Author: Gugu Lourie

Nick Walker, the winner of a 10-week course at Singularity University in Silicon Valley, California, hopes to use his winning concept to start a stem cell storage bank in collaboration with scientists who are developing a cure for HIV. “Some of the most promising developments in HIV research are those using stem cells resistant to HIV,” Walker says. “My idea is to use available technology to set up a stem cell bank of HIV resistant cells where these cells are stored and dispensed as needed.” Walker was one of 48 entrants in the SingularityU South Africa Global Impact Competition which…

 A young entrepreneur, who previously had to pay to access the internet, is now able to do research for his company from the free Wi-Fi that is provided by Ekurhuleni Municipality. Calvin Mathebula, a resident of Tsakane, has a company that designs t-shirts and caps. He said the free Wi-Fi has been a great help as he has just started his business and doesn’t have much capital. “I use the free Wi-Fi in the clinic to do research for my company and also to get tips on how to run a business,” Mathebula said. As part of enabling citizens to…

Interactive Intelligence PureCloud Engage designed to help contact centres accelerate business impact, deliver consistent outcomes, and innovate the customer and agent experience Nasdaq-listed Interactive Intelligence Group has launched a new customer engagement cloud service for businesses throughout South Africa. The unique PureCloud Engage architecture, along with its advanced functionality, fast deployment, and simple month to month subscription terms offer contact centres accelerated business impact, more consistent outcomes, and the most innovative customer and agent experience. PureCloud Engage was built from the inside out with the most stringent security requirements in mind. It also addresses contact centre pain points such as high…

The World Bank’s Global Findex financial inclusion study shows that 12% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa have mobile money accounts – compared to just 2% worldwide – and of these 64 million adults, 45% of them have only a mobile money account. By Mariana Kruger, General Manager for Private Sector at MTN Business South Africa This is a reflection that banks’ traditional models could be under threat unless they adapt and an opportunity exists in revolutionising trade finance and cross-border payments. The International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Bank Payment Obligation (BPO) framework is a step toward enabling this revolution. Past experiences…

If you put water on the stove and heat it up, it will at first just get hotter and hotter. You may then conclude that heating water results only in hotter water. But at some point everything changes – the water starts to boil, turning from hot liquid into steam. Physicists call this a “phase transition.” By Moshe Y. Vardi Automation, driven by technological progress, has been increasing inexorably for the past several decades. Two schools of economic thinking have for many years been engaged in a debate about the potential effects of automation on jobs, employment and human activity:…

The MTN SA Foundation, in conjunction with the Department of Water and Sanitation, awarded a fully equipped computer laboratory to Reimolotswe Primary School on the 7th of April 2016.  The computer lab was a first prize award for the Drama category of the Baswa Le Meetsi Project and competition. The Foundation sponsored the wining prize of a computer laboratory for all the categories and has built and furnished five labs for all the winning schools. The laboratories are the Foundation’s way of contributing to the national drive to improve the quality of basic of education. Educators use the media labs…

The Department of Energy has refuted claims that South Africa’s nuclear procurement process has been stalled indefinitely. The department says it has noted that a member of the opposition in the Portfolio Committee on Energy stated that the nuclear procurement process has been put on hold. “The department would like to refute these claims and place on record that in the same meeting that the member is referring to, Minister Joemat-Pettersson — while responding to a question posed by the member of the opposition on why the deadline for the release of the Request For Proposal (RFP) was not met…

By 2050, it’s expected that nearly 80% of South Africans will be living in urban areas. This massive acceleration in rural-to-urban migration was highlighted recently by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Andries Nel*. By Dave Stevens, head: customer & data insights – T-Systems SA For South Africa’s cities, this influx brings new opportunities, but also a host of new challenges. To serve increasing numbers of inhabitants, cities will need to become more efficient with their service delivery and more engaging with citizens. Many are touting the concept of Smart Cities – where new technology is used to connect…

SingularityU South Africa late on Wednesday announced Nick Walker as the winner of the first Global Impact Competition (GIC) in South Africa for his work on creating a stem cell bank for curing HIV/AIDS. Nick is currently an innovation scientist for Next Biosciences. Rand Merchant Bank was the primary sponsor of the South African GIC, launched in February 2016, and as such enables Nick to attend Singularity University’s 10-week Global Solutions Program (GSP) in Silicon Valley later this year. On returning to South Africa after the GSP, Nick will have the opportunity to develop his project, supported by the SingularityU global…

Sage, an integrated accounting, payroll and payment systems firm, today announced the launch of a Global Accountant Partner Program to help accountants transform & grow their practices, learn from industry experts and simplify their relationships with Sage. As a new element of Sage’s Global Partner Program, the Global Accountant Partner Program provides a single, streamlined framework for Accountants partnering with Sage in every country. Available immediately in English for Sage global products, additional languages and the full product portfolio will be rolled out in October 2016. Based on a tiered program, designed by and for Accountants, the Global AccounHi Gugutant…