Kenyans eager for Astrazeneca Vaccine: Covid-19

Initially, the vaccine against Covid-19 was to be given to people who were much exposed to the virus. These were all who worked as health workers and teachers above 50 years of age.

Right now, almost everybody is going for it. Teachers who have not reached 50 can’t wait any longer. They feel that they also need the vaccine. Some teachers and doctors have died of the virus and so people don’t want to take chances.

The old who were not among the categories mentioned for first priority have also raised their concern. The government has agreed to include them in the list for the first phase of vaccination.

This has made the queues unbearable. In some Covid-19 vaccination centres experiencing shortage of vaccine.

This comes after the President Uhuru Kenyatta led the country in getting the vaccine with his cabinet secretaries.

Kenya becomes the second country in Africa to launch Safaricom 5G Network

Mobile network operator Safaricom has launched a 5G network in Kenya, making it the second country in Africa to roll out the technology. The company has started the rollout in four towns, and expects to expand it to nine over the next year.

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa described last week launch as “a major milestone for the country.”  The telco is implementing the project using technology from the Finnish company Nokia and the Chinese company Huawei

MTN and Vodacom launched 5G in South Africa last year. Telecommunications companies in five other African countries—Gabon, Lesotho, Nigeria, Uganda, Egypt and Morocco—are conducting internal trials for 5G, meaning it’s not yet available for public use.

While the new development makes Kenyans early adopters of 5G in Africa, questions remain over investor and market readiness for mass use of the technology across the continent. As a result, widespread adoption of 5G in the region, while a promising prospect, may be far-off.

Fifth generation standard

5G is the fifth generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks. It can also support up to 1 million connected devices per square kilometer, compared to up to 100,000 for 4G.

Safaricom’s introduction of the technology in Kenya is “an important step in Africa’s 5G journey,” says Kenechi Okeleke, the lead author of a 2019 report on 5G in sub-Saharan Africa by GSMA, an organization representing mobile network operators worldwide . “This move will draw a lot of attention to the potential of 5G in the region and the benefits it can bring to society,” he tells Quartz.

The initial focus will be on how 5G will enhance broadband connectivity for Safaricom, says Okeleke, director at GSMA’s research arm, GSMA Intelligence. However, he adds, given the company’s track record in tech innovation, many observers will be on the lookout for potential new use cases that Safaricom could develop for Africa’s unique challenges and customer needs.

Fiber optic-like connectivity

5G’s faster speeds bring fiber optic-like connectivity to homes—a broadband connection that can reach speeds of up to 940 megabits per second. This would be a game changer for African businesses and schools that do not have access to fiber-optic internet, especially in a post-Covid-19 world where activities including work, learning, and entertainment are increasingly happening online, Okeleke says.

The technology could enable new and existing technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things—the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects—to have a transformative impact on business processes, helping drive productivity and efficiency, Okeleke says. This has the potential to spark innovative solutions, particularly in extractive sectors such as mining and oil and gas, he adds, and help financial services and logistics sectors in the continent.

Low penetration

Currently, only 3% of the world’s mobile phone connections are on 5G (Asia is in the lead, with 5% of mobile connections on 5G). But GSMA Intelligence estimates that by 2025, 5G will likely to cover a third of the world’s population.

It will take some time for Africa to catch up. Currently, around 51% of Africa’s mobile phone connections are on 3G, and GSMA Intelligence believes that it will remain dominant, with 5G connections making up only 3% of total mobile connections in Africa by 2025. South Africa’s 5G connections account for less than 1% currently.

Investor and market and readiness

Despite the expected growth and excitement over the potential of 5G in Africa, there are concerns about investor and market readiness for the technology. The investment outlay for 5G is very high for mobile phone networks, Okeleke says. Phones that can connect to 5G are also very expensive for consumers.

Uptake of 5G may also be slow, since 4G is enough to meet people’s data needs for day-to-day use. AI and VR, the strongest use cases for 5G because of the speed and lower latency it offer, aren’t yet common on the continent.

Still, Okeleke expects the need for 5G will grow quickly. “As these things become more commonplace in the region, then we are likely to see that stronger demand for 5G services in a way that saw that strong demand for 2G services in the early 2000s,” Okeleke says. “And it is that demand for 5G services that will improve the economics of investments into 5G networks.”

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Kenyans eager for Astrazeneca Vaccine

Initially, the vaccine against Covid-19 was to be given to people who were much exposed to the virus. These were all who worked as health workers and teachers above 50 years of age.

Right now, almost everybody is going for it. Teachers who have not reached 50 can’t wait any longer. They feel that they also need the vaccine. Some teachers and doctors have died of the virus and so people don’t want to take chances.

The old who were not among the categories mentioned for first priority have also raised their concern. The government has agreed to include them in the list for the first phase of vaccination.

This has made the queues unbearable. In some Covid-19 vaccination centres experiencing shortage of vaccine.

This comes after the President Uhuru Kenyatta led the country in getting the vaccine with his cabinet secretaries.

Tanzania’s First Female President – Samia Suluhu Hassan

Deputy President of Tanzania was sworn in as the first woman president of Tanzania. People are eager to see how things unfold with the new leadership. This has happened as the Tanzanians still mourn the death of their former president- John Magufuli

Death of Tanzania President, Pombe Magufuli – Ciscasquapro

The president of Tanzania is no more. The vibrant leader spoke loudly against coronavirus early last year. On February this year, he admitted the presence of the virus and urged the media stations to sensitize people on Covid-19.

There was a day he ordered chicks that were imported from kenya to be burned down. He also auctioned cows from kenya claiming they had entered his territory.

All in all, he stood strong for his people. May he rest in peace.

Death of Benjamin Mkapa (Tanzania)

Tanzania’s former President Benjamin Mkapa dies

Tanzania’s presidency said Benjamin Mkapa, 81, died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Dar es Salaam.

Tanzania’s former President Benjamin Mkapa, who served from 1995 to 2005, died in the early hours of Friday, President John Magufuli said in a statement.

Mkapa, 81, the East African nation’s third president who led several regional peace mediation efforts in office and afterwards, died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, Magufuli said, without giving more details.

“I will remember him for his great love for the nation, his piety, hard work and performance in building the economy,” Magfuli said.

The president declared a seven-day mourning period, during which all flags will be flown at half-mast.

“Magufuli asks all Tanzanians to remain calm, patient and united during this difficult time,” a statement from his office said.

Mkapa also served as an ambassador, minister and key official of the ruling CCM party, Magufuli said.

The former president was born in 1938 to a poor family in south-eastern Mtwara. He earned a degree in English in Uganda, after which he went on to study at Columbia University in New York.

Mkapa later worked as a journalist before being appointed the press secretary for the country’s first president Julius Nyerere.

He held several cabinet posts, such as foreign minister and information minister and also served as ambassador to the United States before he was elected president.

Mkapa had most recently attempted to mediate between Burundi’s government and opposition groups after a disputed 2015 election plunged the country into crisis, however the government repeatedly refused to take part and the talks went nowhere. 

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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