folarin okunola

<h1>Everybody is on one social media platform or the other these days and if you are not careful, the digital world of like and comments could ruin your opportunities in real life.</h1>

Because every social media user usually has an online personality which often differs greatly from the real life version of who that user is, it is to get lost in the nuances of the online world.

These days, a lot of employers like to do some background checks on prospective employees and often make employment decisions based off that. If you don’t want your social media history or activities to cost you a potential job opportunity, follow these four steps:

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Social media can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. A lot of people have found immense opportunities but just as many opportunities have also been ruined, thanks to social media too.

You are a brand in your own right and you should treat both your public and online perception as such. Be yourself, but be careful what you post online. All the best!

These days, a lot of employers like to do some background checks on prospective employees and often make employment decisions based off that.

How not to let your social media rob you of the job you want

The Awards, in association with Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) and Mobile Monday (MOMO) South Africa, provides winners with international recognition and publicity across multiple channels, networking with 300+ industry peers and a host of other benefits.

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Applications are welcome across 12 categories from mobile or technology ventures with services launched in at least one African market for the following awards;

<ul><li>Disruptive Innovation Award</li><li>Best Social &amp;amp; Messaging Award</li><li>Best African App Award</li><li>Enterprise Solution Award</li><li>News &amp;amp; Entertainment Award</li><li>Educational Award</li><li>Fintech Award</li><li>Social Impact Award</li><li>Brand Campaign Award</li><li>mCommerce Award</li><li>Changing Africa Award</li></ul>

Applications will be assessed by a team of expert judges who are selected based on their knowledge, influence and contribution to the improvement of technology and business in Africa.

The deadline for entries is September 10, 2017, with the shortlisted finalists announced at the end of September 2017.

To find out more or enter now by visiting <a href="https://www.appsafrica.com/appsafrica-" id="ecb0219e-0127-570d-914a-86502cb5752e">https://www.appsafrica.com/appsafrica</a>-innovation-awards

With over 200 entries last year from 25 countries the Awards continue to celebrate and promote the best of African tech, from start-ups to large corporates.

Applications are now open to find the best in mobile & tech

<h1>Today makes it 30 days since Internet has been shut down in the Southwest and Northwest of Cameroon.</h1>

The shutdown, which began on January 17, 2017, is <a href="http://pulse.ng/tech/in-congo-48-hour-shutdown-of-internet-telephone-services-for-presidential-election-id4830696.html" id="d73af08b-a4af-51c4-8628-eb5c1a5ac351">yet another example</a> of an African government flagrantly misusing its powers and infringing on human rights - something that is fast becoming commonplace on the continent.

In 2016, citizens were cut off from the internet a total of 11 times across Africa. By any metric, that is an astonishing number - people losing money, being denied their basic right to expression and communication just because a government (which they may have even 'elected') feels threatened by its own people? Ridiculous.

But what led to the Cameroon situation? Well, Cameroon is as diverse as it gets, for starters. The central African nation is home to over 200 linguistic groups, numerous major ethnicities and considerable Christian, Muslim and animist populations.

But the most prominent difference within the nation's population is between the majority French-speaking regions and minority English-speaking regions. It even has parallel education and legal systems that operate in either region of the country. That's a lot of differentiation.

The country's constitution equates both English and French as its official languages and says they hold "the same status." But most of the business, government and administration is done in French - the country's President Paul Biya rarely speaks English in public - and residents of the Anglophone regions have long complained of economic and political marginalisation.

Those complaints reached a crescendo in November 2016 when lawyers in Bamenda, the capital of the Anglophone Northwest region, publicly protested an alleged imposition of French courts in the Anglophone region.

Teachers also joined in with sit-in protests in the Northwest and Southwest regions. Cameroon runs two parallel schooling systems (Anglophone and Francophone) and the English-speaking teachers were fighting against French speakers with poor English skills being hired in Anglophone schools.

According to various reports, several people were arrested during the protests which saw clashes with security operatives. The following month (December 2016) four people were allegedly killed when security operatives used live ammunition and tear gas to dislodge an alleged protest in Bamenda. This led international organisations to call for an investigation.

By January 16, 2017, the government had started issuing statements warning social media users that they could face "criminal penalties" if they were found "issuing or spreading fake news" on social media.

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The government, via the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, also sent text messages to Cameroonians, warning them of two-year prison sentences if they published information "that you can't prove" on social media.

The next day, on January 17, Internet services in the Northwest and Southwest regions <a href="http://pulse.ng/tech/internet-access-shut-down-in-parts-of-cameroon-over-riots-id6081605.html" id="f8bb7600-051d-5c8b-95bb-ca9e009a7f66">were cut off</a>. The government has refused to give an official reason for the ban, but a lot of people (including <a href="https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/824312606596988933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" id="891b478a-4a5c-5264-8712-7a7b324e862d">Edward Snowden</a>) believe it is linked to the protests.

Two leading figures in the protest; Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla, President of the Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, and Dr Fontem Neba, secretary general of the group, were arrested the same day and airlifted to the nation's capital Yaounde.

The ban has left about 20 percent of the nation's 23 million strong population without Internet access. Activist group Internet Sans Frontieres says the ban has cost the country's economy about 443 million West African CFA Francs (about $723, 000).

“This worrying pattern of arbitrary arrests, detention and harassment of civil society members is entirely at odds with the international human rights law and standards that Cameroon has committed to uphold,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, Central Africa researcher at Amnesty International.

President Paul Biya, who has been ruling Cameroon since 1982, said in a new year's eve national address that while Cameroonians should feel free to express legitimate concerns - even through strike actions - violent protests would be crushed by security forces whilst emphasising that Cameroon is "one and indivisible."

The Internet shut down has prompted a <a href="https://twitter.com/Ambaexit/status/831770033458118656" id="4528f431-b1d2-54a3-ac88-a69318b01c60">#BringBackOurInternet</a> campaign from Cameroonians in the unaffected areas of the country, tech stakeholders in the country such as <a href="https://twitter.com/africatechie" id="5f2491c2-6fd5-5e9d-b26e-69719f675a19">Rebecca Enonchong</a> and aggrieved Cameroonians abroad.

So far, the only positive story to emerge from the entire situation is that of <a href="http://pulse.ng/tech/collin-nji-the-first-african-to-win-googles-codein-challenge-id6195834.html" id="0558eb6f-5c0b-5940-83ad-4883e9cf849b">Collins Nji</a>, a 17-year-old Cameroonian teenager who, despite the internet shut down in his hometown of Bamenda, is now the first African to win Google's Code-In hacking for pre-university students between the ages of 13 and 17 where the students are given a variety of bite-sized tasks to hack open source software.

There is no telling when the citizens in the affected parts of the Internet ban will be able to communicate with their families again or conduct business. But Africa is watching, and so is the rest of the world.

The #BringBackOurInternet campaign is a protest of the government-sanctioned Internet shut down in Cameroon.

The shutdown, which began on January 17, 2017, is yet another example of an African government flagrantly misusing its powers and infringing on human rights.

It's been 30 days without internet access in Cameroon

The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is expanding its recruitment net to South Africa.

MEST already accepts candidates from  Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Cote D'Ivoire into its fully sponsored, year-long program.

Entrepreneurs who sign up for the program will have access to new and diverse cultures, seed funding ranging from $50,000 - $100,000 (courtesy of the MEST Foundation), and skills to help them become globally competitive.

Right now, the MEST program itself still holds only Ghana, but the incubator is looking to open an incubator in Johannesburg or Capetown for  South African entrepreneurs who have graduated from MEST.

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According to an Innovation Village report, interested South Africans are required to:

- Possess the passion for building a globally successful software company

- Have entrepreneurial or corporate work experience

- Be able to commit to spending a year in Accra, Ghana participating in the MEST training program starting August 2017

For more information, send an email to recruitment@meltwater.org. Deadline for application in South Africa is March 10, 2017.

MEST already accepts candidates from  Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Cote D'Ivoire into its fully sponsored, year-long program.

Incubator is now accepting applicants from South Africa

That time you spend at the airport before getting on the plane can be a drag.

But travelling just got a lot less boring thanks to an airport Wi-Fi map a travel blogger just came up with.

Anil Polat, a computer science engineer and travel blogger, gets the struggle of being in an airport without free Wi-Fi, so he created an interactive map so airport users can easily find Wi-Fi passwords.

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Polat updates the map regularly and it includes the Wi-Fi passwords and locations of several airports across the world.

Once you click on an airport, you will receive specific directions on where to sit to get the best access to the Wi-Fi connection, as well as instructions for putting in the password.

With this handy map, you can say goodbye (for the most part) to those annoying data roaming charges and sketchy hot-spot connections.

Anil Polat, a computer science engineer and travel blogger, gets the struggle of being in an airport without free Wi-Fi, so he created an interactive map.

Someone created a map of free airport Wi-Fi passwords around the world

India has the second largest population on the planet.

The country may still largely depend on fossil fuel for most of its power needs, but it is quickly making the switch to renewable energy.

One year ago, Kamuthi, in Tamil Nadu, was just temples and greenery. Today, its brand new power plant is what people are talking about.

Kamuthi is 90 kilometres outside Madurai and is now home to the largest solar plant in the world. The plant spans a 10-kilometer area with a capacity to generate 648MW, enough to power 150,000 homes.

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Even more impressive is the fact that the plant was built in just eight months. Topaz Solar Farm, which was previously the largest solar power plant in the world, took two years to build and only generates 550MW.

The Kamuthi facility cost $679 million and came from the Adani Group.

India still relies heavily on coal for powering homes and industries but the country has slowly been making the move away from non-renewable power sources.

In late 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to go big on renewable energy. India is looking to cut down its dependency on fossil fuels by 2030.

Topaz Solar Farm, which was previously the largest solar power plant in the world, took two years to build and only generates 550MW.

The world's largest solar plant was built in just 8 months

The app is called Toontastic 3D and kids can use it to create animations using a set of built-in characters. They can also create using the app's editor and camera.

They can create a story and record sound, which is then saved in a 3D video format.

As shown in a demo video for the app, kids can draw a character in a 2D space, just like you would in any paint program. That character is then rendered in 3D and placed in a campfire scene by the app.

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Google announced plans, back in 2014, to revamp its products with a 12-and-under focus. The company has since announced several standalone apps for kids, including a kid-focused version of YouTube called YouTube Kids.

Early in 2015, Google acquired kids app-maker Launchpad Toys in early 2015 as part of its drive to push into kids technology. Launchpad made its apps free after the acquisition.

Telestory, an augmented reality video camera for kids to record their own TV shows, is another app Google previously launched. Both apps have been praised by parents and teachers alike.

As at the time of writing this article, the Toontastic 3D app is available for Android and iOS in Nigeria.

The app is called Toontastic 3D and kids can use it to create animations using a set of built-in characters.

Tech giant has launched an app that helps kids create 3D animations

Instagram is quickly moving to monetize that large audience by announcing the launch of ads mixed into Stories. There will be easily skippable but unclickable 5-second photo and 15-second video ads that will appear between people's  stories.

The Facebook-owned photo-sharing site will also provide business accounts with analytics on the impressions, reach and exits of their Stories.

Experts are already speculating that moving to monetize the feature just five months after it launched in August 2016 could be premature and potentially slow Instagram Stories' rapid growth.

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The new Instagram Story ads will roll out globally eventually on all interfaces, but testing will be carried out first over the next few weeks with a group of about 30 partners.

Some of the partners include Capital One, General Motors, Nike and Netflix.

About 70% of Instagram users already follow a business, and a third of the most-watched Stories on Instagram were created by brands/businesses.

As at the time of writing this report, there is no option to click or swipe to open an advertisers website, but James Quarles, VP of business at Instagram, tells TechCrunch that “In the future people might want to buy a click or buy a video view and those would be measured differently… We plan to incorporate that in the coming months.”

Still, this format is a lot like Snapchat's Snap Ads. The only difference between the two is Snapchat users have to select several people's Stories to watch as a playlist, with ads appearing in between since you can no longer watch all of your friend's Stories' in sequence.

There will be easily skippable but unclickable 5-second photo and 15-second video ads that will appear between people's  stories.

Ads are coming to your Insta Stories as Snapchat clone hits 150 million daily users

<h1>Sometime ago, someone thought it was a good idea to make an handgun that folds up to look like a smartphone.</h1>

Now Belgian Police have issued an alert for the transforming gun as it's launch in the US gets closer.

According to a report in Derniere Huere newspaper, Belgian police are worried the Ideal Conceal Pistol (that's what the handgun is called) will be illegally imported into Europe.

When folded up, it is hard to distinguish the gun from a typical smartphone from afar.

Originally scheduled to launch in 2016, the double-barreled .380 caliber gun, which can fire two bullets and has a laser sight, was delayed until "early 2017" due to production issues.

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Creator of the smartphone-shaped gun Kirk Kjellberg says he now expects the gun to go into production in March 2017, acccording to a Mashable report.

"We have two more rounds of prototyping to do, mostly to lighten up the pistol; so it's easy and fun to carry all the while maintaining superior structural integrity," Kjellberg wrote in a Facebook post on January 5, 2017.

"I never got into this for money. My passion and motivation come from my desire to arm everyone who wants to always carry a gun be able do so with stealth, pride and most importantly trust."

According to reports, the Ideal Conceal gun has already received 12,000 pre-orders and it is priced at $395.

Belgian police are worried that the Ideal Conceal Pistol (that's what the handgun is called) will be illegally imported into Europe.

Belgian police have issued an alert for this foldable gun that looks like a phone

<h1>The Canadian immigration website crash in the early hours of today November 9, 2016, after news broke that</h1>

Over the past 18-month campaign period, Trump has repeatedly expressed controversial statements against immigrants and people of colour fueling emigration sentiments in the US.

Several Americans flocked to the Canadian immigration website leading to its crash as it was flooded with an unexpected query load.

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Popular Canadian politician Norm Kelly also tweeted a screenshot of his direct messages showing several people seemingly looking for help with emigration to Canada.

It is unclear if that is the sole reason for the Canadian immigration site going bust, but that seems to be the leading theory as at press time.

Republican candidate Donald Trump has since shot to the top of the search trends on Google and Twitter respectively after being officially confirmed as the next president of the United States.

A lady at the Immigration office in Canada

Several Americans flocked to the Canadian immigration website leading to its crash as it was flooded with an unexpected query load.

Canada's immigration website crash, billionaire confirmed as next US president

If you aim to be an entrepreneur with hopes of building your business and earning a seven-figure check, you need to be able to ask yourself some fact checking questions from time to time.

Every entrepreneur must ask themselves certain fundamental questions if they want to be successful at running their business. Those questions should get weekly, monthly, or quarterly answers.

By reviewing the work you do and the resulting accomplishments, you can better prepare for what you want to do next and what life throws at you next.

Here are three important questions you must ask yourself, from time to time, as an entrepreneur:

<a href="" id="ffebd296-e0e0-5e45-9c91-0fa480a239c3">ALSO READ: 5 traits you must have if you want to be an effective boss</a>

What do I do to stay adventurous and alive?

Do not get caught up in the monotony of doing the same thing every other day. Go out and do the things that you enjoy and love.

What disappointments did you have last month/week/quarter?

Instead of getting emotional or dwelling on the disappointments you've had to deal with, figure out those moments and discover what you can do better the following month.

What are your achievements and contributions to your workplace?

Keeping track of what you have put into your business will help you on your path to success. Review your goals and accomplishments and never forget that it is about quality, not quantity.

Sacrifice is a major part of entrepreneurship

By reviewing the work you do and the resulting accomplishments, you can better prepare for what you want to do next.

3 IMPORTANT questions to keep yourself in check as an entrepreneur

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd halted sales of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on Tuesday and told owners to stop using them while it investigates reports of fires, fuelling expectations the tech giant will scrap the flagship device.

Samsung is now considering permanently halting sales of its flagship smartphones as an option, a source familiar with the matter said, after fresh reports of fires in replacement devices prompted new warnings from regulators, phone carriers and airlines.

The person, who declined to be identified because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said Samsung had not yet made a final decision. A Samsung spokeswoman said nothing had been decided about future sales plans.

The world's top smartphone maker earlier said it had asked all global carriers to stop sales of the Note 7s and the exchange of original devices for replacements, while it worked with regulators to investigate the problem. The company is offering to exchange Note 7s for other products or refund them.

"Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note 7 or replacement Galaxy Note 7 device should power down and stop using the device," the company said in statement.

Samsung's decision to pull Note 7s off the shelves for the second time in less than two months not only raises fresh doubts about the firm's quality control but could result in huge financial and reputational costs.

Analysts say a permanent end to Note 7 sales could cost Samsung up to $17 billion (15.38 billion pounds) and tarnish its other phone products in the minds of consumers and carriers.

Investors wiped $18.8 billion off Samsung Electronics' market value on Tuesday as its shares closed down 8 percent, their biggest daily percentage decline since 2008.

The premium device launched in August was supposed to compete with Apple Inc's latest iPhone for supremacy in the smartphone market. Well received by critics, its first problem was a shortage as pre-orders overwhelmed supply.

But within days of the launch images of charred Note 7s began appearing on social media, in the first sign that something was seriously amiss with the gadget. Samsung has since recalled 2.5 million Note 7s due to faulty batteries.

"This has probably killed the Note 7 brand name - who knows if they’ll even be allowed to re-release it," said Edward Snyder, managing director of Charter Equity Research.

"By the time they fix the problem they have to go through recertification and requalification and by the time that happens they’re going up against the (Galaxy) S8 launch."

South Korea's Hankyoreh newspaper earlier reported the firm planned to end Note 7 sales permanently.

In addition to the sales pause, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday that Samsung had temporarily halted production of Note 7s. It was not clear if or when production would resume.

The South Korean firm did not immediately comment on whether it had identified the cause for the fires in replacement devices, although officials in Seoul said it was looking at several possibilities including the batteries.

"It is more difficult to analyse the cause of the accidents this time because of various patterns of the accidents," an official with the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, which met with Samsung and experts on Monday, told Reuters.

China's quality watchdog said Samsung would recall all 190,984 Note 7s sold in the mainland.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Samsung was making the right decision by halting sales and exchanges of the device.

"No one should have to be concerned their phone will endanger them, their family or their property," CPSC Chairman Elliott Kaye said in a statement.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and South Korea's transport ministry added their voices to concerns from the aviation industry, saying no Note 7s should be used or charged inside airplanes.

Verizon Communications Inc, the largest U.S. wireless carrier, said it may shift marketing away from the Note 7 heading into the critical holiday selling season.

"We have the new iPhone, we’re about to launch the new Google Pixel, which is exclusive to us. We’ve got great phones from Motorola as well," Verizon spokeswoman Kelly Crummey said.

"I think you’ll see our marketing focussed on those devices because there is certainty on those at this time."

Analysts say a permanent end to Note 7 sales could cost Samsung up to $17 billion (15.38 billion pounds) and tarnish its other phone products.

Phone maker shuts down Note 7 production, may be for good

“Gone are the days when power failures used to a be a big thing for the airport. We no longer have those," said Brenda Voster, the George Airport's manager, according to MPMania.

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The facility cost about $1.2 million to build and has helped the airport reduce its carbon emissions by about 1,229 tonnes - an equivalent of 103,934 litres of fuel.

That is not enough though, as the airport still plans to increase the capacity of its power station by an extra 250Kw to help it handle the 700,000 passengers it handles annually.

All of this for just over $1.2 million. Here's to hoping we get to this point someday in Nigeria.

Solar panels at South Africa's George Airport

About 2000 solar panels provide the airport with 750Kw of energy daily though the airport requires only 450Kw to run its operations.

Africa's first fully solar powered airport costs just over $1.2 million

Workplace by Facebook (formerly known as Facebook at Work) is launching today and will be available to any organization who wants access.

Organizations can apply through the Workplace website and will be connected to a member of the Workplace team.

Workplace by Facebook is the business version of Facebook that allows companies to build more productive, efficient and collaborative workplaces.

Facebook says the platform helps organizations collaborate better and makes it easier to get things done, all while using familiar Facebook features like News Feed, Groups, Chat, Live Video and more, and is mobile-first, so employees can use it to work with their colleagues from anywhere in the world.

According to a statement by Facebook, "More than 1,000 organizations are using Workplace worldwide, on every continent except Antarctica, and more than 100,000 groups already in use. Top 5 countries using Workplace are India, Norway, US, UK and France."

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Workplace is being used by organizations in every single continent except Antarctica. With the announcement, Facebook is also sharing a few other new updates:

<ul><li>A pricing model that is based on a monthly fee per active user (so companies only pay for what they use). The more active users an organization has, the less they pay per user.</li><li>$3 for the first 1,000 monthly active users</li><li>$2 for 1,001 – 10,000 monthly active users</li><li>$1 for 10,000+ monthly active users</li></ul>

Added features over the last 18 months include Multi-company Groups, Live, Reactions, Auto-translate, Video and group audio calling in Work Chat, Trending posts, Search filters and others

Workplace by Facebook also supports multi-company groups. These are shared groups that allow employees from multiple organizations to work together. Members from other companies won't be able to see any information from your company outside of the multi-company groups they are in with you.

Facebook also has something called the Workplace Partner Program, a global ecosystem of partners, like Deloitte or Microsoft, to help customers get the most out of their Workplace.

Workplace by Facebook is the business version of Facebook that allows companies to build more productive, efficient and collaborative workplaces.

Social media giant launches work collaboration platform to take on Slack

<h1>You dont need to be a prophet to tell you that messaging is already, and will be, a big part of our future - thats why there are countless messaging apps out there all hoping to be the one we use every day.</h1>

Still, there are only a few that stand out from the rest and offer genuinely unique and important features for our everyday communication needs.

Here are the four that are worth your MB:

Telegram: You will find most of messaging features you're already familiar with (it supports sending large-sized videos, photos and other files) on Telegram, but what make its stand out is its noticeably simple interface. You can engage in "secret" chats that can only be assessed on the device they are sent from. These kinds of messages can also be set to self-destruct. Telegram is available for free on iOS, Android, and Window Mobile.

FacebookMessenger: Like most of the messaging apps you will come across, its great for group chats and voice calls but its hidden strength are "bots" that allow you interact with third-party sites and apps without leaving the Messenger app. Almost any service that is worth its weight has a Messenger bot, and once you add them to your contact list you can ping them with inquiries or requests (e.g "order a car in 7 minutes" ). Facebook Messenger is free and available on iOS and Android.

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WhatsApp: WhatsApp's proudest feature is its end-to-end message encryption - keeping hackers and the government from spying on your conversations. It was acquired by Facebook in 2014 so it may start adding some Messenger-type features in the not-too-distant future. WhatsApp is free and available on iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile.

Allo: Google has dabbled in messaging several times, from Gchat, to Google Messenger, to Hangouts, but it's best attempt yet is the Allo app which it <a href="http://pulse.ng/tech/google-tech-giant-rejoins-messaging-wars-with-new-artificially-intelligent-app-allo-id5517954.html" id="1a943d43-0cc5-5df7-88e8-a4ce4b2f4472">just launched</a> a few weeks ago. Although you cannot make voice or video calls. One thing it does have that other apps do not is Google Assistant, an AI bot that will answer questions you may have while chatting (When is Arsenal playing? Where is the best suya spot nearby? How much does dining for six cost at Eko Hotel?). The Allo app is free and available on Android and iOS.

There are only a few that stand out from the rest and offer genuinely unique and important features for our everyday communication needs.

4 messaging apps worth your data

Once upon a time in Nigeria, if you wanted a cab, you either had to go to the taxi park or wait by the roadside to get one. Most times, you often had to go through three or four different cabs before you found one that agreed with your pocket and looked decent enough to take you to where you needed to be. This was the case across many African countries.

Fast forward to 2016 and it's a very different time. Now, you can simply open an app on your smartphone and request for a cab. There is no longer a need for haggling as your charge is deducted directly from your account balance and your journey is enjoyable complete with control over what plays in the car and how high you want the AC.

Because Internet penetration is not where it should be yet in Africa, ride-hailing is still something kind of reserved for people who know about these things.

In 2012, the biggest ride-hailing platforms in the world, Uber, announced it was setting up shop in Johannesburg, South Africa. Shortly after that, in 2013, Rocket Internet-backed EasyTaxi also announced it was setting up shop in Africa - starting with Lagos, Nigeria. OgaTaxi, MondoRide and many other homegrown ride-hailing companies soon followed.

While the homegrown players have to be commended for rising to the occasion (they have tried to remain competitive with each platform offering some sort of 'advantage' over the other), so to speak, the ride-hailing space has still been mainly dominated by Western imports (read: Uber).

Companies like Uber, with a $62.5 billion valuation, already operate in numerous countries across the world (over 60 countries, actually) and they have been able to bring that expertise and financial strength to bear on its operations in Africa.

“Since launching in Africa, the uptake has been incredible in all cities we are currently present. In a short space of time, we’re are doing thousands of trips per week, with hundreds of drivers on our system,” Uber said, back in 2012.

Brazil-born EasyTaxi on the other hand has not had it so good compared to its contemporaries. Initially, EasyTaxi looked like the only company in the space who had the means to step up to Uber but quiet exits from major markets like Kenya and Nigeria has told a different story.

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That is not to say the journey has been, or is, easy for any of the other ride-hailing companies either. Uber, though claiming a large share of the market, has had to deal with protests from traditional cab drivers in Kenya and South Africa, while it is currently dealing with some tax 'issues' with Nigerian authorities.

Africa's collective economics has also been a difficult hurdle for ride-hailing in Africa. Most of the citizens do not own bank accounts or ATM cards, and the rest of them do not own smartphones to access these apps in the first place.

There is also the issue of safety. There has been several reports of drivers attacking passengers and vice versa (Uber is currently testing a panic button feature and Kenya's Little has a separate service just for women).

“A first in Kenya and Africa, Little Cab has introduced a lady friendly category, ‘Lady Bug’ with professional lady drivers to ensure women’s safety on the road,” says Kamal Budhabhatti, CEO of Craft Silicon, the company behind Little (alongside Safaricom).

Seeing as Africa is largely malnourished in terms of infrastructure, bad road network infrastructure has been something else ride-hailing companies have had to deal with over the years.

Still, this has not stopped more ride-hailing companies from popping up (and have both launched in East Africa over the past month or so) just as many others have folded up (remember EasyTaxi?). It has also paved the way for the adoption of ride-sharing, a sector that is rapidly growing.

Africa's collective economics has been a difficult hurdle for ride-hailing in Africa. There has been several reports of drivers attacking passengers and vice versa.