Hello,
I can’t believe it’s Friday; Wasn’t yesterday just Monday? 🤔 Anyway, how are you? How was your week?
I’ve got some news for you: if you’re a lucky WhatsApp beta tester, you can now share voice notes via status updates.
All you have to do is install the latest beta version from the Google Play Store.
You can record a voice note for 30 seconds and your contacts must update their version of WhatsApp to listen. You can also delete recordings before and after sharing.
WhatsApp claims that these voice notes are end-to-end encrypted, ensuring that only the people you specify in your privacy settings can hear them.
Like images and videos, they disappear after 24 hours. Furthermore, it is reported that the feature will roll out to more users in the coming weeks.
Important: Techpoint Intelligence, the data and research arm of Techpoint Africa, has published a mini-report about the biggest sporting event in the world. Entitled “FIFA World Cup: From Uruguay 1930 to Qatar 2022,” it tells some of the most compelling stories in World Cup history. You can download it here.
Also, read the article here: How Qatar hosted the most technologically advanced FIFA World Cup in 2022
Have a good time this weekend. 🥂
This is what I have for you today:
- What Nigeria’s Blockchain Use Cases Could Look Like
- How to get the best African talent
- CBN orders banks to cash out new naira notes or face sanctions
- Android users now have access to Twitter Blue
What Nigeria’s Blockchain Use Cases Could Look Like
Cryptocurrencies promise exciting advances in financial technology, but figuring out how to regulate them remains a headache for many financial regulators.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was initially contemptuous of cryptocurrencies, but appears to have developed a forced love tinged with residual hostility.
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology have proven to be a force to be reckoned with in finance. Countries, including the United States and Nigeria, have come to recognize its importance.
The Nigerian government recently released a report titled Nigeria Payments System Vision 2025, which recognizes several developments in the global payments ecosystem.
He also cited use cases for blockchain technology, specifically central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), stablecoins, and smart contracts.
While only explaining these technologies and what they mean, Bolu examined what a Nigerian use case would look like based on the examples he provided in this article: Nigeria’s CBN Dreams of Stablecoins, Smart Contracts, and ICOs; this is how they might look
How to get the best African talent
One task that often goes unnoticed is filling an open position in a typical workplace.
This is not unique to large organizations; startups with clearly defined roles and dynamics rely solely on human resource (HR) managers and department heads to handle the hiring process.
Hiring and Recruitment/Talent Acquisition is one of the expected specialties of human resource managers, in addition to Compensation and Benefits.
In some cases, the company may hire an outside recruiter or headhunter to handle the task.
But, Oluwanifemi says we need to answer this question: What does it take to be a recruiter, especially in an ever-evolving space like the tech startup space?
Chibuzo Ihentuge-Eric, a HR and Recruitment specialist with five years of experience, explains what the hiring process entails.
The current director of People and Culture at Bankly, a fintech startup, also outlined what distinguishes great recruiters from the good ones and will recommend if tech recruiting is a career.
You can read it here: Tech Recruiter Shares How To Get Top African Talent
CBN orders banks to cash out new naira notes or face sanctions
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered banks to cash in the new naira notes and has waived one of the conditions for accessing the new notes.
CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele said the new naira notes are sitting in their vaults, waiting for commercial banks to pick them up.
Kofo Salam-Alada, Director, Legal Services Department, CBN, represented Emiefele at an awareness program at Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Emiefele, “Before, banks were given spaces, but now the Central Bank of Nigeria is doing everything it can to meet the demands of the banks to serve them, so that they can serve you, and so that everyone has access to the new naira notes. .”
Consequently, any bank that does not collect the new notes will face penalties. Also, failure to deposit money at their ATMs will result in fines.
Remember this? The new naira notes will only be available through ATMs, as CBN prohibits their withdrawal at the teller
The main bank said it is monitoring ATM usage to ensure customers are paid in new naira notes through ATMs and not over the counter.
The old banknotes will cease to be legal tender as of January 31, 2023.
Android users now have access to Twitter Blue
Twitter has extended Twitter Blue to Android users.
The social network will charge users who purchase the Blue plan through Android $11 per month. The price, which is the same as on iOS, is higher than the $8 offer for web browser subscribers.
This week, Twitter also launched its annual subscription plan for $84 per year.
While it’s the most cost-effective way to get the Blue subscription plan, there’s no guarantee that the current set of benefits will be available throughout the year, given the way the company has pushed and pulled features in the past.
Twitter Blue is available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United Kingdom on the web, iOS, and Android.
However, the microblogging platform says that the product will be available globally soon.
And what is more, financial times reported that by the end of January, Twitter is expected to pay interest on loans totaling nearly $13 billion taken out by Musk to acquire the company.
Sidebar: Twitter reportedly plans to lay off 50 employees in its products division in the coming weeks, reducing its headcount to fewer than 2,000.
The announcement comes six weeks after Elon Musk told employees there would be no more “cuts.”
What I’m reading and watching
Opportunities
- If you are a product designer and researcher looking for (remote) jobs and internships in the US and Canada, check this out.
- If you’re a software engineer, creative designer, product manager, design researcher, or techie looking for an internship position, check out this website.
- Check out various design internship positions in the United States here.
- US based company, Outliant, is looking for a Full Content Developer to work remotely with them. Apply here.
Have a fun weekend.
victoria fakiya for Techpoint Africa.
