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Elon Musk's Tesla unveils its robotaxi: The Cybercab

Elon Musk's Tesla unveils its robotaxi: The Cybercab

Plus: South Africa remote work visa

Innovation Village
October 11, 2024

Today’s Menu ☕️

🤖 Elon Musk’s Tesla unveils its robotaxi: The Cybercab
📱Ghana inaugurates ECOWAS free roaming services with Togo and Benin
💵 Peach Payments of South Africa teams up with Kenya’s Sukhiba to enhance WhatsApp-based commerce
🌾 BG Titan Group from the US initiates E-Farms in Uganda with a vision for East African expansion
🧑🏽‍💻 South Africa launches remote work visitor visa to draw global talent
💵 Old Mutual introduces ‘financial edutainment’ platform in South Africa to elevate financial literacy

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🚙 AUTOMOBILES

Elon Musk’s Tesla unveils its robotaxi: The Cybercab

Cybercab

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has once again changed the narrative in the automotive industry with the recent unveiling of the Cybercab, a two-door, fully autonomous robotaxi with a sleek design resembling a smaller version of the Cybertruck. This much-anticipated event, held at the Warner Bros. Discovery studio in California, marked a significant milestone in Tesla’s push towards an autonomous driving future. The event, aptly named “We, Robot,” provided a glimpse into Musk’s long-held vision of self-driving vehicles transforming urban transport.

The Cybercab’s standout feature is its complete autonomy, with no steering wheel or pedals, relying entirely on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. The vehicle uses cameras and artificial intelligence to navigate, breaking away from other robotaxi competitors that rely on expensive hardware like lidar. Musk’s bold decision to focus solely on cameras and AI is part of his strategy to keep costs low, with the Cybercab expected to be priced under $30,000 when production begins in 2026, or “before 2027.” The robotaxi is set to cost as little as 20 cents per mile to operate over time, revolutionizing the cost structure of personal transportation...........continue reading

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📱 TELECOMS

Ghana inaugurates ECOWAS free roaming services with Togo and Benin

The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation in Ghana has proudly announced the inauguration of a bilateral ECOWAS Free Roaming initiative that will encompass Ghana and its neighboring countries, Togo and Benin. This development is a continuation of the successful establishment of the ECOWAS Roaming Initiative that was previously set up between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

The announcement comes on the heels of an agreement reached in April 2024 between Benin and Ghana, which was formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed by Benin’s Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) and Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA). ARCEP confirmed that the agreed-upon memorandum was scheduled to be implemented starting July 1, 2024. The Free Roaming Initiative is designed to benefit the citizens of the participating countries by allowing them to use their mobile services across borders without being subject to international roaming fees.......continue reading

🌾 AGRICULTURE

American BG Titan Group initiates E-Farms in Uganda with a vision for East African expansion

The American corporation BG Titan Group has inaugurated its ambitious Titan E-Farms project in Uganda, a venture poised to revolutionize the agricultural sector throughout East Africa with an investment exceeding $650 million. The initiative’s debut in Uganda is just the beginning, as BG Titan Group envisions extending the Titan E-Farms blueprint to other nations in the region, such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

The essence of the Titan E-Farms initiative is to foster a sustainable and economically viable agricultural framework that can also tackle environmental concerns. The project integrates cutting-edge, eco-friendly technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of farming activities and to minimize waste generation.

One of the pivotal goals of the Titan E-Farms endeavor is to harness clean energy. The project has the capacity to generate between 50 to 100 megawatts of renewable energy, leveraging waste-to-power systems, solar panels, and hydrogen-based technologies. The energy harnessed will not only fuel the farm’s operations but also supply excess electricity to neighboring communities, thereby enhancing local energy resources...........continue reading

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💵 PAYMENTS

Peach Payments of South Africa teams up with Kenya’s Sukhiba to enhance WhatsApp-based commerce

Peach Payments, a leading digital payments service provider based in South Africa, has announced a strategic collaboration with Kenyan-based conversational commerce and CRM platform, Sukhiba. This partnership aims to open up a novel sales avenue for South African merchants, enabling them to conduct sales directly through WhatsApp.

Established in Cape Town in 2012, Peach Payments has been at the forefront of offering comprehensive payment solutions that allow businesses to seamlessly accept, manage, and disburse payments via web and mobile platforms. Ranking as the second-largest online payment gateway in South Africa, Peach Payments has also made its mark in Kenya and Mauritius..........continue reading

💵 FINANCIAL SERVICES

Old Mutual introduces ‘financial edutainment’ platform in South Africa to elevate financial literacy

Old Mutual, a prominent insurance firm based in South Africa, has recently unveiled Moneyversity Plus, an innovative financial education platform designed to enhance financial literacy among individuals. Since its soft launch in June 2024, the platform has quickly gained traction, attracting over 60,000 users and amassing 8.8 million views. Notably, its reach has extended beyond South African borders, drawing users from countries such as the Netherlands, UK, USA, and Namibia.

Moneyversity Plus merges financial education with the appeal of streaming entertainment, making it easier for users to access and engage with educational content. The platform’s AI-driven recommendation engine tailors the learning experience to each user, making it both informative and enjoyable. Old Mutual has tailored Moneyversity Plus for the local South African market but plans to broaden its scope to other African countries, acknowledging the widespread need for financial education globally.........continue reading