The year 2020 didn't happen as we had planned, however, despite its surprises and disruptions, we managed as a team to continue to bring you analysis, commentary, opinions, and insights on business, society, and technology stories from across Africa. This could not have happened without the hard and important work of our writers, contributors, researchers, columnists, and news reporters in different countries across the continent.
The biggest news topic of 2020 was the COVID-19 pandemic which we also covered extensively. However, data breaches, cybersecurity incidents, privacy-related topics, and the continent's fast-growing startup and innovation ecosystem were also among the top news topics we observed, researched, and reported on during 2020.
Our top 10 articles from 2020 that we recommend you read
Here is a list of the top 10 stories put together by our editorial team from 2020. We highly recommend that you read these as part of your review of the year that was.
1. Experian South Africa consumer and business databases leaked online
The Experian data of millions of South Africans and businesses has been leaked on the internet. It contains sensitive information such as ID numbers and company bank details.
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Initially, it was not obvious that BtoBet could be the source of the security and data breach that exposed the data of SureBet247 customers. As research and investigations continued, clues started emerging that confirmed the possibility.
READ3. How the Mophatlane brothers built a $200 million tech company
A quick look back in history how the Mophatlane brothers went on to build a behemoth of an ICT company, BCX, that would later be sold to South Africa’s Telkom for approximately $200 million.
READ4. 5G does not cause the spread of COVID-19
Conspiracy theories often arise when people try to make sense of the world they live in, especially when it is being disrupted like the time we are living in. One such conspiracy theory that is making the rounds is that 5G is the cause of COVID-19.
READ5. A Canadian runs 21 pages dedicated to African countries on Reddit
Since 2011, almost half of the pages dedicated to African countries on Reddit, the world’s 20th-most popular website, are run by a Canadian. Without any luck to changes this, users of the Eritrean subreddit started a campaign that has managed to get enough traction to get a response.
READ6. Cameroon has unveiled central Africa's biggest data center
A data center has been unveiled in the town of Zamengoé near Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde. Built by Huawei, the data center has a 2,000 terabyte storage capacity.
READ7. Who qualifies to be an ICT practitioner in Kenya?
Kenya's new proposed regulation seeks to license ICT Practitioners in the country and define who qualifies to be licensed. In this article, we look at who meets the cut.
READ8. Nigeria's Paystack has been acquired by Stripe for $200 million
Nigerian payments company, Paystack has been acquired by global payments leader, Stripe, to accelerate online commerce across Africa. This acquisition is the latest move in Stripe’s international expansion, as Paystack will be Stripe’s catalyst for growing internet commerce in Africa.
READ9. Fahim Saleh's personal assistant arrested as a suspect for his gruesome murder
Although Tyrese Haspil has been arrested and charged with second degree murder, NYPD have said that they are still looking into whether the mentioned dispute was behind Saleh's murder and that the motive for his murder still remains unclear.
READ10. The attempt to regulate ICT in Kenya
For the third time in four years, a Bill to regulate the ICT industry has surfaced in Kenya. Kenya's Information Communication Technology Practitioners Act, 2020 could prove to be bad for the country's ICT industry.
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