Alerzo, a technology platform that caters to retail stores, has laid off at least 400 people.
The new layoffs come after the company laid off hundreds of employees in August and September 2022.
The company says due to this increased digitization, some roles that were previously required no longer are necessary, specifically for our internal warehouse operations.” As part of the new round of layoffs.
Alerzo is reportedly reducing its business footprint and will now close 14 warehouses across the country.

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Osun state officially cancels right-of-way fees, allowing telecom companies and internet providers to lay fibre optic cables for free.
Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun state, disclosed the cancellation of ROW fees today as part of a digital economy policy.
The state is betting that cancelling right-of-way fees–a contentious matter between state governments and Nigeria’s telecommunications commission–will improve broadband penetration.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there were 3.5 million active internet subscriptions in Osun state in Q1 2021.

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TikTok has been banned from government-issued mobile devices in Canada, the country’s Treasury Board announced Monday.
The European Commission issued its directive to remove TikTok from government devices late last week.
Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says the decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners.
TikTok claims that the Canadian government did not reach out to discuss concerns about the app.

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Meta is testing AI-powered tools for its products. Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the company is building a new top-level product group to integrate generative AI into its services used by billions of users.
Zuckerberg says the team will focus on building creative tools at first, but its long-term goal is to create “AI personas that can help people in a variety of ways.
The company, however, has to do a lot of foundational work before it shares these “futuristic” experiences with users.
Meta is also experimenting with AI-aided filters and ad formats on Instagram along with video and multi-modal experiences.

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Snapchat announced that it’s launching “My AI,” a new chatbot running the latest version of OpenAI’s GPT technology that it has customized for its users.
My AI is now available as an experimental feature for Snapchat+, the social network’s $ 3.99-a-month subscription service.
The company says My AI can recommend birthday gift ideas for your BFF, plan a hiking trip for a long weekend, suggest a recipe for dinner, or even write a haiku about cheese for your cheddar-obsessed pal.

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Nokia announced plans to change its brand identity for the first time in nearly 60 years, complete with a new logo, as the telecom equipment maker focuses on aggressive growth.
The new logo comprises five different shapes forming the word NOKIA. The iconic blue colour of the old logo has been dropped for a range of colours depending on the use.
Chief Executive Pekka Lundmark says there was an association with smartphones and nowadays we are a business technology company.
Lundmark says while Nokia still aims to grow its service provider business, where it sells equipment to telecom companies, its main focus is now to sell gear to other businesses.

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Citizens of Kenya will be able to buy government securities from a digital platform known as DhowCSD, instead of its current USSD system from March,
The DhowCSD is a mobile app and will be available on Android and Apple stores. It is supposed to fill the gaps in the current USSD system of buying and selling securities, treasury bills and bonds.
TrendsKe says the digital platform will also enable the generation of detailed investor reports. The DhowCSD is capable of making interbank payments, a module to buy and sell securities in the secondary market.
The DhowCSD will enable anyone from anywhere to bid and buy from their phone.
The Central Bank of Kenya is excited about this development as it promises to boost its remittance revenue which is already growing faster and taller than its money from tea and horticulture.

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The global watchdog for money laundering and terrorist financing, the Financial Action Task Force has placed Nigeria on its grey list.
The FATF has 40 recommendations that provide guidelines for a country’s financial system to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorist organisations.
The watchdog currently has two lists that point out countries with weak laws to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing; they are called the black list and the grey list.
They include countries like Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, South Sudan, and Haiti. As 73% of countries have been removed since the list’s inception, it is not a permanent list, and nations have the chance to be taken off it after cooperating with the FATF to address their failings.

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Facebook-parent Meta has launched a subscription service, called Meta Verified, that will allow users to add the coveted blue check mark to their Instagram and Facebook accounts for up to $15 a month by verifying their identity, its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg says tapping a new revenue channel that has returned mixed success for its smaller rival Twitter.
Meta will allow users to verify their identity by using their government-issued ID cards. The company said the subscription service will also offer “increased visibility and reach,” improved protection against impersonation attacks and direct access to customer support.

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Nigeria’s data protection authority Nigeria Data Protection Bureau is investigating over 110 companies, including banks, telecom firms, and gaming companies, for data breaches.
Those found guilty will face civil or criminal liability, and even the Nigeria Police Force is involved in the investigation.
The data controllers are also being investigated to check that they are performing due diligence while engaging data processors or vendors that have access to the personal data of customers.
The NDPB has licensed 48 additional Data Protection Compliance Organisations bringing the total number of licensed companies to 138.

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