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Sustainable Connectivity: How Biofuels Can Boost Mobile Access, Support Small Farmers – And Fight Climate Change
Mobile connectivity is sweeping through rural Africa and Asia – but it has a major drawback. It’s dependent on cellular towers that often rely either on diesel power, which has economic and ecological costs and limited availability, or solar panels, which require clear, sunny skies. Fortunately, another solution is emerging: bioenergy. John Garrity, Dennis Garrity and James Daniel at the Evergreening Global Alliance explore its positive impact on food security, grid infrastructure and global climate change.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Technology, Telecommunications
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M-Pesa to offer cash advances to clients
Safaricom users can now pay for goods and services even when they lack enough funds, piling pressure on conventional banks.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Telenor Microfinance partners with Alipay for Pakistan blockchain remittances
The service is provided by Telenor’s mobile banking service Easypaisa in Pakistan and another subsidiary Valyou in Malaysia. The aim is to make payments real-time, 24/7 and more efficient.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
- Region
- South Asia
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Nigeria Softens Rules Shielding Banks From Wireless Rivals
The central bank may have realized it can’t rely on lenders alone to achieve its objective of extending services to the 50 million adults still without a bank account in the nation of about 200 million people.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Sparrow’s RefugeeMobile Program Shows Smartphones Help Refugee Families Arriving in the US Resettle More Successfully
The results are in: research shows that smartphones help refugees resettle more successfully. RefugeeMobile, a smartphone program launched in May 2016 with the goal of helping refugee families arriving in the US resettle more successfully, has developed a proven program for refugees who have access to smartphones and data service. Recipients are more likely to integrate, be employed, and have higher paying jobs, according to new research.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
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Kenyan Government Plans Interoperable Mobile Money Wallet Amid M-Pesa Crisis
“It is becoming clearer that interoperability of mobile money will have to be seamless,” said CA Director-General Francis Wangusi in an interview with The Standard.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Airtel is banking on its 40 million subscribers to operate the largest and secure mobile money platform in Nigeria
Airtel says it is banking on it over 40 million customers and its retail footprint across major regions in Nigeria to drive financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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South Sudan okays plan to expand mobile money services
Most people in South Sudan’s capital have been relying on small unlicensed mobile operators to transfer money enabled by the platform created by MTN Uganda and Kenya’s M-Pesa platforms.
- Categories
- Finance, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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