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CIO Africa

Rosemary Koech, KCB Head of Data Protection, Passes On

Rosemary Kimwatu Koech, Head of Data Protection at KCB Bank Group, has died, CIO Africa has learnt. She passed away at her home in Ngong on Friday morning. She was a well-known figure in Kenya’s technology, fintech, legal and data protection communities.Koech’s death brings to an end a career that spanned nearly two decades across law, public policy, technology, fintech and data protection, with her work increasingly focused on one of the most important issues facing organisations in the digital economy: how personal data is collected, processed and protected.The circumstances surrounding her death have not yet been disclosed. Her family is yet to issue a public statement on the cause of death.Koech joined KCB Bank Group in June 2022 as Data Protection Officer, transitioning from Safaricom PLC, where she had served as Public Policy Manager. She was subsequently appointed Head of Data Protection in June 2023, taking responsibility for the Group’s data protection compliance. Her move to KCB was reported by CIO Africa in 2022, when she announced the transition from Safaricom, describing it as a “season of growth and transition” and an opportunity to take on a new challenge.Before joining Safaricom in 2020, Koech had built a career that brought together legal expertise, public policy and the technology industry. She previously served as Head of Public Policy and Legal and Regulatory Specialist at Oxygène Marketing Communications, and held senior legal and regulatory roles at technology and fintech companies including WayaWaya and MODE.Her career began in marketing before she moved into industrial relations and legal practice. She subsequently worked as a Legal and Administrative Officer at Caritas Nairobi before moving into the technology sector.Beyond her corporate roles, Koech was deeply involved in Kenya’s wider technology ecosystem. At the time of her death, she served as a member of the Board of Trustees of KICTANet, a board member of the Association of Fintechs in Kenya and a director and board member at KeNIC TLD. She also chaired the Data Protection Working Group at the Kenya Bankers Association and served as an operational board member of Legal Hackers as a volunteer.These positions placed her at the intersection of some of Kenya’s most important digital policy conversations, including data protection, financial technology, internet governance, cybersecurity, regulation and the responsible use of technology.Koech’s career was notable for the way it evolved alongside Kenya’s rapidly changing digital economy. Her legal background gave her an understanding of regulation and governance, while her years working with technology companies, telecommunications and financial institutions put her close to the practical challenges created by digital transformation.This became particularly relevant as Kenya’s data protection framework developed and organisations began grappling with the requirements of the Data Protection Act and the growing importance of privacy and responsible data management.At KCB, she was part of the leadership responsible for navigating these issues within one of East Africa’s largest banking groups. But her influence extended beyond her day job. Through KICTANet, the Kenya Bankers Association, the Association of Fintechs in Kenya, KeNIC and other industry platforms, Koech participated in conversations that brought together technology companies, policymakers, regulators and other stakeholders.For many in Kenya’s technology community, she was therefore more than a data protection professional. She was part of a generation of professionals helping shape the rules and institutions around the country’s digital economy.Her academic and professional background reflected that intersection. Koech held a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.Her career demonstrated how legal expertise could be applied beyond traditional legal practice, particularly as technology increasingly became intertwined with regulation, public policy and business, earning her a place in our inaugural Most Influential Women in Digital Transformation list in 2020.Koech leaves behind a professional legacy in an area that has become increasingly central to Kenya’s digital future: ensuring that innovation and the use of data are accompanied by accountability, privacy and trust.At the time of publication, her family had not yet communicated details regarding funeral arrangements. CIO Africa will update this story as more information becomes available.

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CIO Africa

Kenyan Organisations Face Familiar Cyber Threats

Kenyan organisations are facing a cyber threat environment that looks increasingly similar to what is being seen globally, but the biggest risks are often coming from vulnerabilities and security practices that have been known for years.The latest ESET Threat Report, which analyses threat activity since December 2025 using ESET telemetry and research, suggests that attackers are continuing to rely on familiar techniques such as malicious email attachments, phishing, outdated software and exposed remote desktop services. At the same time, artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly intertwined with the threat landscape, both as a target for attackers and as a tool for developing and carrying out attacks.ESET said it analysed around 900,000 AI skills globally, identifying more than 3,000 that were outright malicious. However, for Kenyan organisations, the more immediate concern may not be emerging AI-driven attacks but the continued effectiveness of conventional techniques.“The threats facing Kenya are the same around the world, and email remains one of the most reliable ways of getting ransomware into the organisation,” says Allan Juma, Lead Cyber Security Engineer at ESET.Malicious email attachments continue to provide attackers with a relatively straightforward way into organisations. According to ESET, scripts accounted for 46.2% of malicious email attachments detected during the reporting period. Microsoft Office documents followed at 14.4%, PDFs at 11.9% and archives at 9.7%.Kenya broadly follows the same pattern, indicating that attackers do not necessarily need highly sophisticated techniques to compromise organisations. Instead, commonly used file formats and social engineering remain effective because employees continue to interact with them as part of their normal work.Another established technique is also becoming more prominent. QR code phishing, commonly known as “quishing”, reached record levels globally during the reporting period. About 11% of detected phishing emails contained a QR code, often directing victims to websites through their personal smartphones. The approach can be particularly useful to attackers because the victim may move from a corporate computer, where security controls are in place, to a personal mobile device that is subject to different protections.In Kenya, ESET telemetry recorded a 145% increase in quishing between the second half of 2025 and the first half of 2026. ESET cautions that the comparison is based on an incomplete baseline and should therefore be viewed as directional rather than a precise measure of growth.Kenya’s overall share of quishing activity remains below that of some major markets. North America, for example, accounted for 12.4% of detections, suggesting that the technique may still have considerable room to expand in Kenya.“QR codes have been adopted everywhere and are a convenience that attackers are counting on,” says Tony Anscombe, Chief Security Evangelist at ESET. “Many people still scan a QR code without stopping to consider where it leads.”Perhaps more significant for Kenyan organisations is the continued exploitation of vulnerabilities that should have been addressed years ago. ESET recorded more than a doubling of exploitation attempts against CVE-2017-0199 in Kenya between the second half of 2025 and the first half of 2026. The vulnerability affects outdated Microsoft Office installations and can allow malicious code to execute when a victim opens a specially crafted document.First disclosed in 2017, CVE-2017-0199 remains among the most frequently detected vulnerabilities globally in ESET’s latest report. It has also reportedly been incorporated into commercially available attack frameworks, including GhostX, which has been sold through dark web marketplaces. Its continued effectiveness in Kenya highlights a problem that extends beyond the vulnerability itself. For organisations running outdated software, an old vulnerability can remain a viable attack route long after security researchers and vendors have identified the weakness and issued fixes.The issue is also reflected in the exposure of remote desktop services. ESET found instances of remote desktop endpoints accessible from the public internet, including systems running versions of Windows that are no longer supported. Such systems can provide attackers with a direct path into an organisation when they have not been properly patched, secured or restricted.“The key takeaway is to do the basics,” says Juma. “Patch your endpoints, protect them at a minimum standard, and stop using default ports and passwords. Too much of what we are seeing comes down to organisations not doing the fundamentals.”The Kenyan threat landscape is also seeing increased activity from malware designed to steal information and deliver additional malicious payloads. ESET telemetry recorded a pronounced increase in Aotera, an infostealer and dropper that has become the fourth most frequently detected malware family in Kenya. Aotera can be used to deliver other malware, including AgentTesla, Formbook, PureLogs, PhantomStealer and Vidar. The connection is significant because the payloads being delivered in Kenya are not isolated threats. They include malware families that are already widely used internationally.

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CIO Africa

Michael Michie Appointed Kenya’s Responsible AI Governor

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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CIO Africa

AWS Bets $1 Billion On AI Engineers Working Inside Customer Teams

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.

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Citizen Digital

IEBC sets 2027 legal countdown with Gazette notice on election timelines

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.

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CIO Africa

Malawi Faces Major Mobile Internet Usage Gap, GSMA Report Shows

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.

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CIO Africa

Why Africa Is Ready To Leapfrog Into The AI Era

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.

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CIO Africa

AWS Backs NBA Math Hoops Expansion To 10,000 African Students

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.

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CIO Africa

Deloitte Named AWS Consulting Partner Of The Year

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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