TECNO’s CAMON 18 Premier releases the ceramic edition, elevating technology into a work of art

TECNO (www.TECNO-mobile.com), a rising superstar as a global smartphone brand of the new generation, announced the release of CAMON 18 Premier Ceramic Edition. With a powerful engine encased in precision ceramic, the Camon 18 Premier stands in the balance between technology and fashion.

Not only is the CAMON 18 Premier chockful of technological innovation such as the ultra-steady gimbal camera and 60X hyper zoom, TECNO has also paired it with an attractive hue, stylish curves and eye-catching design. “We stop at nothing to provide a better, more unencumbered experience for the users to feel good in the hand. We used nanotechnology with precision instruments to create this one-of-a-kind edition specially for you. It is the culmination of art and our specialized, well-researched technology ”said Danni Xu, Marketing Director, TECNO.

Ceramic: Cool as Jade, Harder than Steel

Ceramic is one of the “super materials” in modern technology with high strength and temperature resistance. More resilient and harder than steel, the microstructure is a combination of crystalline and glassy crystals bonded together. The shine and the curves on every piece come from 3,000,000 seconds of polishing using the latest intelligent manufacturing technology. When you hold CAMON 18 Premier Ceramic Edition in your hand, you are literally holding a polished crystallized gemstone. A ceramic phone also means you will not have to live with the stains that you typically get on glass and metal casings, so it will look polished and clean all the time. In addition, the bonding of atoms is stronger in ceramic than metaceramic, making the design sleek and flat, yet sturdy.

Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove

With a design and aesthetics that is impossible to ignore, the Ceramic Edition is built to speak volumes about the user’s taste and values in a suave, sophisticated way. It attracts natural attention by expressing the consumers’ appreciation of the finest smartphone in both design and technology.

Beneath the sculpted exterior lies a technological powerhouse laden with the latest modern innovations. The low-blue light screen and 33W safe fast charge are certified by TÜV Rheinland, the high standard for safety and quality, trusted by organizations and consumers worldwide. Quality and artistry were etched in minute detail when it came to releasing the CAMON 18 Premier Ceramic Edition.

Housing an 8GB RAM with 256GB ROM, you will not have to worry about storage space for the professional photos and videos that you take. Camon 18 Premier comes with fantastic cameras — a 32MP front-facing selfie camera and not one or two rear cameras, but three, all with perfect functions. There’s a main 64MP camera, a 12MP ultra steady gimbal camera and an 8MP periscope magnifying camera. The telephoto lens on this special edition phone gives a 60x hyper zoom ultra distance shooting experience. The cameras are arranged at the back of the phone in a neat and uncomplicated vertical alignment, giving a sense of order.

TECNO is a rising-star smartphone brand at global market. With “Stop At Nothing” as its brand essence, TECNO is passionately unlocking the best contemporary technologies for progressive individuals and bringing them innovative stylish smart devices with the latest technologies.

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IsDBI and IFE Lab announce award winners for best application of agent-based simulation in Islamic Finance

The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (www.IsDBInstitute.org) and the Islamic Financial Engineering Laboratory (IFE Lab) have announced winners of the second edition of the International Award for the Best Application of Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) in Islamic Economics and Finance.

The awards, announced during an online event on 23 December 2021, aim to encourage the use of new technologies in Islamic economics and finance, especially the use of agent-based modeling. In the second edition of the award, applications combining the blockchain technology and/or smart contracts were strongly encouraged.

The first-place award went to Yousef Lamrani Alaoui for his project on Islamic crowdfunding as an alternative way of doing microfinance; Yahya Hanine and Mohamed El Moktar Malick received the second prize for their project on group financing based on smart contracts; and the third prize went to Ahmed Mouad El Haloui for his work on how Islamic finance can help prevent and mitigate market distortions.

Meanwhile, Khadijah El-Hachami was awarded the fourth prize for her contribution towards an Islamic macroeconomic agent-based simulation, while Aissam Mansouri, Yassine El Idrissi, and Najlae Yachou received the fifth prize for their work on diminishing partnership for home financing and social impact.

The ABS award is expected to stimulate innovation and creativity in the field of Islamic economics and finance and encourage young researchers to contribute to the advancement of the field for the benefit of their communities and IsDB Member Countries. This year’s prizes were intended for young researchers including current Ph.D. candidates and 2019 Ph.D. graduates.

Speaking during the opening session of the event, Prof. Moulay Larbi Abidi, Director of the Mohammadia School of Engineering at Muhammad V University, Rabat, where the IFE Lab is based, expressed appreciation for the successful collaboration between the IsDBI and Muhammad V University.

Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of IsDBI, also praised the efforts from both sides to make the IFE Laboratory a unique experience in using the ABS models in the field of Islamic finance. “ABS has been successfully applied in many areas, including pandemic and other business applications. Ph.D. candidates should capitalize on the potential usefulness of this important tool in today’s complex economies,” Dr. Al-Suwailem added.

Dr. Rajae Aboulaiche, Director of the IFEL, thanked the IsDB for its support to the IFE Lab, and expressed confidence that the achievements of the students of the Lab will be an important contribution to research in the field of financial engineering in relation to Islamic finance.

Before the awards session, Dr. Kaouther Toumi, Associate Professor in Finance at University of Toulouse 3, France, made a presentation on the selection process of the award winners. The awards were also preceded by technical presentations focusing on the latest developments in new technologies and their impacts on financial engineering in relation to Islamic finance.

The presentations were delivered by Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem; Dr. Anis Ben Khedher, Senior Information Solutions Specialist at IsDBI; Dr. Mahmoud Sami Nabi, Professor of Economics at the University of Carthage, Tunisia; and Dr. Boujemâa Achchab, Director of the High School of Education and Training, Berrechid, Morocco.

The IFE Lab is a one-of-a-kind research laboratory established in 2013 with the objective of modeling complex problems and the structuring of innovative Islamic financial products, using high performance simulation approaches such as agent-based modeling, and adopting new technologies such as blockchain.

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source https://www.jbklutse.com/isdbi-and-ife-lab-announce-award-winners-in-islamic-finance/

African Super App ayoba reaches 10 million monthly active users

MTN in partnership with ayoba, Africa’s Super App, has reached an exciting milestone of over 10 million monthly active users. 2021 has been a fast-paced year so far for ayoba, who celebrated its second year in operation in May 2021.

The ayoba platform aims to harness growth in the African digital economy by breaking down barriers such as limited access to the internet and digital services, low smartphone penetration, lack of locally relevant content, and affordability.

“We celebrate this milestone and are pleased that through ayoba we can provide access to affordable communications, so that millions of people across our markets can enjoy the benefits of a modern connected life”, says MTN Group Digital and Fintech Officer, Serigne Dioum.

“MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy is to drive digital and financial inclusion across Africa, via ayoba we intend to reach 100 million monthly active users by 2025, ensuring more people reap the social, economic, and developmental dividends of being online,” concludes Serigne.

In its two years of existence, ayoba has grown significantly and continues to be recognised by various bodies. In 2021, ayoba received the Best OTT Brand of the Year accolade at the Marketing World Awards and recently was awarded the Best Mobile App from Bonteh Digital Awards. Ayoba has also hosted two hackathons this year, with the aim of guiding young developers on micro-app development.

Commenting on the achievement, ayoba Chief Executive Officer, Burak Akinci said: “Our progress in 2021 has been considerable, growing in excess of 4 million users. This is a clear sign that the African market really enjoys ayoba, and we are here to stay. This growth is also due to the hard work of our team, and of course, the loyalty and enthusiasm of our users, who are always our first priority. We look forward to even bigger growth in 2022, as we see progress from the new features, content and general improvement that will be launching throughout the year.”

Ayoba offers users access to digital and rich media services through channels, micro-apps, and payment solutions, embedded within a single African Super App. With over 180 content channels ranging from Sports, News, Music & Artists, Health & Wellness, Careers, Fashion & Beauty, Education and Travel – a huge increase from the 128 at the start of the year.

In addition, users now have access to a range of 35 micro-apps, including MTN Online School (SA) and MTN MoMo (Ghana), adding even more content to a deep and hyper localised offering.

We have also identified the gaps in our markets heightened by the pandemic, particularly in terms of the literacy of subscribers and through our education micro-app available in ayoba we have launched numerous channels with key strategic partners focused on specific areas of education ranging from entrepreneurial education to country-specific curriculum content for students, which include educational explainer videos on topics ranging from math, science, and the art of storytelling.

Ayoba users can send and receive encrypted messages in 22 diverse languages, share photos, videos, files, voice notes and even their location, and can also subscribe to live channels. Localised content is available through these channels that aim to entertain, educate, and empower communities.

Ayoba is available to MTN and non-MTN customers. MTN customers are automatically allocated free data to use the ayoba features1 including messaging, browsing, gaming, and listening to music. Customers can download the free app data at www.ayoba.me. In addition, ayoba lite is now also available for web access at web.ayoba.me which is proving to be popular with users who are short on space on their devices. Voice and video calls are excluded from the free data provisions.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers. We are inspired by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of modern connected life. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code ‘MTN’. Our strategy is Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.

About ayoba

Since its launch in May 2019, ayoba has reached millions of users. Ayoba offers users free access to an ecosystem of digital and rich media services through chat and call features, channels, micro-apps, and payment solutions, embedded within an African super-app. Ayoba is highly localised and tailored for African and Middle East consumer needs, supporting 22 relevant languages.

Users can send and receive encrypted messages, share photos, videos, files, and voice notes, and can also subscribe to live channels. Family-friendly localised content is available through curated channels aimed at entertaining, educating, and empowering communities as well as a range of games.

Ayoba is available for Android users on the Google PlayStore, on iOS (AppleStore) as well as the Transsion, Huawei, Samsung and BeMobi stores. Users can also download the app on our website (www.ayoba.me). Ayoba recently launched its web version (ayoba lite) and can be accessed at web.ayoba.me).

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CIB Ghana’s 2021 Bankers’ Dinner comes off successfully

The Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB) Ghana has successfully held its 2021 Bankers’ Dinner event on the theme, ‘the Digital Economy of Ghana – the Strategic Role of the Banking Industry’.

The annual event was set to appreciate and express gratitude towards stakeholders’ hard work in the banking sector, likewise their contribution to the economy at large. It was graced by varied stakeholders in finance, regulation, technology, telcom and the media.

Highlighting on major achievements of the institute since its last annual dinner, President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB), Rt. Rev. Patricia Sappor said though the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging, the banking industry has been able to move on and made bigger strides by being strong, solvent and profitable, as revealed by the KPMG Banking Sector Development Report for July 2021.

She said following the launch of the Ghana Banking Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, management of the Institute went ahead to sign a memorandum of sensitization and implementation with all financial institutions.

Mr. Charles Ofori Acquah, CEO of CIB Ghana, giving his address with the leadership of the Central Bank behind him

“The passage of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Ghana Act, 2019 (Act 991) has been reinforced by the CIB Regulations (LI 2434) which has recently been passed by Parliament. The LI2434 is set to bring into force all the provisions spelt out in the Act 991.

It is heart-warming to know that the institute’s achievements chalked so far have significantly enhanced the CIB brand, making it a very attractive institution for both younger and older professionals. Over the past five years, 864 Chartered Bankers have been added to the banking professionals,” she said.

“I am confident that the banking industry and the role of bank staff and practitioners in leading and moving the financial levers of our country to higher heights, gives us joy to be part of this august function yearly,” she added

Rt. Rev. Sappor also implored CEOs and managing directors of banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) to prioritise the recruitment of chartered bankers into their companies, adding that they have been specially equipped with the requisite skills to drive growth and performance.

She also charged CEOs and managing directors to encourage their staff to register and enroll with the institute to become Chartered Bankers. She further urged state and financial institutions to continue extended credit and ancillary services to Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs).

Dr. Ernest Addison, Governor of the Central Bank delivering his address at the 2021 Bankers Dinner organised by the CIB Ghana

As the first woman to hold her position, Rt. Rev. Sappor charged other women to take up leadership positions and stressed the need to ensure a gender-balance at institutions. “It is also my desire to see many women participate in leadership discussions and take up roles at the senior management levels in our various institutions. I encourage my fellow women to be bold and aspire for these positions, to champion this agenda to fruition,” she said

For his part, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison, lauded CIB Ghana for it strides and contribution to the economy.

He noted that to allow the economy to benefit fully, there’s the need for the banking sector to ensure that tech innovations are secured, reliable and also ensure that robust infrastructures are in place to facilitate transformation in the economy, the more reason why the theme chosen by CIB Ghana was apt and timely.

“The banking sector mostly is the main sector in which technological innovations have had the most profound effects. Globally, a new economy is emerging, built on digital technology. No sector has been spared the transformational power of technology.

A key feature of a digital economy is the aggregation of digital platforms that facilitate economic and social activities. Efficient, convenient, and safe digital financial services are central to the digital economy and for ensuring a financially inclusive society,” he reiterated.

He revealed that broadly, the banking sector outlook remains positive and that results from the November 2021 stress tests show a banking sector that remains resilient to mild and moderate credit risk and liquidity stress conditions.

He also disclosed that the economic outlook for 2022 is positive although there are some potential risks which should be closely monitored. “In particular, the uncertainties surrounding food prices, petroleum price adjustments, and the potential second round effects of these are likely to exert inflationary pressures in the outlook,” he said.

On the 2022 budget, he said: “markets assessment of the budget suggest lingering doubts about the ability of the revenue measures announced to translate into a large increase in domestic revenue adding that government expenditure is projected to increase significantly in 2022.”

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MTN Ghana inducted into Project Management Hall of Fame, wins five awards at 2021 Project Management Awards

MTN Ghana has been inducted into the Project Management Hall of Fame at the 2021 Project Management Awards after it was adjudged Project Management Company of the Year for the third consecutive time.

The Project Management awards recognizes individuals and organisations who pursue best practices in economic development through projects and have attained the highest standards of professional conduct and competence within the project management space.

MTN Ghana surpassed all by winning five awards which are listed below.

• Project Management Company of the Year
• Economic Impact Project of the Year
• Innovative Project Award
• Project Team of the Year
• Project Director of the Year – Mr. William Tetteh

Mr. William Tetteh, Chief Capital Projects Officer of MTN Ghana was adjudged Project Director of the Year following the significant role he plays in the overall management and execution of project portfolios in the Commercial, Capex and CEO ringfenced special projects. As the project lead in MTN, William’s role starts with the project ideation through budget approval, overseeing governance of the implementation through to closure and finally benefit realization and monitoring.

Mr. William Tetteh, Chief Capital Projects Officer receiving Project Director of the Year Award

In addition to the five awards, MTN received four certificates of recognition. Two of the certificates were in recognition of MTN’s Bright Delivery Methodology (BDM) Industrialization strategy and for BDM Industrialization team efforts for successful projects execution. In addition, two MTN staff received Project Management Personality certificates. Jonas Nanzoninge, Senior Manager, Enterprise Portfolio Management and Emmanuel Ata-Baah, Manager, Enterprise Portfolio Management were recognized for their initiatives and contribution to MTN’s projects management initiatives.

Mr. William Tetteh, Chief Capital Projects Officer expressed appreciation to the organizers for the various recognitions MTN received at the event. He said, “I am glad MTN won five awards which was the highest number and these awards attests to the well-structured Project Management Practices MTN has put in place to ensure its projects falls in line with its Bright Delivery Methodology and in conformance with professional and global management standards. As the project lead in MTN, I am challenged to go a notch higher to ensure MTN’s projects are well thought through, effectively planned, well-executed and are always within the project management framework and scope.”

The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh congratulated William and the team for the great achievements attained in the field of Project management.

He said, “these awards couldn’t have come at a better time than when we are celebrating our stakeholders for their loyalty to the brand over the years. As part of our 25^th Anniversary celebration, MTN commits to investing in infrastructure, information systems to provide customers with an enriched digital experience. We will continue to ensure the project management team employs world-class standards in executing this project”.

Bernard Agblevor, Coordinator, Project Fibre Network receiving Environmental Impact Award on behalf of MTN

MTN executed various special projects which were recognized at the event. MTN’s use of the Bright Delivery Methodology (BDM) standardised project-portfolio management approach which focuses on delivery and benefits applicable to all projects across the business.

This methodology aided MTN in winning Project Management Company of the Year, Innovative Project Award and Project Team of the Year.  The Paperless Workplace initiative by MTN in January 2020 which was put in place to support the business digitization agenda won the Environmental Impact Award.

MTN Ghana has won a total of 14 awards since the award was instituted and has consistently been the highest recipient for all three editions.

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Think3ice partners with Finex Skills Hub to graduate 20 girls under ‘Excel Our Girls’ programme

Think3ice and the Finex Skills Hub, two institutions that focus on training the individual with relevant technological skills, has held a graduation ceremony for 20 girls who participated in the maiden ‘Excel Our Girls’ programme to equip girls with the latest tools and knowledge in information technology.

The ceremony, which came off on Saturday, December 17, 2021, at the Cedi Conference Centre at the University of Ghana Campus, saw 20 young female students graduate after successfully completing a 10-week training programme in Microsoft Excel, Analytics and Python.

Addressing the graduating students, Financial Expert, Robert Nii Kotoku Lartey advised the young graduates on the need to maintain a learning mindset and continuous hunger for knowledge to better add more value to their individual acquired skills.

“Opportunities like this do not come so easy, but when they do come, take those opportunities to add values that can add to your life. People have the qualifications that you have, even more than what you have, but the values you add to yourself out of the opportunities given to you sets you apart from the rest. I can bet you that this certificate lying here is just a paper, the actual certificate is the value you add to yourself,” he said.

“Another thing I would want you to note is that hard work never fails. As I stand here I still learn and would still want to get back to school and learn more in as much as I already have the skills and the position occupied, I can decide to just work with what I have but I still want to earn more because anytime you avail yourself to learn, the value you have today never remains the same so do not see it as the end of it, but rather the beginning,” he added.

On her part, CEO of Think3ice, Mrs Yvonne Dzotsi, applauded the students for their hard work, consistency, and perseverance throughout the 10-week training. She noted that the reason for initiating an all-girl training programme was to address the gender imbalance in the data analytics world, as well as present to society, young innovative girls, whose skills would contribute significantly to the nation’s growth.

Mrs Yvonne Dzotsi giving her Welcome Address

“The reason why I decided to go for all girls is because of the gender imbalance, but also build up ladies who will come up with mind-blowing ideas that will help our various communities,” she said.

Out of 199 students who applied for the training slot, only 20 students made it to the final selection, and that according to Mrs Dzotsi was to enable coaches to adequately train and produce capable and quality students. She however stated that plans are underway to increase the number of students who will be trained for the second cohort, adding that the graduates will be keenly monitored and updated with learning materials to enhance their knowledge.

Mrs Dzotsi mentioned that her outfit is working on collaborating with other corporate organizations to secure internship slots for already graduated students in order to improve their skills as well as give them hands-on experience in the working environment.

Taking his turn, Lead Facilitator at Finex Skills Hub, Bernard Obeng Boateng, who was the senior trainer for ‘Excel Our Girls’ stressed that Finex Skills Hub is ever ready to help young girls acquire knowledge to grow as well as build connections. He commended the girls for demonstrating a passion-driven attitude throughout their stay as members of the hub.

He is hopeful that the ‘Excel Our Girls’ programme will make a great impact in the coming years. “This is the first season, and it is going to outlive all of us.  Our prayer is that this becomes an ‘Excel Our Girls’ institution where we train data-driven ladies who know how to bring solutions out of just raw data. We have started and subsequent seasons I believe, going to be better.

The goal has always been to improve the population of girls in the space because women in data science only represent just a small percentage, so therefore we want to increase that and we want to encourage more girls to take data science as a career because when it comes to data science, it has always been for boys,” he maintained.

The ‘Excel Our Girls’ programme was made possible through sponsorship by a group of forward-thinking individuals and companies. You can also invest in the future of our girls today and be part of the changing narrative. For Sponsorship Enquiries please contact: Mrs Yvonne Dzotsi – Email: ydzotsi@think3ice.org   | Cell: +233 26 858 1599

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TECNO and Cityzens Giving celebrate CSR programme success in Colombia

TECNO (www.TECNO-Mobile.com) and Cityzens Giving are celebrating the success of a youth-led virtual football and education programme in Colombia, which has trained 80 Young Leaders from Barranquilla, who in turn have reached thousands of children and families in their communities.

Young Leaders in this CSR programme were gifted TECNO mobile phones and attended workshops on using football, technology and play to uplift local children, before delivering regular virtual sessions to 1,040 participants aged 8 to 10 across 12 neighbourhoods.

The global pandemic has heightened challenges that children in this area of Colombia face, including school drop-out. Through this programme, these children have learnt the importance of prioritising their physical and mental health.

Stephen Ha, General Manager of TECNO said: “We are very excited to make change to the local community through this initiative. It’s the project that combines the charm of football, the power of mobile technology, and the passion of young leaders.

“We really look forward to further building a better community in global emerging markets through our STOP AT NOTHING brand spirit and evolving mobile technology.”

Angie, one of the Young Leaders from the project said: “The impact on the community has been huge. Among the challenges that this community faces are prostitution, teenage pregnancy and drug addiction, and so it is crucial for us that our participants continue benefiting from this type of programme.”

To celebrate the success of the six-month programme and the return to in-person delivery, the Young Leaders organised a community football festival, where participants were formally recognised for their commitment and engagement.

The project was delivered in partnership with Fútbol Con Corazón (FCC) and supported by FCC’s new app, through which children, adolescents and parents can access for free a range of audio-visual material and educational content, as well as posting activities on the app’s social wall and connecting with young leaders via video calls.

Tom Pitchon, Director of City Football Foundation said: “Football and technology are two global connectors and we’re delighted that, through this partnership with TECNO, we’ve successfully trained so many Young Leaders in Colombia to use football to positively impact the health and wellbeing of children and families in their local communities.”

For more information about this program, please check the event video via (https://bit.ly/3EvybH7).

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source https://www.jbklutse.com/tecno-and-cityzens-giving-celebrate-csr-programme-success-in-colombia/