Attackers rely on small-sized patterns to avoid detection, as predicted by Nexusguard researchers SINGAPORE, October 19, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Small bit-and-piece DDoS attacks (distributed denial of service) boomed by 233% in the first half of 2021, revealed Nexusguard researchers in the Threat Report FHY 2021. As the pandemic carried on into 2021, hackers experimented with new attack patterns to avoid signature-based detection. In the first half of 2021, more than 99% of all DDoS attacks were smaller than 10Gbps, as Nexusguard had predicted in 2020. These small, nimble attacks can cripple communications service providers (CSPs) and Internet service providers (ISPs) if they…
Author: zeroone
Forty-eight emerging leaders from around the world, including Nigeria, Togo and Sierra Leone, join the inaugural 24 fellows to build a network of 72 active fellows working to tackle global drivers of inequality. LAGOS, Nigeria, 19 October 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- New York – October 19, 2021 – The Ford Foundation has today announced its 2021 Ford Global Fellows, the foundation’s flagship global fellowship program, with a $50 million investment supporting emerging leaders around the world. The announcement doubles the number of fellows slated for its second year and with representation from West Africa. This in an effort to provide more leaders…
ABUJA, Nigeria, October 15, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) has announced the appointment of Dr. Rashid Mbaziira – a Ugandan national – as its Executive Secretary. The announcement came at the end of an Extra Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of AMCOW and takes effect from 08 November 2021. A Rhodes Scholar, Dr Mbaziira was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Oxford, St Catherine’s College, in 2007. His research was in the field of Water Sciences, Policy and Management. Dr. Mbaziira holds a BSc in Agricultural Engineering degree (First…
A Cameroonian woman who set up her own smoked shrimp business, has been recognized by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO) for her contribution towards unlocking the potential of selling shellfish locally and abroad. NEW YORK, USA, October 15, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-Cameroon sits on the Atlantic coast where Western and Central Africa meet. It was named “Rio dos Camarões” or, “River of Prawns”, by Portuguese explorers, because of the abundance of the crustaceans they discovered in the area. Anastasie Obama has been named an FAO Food Hero and ahead of the International Day of Rural Women marked annually on 15 October, she has been speaking to the…
JOHANESBURG, South Africa, October 14, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Africa.com undertook a rigorous research project to identify the women who run the largest, most complex businesses on the African continent. The result of this extensive research undertaking is The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs. SAP’s Cathy Smith, MD Sub-Saharan Africa, made the list of 50 women CEOs leading corporate Africa. The list was compiled over many months through a deep research effort to examine the management of big business in Africa. Big business, for this purpose, is defined as being listed on one of Africa’s stock exchanges and having a market capitalization of…
An ambitious project to raise awareness about rising insecurity and mass displacement in the Sahel has resulted in an original musical score from Mali songwriter Vieux Farka Touré. NEW YORK, USA, October 14, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-In partnership with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Mr. Toure’s A Song For The Sahel, highlights the crisis in many countries of the region, while also spotlighting its rich musical heritage. In an exclusive interview with UN News, the respected musician described how he no longer felt comfortable driving across the country to perform, as he used to do. Malians…
Migrants and asylum seekers in Libya have been facing increasingly heavy-handed treatment from targeted security operations, that have resulted in at least one death and a steep increase in detentions. NEW YORK, USA, October 13, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-In an alert on Tuesday, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said that vulnerable people on the move in the north African nation experience “a myriad daily violations and abuses at the hands of both State and non-state actors.” These include expulsions of individuals to countries in sub-Saharan Africa without due process, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement. “On the one hand, as some parts…
LAGOS, Nigeria, October 12, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Speaking to Victory Yinka-Banjo is like drinking a fizzy drink. She bubbles with ideas and confidence. Little wonder that this 17-year-old Nigerian was chosen to be this year’s youth ambassador for Africa Code Week, the continent’s biggest digital skills youth initiative. Even at her young age, Victory is no stranger to publicity. Earlier this year she was offered 19 full scholarships to study at North American universities. (She ended up picking MIT.) But hers is no rags-to-riches story. The eldest daughter of two smart parents, a university lecturer mother and a father who…
NEW YORK, USA, October 12, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-The Africa Network for Walking and Cycling was launched in October 2020 and brings together 50 organisations with a common goal: to make the life of people who walk and cycle in Africa countries safer, healthier and more comfortable – through our combined action, expertise and influence. The Network is hosting an annual forum to provide a space for organisations and experts to convene and collaborate under the network common goal – with a focus on action; getting things done and changing the status quo. The forum will be take place from Tue 12 – Wed 13 Oct 2021 and is…
This year, the International Day of Rural Women (15 October), puts a spotlight on “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All.” NEW YORK, USA, October 11, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-Established by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007, this international day recognizes “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.” Rural women and girls play essential roles in food systems – from production, to processing, preparation, consumption, and distribution of food – as well as in securing household and community nutrition.…
LAGOS, Nigeria, 9 october 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Christian Joshua Daberechi, aka Jojobaby, has released his much-anticipated Extended Play album titled, ‘Obsession’.Songs on the seven-track album are Obsession (produced, mixed and mastered by Napji), Lonely (produced by Loopy Beatz, mixed and mastered by OTD), Downtown (produced, mixed and mastered by Napji), Jealous (produced by Popito, mixed and mastered by One Mix), Prisoner (produced by Elviz Beat, mixed and mastered by Kris Beat), This way (produced by Loopy Beatz, mixed and mastered by OTD), and a bonus track titled, Depth (produced, mixed and mastered by WhyteMagik). Jojobaby, who is a multi-talented artiste,…
LUANDA, Angola, 8 october 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Africell, the fourth mobile operator in Angola, has selected Angola Cables to provide wholesale IP transit and connectivity solutions for its network. The partnership will give Africell customers high speed data, low latency and nationwide internet access through the advanced Angola Cables infrastructure. This robust network currently connects to Angola’s primary IXP, Angonix, and provides backhaul support and connectivity to all the major Telecom operators in Angola and internationally. Angelo Gama, CEO of Angola Cables says, “the flexible yet secure nature of the Angola Cables’ network and our established Points of Presence (PoPs) and peering agreements…
By Dumisani Moyo, Marketing Director, SAP Africa JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 7, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Technology has transformed every aspect of our personal and professional lives, and has left no sector of the economy untouched. In the highly competitive retail sector, where consumers place a premium on convenience in their shopping experiences, the pervasiveness of technology has influenced a shift in customer expectations. To remain relevant in a rapidly changing market, retailers must be agile and adaptable. A Deloitte report on how the pandemic has affected retail consumer sentiment in South Africa found that the “COVID-19 crisis has fast-tracked the urgency for…
Aniagolu-Okoye to lead the foundation’s office of West Africa and oversee its grantmaking, external relations and local operations based in Lagos LAGOS, Nigeria, 7 october 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The Ford Foundation announced today the appointment of Catherine Chinedum (‘ChiChi’) Aniagolu-Okoye as its new regional director for its office serving West Africa. Aniagolu-Okoye began the Lagos-based role in September.Aniagolu-Okoye succeeds the late Innocent Chukwuma who served as regional director from 2013 to 2021 and helped the foundation to build its brand in the region and to establish solid partnerships with donors, civil society, public and private sector leaders.With over 20 years in…
Credit: African Risk Capacity DAKAR, Senegal, 7 october 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- A global network of humanitarian agencies, including Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, Action Against Hunger, Plan, Oxfam and World Vision, have signed a climate risk insurance policy that will protect up to 160,000 people in Senegal from the effects of drought. One of the first of its kind, the policy will enable aid agencies to offer life-saving support to people in Senegal as soon as a drought is predicted, helping to prevent famine.The $1.5 million USD policy, signed by Start Network, a global network of more than 50 humanitarian…
The jointly developed sovereign cloud offering will meet the French “Trusted Cloud” requirements and enable French organizations to innovate and fully benefit from hyperscale cloud technology, while keeping their data confidential, secure and fully sovereign This solution will live on dedicated infrastructure that will be managed and operated by a new company, of which Thales will be the majority shareholder PARIS, France, 6 October 2021,-/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Thales and Google Cloud today announced a strategic agreement to co-develop a sovereign hyperscale cloud offering for France. Operated by a joint company with Thales as the majority shareholder, it will meet the criteria of the…
LAGOS, Nigeria, 6 October 2021,-/African Media Agency(AMA)/- In collaboration with Heifer International, Ventures Africa, an online platform that produces stories about an evolving Africa, has released a mini edition titled Heifer International: Reimagining the future of African agriculture. This mini edition covers Heifer International’s commitment to agriculture on the continent through its AYuTe Africa Challenge. The AYuTe Africa initiative offers something new for African agriculture. It combines features of prize competitions and business development initiatives to translate the energy and ideas of young African innovators into meaningful impact for African farmers.This year, Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, founder and CEO of ColdHubs, a Nigerian business…
Multi-year, multi-Gbps wholesale capacity commitmentShowcasing satellite’s ability to enable telcos to achieve ubiquitous reach for their services, helping to bridge Africa’s digital divide PARIS, France, 6 October 2021,-/African Media Agency(AMA)/-,In the presence of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Globacom have signed at the Elysée Palace in Paris, a multi-year, multi-Gbps wholesale capacity contract, enabling Globacom to extend its coverage beyond the reach of its terrestrial infrastructure, leveraging the EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite. The service will be used to deliver high-speed broadband via satellite to businesses and communities in unconnected and underserved areas throughout Nigeria.Globacom, trading…
· Seventh edition of digital literacy program to reach all 54 African countries· New mobile app and coding challenge to kickstart youth innovation· Virtual teacher training model to help scale online learning across the continent JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 6, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Africa’s biggest digital skills initiative, SAP Africa Code Week (ACW), officially launched yesterday with a strong focus on virtual learning as the continent struggles to recover after COVID-19 disruption. The launch coincided with World Teacher’s Day, which focuses this year on “teachers at the heart of education recovery”. Speaking at a virtual event to mark both World Teacher’s Day and the…
DDoS mitigation leader advises CSPs to use deep learning-based attack detection SINGAPORE, October 5, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- A new cyber threat, coined a “Black Storm” attack, could potentially wreak havoc on communications service provider (CSP) networks, according to new distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) research from Nexusguard: A New Threat to CSP Networks – The Impending “Black Storm.” While DDoS amplification attacks rely on DNS servers or other similar open services to interrupt connectivity, a Black Storm attack can leverage any device connected to the Internet. Researchers caution that the volume from one Black Storm attack could terminate medium to large-sized enterprises in a…
JOHANNESBURG, South Africal, 5 october 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- On October 13, 2021, a seismic event will take place in Africa: we will begin the journey of supporting every African woman to take on a new dream – climbing the corporate ladder to the number one spot. Why is that most discussions of African women in business are focussed on small and medium sized businesses? We want to see African women dream big – why not earn the top spot in a large, complex organization?In addition to revealing the names of the 50 women on the Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs, we will…
The UN Secretary-General has condemned an attack against peacekeepers in Mali on Saturday which left one Egyptian ‘blue helmet’ dead, and four others seriously injured. NEW YORK, USA, October 04, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-António Guterres expressed his deep condolences to the family of the victim, as well as the Government and people of Egypt, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured peacekeepers serving with the UN Stabilization Mission for Mali (MINUSMA). In a statement, MINUSMA said they had been travelling in a convoy near Tessalit, inside the restive Kidal region, when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device. ‘Permanent danger’ The Special Representative of the…
Secretary-General António Guterres voiced his shock on Thursday after the Ethiopian Government declared seven UN staff persona non grata, ordering them to leave the country within 72 hours. NEW YORK, USA, October 01, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a tweet that five members of the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, including senior leaders, were being ordered out of the country, as well as the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF Representative, and a team leader from the UN human rights office, OHCHR. Livesaving aid As a reminder that all UN humanitarian operations are guided by “the core principles of humanity,…
Five More Sub-Saharan Countries Act to Protect Girls’ Education; Barriers Remain NAIROBI, Kenya, September 30, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- African countries have taken important steps in recent years to protect the right to education of pregnant students and adolescent mothers, Human Rights Watch said today. Since 2019, at least five sub-Saharan African countries – Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and São Tomé e Príncipe – have either revoked restrictive or discriminatory policies or adopted laws or policies that allow pregnant students and adolescent mothers to stay in school under certain conditions. “More African governments are taking stronger actions to support the rights of girls…
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 29, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) is pleased to announce that Modion Communications’ Hameed Olanrewaju and Onyeka Iyoha have won the Next-Gen PR World Cup Africa competition. The star Nigerian duo will go on to represent Africa at the ICCO PR World Cup in October. Onyeka, Head of Research and Insights, and Hameed, Head of Innovation and Insights, beat a field of seven teams, responding to a brief from South African charity, Data Driven Districts (DDD). Each team had 48 hours to create a fresh and innovative campaign that would empower educators to use the charity’s free DDD Dashboard…
The first-ever stocktake of Africa’s forests and landscapes, which was released on Wednesday finds slow progress in repairing Africa’s degraded lands and urges ramped up efforts for climate action. NEW YORK, USA, September 29, 2021,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/-Launched during Africa Climate Week, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the Review of Forest and Landscape Restoration in Africa 2021, shows, that more needs to be done to tap the continent’s opportunity to return land to sustainable production, protect biodiversity, and shield livelihoods in the battle against climate change. “Despite our efforts, every year more forest disappears, costing the continent a three per…
The Series E financing values the global engineering network at $1.5 billion LAGOS, Nigeria, 29 September 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Andela, the global network for remote engineering talent, today announced $200 million in Series E financing that values the company at $1.5 billion.The round was led by Softbank Vision Fund 2* with participation from new investor Whale Rock and existing investors including Generation Investment Management, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and Spark Capital. Lydia Jett, Founding Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers and one of the most respected consumer technology investors in the world, will join Andela’s Board of Directors. Andela helps companies build remote…
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 28, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- As survivors of a global crisis, bright young professionals are entering the labour market equipped with new skills, fresh perspective, and boundless energy. This is all thanks to a highly successful graduate program driven by SAP and supported by a thriving ecosystem of public and private sector partners and customers. According to Cathy Smith, Managing Director at SAP Africa, while many educational programs struggled with the complex demands of distance learning during the pandemic, the SAP Young Professionals Program went from strength to strength. “By opening our online classrooms to tap into…
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 28, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- As survivors of a global crisis, bright young professionals are entering the labour market equipped with new skills, fresh perspective, and boundless energy. This is all thanks to a highly successful graduate program driven by SAP and supported by a thriving ecosystem of public and private sector partners and customers. According to Cathy Smith, Managing Director at SAP Africa, while many educational programs struggled with the complex demands of distance learning during the pandemic, the SAP Young Professionals Program went from strength to strength. “By opening our online classrooms to tap into…
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 28, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- As survivors of a global crisis, bright young professionals are entering the labour market equipped with new skills, fresh perspective, and boundless energy. This is all thanks to a highly successful graduate program driven by SAP and supported by a thriving ecosystem of public and private sector partners and customers. According to Cathy Smith, Managing Director at SAP Africa, while many educational programs struggled with the complex demands of distance learning during the pandemic, the SAP Young Professionals Program went from strength to strength. “By opening our online classrooms to tap into…
