Community Networks Key to Connecting Africa, says Internet Society

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Community Networks Key to Connecting Africa, says Internet Society

Special Correspondent - September 5, 2018

As Internet access continues to grow in Africa, with over 450 million people now connected to the Internet, more than 60 percent of the...

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Since late August 2025, the Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) (www.Kaspersky.co.za) has been observing a new malicious campaign leveraging a stealer — a type of malware designed to steal passwords and other account information. The StealC v2 infostealer is being spread through Facebook messages. More than 400 incidents have been identified to date, targeting users across multiple countries, including confirmed cases in Kenya, Angola, Ethiopia, Niger, Uganda and Zambia, among other African* countries. As part of this attack, Facebook users receive messages containing a link disguised as a notification that their account has been blocked. Clicking the link opens a fake support page claiming that the user’s account has been blocked due to suspicious activity. To “restore access,” users are prompted to use the “Appeal” button, which initiates the download of a malicious script that installs the StealC v2, a dangerous malware offered under a Malware-as-a-Service model, on the victim’s device. The malware itself steals passwords, cookies, screenshots, as well as cryptocurrency wallet data. “Cybercriminals often exploit users’ fear of losing account access and a perceived sense of urgency. This pressure can lead individuals to act without caution, increasing the risk of infection by malware such as StealC v2. Users should remain vigilant and always verify the authenticity of messages before clicking any links,” comments Marc Rivero, lead security researcher at Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team. StealC v2, first observed in 2025, significantly enhances the malware’s capabilities and elevates the risk to both individual and corporate users. The original StealC, which emerged in 2023 on dark web platforms, quickly became a sought-after tool among cybercriminals thanks to its accessibility, capabilities and ease of access. To be protected from phishing, Kaspersky recommends corporate and individual users: Practice caution when clicking links. Sometimes emails and websites look just like real ones. It depends on how well the criminals did their homework. But the hyperlinks, most likely, will be incorrect, with spelling mistakes, or they can redirect you to a different place. Look out for urgency or threats. Phishing attempts frequently try to create a sense of urgency or fear. Be cautious of emails demanding immediate action, such as changing a password or providing personal information. Verify unsolicited messages, calls, or links, even if they appear legitimate. Never share 2FA codes. Use Kaspersky Next (https://apo-opa.co/42lrs13) (in corporate environments) or Kaspersky Premium (https://apo-opa.co/4nr4ga5) (for individual use) to block phishing attempts.

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The National Oil Corporation of Kenya Ltd (NOC) has entered into a strategic partnership with RUBiS Energy Kenya, marking a significant milestone in the enhancement of Kenya's oil and gas sector. This collaboration follows the successful completion of the Specially Permitted Procurement Procedure (SPPP) for a non-equity strategic partner, in compliance with the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015 (PPADA). During the signing of the agreement, Hon. Opiyo Wandayi, Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "This collaboration marks a transformative step in strengthening the National Oil Corporation of Kenya, enhancing its capacity and creating long-term value for the citizens of this great republic. With this renewed profitability, the Corporation will be well-positioned to generate returns and, in the future, begin paying dividends to its shareholder." Leparan Ole Morintat, CEO & Managing Director of NOC, highlighted the industry's challenges, noting, " “This sector is highly complex and capital-intensive, requiring substantial investment and operational flexibility to stay competitive. Given the significant demand for government resources, securing shareholder capital injection was not feasible. As a result, NOC sought a non-equity strategic partner to provide the financial support and technical expertise needed to revitalize the company and restore profitability. This process, initiated in 2019, has now culminated in the selection of RUBiS Energy Kenya as our non-equity strategic partner.” The partnership is a key component of NOC’s broader turnaround strategy, which aims to scale up its downstream operations and strengthen its position in the petroleum products trading and marketing space. NOC’s turnaround plan is designed to ensure security of petroleum supply, stabilize fuel prices, and reduce the cost of living and doing business in Kenya. The partnership will also aid in clearing legacy debts and improving financial sustainability. As a non-equity strategic partner, RUBiS Energy Kenya will provide financial support, working capital financing, market development initiatives, and capital expenditure (CAPEX) financing for rebranding, rehabilitation, and expansion of NOC’s retail network. The partnership also encompasses training, capacity building, skills transfer for NOC staff, the deployment of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to improve business processes and customer experience, and collaboration in the fuel card business to enhance customer engagement and service delivery. Olivier Sabrié, CEO of RUBiS Energie East Africa and Managing Director of RUBiS Energy Kenya, emphasized the importance of strategic partnerships, stating, “In today’s dynamic market environment, collaborations are key to driving growth and success. By leveraging diverse expertise, resources, and networks, we can create a competitive edge and generate value for all stakeholders involved. RUBiS Energy Kenya is committed to supporting the Corporation through working capital financing, management and branding support, and transferring critical capabilities and skills to the National Oil team.”

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Canon Central & North Africa (CCNA) (www.Canon-CNA.com), a leading provider of imaging solutions, successfully hosted its annual Dealer Conference at Conrad Hotel, Dubai. Themed “ICE: Innovation, Customer, and Experience,” this year’s edition carried special significance as CCNA celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The exclusive event brought together 100 partners from across Africa to explore Canon’s strategic direction, celebrate milestones, and experience immersive solution-driven zones designed to address evolving market needs. Aligned with Canon’s strategy of getting closer to customers and enhancing customer experience, the conference served as a platform to strengthen partnerships and share a forward-looking business vision. Attendees gained insights into market trends, CCNA’s strategic growth plans, and innovations designed to meet Africa’s diverse imaging requirements. To facilitate a comprehensive understanding of Canon’s diverse offerings, this year’s conference introduced strategically curated zones designed to deliver solution-oriented and vertical-focused experiences. Rather than showcasing products in isolation, each zone was thoughtfully crafted to demonstrate how Canon’s technologies integrate into real-world environments, addressing the evolving needs of customers and partners across industries. Business-To-Consumer Zones: Strategic, Solution-Led Experiences To facilitate a comprehensive understanding of Canon’s offerings, this year’s conference introduced strategically curated B2C zones, shifting the focus from product showcases to solution-oriented, vertical-focused experiences. The zones highlighted Canon’s legacy in cameras and printers, geographical growth, and strong positioning across key environments such as media agencies, workspaces, production studios, and educational spaces. Attendees experienced how Canon’s imaging and printing technologies seamlessly integrate into real-world scenarios- from dynamic content creation and professional production setups to hybrid office solutions, education programs, and after-sales support through authorized service centers. A preview of upcoming product campaigns added momentum to Canon’s continued innovation journey. Rashad Ghani, B2C Business Unit Director, said: “Celebrating 10 years of Canon Central & North Africa made this year’s conference truly special. It was a great opportunity to connect with our partners, share our vision, and showcase how Canon’s solutions seamlessly integrate into real-world environments. By shifting from product displays to solution-led experiences, we’re empowering partners to meet evolving customer needs and drive business growth. I also congratulate our award-winning partners for their outstanding contributions to Canon’s success.” Business-To-Business Zones: A Unified Journey – Past, Present & Future The B2B zones followed a unified storytelling journey, strategically illustrating Canon’s evolution from its legacy of workspace and professional solutions, to the launch of the new imageFORCE series that represents the next step in intelligent, platform-driven offerings, and a forward look at upcoming innovations such as new imageFORCE models, varioPRINT, LabelStream, and corrugated solutions. This approach underscored Canon’s commitment to delivering intelligent, scalable solutions that enhance productivity and enable business growth across Africa. Amine Djouahra, B2B Business Unit Director, said: “This conference was a strategic platform to highlight Canon’s unified B2B journey, where legacy meets innovation and future ambitions. Our focus goes beyond products; it’s about enabling businesses with intelligent, scalable solutions that drive efficiency, productivity, and growth. Through this strategy, we continue to strengthen partnerships and position Canon as the trusted technology ally for businesses across Africa. I would also like to commend all our partners who have been recognized for their outstanding achievements- their dedication has been integral to Canon’s success”. The event concluded with a gala dinner and awards ceremony, honoring top-performing partners for their exceptional contributions to Canon’s growth. The celebrations highlighted a decade of collaboration and success.

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In the bustling Tushauriane area of Kayole, Embakasi, St. Patrick’s hospital is like an oasis in a desert. The level four hospital attends to thousands of patients in the densely populated Eastlands area. For the last 13 years, Ann Maina, the director and founder of the facility, has aspired to provide only the highest quality of care. Although the facility is widely known for its efficient services, it stands out when it comes to maternity care. From the onset, maternity care has always been dear to Mrs. Maina, a nurse. This was cemented into her heart after coming across debilitating and nerve-wracking experiences when she worked as a nurse in one of the local government hospitals. “The experience really left a bad taste in my mouth. I remember one time working in the maternity department, I witnessed nurses beating up an expectant mother in the delivery room. It was a heartbreaking moment for me and I really didn’t want to be part of that,” she recalls. Early in her career, she says she knew there was a way that mothers could deliver babies in a conducive environment, while receiving the best of care. “I felt that mothers should not suffer.” This prompted her to start a maternity home in her rented one-bedroom house, where she could afford mothers the best care she envisaged. For a start, she had a blood pressure monitoring machine, an examination bed and a drug cabinet. Her plan worked. Within a short time, more mothers visited her house, ready to deliver. “At one point, I had three expectant mothers coming to my house seeking assistance as they were ready for delivery. I handled them expertly. As others waited on the couch, I took in the first mother and she had a safe delivery. Within a short time, I ushered the rest into the delivery room and everything went well,” she shares. After making porridge for them, she discharged them after four hours. “Mothers need respect when giving birth. They need to be handled well.” With a vision, she realized that she was meeting a critical need in her society. Having tested the waters, she knew what needed to be done. “My patients needed to sleep on white sheets and pillows and once they have delivered, they need to be wheeled to their beds, be supported together with their babies, with lots of respect,” Naturally, expansion was in her mind, but there was a big problem; she had no money to expand. “I wanted to expand, but banks couldn’t give me money. Luckily, I had a Merry Go Round Chama that gave me some cash to expand.” Even with the cash injection from her Chama, she quickly found out that she couldn’t do more, especially when it comes to equipping a maternity unit. Seeing the potential of her dream, she decided to make a leap of faith and sold her house. With the proceeds, she then bought land and built structures at the current location. “I build the outpatients and the maternity section before the money ran out.” Despite the meager resources, Ann was motivated to keep going. At that point when she was starting out, she says she drew her motivation from the then president, Mwai Kibaki whose rallying call was to create over 500 000 jobs every year. “ I felt like the former president was talking to me directly, asking me to create jobs. With that I just went out and hired my first batch of professionals, including nurses, clinicians and doctors to help me run the show.” She remembers that the government of the day had made the business environment conducive, enabling businesses to make money. “Money became available to businesses through affordable bank loans”. What followed was a growth spurt that saw the business grow exponentially. Since its inception in 2012, St Patrick’s Hospital has become a household name in Kayole and environs. So phenomenal has been the growth that it has spawned a new branch. “As part of our expansion, we were able to buy land in Kenol, Muranga county and build and equip a fully fledged hospital, serving many people in the environs.” Mrs Maina attributes the hospitals' growth to sheer hard-work and determination. She appreciastes the fact that her husband joined and supported her to run the facility. “He could help from day one when I had to rush a patient to another facility in an ambulance. He was also instrumental in designing and building our facility.” Firstly, she says the hospital obtained favor from the locals, who patronized it. Secondly, the partnership with SafeCare, an international quality assurance and standards organization was a game changer. Once they joined SafeCare in 2012, Mrs Maina and her team were signed up for business and quality management training to improve their skills. The first step is assessment, which was an eye-opener for Mrs Maina. SafeCare found out that Ann and her team were not running the facility the right way. “We had no administration office, no systems. SafeCare helped them isolate the gaps and set in motion interventions in a bid to improve themselves. With this, they were able to streamline their record keeping, have audited accounts and a digitalized patient history. Next to identifying gaps, SafeCare provided St. Patrick’s hospital with practical tools, solutions and technical support, including access to finance. After the SafeCare intervention, Mrs Maina says her facility was able to obtain the first loan from Medical Credit Fund under the PharmAccess umbrella. It’s this experience that opened the doors for her to get credit from other institutions. She says that the impact of SafeCare was felt almost instantaneously. Shortly afterward, her facility was able to attract all the big insurers, as well as NHIF, a move that brought in many patients. “When the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) used to visit us for an evaluation, we never knew what they were looking for, and we didn’t know how to improve. After we started SafeCare and the NHIF visited us again, it was a whole new story’’. St. Patrick became NHIF accredited, ensuring a bigger client and income flow. Patient visits have risen from almost 600 to more than 2000 a month, especially now that they have also managed to contract corporate clients and private medical insurance companies. There’s no doubt that SafeCare has helped Ann to reposition her facility and increase its market value. Safecare also helped Ann and her team to mitigate risks in the workplace, especially by embracing handwashing and separating waste in color-coded bins. For Ann, running the hospital is not just a passionate endeavor, but one that should impact society. This explains why her facility hosts health campaigns to educate the community about hygiene. Safecare has certified the facility as a Level 4 but Mrs Maina is eager to go for the highest certification as well as be ISO-certified. “We have come a long way, and we are going far. Our aim now is to continue offering the highest quality of care to all patients, with dignity and respect.”

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Tag: Internet society

Community Networks Key to Connecting Africa, says Internet Society

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