Bonjour,
It’s salary weekend. 😂 This is the time to enjoy yourself! Have a good time and exercise, please.
I’ve got some news: OpenAI has officially launched the ChatGPT mobile app in 11 more countries, including Nigeria, the first African country.
Currently, the app is only available on iOS but will “soon” be available on the Android app.
When you open the app, you can begin typing text in a text box at the bottom of the screen. It functions similarly to sending a message in any messenger app.
While you can dictate text using Apple’s built-in speech recognition feature, you can also use OpenAI’s open-source speech recognition system, Whisper for voice input. The ChatGPT app is available for free and is ad-free.
This comes after OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman attended an exclusive meeting at the Muson Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Nigerians can now use their ATM card as IDs
- BasiGo launches Kenya’s first public EV charging station
Nigerians can now use their ATM card as IDs
Nigerians can now request a debit card that also serves as their national identity card from their commercial banks at no extra cost.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, announced this on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria.
He said the approval came after a National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) memo allowing banks to print dual-purpose debit cards that also serve as national identification cards.
The Minister claimed that although the NIMC Act of 2007 only requires Nigerians to possess a National Identity Number (NIN) and not necessarily a printed card, demand for cards has increased.
Many citizens, especially those residing in rural areas, regularly visit NIMC offices complaining.
Although NIMC introduced a Smart ID card last year, which can be downloaded from the NIMC app, the Minister said that it is “becoming difficult for our people living in rural communities.”
He also said a non-disclosure agreement between NIMC and the apex bank stipulates that the citizen’s privacy and confidentiality must be respected while distributing the card to them.
When they request a card, the bank will submit an online application to NIMC using their database.
“When they verify and confirm that your record in the database is in alignment with your record in the NIMC database, it will be permitted, and the card is going to be printed for you immediately,” the Minister said.
BasiGo launches Kenya’s first public EV charging station
Kenyan electric vehicle (EV) startup, BasiGo, has launched the country’s first public EV charging station connected via the new eMobility tariff in Nairobi’s Buru Buru neighbourhood.
In March 2023, the Energy, Petroleum, and Regulatory Authority (EPRA) approved the new eMobility tariff.
The tariff provides low-cost power for EV charging during night-time hours when Kenya currently has a surplus of renewable energy supply.
The station can charge six buses at once, but by year’s end, it will be upgraded to support up to 25 vehicles.
It pushes the startup’s charging sites to three in Embakasi, Kikuyu, and now BuruBuru, with a capacity to charge over 20 electric buses.
Jit Bhattacharya, BasiGo CEO, said, “Every electric bus we deploy and charge replaces the consumption of 20,000 Litres per year of imported diesel, with the consumption of 50 MWh of clean, renewable electricity produced here in Kenya.
“With the new E-mobility tariff, we can invest in infrastructure like this charging station and enable the rapid growth of the electric vehicle industry in Kenya.”
The company plans to deploy more charging stations like these all over Nairobi and eventually the entire country to support the delivery of 1,000 electric buses to Nairobi bus operators over the next three years.
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Opportunities
- Access Bank and Udacity have partnered to offer free courses in Product Management, Programming for Data Science, Business Analytics, Digital Marketing, and Programming. Apply here.
- Applications are open for the Academy Women Entrepreneurs in Lesotho, Eswatini, and South Africa. Apply here.
- If you are a software engineer, creative designer, product manager, design researcher, or a techie looking for an internship role, please, check out this website.
Have a great time this weekend!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.
