South Africa News Archives - Page 19 of 72

New outlook on skills development can solve CTO headaches and fast-track coding careers in 2023

23Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

New outlook on skills development can solve CTO headaches and fast-track coding careers in 2023

By Jessica Hawkey, Managing Director at redAcademy As 2023 begins in full swing, we can all be forgiven for feeling as though we have been on a seemingly endless roller coaster during the past year. However, despite the surprises and shocks, one thing remained consistent throughout 2022 and is predicted to be one of the most pressing challenges in 2023, for C-suites trying to keep up with a rapidly digitizing world: there has been and will continue to be, a chronic IT skills shortage, especially a shortage of work-ready software developers. Of course, this is a tragedy because alongside the software skills shortage is a crippling unemployment rate, especially among young people, while from a business perspective, C-suites in general, and CTOs in particular, are being hamstrung in fulfil...

23Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Simple Ways to Support Digital Learning and Help Build SA’s Digital Future

Education in the online space was brought into sharp focus during the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 and barriers to participation in education in South Africa, 2020 report released by Statistics South Africa showed the scale of the challenge in that only 11.7% of schools offered remote learning options, nationally. Most households did not have digital assets such as laptops and tablets to allow learners to learn remotely using digital tools – in 2020 among all households with children aged 5–24, computer ownership was at 24.7% and just 7% of households with children in that age bracket had access to the internet at home. The World Economic Forum (WEF) also reports that Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's most expensive mobile data prices. According to the report, South Africans pay up...

21Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

How South African businesses can start the financial year digitally secure

With phishing, ransomware and other cyberattacks on the rise in South Africa, appropriately budgeting for cybersecurity is a must, as the benefits of having strong measures in place far outweigh the assumed expense of digital security, says Steve Flynn, Sales and Marketing Director at ESET Southern Africa. With a shortage of experienced cybersecurity personnel in South Africa and across the globe, cybercriminals have an advantage with access to significant skills and resources – and determination and persistence to match. Businesses often spend as little as possible on cybersecurity. SMEs often mistakenly believe that they don’t require paid cybersecurity as their business isn’t an attractive target for cybercrime. However, if the average consumer or end-user is vulnerable to cyberattacks...

Locally manufactured energy saving product

18Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Energy, South Africa News

Locally manufactured energy saving product

By Nonhlanhla Ntuli Eskom recently announced the implementation of stage six loadshedding and the National Energy Regulator of SA approved an 18.65% tariff hike by Eskom for the 2023/24 financial year. This as government has pleaded with consumers to reduce their electricity consumption. According to the EskomSePush app, the struggling power utility implemented 3 776 hours or 157 days of loadshedding in 2022 and so far in 2023 the country has faced rolling black out every day. South Africa’s electricity crisis inspired a company called AET Africa to find a solution to help consumers decrease their electricity bill. “Our energy saving product is reusable, affordable and environmentally sustainable,” said Buhlebomzi Ndukwana the Corporate Sales and Marketing Executive at AET Africa. ...

From failing at university to scaling SA’s top venture builder in four years – these two young entrepreneurs are on a mission to help 1-million people build good tech

13Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Startups

From failing at university to scaling SA’s top venture builder in four years – these two young entrepreneurs are on a mission to help 1-million people build good tech

One of the most hotly debated topics in African innovation is South Africa’s claim to be the “Tech Capital” of the continent. Home to more than 490 startups and a combined US$1-billion (or R17.6-billion) in funding[1], South Africa is an undisputed leader on the continent. But in 2023, that reputation is slipping, as Nigeria takes the title of ‘Best Funded’ (US$2-billion) and as Egypt’s pool of startups crosses the 560-mark. Regardless of South Africa’s status, startups play an important role in driving inclusive and sustainable development. They create jobs, stimulate new skills, attract investment, and most importantly, foster new ideas with the potential to make life better for both people and the planet. But all of this is at risk if startups are not given the support they need to bui...

Fedhealth to offer genetic testing to improve members’ health

9Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Medicine, South Africa News

Fedhealth to offer genetic testing to improve members’ health

Fedhealth partners with Intelligene to offer personalised genetic testing for its members A new partnership between Fedhealth Medical Scheme and medical bio-tech company Intelligene offers exciting opportunities for genetic testing to improve the efficiency of medication, mitigate health risks by identifying possible future illnesses, and even optimise an individual’s lifestyle by pinpointing the nutrition and lifestyle best suited to their genetic make-up. While most health systems are designed to be reactive – we wait until the onset of disease and then respond – precision medicine is quickly transforming healthcare from a reactive to a much-needed proactive model. Besides finding out our predisposition to certain illnesses, personalised genetic testing can allow people to get a much m...

Why it’s a good time for South African investors to address concentration risk

7Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Why it’s a good time for South African investors to address concentration risk

With the US dollar having pulled back from the highs seen in the second half of 2022, this is an opportune time for South African investors to address domestic concentration risk if they have been overly exposed to local assets, according to investment advisory and wealth management firm GraySwan. Aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, and a decline in risk appetite, pushed the US Dollar Index to a 20-year high during October 2022. The rand, which tends to bear the brunt of market shocks and a strong Dollar, subsequently slid to lows of around R18.40/$. More recently, however, data releases have stoked optimism that interest rate increases may soon be a thing of the past. Together with China’s reopening, this has reduced pessimism in global financial markets, and the rand...

Blockchain Africa Conference 2023: Gearing African businesses to compete in the global marketplace

31Jan

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, Ghana News, Kenya News, Nigeria News, South Africa News

Blockchain Africa Conference 2023: Gearing African businesses to compete in the global marketplace

The adoption of blockchain technology has gained traction in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana – resulting in more efficient and lower-cost cross-border payments to facilitate African businesses conducting trade abroad1. This shift can be attributed to an increase in global ratification of the technology where approximately 44% of the top 100 public companies2, including tech giant Amazon, Tencent, Nike and MacDonalds. More and more businesses are venturing towards the new technology prompted by the need for increased trust, security, transparency, and traceability of data shared across business networks. Moreover, the most significant appeal of blockchain technology in an African context is that it is both cost-effective and efficient, for which there is a real need and can potential...

Protect against Business Email Compromise – or it may cost you dearly

26Jan

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Protect against Business Email Compromise – or it may cost you dearly

Don’t let your business be punished for, and by cyber fraud As the business landscape rapidly evolves, a general awareness of security vulnerabilities is no longer enough. Cyber fraud, data and payment breach risks need to be managed urgently and strategically with the right tools, says Ryan Mer, CEO at eftsure Africa, an automated Know Your Payee™ (KYP) platform provider. South African companies are facing a surge in Business Email Compromise (BEC) and other cyberattacks, exposing gaps in organisations’ payment systems with serious financial, reputational, and legal consequences. In January 2023, leading South African law firm, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENS) was ordered by the High Court in Johannesburg to pay R5.5 million including interest to a property buyer, Mrs. Judith Harwarde...

Tough times ahead as South Africans face financial crisis

25Jan

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Tough times ahead as South Africans face financial crisis

Many South Africans face the prospect of a tough 2023. Inflation is the highest it has ever been, and the repo rate has steadily risen with more increases expected in the near future. Further stress is applied to the majority of consumers through (regular) significant increases in both petrol and diesel prices which not only impact car owners but also have a knock-on effect on the price of other items such as food and transport. “All of these increases have negated the financial relief initially offered by the rate reductions of 2020,” said Steyn. “Our concern is that South Africans are now feeling the brunt of these increases, with rising living costs eventually influencing the number of consumers forced to default on their debt payments. Increasing numbers of defaulters may in turn incr...