MasterCard is furthering its commitment to creating a more sustainable and inclusive digital economy, with a pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Understanding that economic growth cannot come at the expense of the planet, the company’s global action plan aims to continue to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) by remaining focused on the decarbonization of its operations and bolstering its efforts to decarbonize its supply chains. MasterCard’s net-zero goal builds upon its existing GHG commitments that align with the Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge. The first in the payments industry to gain Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approval for…
Author: DigitalTimesNG
MTN, one of Africa’s leading mobile network operators, has announced a donation of US$25 million to support the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. The telco said in a statement that the donation will help secure up to seven million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for health workers across the continent, which will contribute to the vaccination initiative of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). “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…
Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, was on Tuesday honoured with the prestigious “Man of the Year 2020” award from the Publishers of MoneyReport Magazine. Danbatta was presented with the award at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja, by the Board Chairman, MoneyReport and former Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Prof. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, who was represented by Dr Eke Agbai, the Executive Vice President at the Centre for Policy and Foreign Engagement (CPFE) and Board member of MoneyReport Magazine. Prof. Okereke-Onyiuke acknowledged the impressive growth recorded in the telecoms sector…
MasterCard has imposed a five-fold increase on credit card interchange fees charged for UK online purchases from the EU, following Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. Prior to Brexit, UK merchants and cardholders benefitted from a 0.3% cap on credit card interchange fees imposed by the European Commission. But with the country withdrawing from Europe, these fees will increase to 1.5%, as payments between the UK and the European Economic Area are now deemed “inter-regional”. The fee for debit card payments is also set to rise from 0.2% to 1.15%. The increase in fees is another blow to UK merchants…
Visa has joined Zone2boost, an investment startup programme created by CaixaBank, Global Payments and Worldline, according to a finextra report. Visa joins the international innovation initiative following its first year of activity with more than 300 start-ups assessed, eight start-ups incorporated into its acceleration programme and a committed investment volume of €800,000. Companies receiving investments span a wide range of financial and e-commerce activities, driving innovation through the use of cutting edge technologies like blockchain and AI. Visa will contribute to the programme by helping selected startups to scale and enrich their products and by contributing to investment funding. Eduardo…
Pula, an African InsureTech service provider startup that specialises in digital and agricultural insurance to derisk millions of smallholder farmers across Africa, has closed a $6mn Series A fundraise led by TLcom Capital, with the participation of Women’s World Banking. The new investment will be used to scale up operations in the company’s existing 13 markets across Africa. Currently, Pula has impacted over 4.3mn farmers on the continent and the new funding will also help propel its expansion into Asia to power resilience and profitability for Asian smallholder farmers. Launched in 2015 by Rose Goslinga and Thomas Njeru, Pula designs…
By Obiora OKOYE The global demand for skilled Software Developers is directly proportional to the rate at which the software industry is growing. This new trend is making tech companies compete for relatively few Senior Engineers. Junior software developers who want to advance in their careers and take on senior engineering responsibilities should be prepared for the journey ahead of them due to the demand and expectations of the role. Here are some steps that Junior Software developers can take to advance to Senior engineering roles: Be consistent in enhancing technical skills As a software engineer, it is essential to…
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…
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…