Kenyan technology leader Michael Michie Kamau has been appointed the Responsible AI Governor for Kenya by the Global Council for Responsible AI (GCRAI), adding a Kenyan voice to the global conversation around the governance and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence.The appointment comes as Kenya moves to strengthen its AI ecosystem through policy, skills development, infrastructure and investment, while organisations across the country increasingly adopt AI tools.Michie brings more than 14 years of experience spanning artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, data privacy, digital transformation and technology policy. He has contributed to the development of Kenya’s AI Policy and the National AI Strategy 2025–2030, particularly in areas including infrastructure, investment and intellectual property.“I am honoured to take on this role at a time when Kenya and Africa are moving rapidly from conversations about AI to real-world deployment. Responsible AI cannot end with principles, policies or compliance frameworks; we have to build the technical capacity, infrastructure, skills and assurance mechanisms that make those principles real,” says Michie.He is also involved in AI training and awareness programmes for Kenya’s Council of Governors, helping public-sector leaders build a better understanding of AI and its potential applications and risks.His work extends into international AI safety and evaluation. Michie represents Kenya within the International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation and Science, where he works on issues including cybersecurity, prompt injection, multilingual AI models, AI ethics and approaches to evaluating AI systems.The combination of policy and technical experience is central to his new role. As AI adoption accelerates, responsible AI governance increasingly requires more than high-level principles. Governments and organisations also need the technical capacity to understand how AI systems work, assess their risks and establish appropriate safeguards.“I want to use this position to ensure that African countries are not simply adopting standards developed elsewhere, but are actively shaping how AI is governed globally, informed by our own realities, risks and ambitions. If we get this right, responsible AI should not become a constraint on African innovation; it should become part of the foundation that allows us to innovate with greater trust, sovereignty and confidence. I look forward to working with all the great minds at the Global Council for Responsible AI,” he says.Michie also brings experience in building AI infrastructure. As Founder and CEO of EverseTech, he is working on locally hosted GPU infrastructure, AI-as-a-Service and sovereign AI infrastructure aimed at supporting organisations seeking greater control over their AI workloads and data.His background also includes technology leadership roles in banking, financial services and the legal sector, giving him experience implementing cybersecurity, cloud and digital transformation solutions in complex organisations.As an adjunct faculty member at the Kenya School of Government, Michie has contributed to curriculum development for the Regional Centre of Competence for Digital and AI Skilling in the Public Service and trains professionals in areas including AI strategy, digital technology and cybersecurity.Through the GCRAI role, Michie is expected to bring Kenyan and broader African perspectives into international discussions on AI governance, including issues around infrastructure, data, cybersecurity, skills and access to AI capabilities.The appointment comes at a time when African countries are increasingly seeking a greater role in shaping global AI standards, ensuring that governance frameworks reflect the continent’s technological realities as well as its growing AI ambitions.
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Read briefing Amazon Web Services (AWS) is investing $1 billion in a dedicated Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) organisation that will place its AI engineers inside customer businesses to co-develop and deploy agentic AI systems.According to AWS, customers are moving beyond experimentation and looking to rebuild business processes around agentic AI. Increasingly, the company says, they want AI engineers working alongside their own teams rather than receiving advice from external consultants.AWS defines the model around three principles: an agentic-first approach, deployment timelines compressed from months to days, and customer self-sufficiency once an engagement ends.FDE teams embed AWS engineers, including engineers who build the company’s own AI services, directly within customer business, engineering and security teams. They work with purpose-built agents to put production systems into the customer’s environment, using the organisation’s own data, governance frameworks and processes.The delivery model is itself agentic. AWS uses what it calls the AI-Driven Development Lifecycle, which combines AI-powered execution with human oversight, allowing agents to accelerate each phase while human engineers verify and guide the work.AWS says the approach also allows knowledge and intelligence developed during each project to inform subsequent engagements.Engagements are structured around shared objectives and business outcomes rather than billable hours, a deliberate contrast with traditional consulting models, which AWS characterises as assessing, recommending and treating deployments as standalone projects.The most significant part of the proposition may be what remains after AWS engineers leave.At the centre is a semantic layer deployed within the customer’s own AWS account. It connects to enterprise data sources, enriches metadata and uses AI to create a governed, versioned knowledge graph.Agents can then reason over that graph. In AWS’s framing, this means domain expertise is embedded in the customer’s systems rather than remaining primarily as institutional knowledge held by individuals who may eventually leave the organisation.Customers also receive knowledge graphs, runbooks, architectural documentation and trained internal champions.AWS says customer engineers progress from observers to co-builders and ultimately to autonomous operators during an engagement.Security is built into the process from the outset, with AWS citing hardware-based isolation and end-to-end encryption. Customer data, the company says, remains within the customer’s governance framework.AWS partners will also form part of the model, contributing industry expertise, model knowledge and complementary capabilities. The company said it is investing in partner training, tools and resources to support FDE engagements.AWS says FDE teams are already working with the Allen Institute, Cox Automotive, the NBA, the NFL, Ricoh and Southwest Airlines.“The NFL has millions of fans who want to consume football content throughout the year, including the offseason. We innovate at the pace and scale needed to meet the high expectations of our fans,” said Gary Brantley, chief information officer of the National Football League.“To create new digital experiences for our fans, the NFL partnered with AWS FDE and got engineers building alongside our team to launch into production in just weeks. Together, we created new fan-facing products like NFL Fantasy AI and NFL IQ that allow fans to interact with NFL data like never before. The engagement from fans and broadcasters was measurable from day one and was made possible by AWS’s delivery model.”The initiative builds on work AWS traces back to 2017, when it began developing AI solutions for customers, as well as three years of the company’s Generative AI Innovation Centre, whose engineers have worked on thousands of customer solutions.AWS cites projects including work with BMW to reduce service disruptions across 23 million connected vehicles, a manufacturing assistant developed with Jabil, and a partnership with Lyft that it says resolved driver support issues 87 percent faster.AWS is targeting organisations that have moved beyond AI experimentation and need production systems operating within real business processes.The company is particularly focused on regulated industries, financial services and government, where security, governance and speed to production are critical considerations.That positioning makes the model particularly relevant in markets such as Africa, where some of the organisations furthest along in digital transformation are banks, insurers, telecommunications operators and government agencies.These organisations also face some of the strongest governance requirements and have little room for failed technology deployments.The model ultimately puts a testable proposition at the centre of AWS’s commercial offering: capability transfer.AWS is not only promising to build AI systems for customers, but to leave behind teams capable of operating and developing those systems themselves.
Read briefing IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon during a past meeting in his office. PHOTO | COURTESYThe Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has formally gazetted the commencement of the election period for the August 10, 2027 polls, setting out a detailed roadmap governing voter registration, political party activities, candidate nominations, campaigns, election offences and preparations for the polls.IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon said the commission had published Kenya Gazette Notice No. 13497 on Thursday, August 20, 2026, formally bringing into force the Electoral Code of Conduct and the Election Offences Act in preparation for the 2027 General Election.The gazettement marks a significant milestone in the electoral calendar, effectively placing political parties, prospective candidates and other election stakeholders under the legal framework governing the conduct of the election.Ethekon said the commission was committed to conducting the election in accordance with the law and guided by the principles of independence, accountability, transparency and professionalism.“The foundation of a credible election is a clean, accurate and verifiable register of voters,” Ethekon said, as he outlined the commission's preparations for the election.The IEBC boss said Continuous Voter Registration, which began on September 29, 2025, remains ongoing, allowing eligible Kenyans to register as voters, transfer their registration and update their particulars.He said the commission projects that the 2027 register will contain approximately 28.5 million voters, compared to the 22.1 million registered voters recorded for the 2022 General Election.As of August 20, 2026, the commission said 2,936,516 Kenyans had registered as voters.The IEBC said it is also expanding voter registration for Kenyans living outside the country from 12 to 26 countries, describing the move as part of efforts to advance the constitutional right of eligible citizens in the diaspora to participate in elections.“Through the use of biometric technology for voter registration and voter verification, we are strengthening the integrity of the register of voters by enabling voters to inspect and verify their biometric data ahead of Election Day. The process also facilitates the removal of deceased persons and double registration,” Ethekon noted.“Further, the register of voters will be subjected to a professional independent audit firm that will undertake a forensic audit and certify it for use in the 2027 General Election.”Ethekon said the commission was also engaging government agencies, political parties, the media, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, development partners and members of the public as part of a broader effort to prepare for the election.He said the IEBC was working to strengthen coordination between security and justice-sector agencies to ensure a peaceful and secure electoral environment, while improving the capacity of election officials and enforcement of electoral laws.The commission, however, stressed that the various dates on the electoral calendar are legally binding and must be adhered to by all stakeholders.“Adherence to the set timelines is non-negotiable. These are not mere guidelines, but legally binding requirements essential to the orderly and credible conduct of the electoral process,” Ethekon said.The IEBC reaffirmed that the next General Election is scheduled for Tuesday, August 10, 2027, when Kenyans will elect the President, Members of the National Assembly, Senators, Governors, County Woman Representatives and Members of County Assemblies.The commission also addressed the ongoing legal debate surrounding the constitutional timing of the next General Election.“From the outset, the Commission notes the recent judgment in Dr. Owiso Owiso, Khelef Khalifa and Ashioya Biko v Attorney General & Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Malindi High Court Petition No. HCCHRPET/023/2025, where Hon. Justice Thande considered the constitutional timing of the next General Election. In interpreting Article 136(2)(a) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the Court held that the fifth year following the General Election held on 9th August 2022 commenced on 9th August 2026; consequently, determining that the presidential election was constitutionally due on Tuesday, 11th August 2026,” Ethekon said.“The Court suspended its decision until the next General Election scheduled for 10th August 2027. Accordingly, the matter remains subject to the applicable appellate and constitutional processes and the Commission continues to discharge its mandate and prepare for the 2027 General Election.”He further added: “The General Election is scheduled for Tuesday, 10th August 2027. This is the day when Kenyans will go to the polls to elect their leaders.”The electoral commission has also set a series of deadlines for public officers seeking to contest in the election.
Read briefing Campaigning will close on August 7, 2027, 48 hours before Kenyans head to the polls.
Read briefing Malawi has made significant progress in extending mobile connectivity, but most of its population remains offline despite living within areas covered by mobile broadband networks.A new report from the GSMA estimates that around 80% of Malawians live within mobile broadband coverage but do not use mobile internet, highlighting a growing gap between network availability and meaningful digital access.The report, Driving Digital Transformation of the Economy in Malawi: Opportunities, Policy Recommendations and the Role of Mobile, argues that closing this usage gap could have significant economic and social benefits for the country.According to the analysis, targeted digital reforms could generate an additional MWK 1.1 trillion in economic value and create about 490,000 jobs by 2030. The findings were released on 20 August 2026 during the GSMA’s Digital Africa Summit in Lilongwe, as policymakers and industry stakeholders consider how Malawi can accelerate digital adoption and support the country’s longer-term development ambitions.The report links greater digital access to potential improvements in areas such as education, financial services and access to digital government services. It also positions mobile connectivity as an important component of Malawi’s development plans, including Malawi 2063, the Government’s 2025–2030 manifesto, the Digital Malawi Acceleration Project and the Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi.Malawi’s connectivity infrastructure has expanded considerably in recent years. The country reached 87% 4G population coverage in 2025, while mobile data prices remain among the more affordable in Africa. Mobile money has also become an established part of the financial system. According to the GSMA report, 75% of adults actively use mobile money, with more than 576 million transactions worth MWK 8.6 trillion processed during 2025. Yet these gains have not translated into widespread mobile internet use.The GSMA estimates that unique mobile internet penetration stands at just 12.5%, while smartphone adoption is 33%. This leaves a substantial proportion of the population unable to take advantage of the digital services and economic opportunities enabled by mobile connectivity. The gap is particularly pronounced when compared with other African markets. Around 80% of Malawi’s population is estimated to be living within mobile broadband coverage without using mobile internet, compared with a regional usage gap of approximately 65%.The figures suggest that the next stage of Malawi’s digital transformation will require more than building additional networks. Infrastructure remains important, particularly in underserved areas, but getting people to actually use the networks will require attention to the cost of devices and services, digital skills and the wider economic environment.“Malawi has made strong progress in expanding connectivity and financial inclusion, but access alone is not enough. With 80% of the population still offline despite network coverage, the priority now must be turning access into meaningful use.“This requires decisive action to address affordability, digital skills and investment barriers. With the right policy environment in place, Malawi has a clear opportunity to unlock significant economic growth and ensure that digital transformation benefits everyone,” Caroline Mbugua, Senior Director Public Policy at GSMA Africa, said.The report identifies device affordability and limited digital skills among the key barriers preventing more Malawians from moving online. While mobile networks may be available, owning a smartphone capable of accessing modern digital services remains beyond the reach of many households. The relatively low smartphone adoption rate of 33% is therefore an important part of the wider usage challenge.The wider investment environment also presents obstacles. Foreign exchange shortages and high energy costs can increase the cost of maintaining and expanding telecommunications infrastructure, making it more difficult for operators to invest in network expansion and capacity. These challenges are particularly important outside urban areas, where lower population densities and higher infrastructure costs can make commercial investment more difficult.The GSMA therefore argues that Malawi needs policies that address both sides of the connectivity equation: ensuring that networks continue to expand while making it easier and more affordable for people to use them.The potential economic impact is one of the central findings of the report. If the recommended reforms are implemented, the GSMA estimates that Malawi could add 810,000 mobile internet users by 2030, taking the total number of users to about five million. The report projects that this could contribute MWK 1.1 trillion in additional economic value across key sectors and support the creation of approximately 490,000 jobs.There could also be an impact on government revenues. The GSMA estimates a net positive fiscal impact of MWK 179 billion by 2030, driven by increased digital adoption and improved tax compliance. The projections illustrate why the usage gap is increasingly being viewed as an economic issue rather than solely a telecommunications challenge.
Read briefing At the Gallagher Convention Centre, in a keynote hall built for a continent-sized conversation, AWS made its position clear: Africa does not need to follow the same digital path as the rest of the world. It can skip parts of it entirely.That was the thread running from Jyoti Ball, AWS General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, to Tanuja Randery, the company’s Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.Ball’s argument was simple and, on this continent, familiar: progress does not have to be sequential, and Africa has the track record to prove it.The continent did not build copper landlines at scale before catching up with the West. It moved straight to mobile. Fewer than 10 per cent of connections run over fixed lines today, compared with roughly 115 million mobile connections and a mobile money ecosystem that has made Africa a global leader in digital payments.That is not a one-off. It is a recurring pattern of leapfrogging, and it is the evidence AWS points to for why AI adoption could follow a similar trajectory.Ball’s argument on stage was that AI is simply the next leap in that sequence. While mature markets are retrofitting AI onto decades of legacy IT investments, much of Africa is building from a comparatively clean slate, without the same legacy infrastructure to unwind or replace.Ball put a number on the opportunity: Africa’s AI market is valued at more than $16 billion and growing at 27 per cent annually, well ahead of the continent’s overall GDP growth rate of 4 per cent.The gap between those figures is the point AWS wants to make. AI adoption in Africa is not simply following the broader economy; it is outpacing it. In market terms, that is what a leapfrog looks like.The practical grounding came during a fireside conversation featuring Kgomotso Molabe, Group CIO for Personal Banking at Standard Bank, and Randery, who reinforced the leapfrog thesis while adding the discipline needed to make it work.Africa’s challenges are unique and require solutions designed around its realities. For Standard Bank, that means working backwards: starting with the business outcome it needs and then identifying the combination of technologies and tools that can deliver it, rather than starting with the technology stack and working forward.For a bank operating across multiple African markets, each with its own infrastructure, regulatory and talent realities, that discipline turns “leapfrog” from a slogan into an operating principle. Identify the outcome first, then let the problem determine which tools are needed.A continent shaped by mobile-first adoption and a history of leapfrogging has already demonstrated its ability to absorb transformative technologies without carrying all the legacy infrastructure that can slow adoption elsewhere.To reinforce the argument, Randery pointed to AWS’s investments in the continent. The company has invested $819 million in infrastructure across Africa since 2018 and has committed a further $1.5 billion through the end of 2029.AWS also says its skills programmes have trained 1 million people across the continent since 2017, while its AWS Africa (Cape Town) Region now offers 154 services locally.Taken together, the numbers form the foundation of AWS’s argument that Africa’s AI opportunity is no longer theoretical. The infrastructure is being built, the skills are being developed and, if the continent’s history of technological leapfrogging is any guide, the next major jump may already be underway.
Read briefing Amazon Web Services (AWS) is committing AI and cloud technology to support the expansion of NBA Math Hoops. This basketball-based education programme aims to reach 10,000 students across five African countries by the end of 2027.The partnership with nonprofit Learn Fresh will use AWS technology, infrastructure and technical expertise to expand the programme to students aged 8–14, including 1,000 learners in South Africa. The initiative builds on a three-year pilot that has trained more than 100 educators in South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique.NBA Math Hoops combines basketball with mathematics, allowing students to solve algebra problems using real NBA and WNBA player statistics while developing problem-solving and social-emotional skills.AWS will support the programme through its $100 million Education Equity Initiative, providing technology designed to help Learn Fresh scale the programme across different countries and languages.Amazon Bedrock will be used to personalise maths challenges based on students’ learning levels and pace, while Amazon Translate will localise content in English, Arabic, French and Swahili. Amazon Quick will provide real-time visibility into student engagement, learning outcomes and educator performance.The programme is targeting South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Egypt, with the first regional tournaments planned for the first half of 2027. Continental tournament participation is planned to be linked to the Basketball Africa League Finals by 2030.The expansion comes against a significant education challenge. UNESCO estimates that nearly 90 percent of children aged 6–14 in sub-Saharan Africa do not achieve minimum proficiency in numeracy.Learn Fresh’s programme has previously demonstrated measurable results. A randomised controlled trial conducted by WestEd found that students gained four to five months of mathematics learning after 17–24 hours of programme exposure.“AWS exists to help organisations build solutions that improve lives, and NBA Math Hoops is exactly the kind of program we want to see succeed,” said Francessca Vasquez, Vice President of Frontier AI Engineering and Services at AWS.Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa, said the partnership would combine basketball’s appeal with technology and proven educational tools to equip young people with skills needed in school and beyond.Students will access the programme through NBA Africa’s network of offices, partners, community organisations and schools, while educators will undergo structured training before introducing the programme to learners.Calvin Sibert, Chief Mission Officer at Learn Fresh, said the partnership would allow the organisation to deepen its collaboration with NBA Africa and build on its work in South Africa and across the continent.
Read briefing Deloitte Africa has been named AWS Consulting Partner of the Year at the 2026 AWS Partner Summit and Awards, held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on Tuesday,18 August 2026.The AWS Consulting Partner of the Year Award recognises the top consulting partner that has demonstrated exceptional performance across key areas, including revenue growth, skills and capability development, and the achievement of AWS competencies and designations.“Winning AWS Consulting Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year is an incredible milestone for us. More importantly, it reflects the trust our clients place in Deloitte and AWS to turn bold ideas into reality. Together, we are harnessing the power of Cloud and AI to deliver measurable business impact and help some of Africa’s most important organisations transform and grow. This recognition strengthens our commitment to innovation across the continent and inspires us to continue raising the bar for the value we create for our clients and communities,” says Aasif Karachi, Partner and Deloitte Africa Alliance Leader.During the AWS Partner Summit, solutions delivered by Deloitte Africa in collaboration with Gold Fields and Trident Steel were highlighted as examples of innovation and impactful transformation.For Gold Fields, Deloitte implemented a solution that reduced incident reporting times from weeks to hours, significantly improving responsiveness and operational efficiency.In collaboration with AWS, Deloitte Africa also developed an advanced monitoring centre that combines human expertise with AI-driven intelligence to identify risks and generate incident reports in real time, enabling faster and more informed decision-making.As organisations across Africa continue to accelerate their digital transformation journeys, Deloitte Africa remains committed to partnering with clients and AWS to deliver innovative solutions that create lasting value and make an impact that matters.
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Read briefing Africanews highlighted a Kenya-built navigation tool designed to help people with visual impairment understand what lies ahead as they move through Nairobi, underscoring practical AI use in public life.Why it matters: It is a positive, evidence-based technology story with strong visual appeal and local innovation value.
Read briefing The commission has published nomination requirements for 2027 presidential aspirants, including proof of support from at least 2,000 registered voters in a majority of counties.Why it matters: Nomination thresholds shape the field of contenders and will drive county-level mobilisation and party vetting across Kenya; mark for sensitive editor review.
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Read briefing Kenya’s Communications Authority (CA) is targeting to equip 120,000 people across 19 counties with digital skills over the next three years as the country seeks to address gaps in digital literacy alongside expanding internet connectivity.The programme is being implemented through the Authority’s Universal Service Fund (USF) under its Digital Skilling Project, with a focus on communities in areas that remain unserved or underserved by digital infrastructure.The initiative recognises that expanding access to connectivity is only one part of closing Kenya’s digital divide. While more people are gaining access to internet services, a lack of digital skills can limit their ability to use those services effectively and take advantage of opportunities in the digital economy.The CA said the programme is therefore intended to complement ongoing connectivity initiatives by helping people develop the skills needed to use digital technologies confidently, safely and sustainably.Speaking during a stakeholders’ workshop on digital skilling, the Authority’s Director of Universal Service Fund, Eng. Dennis Chepkwony, emphasised the role of collaboration in implementing the programme and reaching communities where access to digital technologies remains limited.The focus on skills also reflects a broader challenge facing Kenya’s digital transformation. Investments in broadband networks and other digital infrastructure can improve access, but their economic and social impact depends partly on whether people have the knowledge and confidence to use the services available to them.The Digital Skilling Project forms part of Kenya’s wider efforts to expand digital capabilities under the Kenya National Digital Master Plan 2022–2032. The national strategy places digital skills among the areas that need to be strengthened as the country expands the use of technology across government, businesses and communities.For communities in underserved areas, digital literacy can influence how effectively people access online government services, education, employment opportunities, financial services and other digital platforms.The CA’s approach consequently links two elements of digital inclusion: access to connectivity and the ability to use it. The three-year programme is expected to extend these skills to 120,000 people across the 19 targeted counties, with implementation relying on collaboration between the Authority and other stakeholders.As Kenya continues to invest in nationwide connectivity, programmes such as the Digital Skilling Project point to the next challenge in the country’s digital transformation: ensuring that connectivity translates into meaningful participation in the digital economy rather than simply providing access to the internet.
Read briefing For most smartphone buyers, battery life is one of those specifications that matters more in everyday use than it does on a product sheet. A powerful processor or a high-resolution display may attract attention, but none of it is particularly useful when the phone needs to be plugged in halfway through the day.The same is increasingly true of privacy. Smartphones now hold banking applications, mobile money accounts, personal conversations, photographs, work files and social media accounts. Handing your phone to someone else can therefore mean giving them access to far more than the single thing they asked to check.These are two areas where the vivo Y500 takes a somewhat different approach from many phones in its price range. Its biggest talking points are an 8,100mAh battery and a dedicated Privacy System, while the rest of the device is built around a large AMOLED display, durability and enough storage for everyday use. The Y500 sits in Kenya’s mid-range smartphone market, where it has to compete not only on specifications but on how useful those specifications are in real life.There is no getting around the size of the battery. At 8,100mAh, the Y500 has considerably more battery capacity than what is typical of smartphones in this segment. For context, many mainstream smartphones have settled around the 5,000mAh mark, making the Y500’s capacity one of its most significant differentiators.According to vivo, its laboratory testing produced up to 35 hours of local video playback, 29.6 hours of YouTube playback over Wi-Fi and 10.2 hours of continuous PUBG gaming. Those figures should be treated as laboratory benchmarks rather than an expectation of what every user will achieve, since battery performance depends heavily on brightness, network conditions, applications and how a phone is used. Still, the underlying advantage is that the Y500 is designed for people who would rather carry a larger battery than carry a charger everywhere.The company also says the battery is covered by a six-year battery health guarantee. That is particularly relevant for a device whose selling point is longevity, although the terms and conditions of the guarantee are worth checking before purchase. The trade-off, as with any phone carrying such a large battery, is that battery capacity is only one part of the overall experience. A bigger battery can add weight and thickness, and buyers who prioritise a particularly slim and lightweight phone may find the design less compelling than someone whose first concern is endurance.The second major feature is less visible than the battery but arguably more interesting. The Y500’s Privacy System creates a separate space on the phone where users can store applications, photos, videos and files. That space can be secured separately using a password or fingerprint. The usefulness becomes apparent in a situation that is common in Kenya where someone might ask to borrow your phone. Maybe they want to make a call, check something online or send a WhatsApp message. Ordinarily, giving them the phone means trusting them not to wander into other applications or files.A separate private space provides another layer of control. Instead of having to think about what is visible on the main device before handing it over, users can keep selected information away from the main interface. It is not a replacement for good security practices, but it is a practical addition to a problem that smartphone manufacturers do not always address directly. It is also a feature that could prove particularly useful for people who use one phone for both personal and work purposes. Keeping certain files and applications separate can make the device easier to share without necessarily making everything on it accessible.In that sense, the Privacy System is more interesting than some of the headline specifications because it addresses an everyday behaviour rather than simply adding another number to a specification sheet.The Y500 comes with a 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate and a claimed peak brightness of up to 5,000 nits. The large screen is well suited to video, gaming and general content consumption. AMOLED also brings the usual advantages associated with the technology, including strong contrast and deep blacks. The 120Hz refresh rate is useful beyond gaming. Scrolling through social media feeds, moving between menus and navigating webpages generally feels smoother than on a conventional 60Hz display.Furthermore, the Y500 carries IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance and is marketed with military-grade protection. The IP ratings are particularly useful for a device intended to be used throughout the day. Phones are exposed to rain, accidental spills, dust and the occasional drop, and additional protection can reduce some of the anxiety that comes with carrying a smartphone everywhere.The phone also supports underwater photography, although this is one feature where users should pay close attention to the manufacturer’s guidance. Water resistance is not an invitation to treat a smartphone as an underwater camera indefinitely, and protection can change over the life of a device. Still, the combination of water and dust resistance makes sense alongside the phone’s focus on durability and long-term use.
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Read briefing This photo provided by Kenya Red Cross shows Kenya Red Cross emergency response teams during a multi-agency rescue and recovery operation in response to a helicopter crash near Mt. Ololokwe in Samburu, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Kenya Red Cross via AP) ADDITION: Removes reference to killed touristsNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A safari helicopter crashed Wednesday morning in a remote part of northern Kenya, killing seven people, including five Americans, according to local police and the U.S. State Department.Among those killed were an executive with Telemundo, the U.S.-based Spanish-language network owned by NBCUniversal, and the director of Ecuador’s national intelligence service.The helicopter crashed at 9:13 a.m. while flying from the Loisaba Conservancy to the Ewaso Nyiro area in Samburu County, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, which said in a statement that an investigation was underway. It said there were seven people on board — six passengers and the pilot.Late on Wednesday, David Nkoroi, the police commander for Samburu, told reporters that all seven people on board had died.“The U.S. Embassy is in touch with local authorities and is providing consular assistance,” it said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss.”The identities of the victims were not revealed but a local television station in Miami, Florida, said that José Suárez, 55, president and general manager of several Telemundo stations in Florida, was among those killed.“We are heartbroken to learn the tragic news that José was killed in a helicopter accident in Kenya,” the NBC affiliate in Miami quoted from a joint statement from NBC Universal and Telemundo leadership.The helicopter crashed in a rugged area in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe, a popular tourist destination in the country, local media reported. The helicopter, owned by local company Lady Lori Helicopters, was carrying guests with travel company &Beyond. Lady Lori Helicopters said in a statement that the aircraft was operating a charter flight when it crashed.Tropic Air Kenya, a local safari operator, said in a statement that it dispatched two of its helicopters to aid search and rescue operations.Ecuador confirmed later Wednesday that Michele Sensi-Contugi, director of the country’s National Intelligence Center, died in the crash.“In this moment of deep sorrow, the government extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, loved ones and close associates,” Ecuador’s presidency said in a statement posted on X.Sensi-Contugi, a friend and close associate of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, was visiting Kenya as a tourist with his wife, Stephany Hollihan, who also died in the crash. She was a U.S. and Ecuadorian citizen. They are survived by their two children.Helicopter crashes have happened with increasing regularity in Kenya, which has a vibrant tourism industry that depends on domestic carriers to ferry visitors to distant places like Mount Ololokwe.In February, a legislator was among six people who died after a helicopter crash in a hilly area of western Kenya.This story has been corrected after a previous version erroneously said that local safari company Tropic Air operated the helicopter.
Read briefing South Africa’s National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) have published a draft Crypto Asset Manual for Cross-Border Activities for public comment, setting out proposed rules for cross-border cryptocurrency transactions and the regulation of authorised Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASPs).The draft Crypto Manual complements the draft Capital Flow Management Regulations, published in April, and provides greater detail on how authorities intend to implement the regulations’ crypto asset provisions.The proposed framework would establish rules for the authorisation and supervision of CASPs, define when crypto transactions are considered cross-border transactions, and introduce requirements governing the externalisation and repatriation of crypto assets. It would also impose reporting, operational, governance and compliance obligations on authorised CASPs.Under the proposed rules, a crypto transaction would generally be considered cross-border when assets move between a South African authorised CASP and an offshore CASP, or from a domestic authorised CASP to a non-custodial wallet, resulting in a cross-border inflow or outflow. Transactions between domestic authorised CASPs would remain domestic and would not be reportable to the SARB’s Financial Surveillance Department (FinSurv).For South African resident individuals, crypto assets could be transferred from domestic custodial wallets to offshore custodial or non-custodial wallets, subject to existing exchange-control allowances. These include the ZAR2 million single discretionary allowance and the ZAR10 million foreign capital allowance per calendar year.The proposed framework takes a more restrictive position on resident entities. While companies could acquire and dispose of crypto assets domestically, they would not be permitted to conduct crypto transactions classified as imports or exports of capital. This would include certain transfers between South African and offshore wallets.CASPs facilitating transactions classified as capital imports or exports would require authorisation from FinSurv and would face enhanced reporting requirements, including monitoring transactions through South African custodial wallets and maintaining systems capable of reconciling transaction data with information submitted to the regulator.The proposals signal a further move by South African authorities to bring cross-border crypto activity within the country’s existing exchange-control and financial-surveillance framework, while creating clearer obligations for businesses operating in the crypto ecosystem.Interested parties have until 30 September 2026 to submit written comments to the SARB. National Treasury and the SARB said both the draft CFM Regulations and the Crypto Manual remain subject to further refinement following public comments and stakeholder engagement.
Read briefing Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has signed the regulatory instruments underpinning the National Sovereign Cloud Initiative (NSCI), establishing unified rules, technical standards and an investment roadmap for cloud service providers, data centres, artificial intelligence infrastructure and government digital assets.Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, NITDA Director-General signed three instruments at a ceremony in Abuja on 4 August, with the agency publishing the documents for public download this week. Attendees included Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; Rakiya Opemi Yusuf, Director of the Payment Systems Supervision Department at the Central Bank of Nigeria; and Ikechukwu Nnamani, Chief Executive Officer of Medallion Data Centres.The composition of the gathering highlighted the intersection between financial-sector regulation and commercial data-centre operations.“Today’s signing marks our transition from policy development to implementation,” Abdullahi said.The initiative rests on four instruments. The National Cloud Computing Guideline sets the overarching rules for cloud adoption, while the National Cloud Technical Guideline establishes the technical standards providers must meet.The National Digital Infrastructure Assurance Framework (NDIAF) provides the assurance mechanism through which compliance is verified rather than simply asserted. Alongside these frameworks, NITDA unveiled the National Cloud Investment Strategy, a roadmap for attracting investment into cloud infrastructure, data centres, sovereign computing and AI infrastructure.The initiative builds on the federal government’s existing Cloud First Policy. NITDA said the instruments were developed through consultations involving government agencies, indigenous cloud providers, global hyperscalers, data-centre operators and development partners — a stakeholder base that matters because the framework will apply across the ecosystem.NITDA plans to operationalise a national digital regulatory platform by October 2026, through which it will conduct the onboarding, technical assessment, certification and regulation of cloud and digital infrastructure providers operating in Nigeria.That moves the framework from a statement of principles towards an enforceable regulatory regime with a defined start date. Providers serving the Nigerian market — domestic operators and international hyperscalers alike — will be assessed and certified against the technical standards established by the new instruments.Oversight will sit with a Sovereign Cloud Governance Committee, which the agency said would be constituted within two weeks of the signing.The term is used loosely across the industry, but the instruments give it more specific content.A sovereign cloud framework typically addresses where data physically resides, which legal jurisdiction applies to the provider and its subcontractors, who can access data and under what authority, what assurance and audit rights the state retains, and what happens to workloads if a provider withdraws or a commercial relationship ends.Abdullahi framed cloud infrastructure as a strategic national asset underpinning digital government, financial services, artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, innovation and digital trade.The presence of the Central Bank’s payment systems supervisor at the signing also reflects that overlap. Nigeria’s financial sector already operates under data-localisation expectations, while cloud certification could provide a technical and institutional mechanism for enforcing those requirements.Abdullahi told the ceremony that the country should “position ourselves not to serve Nigeria alone, but to serve West and Central Africa,” describing Nigeria as already the digital gateway to West Africa and arguing that achieving the wider ambition depends on building the infrastructure first.The IMF’s recent assessment of AI in sub-Saharan Africa counted roughly 160 data centres on the continent — about 5.5 percent of the global total — with nearly half concentrated in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.By capacity rather than facility count, the Africa Data Centres Association’s 2026 economic report places Africa at around 0.6 percent of global capacity.Nigeria is among the three markets that account for most of the continent’s existing capacity. Whether certification can attract the investment needed to expand that capacity is the question the National Cloud Investment Strategy is intended to address.The sovereign cloud instruments are the second major framework NITDA has issued in a month, following the National Software Quality Assurance Framework, signed on 30 July. That framework will make independent third-party testing a precondition for federal software deployment from the second quarter of 2027.Both sit within a broader Nigerian regulatory build-out this year that includes the NIMC Act 2026, which designates the identity commission as the country’s root of digital trust, and an executive order placing telecommunications infrastructure under critical national information infrastructure protection.
Read briefing FILE -A man connects electric cables on a pole above the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde, File)FILE -A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde, File)A solar power plant is seen at the car park of Two Rivers Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku, File)A solar power plant is seen at the car park of Two Rivers Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku, File)FILE -A man connects electric cables on a pole above the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde, File)FILE -A man connects electric cables on a pole above the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde, File)FILE -A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde, File)FILE -A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde, File)A solar power plant is seen at the car park of Two Rivers Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku, File)A solar power plant is seen at the car park of Two Rivers Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku, File)A solar power plant is seen at the car park of Two Rivers Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku, File)A solar power plant is seen at the car park of Two Rivers Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku, File)NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya has tripled its long-term target for expanding its renewable energy capacity to meet surging demand and support its industrialization, but that might not result in more affordable power for consumers.The plan calls for renewable power generating capacity of 5,500 megawatts, up from about 1,500 MW now. That would include 2,000 MW of nuclear power alongside 700 MW of hydropower and new geothermal projects.That will strengthen the country’s position as a global leader in renewable energy. Kenya already produces 93% of its electricity using renewable sources. But experts say that reforms for utility contracts, electricity grids, financing and pricing are needed to translate clean energy growth into lower cost power for consumers.“We have recalibrated our long-term growth trajectory from 1,500MW to a 5,500MW renewable energy development pipeline,” said Peter Njenga, CEO of KenGen, the state-owned utility that produces about 60% of Kenya’s power.Lawmakers have been pushing the government to reduce electricity rates. In July, the parliament directed Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi to develop a policy for renegotiating electricity supply agreements with major power producers. Lawmakers said lower wholesale prices could create more leeway for Kenya Power to cut consumer rates without damaging its finances.Energy experts say Kenya needs to focus less on building new generation capacity than on making electricity cheaper.“The answer to this conundrum is not as straightforward as it may seem,” said Mugwe Manga, climate finance lead at the nonprofit FSD Kenya. “One must look at the entire energy system holistically to understand the drivers of the end cost of power.”Unlike countries like Morocco, Egypt and China, Kenya provides limited direct subsidies to cushion electricity prices. While renewable generation costs are broadly competitive, consumers ultimately bear the burden of financing costs, transmission and distribution losses, taxes, and foreign exchange movements.Latest data show that industrial consumers in Kenya pay between $0.18 and $0.23 per kilowatt-hour, compared with about $0.03 in South Africa and Egypt, and $0.05 in Morocco and Ethiopia.“The perception that electricity is expensive is subjective,” Kenya Power CEO Joseph Siror said in an earlier interview. “The consumer prices are dependent on infrastructure costs, electricity tariff structures, and outstanding bill recoveries.”Kenya’s heavy reliance on green energy sources adds to costs since the infrastructure required to generate such power is expensive to install and maintain, he said.One of the biggest inefficiencies keeping electricity costs high lies in the distribution network itself, Manga said.More than 20% of electricity is lost to technical failures and illegal connections, compared with a global average of 8%-10%,” he said “That offers a great low-hanging fruit to improve efficiency and pass that efficiency dividend to end consumers through reduced tariffs.”High financing costs are another problem. Renewable energy developers across Africa borrow at significantly higher interest rates than their counterparts in wealthier economies because investors perceive view projects as having greater risks. Those extra borrowing costs ultimately are passed on to consumers.
Read briefing Kenya’s energy planning remains in focus after the government raised its long-term power ambition sharply, aiming to accelerate geothermal, nuclear and broader generation expansion.Why it matters: Energy strategy affects investment, industry costs and climate policy; it remains consequential even as a follow-on development to the earlier AP version already excluded.
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