This is not Mastercard’s first investment in Kasha as the firm was part of its Mastercard StartPath in 2019 and has integrated Mastercard digital payment acceptance across its ecommerce platform, and they recently joined forces to deliver virus, hygiene and protection products to families across Kenya in efforts to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. “Kasha’s goal is to ensure women in emerging markets get the products, information and services they need for their health, self-care and well-being” said, Joanna Bichsel, Kasha’s Founder and CEO “I am thrilled that we are continuing our collaboration with Mastercard and that we not only have a committed investor with shared values, but also an innovative partner as we continue to take Kasha’s development and growth to the next level....

TechMoran chats with a co-founder and Managing Director, Bernie Akporiaye who shares a lot of insights into the startup. The Senegal based startup has achieved significant growth having well over 2000 users. Watch video below to know more, and enjoy the interview. In just a sentence, pitch your startup to us. We provide access to small loans and related financial services by digitizing traditional savings circles. What triggered the launch of MaTontine as a startup?...

The affected models are Mercedes-Benz ML, Mercedes-Benz GL and Mercedes-Benz R-Class. The 993,407 cars feared to have the braking issue were built between 2004 and 2015. Out of this, 70,000 cars are in Mercedes Benz home country of Germany and a notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said nearly 300,000 are in the US. “Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain vehicles of the ML, GL, and R-Class series from the production period 2004 – 2015, the function of the brake booster might be affected by advanced corrosion in the joint area of the housing....

The new truck comes with three battery packs with a total capacity of more than 600 kWh and a claimed range of more than 500km (310 miles). It is not clear that this range is achieved when the truck is fully loaded but that is usually the case. The truck is powered by two electric motors that produce 400kW of continuous power and 600kW for short climbs. The motors are connected to a new axle that is not found on the standard-range model....

The statement reads below….

Instead of just hailing like in Uber and Easy Taxi and MaraMoja Transport, Mondo Ride, which is also available in Saudi Arabia, says it has a unique “Mondo Ride Caller” device for customers to call and order safe and reliable taxis from the city’s hotels, malls, and premium locations with a single click. To sign up to Mondo Ride, users download the app, then a private SMS code is send to them....

Making the announcement, the Chairman of the Board Mr. Francis Okomo-Okello noted that the appointments will enhance the mix of skills required by the Board to lead the business in achieving its strategic agenda. “We are greatly honoured that these three distinguished business leaders have agreed to join our Board. We believe that the sum total of their individual achievements and experience will enable us navigate the business through the highly dynamic industry we are operating in and ultimately, help us realise our goal of becoming Kenya’s ‘Go-To’ bank,” he said....

MPesa subscribers will be able to send and receive money from their mobile phones to individuals across the world, an expansion from the previously select 45 countries established in 2011. The firms had been working on the deal since July of 2017. The partnership will see the more than 21 million of the globally-acclaimed mobile money service subscribers send a maximum of KES70,000 daily to family, friends and business partners abroad through the 500,000 plus Western Union’s agents in close to 200 countries....

MSN Messenger came to China in 2005 though faced stiff competition from QQ messenger, designed by Chinese rival firm Tencent. After Microsoft purchased rival Skype, MSN Messenger launched in 1999 was turned off for most users in 2013. By 2009, Windows Live still had as many as 330 million users though the number reduced later as Skype users rose to almost 300 million by 2012. According to Chinese newspapers, most Chinese Windows Live users obtained emails from Microsoft informing them of the intended closure....

South Africa’s Intelsat and MSTelcom have collaborated to give the people of Angola high quality, reliable and cost-efficient broadband service to consumers and corporations operating in the oil and gas and banking sectors within Angola. In this agreement, Intelsat will deliver a fully managed broadband service that provides Internet access into and out of Angola. The network will leverage C- band capacity on Intelsat 14 at 315º East and on Intelsat 22 at 72º East, as well as the company’s IntelsatOne terrestrial network....

“The devastating impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and profound. Public and private partnerships are needed if we are to succeed in the fight against the pandemic and restore social and economic norms for our continent and our communities,” says Ralph Mupita, President and Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group. On 14 January 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairperson of the African Union, announced that the African Union had secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses on behalf of its Member States, through advance procurement commitment guarantees of up to US$2 billion to the manufacturers by the African Export-Import Bank....

The platform will offer the Nigerian gaming community access to a variety of fun and exciting games online through an extensive premium catalogue from Gameloft and other renowned publishers. Speaking on the partnership, Chief Digital Officer, MTN Nigeria, Srinivas Rao said, “We are constantly seeking to deliver innovative products that support the aspirations of our customers, whilst delivering superior user experience. This partnership allows us to provide our customers with access to a variety of exhilarating games from Gameloft and other leading publishers at an affordable rate....

In a letter dated July 3 and sent to the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), the telco claimed security men alleging to be from the agency in charge of domestic intelligence intruded into the data centre on July 2 and kidnapped an employee of its contractor, Huawei data manager, Moses Keefah Musasizi, who is responsible for access into the firm’s data centre. The letter further states that Mr. Musasizi was abducted at 5pm local time and taken to the ISO head office in Nakasero, 9km away, where he was held until 9pm when he was returned to the data centre and forced to give access to the security men....

However, South Africa’s MySidekick wants to end this menace. The new smartphone and tablet shopping app wants to do the hard work for its users by collecting all the hottest specials and promotions throughout the country as their personal shopping assistant. The app browses a users’ favourite items, specials, sales and vouchers from major retailers near them. Apart from helping users find specials, sales and coupons, users also stand a chance to win prizes in sveral competitions from retailers and participating malls....

Agri-tech is an agricultural analytics company that is helping investment professionals, major corporations, governments and international organizations around the world with insightful, reliable data for solutions in the face of growth in global investment in food and agribusiness. The company, which is also has a New York branch, uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide current and future insights into the global food and agriculture industry. By collecting and synthesizing hundreds of trillions of data points from disparate and often previously unavailable sources, Gro Intelligence provides users with unique, comprehensive, and real-time support for mission critical decision-making and operations....

In a bid to get youngsters watching their favourite shows faster, Netflix has redesigned children’s profiles to make them more visually appealing. When browsing Netflix on a smart TV, the top row of kids’ profiles will now feature a My Favorites row that highlights shows with their characters. How exactly has it changed? Previously, children’s profiles on Netflix looked similar to adult’s. The top row would feature trending content, primarily built from Netflix’s original library, customized based on the content rating applied to that profile....

Christened Appographic Targeting, the app will It leverages audience insights that go beyond app ownership and app category, and has potentially delivered up to 72% higher install rates, 26% lower Cost-per-Install (CPI) and 30% higher consumer Lifetime Value (LTV) on app promotion campaigns. For example A flight booking app can now also be promoted to users who engage with apps that offer trip planning, hotel booking, holiday packages or travel reviews, while a shopping app can be promoted to users who engage with other apps that offer any type of deals and discounts, sell men’s or women’s apparel, or apps that sell specific products like books and shoes and a mid-core game can be promoted to users who enjoy apps that are based on city construction, clan-battle or medieval themes....

According to 54gene Chief Commercial Officer, Jessica Rich, “The inclusion of Africans in clinical programs is critical to the production of medicines and health products that are more efficacious and safe for people of African descent. It is vital that we continue to collaborate with African researchers and institutions to generate data that meets the scientific rigor found in worldwide studies and to increase African inclusion in global studies. It is essential that more research takes place on the continent and we are ready to be part of that change....

As part of the expansion, AFEX Fair Trade Limited , has launched a $1 million loan program that will allow farmers to gain access to seed and fertiliser for their crops, to mitigate ever rising commodities prices. Under the program, 5000 Kenyan farmers will be able to take out input loans to access timely inputs and gradually scale their businesses. Ayodeji Balogun, CEO at AFEX said, “This is one of the most dynamic commodities markets in the world and we are excited to work with Kenyan farmers to help them scale their operations....