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Viewpoint: Why India’s Supreme Court Judgment on Aadhaar National IDs Calls or an Appeal
Mahatma Gandhi refused to join the Constituent Assembly that wrote our wonderful Constitution, but his advice to some of the members was, “Whenever you are in doubt, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to control over his own life and destiny? Will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?” I submit that the recent Supreme Court (SC) interim judgment on Aadhaar does not pass the Mahatma’s test and it must be appealed. All it needs is one small tweak.
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- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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FI2020 Week to Convene Global Conversations on Financial Inclusion
The Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion (CFI) today announced the upcoming launch of Financial Inclusion 2020 (FI2020) Week, taking place from November 2-6, 2015.
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- Technology
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They Call It ‘Silicon Savannah’: What an East African Nation Teaches About Innovation
Kenya giant mobile phone company Safaricom recently made a move that, if other technology firms in Africa follow, could have revolutionary effects. It launched a Shillings 50 million ($500,000) innovation fund.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Smile, The Pan-African Wireless ISP, Has Raised $365 Million to Expand Its Network
Three years after launching Africa’s first 4G LTE services in Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria, Smile Telecoms has raised $365 million.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Viewpoint: Debate on Dominance in Telecoms Needs a Sober Approach in Kenya
Despite the hyped 87 per cent mobile phone penetration rate as of March 2015, the reality is that Kenya's unique subscriber base is probably around 45 per cent, meaning more than half of the country lacks "real" access to mobile services.
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- Technology
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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.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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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.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Will West Africa be the New East Africa in Mobile Money?: Shifting regulations and a growing ecosystem make the region an area to watch
Though the member countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union share one currency and one central bank, their mobile money ecosystems differ greatly. However, interoperability will likely be integrated across most of these countries in the not too distant future. Could its new regulatory regimes and developing ecosystems help the region take its place alongside the mobile money sprinters of East Africa?
- Categories
- Technology
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