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Safaricom Withdraws Increased Charges for Equitel Customers
Safaricom has suspended the increased rates introduced for Equity Bank’s Equitel customers on 1st August 2015 and confirmed the revised rates will now take effect at the same time for all banks on December 1st 2015.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How Text Messaging Curbs Infant Mortality in Africa’s Biggest Urban Slum
Almost half of Kenyan mothers do not give birth in a hospital and, thus, receive little professional care or education on basics such as how long to breast feed, what to do in the case of diarrhea and vomiting, or where to go for an emergency. In this issue of Digital Diversity, Cayte Bosler looks at an innovative text messaging service which helps parents differentiate between normal behaviors and signs that something might be wrong.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Mobile Phone Records May Predict Epidemics of Mosquito-Borne Dengue Virus
A new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health finds that mobile phone records can be used to predict the geographical spread and timing of dengue epidemics. More people around the world are becoming vulnerable to this deadly virus as climate change expands the range of the mosquito that transmits dengue and infected travelers spread the disease across borders. Utilizing the largest data set of mobile phone records ever analyzed to estimate human mobility, the researchers developed an innovative model that can predict epidemics and provide critical early warning to policy makers.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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M-Pesa Opens Up to 3rd Party Developers in Kenya as Safaricom Launches API
When mobile payments and banking come to mind, one most likely thinks of headline-grabbing industry leaders such as Apple, Barclays and Visa. However, the reality is a bit different. The distinction of largest uptake of mobile payment adoption actually belongs to Kenya, and the M-Pesa payment solution.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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MasterCard Takes Fintech Incubator Global
MasterCard has launched Start Path Global, a globally available partnership programme for retail and fintech start-ups.
- Categories
- Technology
- Tags
- fintech, incubators
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Uber Links With Kia to Expand Fivefold in Africa’s Biggest City
Uber Technologies Inc. is negotiating cheaper deals for new vehicles with Kia Motors Corp. to boost its number of drivers fivefold in the Nigerian city of Lagos, Africa’s biggest, to 3,000 by the end of next year.
- Categories
- Technology, Transportation
- Tags
- transportation
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Citibank to launch financial tech accelerator program in India
Citibank India is in talks with digital payment companies and telecom operators to kick-start its financial tech accelerator program.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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This 50-Cent Paper Microscope Could ‘Democratize Science’
A couple of months ago, I received an interesting package in the mail. It looked like a standard manila envelope, but inside was a device that could quite possibly revolutionize the way we view the microscopic world. I'm referring to the Foldscope, an origami-based optical microscope that is small enough to fit inside your pocket.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Technology
- Tags
- research
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