boasts three members in that group, compared to francophone Africa’s zero. These three linked reasons explain the logical, visible reasons for the lag. More subtle differences may have contributed as well. Anglophone African countries tend to enjoy a more entrepreneurial culture compared to Francophone ones, owing to divergences between English and French economic dogma (laissez-faire vs dirigisme). With an important fraction of African VC funding coming from the United States, francophone founders also face a substantial linguistic challenge when pitching in their second or third language. This overarching anglophone business culture led to the launch, as early as 2010, of formative tech hubs such as iHub and Co-Creation Hub in Nairobi and Lagos respectively. These encouraged knowledge sharing and skill building, crucial to exposing local talent to startups’ intricacies. Trade is also easier in anglophone regions. Anglophone East Africa is a more auspicious cross-border expansion environment than francophone West Africa, for example. Cultural uniformity plays a role, with West Africa’s religious mix making it hard for an Ivorian fintech founder to onboard Muslim (and thus usury-free) users in neighbouring Mali. Trade agreements in East Africa also hold more weight than the ones in West Africa. As for Nigeria, its crown as Africa’s most populous nation gives founders ample space to scale before even thinking of foreign forays. According to QZ, 39% of African countries are francophone.Graph source: Partech Ivory Coast: A smaller, francophone Nigeria? Despite the challenges, the past couple of years have seen francophone ecosystems pick up speed and the jury is out for its most promising contenders. Ivory Coast ranks high on the list. Compared to state-led peers such as Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire’s startup ecosystem was trail-blazed by the private sector. The CI20, a collective made up of early Ivorian founders, was instrumental in materializing an otherwise free-flowing ecosystem, including the implementation of the country’s Startup Act. Côte d’Ivoire’s founders operate in an unequal albeit booming economy, clocking in Africa’s highest 2024 GDP growth forecast. Compared to some of its anglophone neighbours, Côte d’Ivoire enjoys a sturdier currency by virtue of its peg to the euro. The digitalization of this growing economy is where the Ivorian startup opportunity lies. While the country’s ecosystem has witnessed an “Anglo-style” private-sector-led development, the country’s founders still face perennial “francophone” Africa problems. This includes a lack of familiarity with the lingo, codes, and other quirks of the VC-backed startup world. As a result, many promising Ivorian companies end up as stable digital SMEs rather than the fast-growing startups they could aspire to be. This is less of a problem in anglophone Lagos, where startup culture is more widespread. While orders of magnitude smaller than Nigeria (28 vs. 219 million people), parallels can be drawn between both ecosystems. Bottom-up development, a booming economy, and many industries to be tech-disrupted breed great potential. To attain the next level, the Ivorian ecosystem could benefit from what made Nigeria tick: an inflow of returning diaspora talent, bringing with them capital and startup savviness. Investors should view Côte d’Ivoire as a gateway to the 140 million people-strong francophone West Africa region, a vast and untapped greenfield for tech innovators. No need to reinvent the wheel One might wonder which business ideas Ivorian startups should pursue. The answer is not as complicated as many make it out to be. So far, many African startup successes have been built on the back of an existing business model, something that had worked elsewhere but not on the continent. Think online payment gateways, peer-to-peer fintech, e-commerce marketplaces and ride-hailing. Where Africans can claim a pioneer position are mobile-money-related innovations. The point is the following: if a business model is working in a socio-economically similar market to X African country, there’s an honest business case to launch it locally. This is especially true for startups digitizing the informal sector, a field where African founders can look to LATAM or South East Asia for inspiration. While geographically distant, these continents share the similarity of having a large informal sector and all the challenges (and opportunities) that it brings. LATAM and Southeast Asia are a few steps ahead of Africa economically, so observing what worked there could be insightful. For example, the thesis behind Frubana, a B2B marketplace connecting small restaurant owners to local producers, might’ve originated in Colombia but is pertinent to many African markets. With the right localization tweaks, such as enabling mobile money payments, the idea has the merit of at least being tested. Sourcing startup business models from slightly more advanced markets is akin to a crystal ball, conferring the ability to predict what startups might or might not work locally. As African founders search for the next big idea,
Read More
Mastercard Foundation conference spotlights Africa’s edtech startups
Investor interest in African education technology (edtech) has cooled since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns highlighted how technology aids learning. Yet there’s an argument that a continent chock full of young people must continue its focus on education and technology. It’s the premise for the Mastercard Foundation Edtech conference which began in Abuja on Monday. Hundreds of conference participants from 13 African countries caused traffic delays on Aguiyi Ironsi Road, Maitama, and the adjoining roads leading to Transcorp Hilton Abuja on Monday morning. The participants, are a healthy mix of edtech founders, CEOs, investors, development institutions, university lecturers, students, and government officials. Many African tech conferences take broad outlooks and focus on big problems and regulators. It has created a gap for over 300 edtech companies that have taken time out this week to discuss the peculiar challenges of their industry. “This is the Web Summit of edtech startups,” said an excited founder who joined the queue of participants trying to access the main hall – a large tenth with a 600 seater capacity and an exhibition area with 24 companies. While 600 people are far from the hundreds of thousands of attendees the Web Summit records yearly, for the edtech industry the attendance at the Mastercard Foundation Edtech Conference was a feat. PICTURE: Attendees get their tags at one of the registration points. Attendance of 600 edtech who-is-who in Africa was impressive for an inaugural conference. It brought edtech startups into the same room with two parties critical to the industry’s growth – government and investors. 8 education ministers are at the conference with panel discussions scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. Mastercard Foundation believes that edtech can bridge the education gap and enable over 600 million young people in Africa to access quality education. Joseph Nsengimana, director, Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Mastercard Foundation, said the edtech conference was important as it gets every stakeholder in the industry talking to each other towards finding solutions to the many problems that the education sector faces in Africa. These solutions would include ways to make edtech services profit-oriented while still affordable to the underserved, to attract investors. Edtech startups have been trying to convince investors for many years that they can help people in underserved communities get needed quality education and make money for them by doing so. Only a few investors have been convinced. In 2023, over 300 edtech startups accounted for a paltry 0.7% of total funding to tech companies in Africa. Even in 2021 when funding to the industry rose to its highest at $81 million, it was still less than 2% of total funding. “The challenge is that many do not see where to come in. Companies need to pick areas of specialisation in edtech which gives a clearer picture for investment,” Chimdi Neliaki, Youth Reference Committee, Office of the AU Youth Envoy. The decline in edtech funds is also a result of issues with the scalability of the models, according to Ruth Wairimu, investment manager of Acumen Fund who spoke during an investors’ panel. The edtech models that scale are usually those that are B2B-focused and create solutions for private schools and public schools as well. The B2C edtech companies find it hard to scale because they depend on decisions from parents facing income inequalities. Nonetheless, investing in any edtech company, B2B model or B2C model, requires a different approach. “We need to encourage more investors to be more patient,” Wairimu said. But before getting more investors to fund startups, the infrastructure that powers the industry needs to be built. Tochukwu Ezeukwu, regional director of AVPA divides infrastructure into broadband and internet penetration. CAPTION: L-R: Rory Fynn, country director Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation, Bosun Tijani, Federal Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Joseph Nsengimana, director, Mastercard Foundation, and Hon. Albert Nsengiyumva, executive secretary, Association for the Development of Education in Africa. “Edtech is not an end in itself. It is supposed to do something. Across many markets in Africa, there is little developed infrastructure that edtech would ride on and scale,” Ezeukwu said. The edtech industry may also be leaving funds on the table by working in silos while disconnected from government programmes on education, according to Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. “The edtech industry is not taking advantage of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF),” Tijani said. The fund which is under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, is to facilitate the achievement of national policy goals for universal access and universal service to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural, un-served, and under-served areas in Nigeria. It is more important to prioritize the content and how teachers use it to achieve learning outcomes in edtech solutions rather than just buying laptops for schools. This was the consensus of three-panel sessions that included the minister, Joseph Nsengimana, director, Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Mastercard Foundation, Albert Nsegiyumva, executive secretary of Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Alex Twinomugisha, Risian Kanya, deputy vice-chancellor, Baze University, and Adefunke Ekine, deputy director, Research and External Relations, Tai Solarin University of Education.
Read MoreKenya misses revenue collection by $2 billion despite raising taxes
Despite tax increases in the 2023/2024 Finance Bill in Kenya, the country’s Revenue Authority (KRA) missed its tax collection target by $2.09 billion (KES 267 billion) for the financial year ending June 2024. The shortfall followed a tough macroeconomic environment that saw a drop in corporate profits and an increase in layoffs. KRA set a revenue target of $21.8 billion (KES 2.79 trillion) in the year under review. Corporation Income Tax (CIT), paid by profits, grew at a slower rate of 4.9% compared to 7.2% to June 2023, indicating reduced profitability in key sectors of the Kenyan economy including finance, insurance, ICT, and manufacturing. KRA also recorded the highest shortfall of $567 million (KES72.3 billion) in employee collections (pay-as-you-earn), despite introducing a new tax band in 2023 targeting top earners. Manufacturing tax collection recorded the biggest drop by 13% followed by ICT at 12.3% while finance and insurance declined by 2.4%. High operational costs including energy prices and the weakening of the Kenyan shilling against the dollar were some of the factors behind the economic slowdown. “Weak demand for manufactured goods affected by high retail prices that was a result of high cost of inputs (mainly import driven), high energy costs, said Humphrey Wattanga, KRA’s commissioner-general. KRA collected $18.8 billion (KES 2.4 trillion) in taxes for the 2023/2024 financial year, an 11.1% increase compared to the previous year. While KRA fell short of its overall target, reaching 95.5%. The agency saw a strong 34.9% growth in revenue collected for other government programs. Kenya’s tax revenue performance in 2023/2024 reflects the country’s challenging economic situation. Although the economy grew at a moderate 5.6% in 2023 compared to 4.9% in 2022, inflation remained a challenge early in the year, averaging 6.86% in the first half due to high fuel and energy costs. However, the Central Bank’s monetary policies helped bring inflation down to an average of 4.87% by the fourth quarter, which led to an annual average of 6.22% – a significant improvement from the previous year’s 8.78%.
Read More
Ways to find your Twitter history in 2024
It’s easy to get lost in the moment of things when scrolling through different threads and trends on Twitter. Before you know it, you may mistakenly refresh or exit a thread you were looking to screenshot, a video you hoped to download, or a post you would bookmark. And sometimes, circling back on your past interactions on the platform can be a bit trickier, unlike when you’re browsing with Chrome, where you can quickly get your history through a dedicated tab. Here, we’ll explore the functionalities Twitter offers to find your history in 2024, including past views and interactions. 1. Using the standard Twitter search bar This method is suitable for finding specific tweets you saw or media interactions you had without bookmarking, liking, retweeting, or saving. However, it depends on how retentive your memory is of the textual components of the post you are trying to locate. In other words, you must remember a few words on the post or thread you’re looking for. If you remember any, here’s how to use the components you remember to find your desired post: Access Twitter: Log in to your Twitter account on the web or mobile app. Use the search bar: In the search bar at the top of the screen, type in your closest memory of the texts on the post you’re searching for. For example, let’s assume you’re looking for a random person’s tweet of a video with the caption, ‘Moonshot is one of the biggest tech events in Africa that happens in October, and it’s hosted by TechCabal.’ If the only words you can remember include ‘world tech TechCabal’, you’re good to go. Simply type those three words; the post will be among the search results, and the Twitter search engine will crawl up to you. You just need to scroll through to find it. Sometimes you can remember the handle that made the post, but can’t remember a word from the original post. Simply type in the handle into the search engine. Once you find it, scroll through their feed to locate the particular tweet. You can also use a comment you remember under the post you’re looking for to locate the post itself. Just type content from the comment into the search bar, and you should find the reply to the post. From there, you can easily find the handle that made the original post. 2. Leveraging Twitter’s advanced search Twitter’s Advanced Search feature is the way to go for a more refined search when trying to find your Twitter history, Twitter’s Advanced Search feature is the way to go. Here’s the process: Go to advanced search: Go to https://twitter.com/search-advanced?lang=en in your web browser. Tailor your search: Use the various filters offered. Under the “From accounts” section, enter your username to restrict results to your own activity. Specify dates: Use the calendar tool to define the exact date range for your search, helping you pinpoint specific interactions. Filter by engagement (Optional): You can refine results by filtering tweets with mentions, replies, or likes. 3. Downloading your Twitter archive to find your Twitter history This method provides a comprehensive record of your entire Twitter history. However, it doesn’t offer functionalities to explore the archive within the platform itself. Here’s what to do: Request your archive: Log in to your Twitter account on the web or mobile app. Go to Settings and Privacy > Your Account > Download an archive of your data. Verification and processing: Twitter will prompt you to confirm your password and may send a verification code. Processing the archive may take up to 24 hours. Download and explore: Once notified, download the archive (a .zip file) and explore its contents. The archive will contain your tweets, messages, media, and other account information. Note: It won’t contain information about accounts you’ve visited or media you consumed without commenting, reposting or liking them. Final thoughts on ways to find your Twitter history in 2024 Unfortunately, Twitter doesn’t store your complete search history. You can only find interactions based on keywords or usernames you remember. Also note that if you’ve deleted tweets in the past, they won’t be accessible through these methods.
Read MoreMoody’s downgrades Kenya’s credit rating after Ruto scrapped controversial taxes
Moody’s, a credit rating agency, has cut Kenya’s sovereign rating into junk, citing the country’s diminished capacity to pay its debts after recent protests forced President William Ruto to withdraw a controversial tax bill that would have raised billions in revenue. On Monday, the credit agency downgraded Kenya’s credit ratings by one level to Caa1 from B1 for local and foreign currency long-term issuer ratings and foreign-currency unsecured debt. After two weeks of protests, Kenya withdrew the controversial tax measures to de-escalate tensions. President Ruto proposed a 9% spending cut to the 2024/2025 budget which Moody’s said will narrow the fiscal deficit. Moody’s does not expect the East African nation to come up with new revenue-raising measures following the recent protests that turned deadly on June 25, leaving at least 41 people dead. The scrapped 2024 Finance Bill contained measures to raise an extra $2.7 billion to help the country manage ballooning debt and fund development programmes. “The downgrade of Kenya’s rating reflects significantly diminished capacity to implement revenue-based fiscal consolidation that would improve debt affordability and place debt on a downward trend,” Moody’s said in a statement. “In particular, the government’s decision not to pursue planned tax increases and instead rely on expenditure cuts to reduce the fiscal deficit represents a significant policy shift with material implications for Kenya’s fiscal trajectory and financing needs.” While the cuts announced by Ruto are expected to improve the country’s liquidity, the credit assessor maintains that Kenya’s fiscal deficit will reduce gradually than previously projected. It expects East Africa’s largest economy’s debt affordability to be weaker for longer. “As a result, we now expect the fiscal deficit to narrow more slowly, with Kenya’s debt affordability remaining weaker for longer. In turn, larger financing needs stemming from a wider deficit increase liquidity risk against more uncertain external funding options,” Moody’s said.
Read MoreMastercard Foundation convenes EdTech conference on resilient and inclusive learning in Africa
The Mastercard Foundation, an international non-governmental organisation, kicked off its inaugural EdTech conference on Monday in Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, with a conversation on advancing education with technology. “How do we build resilient and inclusive EdTech ecosystems?” asked Rosy Fynn, Country Director Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation, in a hall of over 500 people. She posed this question to the opening panel: Dr Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy; Joseph Nsengimana, Director, Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning; and Albert Nsengiyumva, Executive Secretary, Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). Tijani pointed out the need for a growing literacy agenda where Africans can be digital literates, as well as bridging a connection between the government and private sector. For Nsengimana, success in EdTech can be achieved when ecosystem players design a forward pathway with inclusivity in mind. One solution is a collaboration between EdTech innovators, telcos, and the government. Nsengiyumva called for more synergy between policymakers, and foundations invested in education. Joseph Nsengimana, the director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, said conversations regarding helping EdTech companies are part of why the conference is hosted in Nigeria. “We want to bring stakeholders and the government together to have conversations about what is missing, ” said Nsengimana on the sidelines of the conference. “What is your wish list? What goals do you want to see that will make your job easier.” With over 200 tech hubs in Africa, funding constraints have slowed growth in the EdTech sector. Despite receiving $81 million of investments in 2021, the number of funded companies in Africa fell from 29 in 2021 to 23 in 2023. Limited access to internet connectivity, infrastructure, and electricity are some of the roadblocks to EdTech’s growth. Funding constraints and scalability also emerged as critical pain points. The Mastercard Foundation hopes to address these issues by sharing successful strategies and fostering ICT innovations. “If you look at the publishing, the publishers are making money from books. How can we make it make sense for the investor? Nsengimana added. The Foundation plans to facilitate knowledge sharing among the 144 startups it has already supported.
Read More
How to track a phone number in 2024
The need to track a phone number in 2024 can arise for various reasons. Perhaps you received a missed call from an unknown number, or are curious about a number associated with a suspicious message. While there’s no guaranteed foolproof method, here’s a breakdown of available options to consider when tracking a phone number in 2024. Important disclaimer Legality and ethical considerations surround tracking phone numbers in 2024. It’s vital to adhere to all applicable laws and regulations in your region. This guide explores publicly available methods and does not endorse any techniques that might violate privacy laws. Using online search engines An essential initial step for tracking a phone number in 2024 involves using online search engines. Here’s how it works: Enter the phone number: Simply type the complete phone number (including area code) into your preferred search bar. You may use Google. Analyse search results: The search engine might return various results associated with the number, including: Business listings if they belong to a company. Social media profiles if the number is linked to an account. Public records or news articles mentioning the number (limited cases). Effectiveness of this method of tracking a phone number The effectiveness of this method depends on the phone number’s usage. Business numbers are more likely to yield relevant results compared to personal numbers. Phone number lookup services with Third-Party options Several third-party websites and apps like TrueCaller offer reverse phone lookup services in 2024. These services claim to provide information about a phone number, including the owner’s name, address, and carrier. Important considerations: Accuracy and cost: The accuracy of information provided by these services can vary significantly. Some services might require a subscription fee. Privacy concerns: Carefully review the privacy policies of such services before using them. Proceed with caution: While reverse phone lookup services can be tempting for tracking a phone number in 2024, approach them cautiously due to potential limitations and privacy concerns. Using social media platforms to track phone number in 2024 Social media platforms can be a source of information for tracking a phone number in 204, but with limitations. Here’s why: Public profiles: If the phone number is linked to a public social media profile, you might find the owner’s name and some basic details. Limited scope: This method only works if the phone number is publicly associated with a social media account. Ethical considerations: Social media platforms typically have guidelines regarding user privacy. Avoid practices that might violate those guidelines. Official channels: Limited applicability In specific situations, contacting official channels might be necessary for tracking a phone number in 2024. Here are some examples: Law Enforcement: If you have a legitimate reason to track a phone number related to a crime or safety concern, you can contact law enforcement officials. Debt collection: If you’re being harassed by unknown callers, you might need to report the number to the relevant debt collection agency. Note: Reporting to official channels often involves legal requirements and specific procedures. Ensure you understand them before proceeding. Final thoughts Tracking a phone number in 2024 should prioritise legal and ethical considerations. Use publicly available information and exercise caution with third-party services. If necessary, consider seeking assistance from official channels.
Read MoreTLcom-backed Okra expands into cloud services
Okra, a Nigerian fintech whose APIs allow banks and other financial service providers to access customers’ data, is building a cloud infrastructure for businesses to host their data and run workloads. With Nigerian startups keen to reduce costs as inflation accelerates and interest rates remain high, Okra believes it can build a cheaper and more reliable alternative to foreign cloud providers like AWS and Azure. “Like every other business, we were doing market research to find more revenue streams,” one highly placed employee said in March, confirming its new cloud adventure. Fara Ashiru, Okra’s CEO did not respond to a request for comments. Nigerian cloud providers lobby government and PFAs for local data storage With this expansion, Okra joins a growing band of local cloud service providers rising to meet the demands of startups, big businesses, and government agencies. Some include Nobus Cloud Services, MainOne Cloud, Web4Africa, Galaxy Backbone, and Layer3 Cloud. While Africa’s cloud computing is highly contested, it is relatively large and the potential customers are willing to spend on reliable service. Open finance, the space Okra currently operates in, is currently a smaller opportunity. Okra’s open banking APIs enable third-party financial service providers to have responsible access to the bank information of their customers. The fintech’s expansion comes three months after it shut down three of its open finance products—Balance, Income, and Transaction—which helped digital lenders determine the creditworthiness of borrowers and facilitate loan repayment. “These products did not make any business sense to hold on to,” an Okra employee told TechCabal. There is very little visibility into the revenue of these open finance startups because they are private companies. One African early-stage investor questioned the market opportunity of open finance. “It is a small market and there are three big players who have raised a lot of money,” said the investor who asked not to be named so he could speak freely. “Eventually there will be one market leader.“ Okra has raised about $16.5 million while major competitors, Mono and Stitch, have raised over $17.6 million and over $52 million respectively. Okra did respond to requests for comments about its expansion. The market for companies that provide open finance APIs has also been limited by the central bank’s slow progress on open banking regulations. Despite adopting open banking regulations in March 2024, there is still an absence of common data-sharing standards. Consequently, some open banking users design their services to account for possible lapses in judgment by the technology. For example, digital lenders, aware of the imperfections of these tools in assessing creditworthiness may still apply risk premium to those loans. Okra had been working to partner with banks to standardise the banks’ APIs ahead of the enforcement of the open banking regulation, according to one person familiar with the business. In turn, Okra planned to use the relationship to improve the reliability of its open banking services. “Operating in silos with banks incentivises unreliability, and if there are no means to hold all partners accountable, scaling will be too risky and hard,” the person said.
Read More