“How I Work” is back! 😊

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May 30, 2022
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5 min read

Below is a delayed version of our flagship newsletter, Techpoint Digest

Every weekday, 30,000 subscribers get a fun 5-minute roundup of happenings in African and global tech, directly in their inbox, hours before everyone else.

Annyeonghaseyo,

It's the end of May! And not to be cliche, but how are your New Year resolutions coming along?

It seems it was only yesterday we wished our loved ones a Happy New Year and welcomed 2022. While some of us made plans and set goals for the year, others went into the year with vigour, hoping that 2022 would be a good year.

And as we approach the halfway point of the year, I hope you are doing well and are still hanging in there.

I'm not going to say anything inspiring today; I just want to remind you to keep up the good work. And if you think you need motivation, I'm encouraging you to be your push even when things don't appear to be moving in the right direction.

Today, I've got two stories:

  • How Peace Itimi works
  • Starlink’s approval in Nigeria

How does Peace Itimi work?

Peace Itimi

Before I joined Techpoint Africa, the series, How I Work was the only thing I went through on the website. 

I didn't use the word "read" because reading involves looking at, understanding and mentally interpreting the texts that make up written or printed material. Well, that’s not the case for me.

I do not retain the things I read. How can I when, after “reading” one sentence, I’ve forgotten what I saw in the first? 

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However, I went through Samuel’s series, and I liked it. For the record, I went through three or four stories in the series, which was remarkable because I get bored quickly. 

The series, which began in 2019, featured interesting people like Odunayo Eweniyi, PiggyVest Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer; Joseph Akinfenwa-Donus, aka Joeboy, singer and songwriter. We also saw Fisayo Fosudo, content creator; Eyitayo Ogunmola, Utiva CEO, and  Dr Ola Brown, founder of Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Group. All building and doing amazing things.

But Samuel was unable to continue due to the pandemic. Nonetheless, I came bearing good news, people. 😉😁 I know you know it, but I'm still going to tell you anyway.

Drum rolls: The series is back!!! And today, Samuel will feature someone you should definitely be interested in. Give it up for Peace Itimi, ladies and gentlemen! (Look at the sky, there are fireworks everywhere.) 😂 

Before we get to how she works, do you know Peace? Before now, I only knew her as a YouTuber who hosts Founders Connect, a platform that documents the stories, journeys and ideologies of leading and emerging African entrepreneurs and operators.

I assumed she didn't have another job because she is good at what she does and shouldn't be doing more than one thing at a time? That appears strange now that I think about it. Why box someone, after all?

Plus, last Saturday, I watched her most recent video of Njoku Emmanuel, CEO and Co-founder of Lazerpay, and the dialogue was flawless. So, why does she need a job? That could be a job, too.

Well, I was wrong. Apart from being a YouTuber, she’s currently the Head of Growth for Stax, an offline payment super-app for Africans. She’s also a digital marketing professional and a Udemy trainer. She has two courses titled “Customer Centric Marketing | Know, Woo & Win Your Audience” and “Excellence in Customer Service.”

With this, you should know that she has a huge passion for growing people and businesses. So, how does she work? How does she combine all these? Be on the lookout for her story today by 12 p.m. for answers.

Starlink’s approval in Nigeria

starlink square dish

Starlink was one of the trending topics on Twitter over the weekend. Even if you don't use Twitter, I believe you must have heard the word Starlink. You haven’t? Oh, you have, but it’s still not clear? Well, I got you.

First off, here’s the gist: Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, a US-based space exploration company, announced that SpaceX's satellite Internet service, Starlink, has been approved in Nigeria and Mozambique on Friday, May 27, 2022.

So, what's the big deal about Starlink? Aside from its unlimited data, Starlink offers low latency and high-speed broadband internet access in areas where it was previously unreliable or unavailable. 

This means that if you’re in a rural area, you will enjoy faster Internet speed. All you need is a clear view of the sky because the Internet is transmitted directly from space rather than fibres.

How does Starlink work? First off, you have to subscribe to Starlink. You'll receive a kit that includes a satellite dish and a router when you do that. To make the connection, simply install the satellite dish in your home, and it receives the signal and forwards it to your router. 

There's an Android and iOS app for Starlink that uses augmented reality to help you choose the best location and position for your receivers.

What’s more, Starlink Internet costs $599.00 (~₦330,000) for a complete kit that includes a terminal, mounting tripod, and Wi-Fi router, and an additional $110 (~₦60,500) when you preorder and for the monthly subscription.

A complete kit of Starlink Business or its Premium plan costs $2,500.00 (~₦1.3 million). Its monthly subscription is priced at $500 (~₦275,000).

This begs the question of how many Nigerians can pay for these services. In a country with 109.2 million Internet users as of January 2022, the average monthly data subscription fee is $50 (₦20,761), per TechCabal.

Still, I think Musk and the team will review the price in the country because Nigerians are poor, with over 83 million people living in extreme poverty

So, although this approval poses a threat to the country's existing telco companies, I think it comes at an inopportune time, as they plan to raise data, voice calls, and SMS charges by 40%. Does this imply that telco companies will lower their data rates?

Nonetheless, Starlink has the potential to create jobs in rural areas, lifting people out of poverty. But, can they afford it?

Don’t miss out on last week’s stories

What I'm reading and watching

Opportunities

  • The African Leadership Group and Udacity are offering 5,000 scholarships to African citizens who want to advance their careers in tech. by learning new digital skills. Scholarship recipients will enrol in one of the following Udacity Nanodegree programmes: Data Analyst, Full-Stack Web Developer, or Cloud Developer. Apply here.
  • Grant Master has announced the start of its second Creative Writers Fellowship cohort. The Fellowship for Creative Writers will take place virtually from July 4th to August 26th, 2022. Apply here.
  • MOBI Automation, a startup that uses Web3 technologies to solve business problems, is looking for a Chief Technology Officer, UI & UX Designer, Senior Frontend Developer, and Creative Designer. Send your resume here.

Have a wonderful week!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.

She's autistic and interested in mental health and how technology can help Africans with mental disorders. Find her on Twitter @latoria_ria.
She's autistic and interested in mental health and how technology can help Africans with mental disorders. Find her on Twitter @latoria_ria.
She's autistic and interested in mental health and how technology can help Africans with mental disorders. Find her on Twitter @latoria_ria.

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