Turn-by-turn navigation from Google has come to more African markets. Android and iPhone users in Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire can now get the service through the Google Maps application.
Users can search for popular locations by name rather than address and can opt to listen to directions in English or French.
Maps for the new supported regions include information on points of interest such as petrol stations and shopping malls, as well as any other information added by members of the public using Google Map Maker.
For the time being, South Africa remains the only African county with Google Street View, which offers street-level images in addition to traditional maps. Source: Daily Nation and Google Africa blog
Import duties hurt Uganda operators
Mobile operators have accused the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) of violating the East African common market protocol by introducing a 25% import duty on airtime scratch cards imported from Kenya.
The new duty came into effect in February and operators are now considering using companies in China, India and Dubai because it could prove cheaper and easier than importing the products from the neighbouring country. Operators say another option is to increase the cost of calls to offset the effects of the new import duty.
The URA argues that the duty is the result of a meeting last August between East African trade partners, where it was decided that taxes should be applied to finished products where companies are exempt from import duties on raw materials. According to the URA, scratch cards form part of this category of product. Source: Daily Monitor
Cybercrime climbs in Tanzania
Tanzania has witnessed an increase in incidents of fraud as the number of banks and other financial institutions has increased. Though the growth shows business confidence in Tanzania, it’s also meant an increase in cybercrime in the region.
The country’s central bank has now formed a taskforce comprising experts from the Tanzania Bankers Association, the telecommunications regulator, and the Financial Intelligence Unit and Cyber Crime Unit in the office of the director of criminal investigation that it hopes will provide recommendations and solutions to combat the problem. Source: Daily News
Rwandan ICT bill in final stages
After extensive scrutiny at the hands of a parliamentary committee, Rwanda’s draft Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Bill is to be considered by a plenary session of parliament. Currently, there is no legal framework that governs the country’s ICT sector.
The bill covers legal, regulatory and institutional concerns around ICT and is aimed at making up for the shortfalls of 2001 legislation that regulates telecoms networks and services.
The draft bill contains a legal framework that covers issues such as electronic communications, broadcasting and postal services. The bill is also expected to protect consumers by detailing approaches to cyber security and privacy in the region. Source: The New Times
