Johannesburg, South Africa | THE INDEPENDENT | Econet, through its subsidiaries Liquid Telecom Group (LTG) and Cassava Fintech International (CFI) has this week launched a network of #SasaiWiFiFinder hotspots in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Rwanda, providing locals with most affordable internet access. A statement from Econet says the …
Read More »Research questions relevance of social media tax
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Two years after Uganda introduced a special tax on the access to social media sites, a new survey shows that the move has not achieved what it was meant to. In July 2018, the government introduced a levy of 200 Shillings per day on …
Read More »UCU secures free internet services for its e-learning platform
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Christian University has secured an offer for free internet services from MTN-Uganda to support its e-learning program. The University plans to officially resume it’s academic semester online this month after close to six months of inactivity as a result of a lockdown that …
Read More »Human Rights Commission asks government to suspend OTT
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Human Rights Commission has asked government to amend the law introducing Over the Top tax and suspend it during the electoral period in order to make internet more affordable and accessible. Dr. Katebalirwa Amooti Irumba, the acting chairman of the commission told …
Read More »REPORT: 30% of Ugandan women have experienced gender based harassment online
Africa faces a challenge with Online Gender Based Violence according to a new report released by Pollicy.org Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | One third of Ugandan women have experienced gender based harassment online, according to a new report released by Pollicy.org on the internet experiences of women in African …
Read More »Washington’s so-called “Clean Network” program to split global internet: media
London, UK | XINHUA | Washington’s so-called “Clean Network” program will “bolster a worrying movement” toward the split of the global internet, said a recent BBC article. “The U.S. government has for a long time criticized other countries for controlling access to the internet … and now we see the …
Read More »Ethiopian gov’t restores total internet access as normalcy returns in unrest-hit areas
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The Ethiopian government on Thursday restored total access to the internet after a total shutdown since June 29 following deadly unrest in the capital Addis Ababa and other parts of the country killing at least 239 people. Deadly protests erupted in the Ethiopian capital, …
Read More »Africa needs to increase internet penetration as COVID-19 disrupts trade condition, says UNECA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | Much still needs to be done for Africa to increase internet penetration as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the continent’s trade and socioeconomic condition, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said on Tuesday. According to figures from the ECA, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia and South …
Read More »Ethiopian gov’t restores partial internet access as normalcy returns in unrest-hit areas
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The Ethiopian government on Wednesday restored partial access to the internet after a total shutdown since June 29 following deadly unrest that erupted in the capital Addis Ababa and other parts of the country killing at least 166 people. Deadly protests erupted in the …
Read More »Coronavirus leading to ‘desperately unequal’ learning levels- UNICEF
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Inherent inequalities in accessing the internet and other tools to allow children to continue their studies threaten to deepen the global crisis in learning, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday. UNICEF data reveals that in 71 countries worldwide, less than half the …
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