Hello,
Sarah here,
Here’s what I have for you today:
- X (formerly Twitter) plans to show more information on user profiles
- Africa’s first OpenAI Academy is coming to UNILAG
- South Africans can now pay for ChatGPT in local currency
Africa’s first OpenAI Academy is coming to UNILAG
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is teaming up with OpenAI, one of the world’s largest AI companies, to launch Africa’s first OpenAI Academy. It’s going to give free AI learning resources and capacity-building opportunities for students, researchers, and professionals all over Africa.
Now that the AI revolution is in the present and no longer a future projection, UNILAG and OpenAI want Africa to be part of creating, not just using, these technologies. Also, UNILAG is seen as a hub for innovation, making it a fitting place to start.
The new academy could mean that more people across Africa will be able to access AI education without paying, Nigeria (and Africa at large) can play a stronger role in shaping how AI works, and more locally relevant AI innovations might spring up.
Still, at this stage, everything is just conjecture. The big test will be whether this new academy can reach people across Nigeria and the continent, especially outside major cities, and whether it leads to real, usable AI solutions on the ground.
X plans to show more information about user profiles
In recent years, social media has become a playing field for spreading misinformation, and X (formerly Twitter) has not been left out. Now, the platform wants to rebuild the trust of users by giving them more information.
What’s happening? X is rolling out a new feature that will show more information on user profiles to help people know who they’re really talking to. You’ll soon be able to see things like when someone joined the platform, what country or region an account is located in, and whether a user recently changed their handle or display name.
Why now? Ever since X removed the old verification system and made the blue check available for purchase, fake accounts and impersonations have been on the rise. The company is now trying to rebuild trust and make it easier for users to spot real accounts and determine who they can really trust.
What does it mean? The goal is to give users more context before they interact, especially around trending topics or breaking news. Also, users who are prone to providing false information on their profiles can now be easily fished out.
Still, it’s not clear if this will be enough to fix X’s broader trust issues. X’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, says the company will begin testing the feature on the accounts of X employees before rolling it out fully.
Whether users actually feel safer on the platform with this new feature is left to be seen.
ChatGPT Plus is now available in South African Rand
Still on OpenAI, the company has now launched rand-based pricing for ChatGPT in South Africa and introduced a lower-cost tier called ChatGPT Go.
The idea is to make advanced AI more affordable and accessible to South African users by pricing services in local currency and giving more pricing options so more people can subscribe.
Per MyBroadband, the Plus plan will cost R399/month, about 15% higher than the straight dollar-conversion price (plus VAT). The Pro tier is priced at R3,999.99 in South Africa, also slightly above the converted dollar rate. And ChatGPT Go comes in at R149/month, but with reduced features compared to Plus (it drops some capabilities like full deep research tools, Sora video generation, etc.).
For Go users, some perks include 10× more message limits with GPT-5, more image uploads, and extended memory.
Still, this shift doesn’t solve everything. Even with local pricing, whether users feel they’re getting value will depend on how well Go’s limitations balance against its affordability.
And for people using Plus or Pro, the ~15% premium over the converted dollar rate may raise questions.
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