Xin chào,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Telegram faces shutdown in Kenya
- BoG slaps TapTap Send with 1-month suspension
- Inside Bolt’s cleanup
Telegram faces shutdown in Kenya
Kenya’s Communications Authority (CA) has asked telecom companies to block Telegram temporarily, hoping to curb exam cheating. This crackdown, aimed at stopping students from sharing exam answers, has led to restrictions on Telegram across major networks.
On Friday, Netblocks, an Internet monitoring group, confirmed disruptions on Safaricom, saying the blocks were consistent with past Telegram restrictions. Kenya saw a similar ban in November 2023, which led to massive losses, reportedly around KSh 4.2 billion, as businesses faced connectivity setbacks.
In an October 31 letter to the heads of Safaricom, Telkom Kenya, Jamii Telecom, and Airtel Kenya, the CA explained that while other social media platforms are working with authorities to prevent misuse, Telegram has been less cooperative. The CA wants Telegram temporarily suspended during exam hours, 7:00–10:00 am and 1:00–4:00 pm on weekdays until November 22.
Last year, Netblocks estimated that Kenya lost around KSh 537 million daily due to a similar ban. In that incident, six Telegram group administrators were detained for alleged exam malpractice.
Since then, Telegram’s stance has softened a bit, with the platform updating its privacy policies in September 2024 to allow sharing IP addresses and phone numbers with law enforcement for criminal investigations. This update followed the arrest of Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, in France.
Telegram’s growth has been meteoric, with nearly 1 billion users worldwide. Known for its unfiltered content and massive group chats, it’s a tool for free communication — but also one that often clashes with government oversight.
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The free speech vs. regulation debate is fierce globally, especially between the West and countries like Russia and China, which view platforms differently based on their origins. Kenya’s Telegram ban has become an annual move to curb exam cheating, though it remains the top encrypted messaging platform despite such attempts at regulation.
BoG slaps TapTap Send with 1-month suspension
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has slapped TapTap Send, an international remittance platform, with a one-month suspension from working with any regulated financial institutions in Ghana due to a breach of remittance regulations.
Here’s the scoop: BoG issued a notice to banks, electronic money issuers (like mobile money operators), and the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), explaining that TapTap Send’s “cedi remittance wallet” violated the Foreign Exchange Act, 2006 (Act 723) and specific guidelines for payment service providers handling remittances.
According to section 3(1) of Act 723, nobody can deal in foreign exchange without the proper licence.
The remittance guidelines also require banks to pay out remittance funds in Ghanaian Cedis within 24 hours and strictly monitor for any suspicious activity or violations, ensuring all anti-money laundering rules are followed. TapTap Send reportedly missed the mark on these requirements.
The one-month suspension already took effect on November 8, 2024.
Inside Bolt cleanup
Bolt recently announced that it removed over 5,000 drivers from its platform in 2023 as part of a major cleanup of its database. This year, they’ll be continuing the same process using a driver score system.
The score keeps track of how often drivers accept rides, complete trips smoothly, and respond to passenger feedback—essentially rating drivers based on their last 100 trips.
Lola Masha, Bolt’s regional manager for North and West Africa, explained that this scoring method helps maintain standards, but not everyone’s thrilled about it.
The Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUTON) has voiced concerns, with Lagos council chairman Comrade Jaiyesimi Azeez saying it adds psychological pressure on drivers and impacts their performance.
On the bright side, Bolt has also committed €100 million ($107 million) to improve safety for its drivers and riders in Nigeria. This big investment will go towards new safety features, accident prevention measures, customer support, and public safety campaigns.
They’ll be rolling out features like a four-digit trip pickup code and a trip counter to make rides safer and more reliable for everyone.
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Have a productive week!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.