54gene has unveiled its new lab in Lagos State, Nigeria, capable of human whole-genome sequencing and a variety of other scientific investigations. Hosting a suite of world-class molecular genomics capabilities, including the Illumina Novaseq 6000 and NextSeq 550Dx, the lab is part of 54gene’s mission to enable Africans to conduct genomics research and will be fully operational from this January 2021. Recently inspected by the Commissioner of Health for Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, the new lab is geared to crucially expedite internal and external research projects designed to facilitate precision medicine for Africans and the global population. 54gene is…
Author: DigitalTimesNG
Prospective candidates for the 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) – First Series for Private Candidates (WAEC GCE) across Nigeria can now conveniently purchase their registration ePINs through any of the multiple channels available on Remita, a leading electronic payment platform in Nigeria. This follows the recent announcement by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) of the commencement of the sale of WAEC GCE registration PINs, which closes on January 29, 2021. To obtain the ePIN, intending candidates are to visit the Remita website or download the Remita mobile app to make payment through their preferred payment channel…
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Engr. Festus Y.A Daudu has charged the management of the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) to ensure that it keeps building the capacity of Nigerians in Information and Communication Technology sector. Engr. Daudu made this charge on Thursday at the Ministry’s headquarters when the NITDA’s Director-General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, led some members of his management to brief the Permanent Secretary about the activities of the Agency. According to the Permanent Secretary, “you need to make sure that the necessary capacity is developed within the ecosystem because you have…
MasterCard and its strategic partner, Network International, have collaborated to launch a new digital platform which will accelerate the adoption of digital payments across the Middle East and Africa. MasterCard is a technology leader in the global payments industry, while Network International is the leading enabler of digital commerce in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. With this new digital platform launching in January, Network International will help its clients to enable mobile-based payments for their consumers and merchants across various channels. Merchants will now have one simple-to-use technology interface through which they will be able to accept multiple…
As people everywhere ramp up their usage of instant messaging and more and more are choosing Ayoba, MTN Group said it is proud to partner with this unique instant messaging platform localised for the needs of consumers across Africa. Launched in 2019 to improve access to affordable communications, Ayoba is active in 17 MTN markets and is also available to download onto Android smartphones in numerous other markets from Google Play and via the Ayoba website www.ayoba.me as an over-the-top (OTT) offering. Ayoba is focused on protecting users’ privacy and security: it is not possible for messages in the app to be…
After losing around $4.5 billion over the past five years, LG’s smartphone business has been struggling to compete with rivals, and therefore, it’s considering exiting the smartphone market in 2021. LG CEO, Kwon Bong-Seok has notified employees that the company is considering making big changes to its smartphone business. The Korea Herald reports that Kwon Bong-Seok sent out an internal memo to staff on Wednesday, hinting at a change in direction for LG’s phone business. “Since the competition in the global market for mobile devices is getting fiercer, it is about time for LG to make a cold judgment and the…
The global pandemic has proved a catalyst for reshaping health care as venture capitalists reached deep into their pockets to deliver a record level of funding to medical-related startups in 2020. According to a report in The Verge, venture capitalists sprinkled the money across sectors ranging from telemedicine to AI to medical devices in an effort to seize the moment and shake up an industry that has been notoriously resistant to reinvention. The latest State of Healthcare report from research firm CB Insights shows that health care startups raised $80.6 billion in 2020, up from $53.7 billion in 2019. The report notes that COVID-19…
Web browser maker Opera has acquired YoYo Games, the maker of the GameMaker Studio 2 game engine, for $10 million, and it has also launched its Opera Gaming division. The deal underscores Opera‘s efforts to differentiate its web browser, Opera GX, through a gaming community, according to a report by Venturebeat. Opera itself has more than 380 million people using its web browsers worldwide. Its new Opera GX gaming browser has seven million monthly active users as of December, up 350% from a year earlier. Opera Gaming will focus on expanding Opera’s capabilities and monetization opportunities in the gaming, said Krystian Kolondra in an…
…. As Ministry’s New Perm Sec Hails Danbatta’s Leadership The improved broadband/telecoms services delivery being experienced by Nigerians has been attributed to the massive deployment of 3G and 4G base transceiver stations (BTS) and laying of Fibre Optic Transmission Cables across the country. A recent data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that the third-generation (3G) and fourth-generation (4G) base transceiver stations (BTS) deployment in Nigeria, increased from 30,000 to 53,460, while Fibre Optic Transmission cables grew from 47,000km to 54,725km in the last five years. Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta…
More than a third of UK consumers have been blocked from paying with notes and coins since the start of the pandemic, prompting warnings that the cash economy is on the verge of disintegration. In a survey of 2,000 people conducted by consumer champion Which?, 34% reported being unable to pay with cash at least once when trying to buy something since March, when coronavirus restrictions were first introduced, reports Finextra. Which? cites one case in which a diabetic man in urgent need of food because his blood sugar levels had dropped was refused service in two restaurants that had…