Interswitch, the Leading Integrated Digital Payments and Commerce Company focused on Africa, is pleased to announce the graduation of the first batch of its sponsored Nigerian Entrepreneurs from the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) Training Programme, in Accra, Ghana.

Out of the 19 Nigerian Entrepreneurs In Training (EIT) sponsored by Interswitch to the MEST programme, 10 of the EITs graduated on the Saturday, 18 June 2016, to an audience of friends and family, as well as the Chairman of Interswitch, Mr. Dotun Sulaiman, and the company’s Founder and Group Managing Director, Mitchell Elegbe.

Interswitch and MEST launched this partnership in 2014, to support aspiring young Nigerians, by equipping them with the skills they need to launch successful businesses across Africa. The Entrepreneurs in Training scheme gives young Africans the chance to be the African business leaders of the future.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Mitchell Elegbe, Founder and GMD of Interswitch, said:
“At Interswitch, we are very passionate and committed to growing the Tech Ecosystem in Africa. Investing in people with exceptional ideas that can grow into something really impactful and solve problems in Africa is essential to us. Africa is changing rapidly, and it is vitally important that our young people have the opportunity to not only fulfil their own potential, but to go on and change the way we live our lives.”

Interswitch will like to offer our warmest congratulations to the graduates and wish them the very best in their endeavours.

Gartner said global smartphone sales will continue to slow and will no longer grow in double digits. Worldwide smartphone sales are expected to grow 7 percent in 2016 to reach 1.5 billion units. This is down from 14.4 percent growth in 2015.
In 2020, smartphone sales are on pace to total 1.9 billion units.
“The smartphone market will no longer grow at the levels it has reached over the last seven years,” said Roberta Cozza, Research Director at Gartner.
“Smartphone sales recorded their highest growth in 2010, reaching 73 percent.”

Slowing Replacement of Phones
Today, the smartphone market has reached 90 percent penetration in the mature markets of North America, Western Europe, Japan and Mature Asia/Pacific, slowing future growth. Furthermore, users in these regions are not replacing or upgrading their smartphone as often as in previous years.
“In the mature markets, premium phone users are extending life cycles to 2.5 years, which is not going to change drastically over the next five years,” said Ms. Cozza.
Communications service providers (CSPs) have moved away from subsidies providing a “free” smartphone every two years, which has led to more varied upgrade cycles. On the other hand, CSPs have introduced financing programs and vendors such as Apple now offer upgrade programs that provides users with new hardware after only 12 months.
“These programs are not for everyone, as most users are happy to hold onto their phone for two years or longer than before. They do so especially as the technology updates have become incremental rather than exponential,” added Ms. Cozza.
In emerging markets, the average lifetime of premium phones is between 2.2 and 2.5 years, while basic phones have an average lifetime of three years and more. “2015 was the year when sales of smartphones overtook those of feature phones for the first time in Sub-Saharan Africa. This region represents an attractive market for vendors that can persuade users to migrate to their first smartphone,” said Ms. Cozza.

India Is the Main Focus for Growth Opportunity
Since mature markets are saturated, the focus for many vendors is on India and China. “India has the highest growth potential,” said Annette Zimmermann, Research Director at Gartner. “Sales of feature phones totaled 167 million units in 2015, 61 percent of total mobile phone sales in India.”
Smartphones are expensive for users in India, but with the average selling prices (ASPs) of low-end models falling, Gartner estimates that 139 million smartphones will be sold in India in 2016, growing 29.5 percent year over year. ASPs of mobile phones in India remain under $70, and smartphones under $120 will continue to contribute around 50 percent of overall smartphone sales in 2016.
After recording growth of 16 percent in 2014, sales of smartphones in China were flat in 2015. “In this saturated yet highly competitive smartphone market, there is little growth expected in China in the next five years,” said Ms. Zimmermann. Sales of smartphones in China represented 95 percent of total mobile phone sales in 2015. Similar to India, falling ASPs for smartphones will make them more affordable for users.”
“The worldwide smartphone market remains complex and competitive for all mobile phone vendors, and we are not expecting the vendor landscape to get smaller,” said Ms. Zimmermann. “In such a fluid vendor landscape, some will exit the market while newcomers, including mobile manufacturers or internet service providers from China and India, could make their debut.”
Gartner forecasts that by 2018, at least one nontraditional phone maker will be among the top five smartphone brands in China.
“Chinese internet companies are increasingly investing in mobile device hardware development, platforms and distribution as they aim to grow their user bases and increase user loyalty and engagement,” concluded Ms. Zimmermann.

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) has announced the appointment of two regional advisors on ICTs: Dr Marianne Treschow, Regional Advisor for Scandinavia and Northern Europe and Gisa Fuatai Purcell, Regional Advisor for the South Pacific.
The announcement of the appointments was made last week by Secretary-GeneralShola Taylor.
The CTO’s activities throughout the Commonwealth cross national and regional boundaries, but there is a need for the Organisation to stay abreast of the regional priorities of its members.
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Treschow and Ms Purcell,” said Shola Taylor.
“The CTO’s mandate to coordinate Commonwealth positions at international ICT events necessitates us staying up-to-date with regional issues, and our Regional Advisors will ensure our engagement in these areas.”
“I am greatly honoured to be appointed as Regional Advisor for Scandinavia and Northern Europe,” Dr Treschow said. “I strongly believe in the work of the CTO, building ICT capacity across the Commonwealth and look forward to working further with the CTO, building on my work as an Ambassador for the Organisation.”
Gisa Fuatai Purcell is the former Head of the ITU’s Division on LDCs, SIDS, and LLDCs; Climate Change Adaption and Disaster Risk Reduction; and Emergency Telecommunication. Gisa was the first woman to lead this division and the first Pacific Island person to have worked at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva.
She successfully managed many projects around the world including early warning systems using ICTs, satellite connectivity, ICT capacity building and ICT infrastructure including submarine cables. She has a Master of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
Dr. Marianne Treschow is the former Director-General and member of the Board of the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS). She is also senior advisor to Ericsson Group; advisor, Europe to VoIPSolutions; founder and CEO of TreschowConsulting; European expert to Global Network Women in ICT (WITNET); member of the Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA); and member of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.
In addition to a long career in PTS, she has also held a number of important positions in Sweden including director of the Swedish Space Agency; director of the Swedish Natural Sciences Research Council; and Associate Professor in Structural Chemistry at the Stockholm University. Among the many international positions she has held are Member of the Troika Board in the European Commission; Chair of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) from 2006 to 2010; Head of Delegation of the European Regulators Group (ERG) from 2004 to 2010; and Councillor to the ITU and its Council from 2006 to 2010.

About the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is the oldest and largest Commonwealth intergovernmental organisation in the field of information and communication technologies.
Although our history can be traced back to 1901 with the establishment of the Pacific Cable Board, the organisation has only existed in its present form as an intergovernmental treaty organisation since 1967.
With a diverse membership spanning developed and least developed countries, small island developing states, and more recently also the private sector and civil society, the CTO aims to become a trusted partner for sustainable development for all through ICTs.

MTN Cote d’Ivoire said on 10 June, 2016 that it has raised FCFA140 billion to finance its investments in the country and increase its footprint across it.
The sum, proceeds of a loan arranged by Standard Chartered Bank and Ecobank Development Corporation (EDC) from 10 Ivorian banks and Ecobank’s Senegalese and Togolese subsidiaries, will be paid over 7 years, with a grace period of one year.
Regarding this loan, Managing Director MTN Cote d’Ivoire, Freddy Tchala said: “This year 2016 is a turning point for our company for this is the year where it renewed its license for 17 years, effective from April 2, 2016. The loan will also help pay the license and achieve an ambitious investment programme, meet our targets thus providing the best network and services to Cote d’Ivoire’s residents.”
Moreover, the money will be used by the company to modernise and expand its telecom networks, so as to provide quality services to all.
With it, MTN will grab more customers and snatch from Orange, its main rival, its position of leader of the local telecom market.

World Telecom Labs (WTL) unveiled the findings of its recent survey about the management and rollout of voice and/or data deployments in Africa that have been financed by Universal Service Funds (USF).

WTL invited people from across the telecoms ecosystem including vendors, operators and ISPs, NGOs and Government Officials to share their experience and opinions about USF and to identify where improvements could be made in the management of USF.

25% of the respondents had been directly involved with a network built using money from USF and were extremely well-informed and open to sharing their thoughts.

The key findings of the survey included:

96% of survey respondents see USF as offering huge potential to solve connectivity and service delivery issues in rural environments.

Operators, NGOs and Government Agencies all expressed an interest in delivering connectivity to unconnected areas with 86% of respondents feeling strongly that a combination of all three is required in order to unlock investment.

This implies that connecting the unconnected requires a coalition – a collaborative approach between all relevant stakeholders, including vendors who can offer technology to deliver the connectivity required.

The main obstacles blocking the building of networks using USF funds were identified as excessive bureaucracy and inflexibility of USF rules.

Concerns were raised about the sustainability of rural investments. However, many respondents were unfamiliar with the handful of companies – including WTL – which provide equipment specifically designed to build commercially viable networks in rural villages.

Leigh Smith, MD of WTL, said: “People were very open and eager to share their experiences and opinions – and most were extremely positive about the economic benefits of providing voice and data to areas which are still unconnected. Connecting the unconnected continues to be a hot topic with companies such as Facebook and Google investing heavily in their own initiatives.

At WTL we will continue to develop our portfolio of award-winning equipment to help operators, ISPs and NGOs build sustainable rural networks.”

WTL has built a number of networks in rural Africa partly financed by USF and has seen for itself the immense benefits USF can bring, irrespective of its challenges. In particular, the deployment of WTL’s Vivada (Village Voice and Data) system in rural Tanzania is an example of a strong and productive use of USF funds.

AMOTEL, Tanzania’s first MVNO operating through Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL), the country’s national telecom company, is initially deploying WTL’s Vivada system to build low OPEX, low-CAPEX networks in three villages that are not currently covered by any kind of network.

The proof of concept project is being financed by the Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF) as part of its US$9.6 million investment to improve connectivity in Tanzania, which was announced last year.