Google refutes South African claims on news publisher gains

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Google refutes South African claims on news publisher gains
Yango Senegal launches food delivery service
Three telcos in Côte d’Ivoire to expand network coverage

Google refutes South African claims on news publisher gains

Remember this? South Africa wants Google, Meta to pay for news content

In case you just subscribed, South Africa’s Competition Commission has been putting big tech under pressure, and now Google is in the spotlight. After a 16-month investigation, the commission is accusing Google of taking an unfair share of revenue from local news publishers, making an already struggling media industry even worse.

One of the biggest complaints? Google’s dominance in search, especially with “zero-click” searches, where people get the info they need straight from Google’s results page without ever clicking on news websites. The commission argues this has been hurting media houses by cutting both their traffic and ad revenue, while Google continues to profit.

Unsurprisingly, Google isn’t having it. They insist they’re actually helping publishers by driving traffic to news sites and investing in tools and training. According to them, their platforms generated around R350 million ($18 million) worth of referral traffic for South African publishers in 2023, while Google itself made less than R19 million ($1 million) from ads next to news-related searches.

But the commission isn’t convinced. They believe Google made way more — somewhere between R800 million and R900 million ($42 million–$47 million) from news-related searches alone. Their solution? Google should cough up R500 million ($26 million) a year to local publishers and make changes to its search features to help drive more traffic to news sites.

Meanwhile, Khusela Sangoni Diko, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communication and Digital Technologies, is fully backing the commission’s recommendations. She believes they could push forward key changes, including a new media policy that ensures digital platforms like Google and YouTube pay for the news content they benefit from.

For now, Google says it’s reviewing the findings before giving a full response. But one thing’s for sure: this fight is far from over.

Yango Senegal launches food delivery service

Yango Senegal has just launched its food delivery service, adding to its already SuperApp, which offers everything from ride-hailing to parcel delivery. Now, people can order meals from partner restaurants — and eventually, food stores — without switching apps. Sounds like a win for convenience, right?

You might wonder if it will work, especially since Jumia launched its food delivery service in Senegal but shut it down in early 2023. Well, Yango seems confident, stepping into a market where it will compete with local players like Dakar Food Delivery and Ayda App. Given Senegal’s booming restaurant scene, driven by urbanisation and changing eating habits, the timing does seem to make sense.

To sweeten the deal, Yango is waiving commission fees for now, giving restaurants an incentive to jump on board. But we’ve seen this playbook before — start cheap, get businesses hooked, then slowly introduce fees. It’s great for customers and restaurants at the moment, but let’s see how long that honeymoon phase lasts.

Yango is also pushing the narrative that it’s here to help local businesses, boost SMEs, and support Senegal’s digital transformation. And honestly, with over 89% Internet penetration in urban areas, the potential is huge. Plus, by stacking services like ride-hailing, parcel delivery, and now food delivery into one app, Yango is making itself indispensable.

For now, everything looks promising: affordable service, happy customers, and more orders for restaurants. But the real test? How Yango treats businesses and workers a year from now, once the excitement dies down. I guess time will tell.

Three telcos in Côte d’Ivoire to expand network coverage

Orange, MTN, and Moov Africa have promised to expand their network coverage across Côte d’Ivoire by rolling out 240 new small-scale radio sites.

The move comes as the government pushes for broader digital inclusion and better service quality, especially in rural areas that have been left behind. The country’s telecom regulator, the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency of Cote d’Ivoire (ARTCI), announced the initiative on February 20, stressing that it’s a major step towards closing the digital divide.

Interestingly, this network expansion isn’t just out of goodwill. Back in 2021, these telecom giants were slapped with hefty fines for failing to meet service quality standards. Orange had to cough up $11.2 million, while MTN and Moov Africa were fined $5 million and $4 million, respectively.

Instead of paying the fines directly, they struck deals with the government to invest the money into network infrastructure instead. While Moov Africa and Orange signed their agreements in late 2024, MTN only jumped on board this month.

This initiative ties into Côte d’Ivoire’s broader digital transformation plans, particularly the government’s goal to connect 240 villages in 2025 as part of the second phase of the National Rural Connectivity Program (PNCR). The government has allocated CFA18 billion ($30 million) to the project, while the converted fines add up to CFA13.2 billion ($22 million).

Despite the funding, a big challenge remains. Historically, telecom companies haven’t been too eager to expand in rural areas since it’s not as profitable. That reluctance is what led to the penalties in the first place.

To ensure this time is different, ARTCI has set up multiple monitoring and evaluation committees to track progress and hold operators accountable. With 4G coverage already reaching 91.5% of the population and 2G/3G networks covering over 98%, Côte d’Ivoire is in a strong position to boost digital access even further. But whether this latest initiative leads to real, lasting improvements, especially in rural communities, remains to be seen.

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