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OPPO Unveils A93 Smartphone with AI-powered Portrait Photography

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OPPO on Friday launched the latest OPPO A93 in Nigeria. OPPO A93 introduces trendy technology that makes your style stand out with an Ultra Sleek smartphone body. This means that you’ll get cutting-edge AI portrait photography features packed into a truly premium design, along with functions that make life more efficient and can keep up with the pace of your lifestyle. With the latest generation of OPPO A Series, OPPO A93 lets you enjoy your life effortlessly.

The A93 boasts of premium features such as a 6.43 Inch Dual Punch-Hole Super AMOLED Screen, 108MP Ultra Clear Image, In-Display Fingerprint, 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage (expandable up to 512GB), 7.48mm Ultra Sleek Design, 6 AI Portrait Cameras (Rear-48MP+8MP+2MP+2MP, Front- 16MP+2MP), 4K Video Shooting with Video Stabilisation &Slo-mo options, 4000 mAh Battery + 18w Fast Charge, MediaTekHelio P95 and most importantly, runs on ColorOS 7.2 based on the recent Android 10.

“A-Series has been designed so that the trendsetting generation can attain a quality smartphone that suits both their life and personal style, and with a sleek design that you won’t be afraid to flaunt outdoors. saidNengiAkinola, Marketing Manager, OPPO Nigeria. Designed based on research on local consumers, OPPO A93 ticks off all the right boxes for a phone that boasts AI cameras to deliver breathtaking portrait photos, and advanced charging technology to ensure that your phone won’t hold your lifestyle back. OPPO A93 meets the high expectations and the values that our ambitious users hold dearly in both form and style.”

With OPPO A93 in-hand and show it to your circle of friends, as it’s been designed with a 7.48mm Ultra Sleek Body that easily slides into a pocket and jacket without the bulge, or tucks neatly into a small bag or clutch that gives you the premium experience like no others.

To ensure that users are fully immersed in their content, OPPO A93’s 6.43’’ dual punch-hole display comes with a brilliant FHD+ Super AMOLED Display with a large 90.7% screen-to-body ratio. The display uses Mini Dual-Punch Holes that boast this price segment’s smallest camera diameter of only 3.7mm, and ensures that that the phone screen’s real estate is maximized so that you’re fully enjoying your video game and can see every detail in your shot.

OPPO A93 also introduces Shiny Matte, which sees the return of the shimmers and brilliant streaks of light that users enjoyed with the last A-Series phone. But with OPPO A93, the design has been updated with not only a premium feel that’s soft to the touch and easy on the eyes, but is now also fingerprint resistant due to popular demand. Shiny Matte uses a brand new optical coating technique that increases the coating’s depth from 250 nanometers to 400 nanometers, which accentuates the light’s refraction, while enhancing the colors. OPPO A93 will come with the Shiny Matte texture in three colors. Magic Blue, showcases a unique blend of blue and purple colors that appear to reflect a new color with every angle. Matte Black is a color that screams prestige and is inspired by high-end automobiles. Metallic White offers a refreshing white color that in certain angles will permeate shades of pink.

Under the hood, OPPO A93 packs a camera powerhouse that’s designed to give you the skills to take pictures like a professional. With a suite of six AI portrait cameras embedded within OPPO A93, you can post photos of yourself to show the best you with easy-to-use portrait photography and video stabilization features.

The front of the phone boasts a Dual Cam that empowers you to easily flaunt beautiful selfie portraits that uses hardware-level processing to add a bokeh effect to your photo. In fact, with Dual Lens Bokeh, you’re equipped not only to capture portrait selfie photographs, but the feature has been upgraded to support both videos and multiple-people in the shot. With software-level AI processing, the finest of details on a person including their earrings and hair are accounted for and won’t end up being blurred out in the final footage.

AI Portrait Color enables you to capture fashionable urban street style photos or travel photos from a new perspective by making portraits pop with color. AI Portrait Color mutes the background colors black and white, while enhancing the natural colors of the person or a group of people within the photo using AI. In the vein of capturing you in your best moment, OPPO A93 comes with photography features that ensures that your natural beauty and all facial details are preserved in the final shot. AI Super Clear Portrait guarantees that even the finest facial details like your eyebrow are clearly represented, or can even be reconstructed, while AI Beautification 2.0 presents customized beautification features that are tailored to local user beauty preferences and automatically detects existing makeup such as lipstick, then show customized effects.

To empower you to capture the best low light portraits, AI Night Flare Portrait is an OPPO-exclusive feature that combines the bokeh effect and lowlight-HDR algorithms to capture artistic photos that adds beautiful night flares on portrait photos shot against the backdrop of city lights. It’s a shot you won’t be able to capture with any other phone. if you’re looking to capture a selfie in the evening, AI Super Night Portrait makes sure that your selfie results in a brightened and clear shot even in low light conditions. On top of these features that will add a professional flair to your photos, the third generation of Ultra Steady Video enables you to effortlessly film a vlog while walking down the street but ensure that you’re capturing stabilized, clearer and sharper videos. Ultra Steady Video use a hardware-software solution that combines the Electronic Image Stabilization algorithm with an embedded gyroscope within the front-facing camera so you’ll be able to capture the moment, on-the-go or even on-the-run, without the jittery footage.

OPPO A93 introduces ways to optimize your phone’s battery life during the day or while you’re asleep. AI Night Charging uses AI Learning through machine learning to learn the user’s sleep habits and charge the phone exactly to 100% upon the moment they wake up from their slumber. In the worst case scenario, if you’re without a battery charger during the day, Super Power Saving Mode optimizes the last 5% of your battery life by turning the display black and white, while running just six predetermined apps.

OPPO A93’s optimized user experience starts with its powerful MediaTekHelio P95 AI chipset, 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage, which can be extended up to 512GB through a 3-Card Slot. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. OPPO A93’s Anti-Lag Algorithm can detect and clear data that cause memory errors, making stutters and freezes less likely. As an added benefit, reading and writing data in the file system becomes faster and more efficient. With improvements to the Memory Defragmentation feature, the chance that the phone stutters is reduced by up to 54% as compared to the previous generation, while file reading and writing performance is improved by up to 28% thanks to Automatic Database Optimization.

Or if an interruption isn’t caused by a device but life’s circumstances like a phone call coming in when your fingers are caked with batter or drenched in water, OPPO A93 has the perfect solution. With Air Gestures you can pick up calls without directly touching the phone by simply waving your hand as far as 20 cm or even 50 cm.

At the same time with ColorOS 7.2 it’s fast and easy to access information starting with Quick Return Bubble enables you to multitask on your phone. When you switch apps or screens, a floating bubble pops up and keeps track of the app or game’s status, which you can return to at a later time with a simple tap. With High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) you can even cast copyrighted HD shows to a big screen from the leading video and entertainment apps including Netflix HD and Amazon Prime Video.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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MultiChoice Rings in the Festive Season with Big Decoder Discounts

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MultiChoice has announced a further reduction in the prices of its decoders, continuing its commitment to providing affordable access to premium entertainment for Nigerian households.

With the new adjustment, the DStv decoder now sells for ₦7,900, while a GOtv decoder sells for ₦6,500. The DStv dish is set to sell at ₦10,000, while the GOtenna will go for ₦3,500. The latest price slash follows an earlier reduction in June 2025, under the company’s “We’ve Got You” campaign, when the price of a DStv decoder was reduced by 50% from ₦20,000 to ₦10,000 and the GOtv decoder went from ₦18,600 to ₦9,900.

The company said the move reflects its determination to reward both new and loyal customers by making its offerings even more accessible. The new pricing takes effect from November 1, 2025, coinciding with the launch of the company’s Festive Campaign.

Speaking on the development, Tope Oshunkeye, Executive Head of Marketing at MultiChoice, said the initiative underscores the company’s mission to keep entertainment within reach for all Nigerians.

“As the festive season draws closer, family time and celebrations are a big part of our lives, and what better way to do this than to spend quality time with loved ones while enjoying premium entertainment. This price slash makes it possible for more families to enjoy quality local and international entertainment without putting too much pressure on their pockets. At MultiChoice, we remain committed to making world-class storytelling accessible to every home,” he said.

Over the festive season, MultiChoice, through its DStv and GOtv platforms, will be airing its rich slate of kids’ content, international blockbusters, and local originals such as The Low Priest, Mother of the Brides, and Etiti, among others. For football fans, the Premier League, Ligue 1, La Liga, Serie A, and AFCON will also be available on SuperSport channels.


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From Content to Capital: Decoding Africa’s Next Media Boom by Reuben Kalu

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Reuben Kalu
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In today’s economy, media is not just an amplifier—it is the engine that drives growth, perception, and transformation. The latest PwC Africa Entertainment & Media Outlook 2025–2029 paints a striking picture: Africa’s Entertainment and Media (E&M) industry is evolving faster than most global markets, driven by digital connectivity, mobile-first consumption, and the rise of AI-powered creativity.

Reuben Kalu

For businesses, this is not simply a report—it’s a blueprint for how to harness media’s momentum to dominate their categories. Let’s unpack how African companies, entrepreneurs, and brands can convert this digital energy into market leadership.

  1. Recognize Media as the New Marketplace

The PwC report underscores a powerful truth: media has become the modern marketplace. With Nigeria’s E&M sector growing at 11.2% in 2024 and projected to sustain a 7.2% CAGR through 2029, digital spaces—streaming, gaming, and social platforms—are where audiences spend their attention, time, and money.

This shift demands that every business—regardless of industry—acts like a media company. Whether you sell fashion, fintech, real estate, or food, your reach, relevance, and revenue now depend on how effectively you create, distribute, and monetize content.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Build in-house media capabilities or partner with agencies that can handle storytelling, video, and influencer marketing.
  • Treat your brand channels (social media, YouTube, podcast, blog) as primary sales platforms, not just communication tools.
  • Focus on content ecosystems, not campaigns—create series, themes, and interactive experiences that build community.
  1. Harness Connectivity as Your Growth Multiplier

Across Africa, connectivity is the backbone of the digital economy. Nigeria’s 107 million internet users and Kenya’s mobile connections exceeding its population signal a mobile-first revolution. By 2029, connectivity spending will exceed $1.3 trillion globally.

However, PwC notes that in Africa, 81% of digital spend goes to connectivity, leaving less for content and advertising. That’s a challenge—but also an opening. As data becomes cheaper and access expands, the share of wallet will shift toward digital content and advertising, meaning audiences will spend more on streaming, gaming, and branded experiences.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Prioritize mobile optimization in all marketing and service delivery—apps, mobile-first websites, SMS commerce, and WhatsApp engagement.
  • Invest in digital distribution partnerships (e.g., telco collaborations, OTT tie-ins) that extend your content or product access.
  • Anticipate lower connectivity costs by 2026–2027 and plan for scale—prepare campaigns and e-commerce funnels that can capture the surge in new online users.
  1. Move from Advertising to Audience Ownership

PwC predicts that by 2029, advertising will surpass consumer spending globally, growing at a CAGR of 6.1% compared to 2.0% for direct consumer spending. In Africa, Nigeria will lead with 84% of total ad spend going digital by 2029.

This signals a seismic shift from buying visibility to building owned audiences. Businesses that invest in content-driven communities will outperform those relying solely on paid ads. The next advantage lies in first-party data—understanding your audience through engagement, not just impressions.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Create content funnels that turn followers into subscribers, and subscribers into customers.
  • Develop loyalty programs and newsletters to build direct relationships and own your audience data.
  • Use AI-driven analytics to track engagement patterns, predict purchase intent, and tailor communication per segment.
  1. Leverage AI for Local Creativity and Scale

Generative AI is transforming the creative landscape. PwC highlights how African startups and media houses are using AI to produce local-language content, personalize recommendations, and streamline production. This means African businesses now have access to global-grade creativity at local-scale costs.

AI can also help smaller brands compete with established players by automating design, optimizing campaigns, and generating culturally relevant content at scale.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Use GenAI tools for storytelling—translate product stories into multiple languages, generate localized ad copy, or tailor visuals for regional markets.
  • Employ AI chatbots and voice assistants to deliver personalized service experiences in vernacular languages.
  • Collaborate with local AI startups to co-create solutions around customer insight, predictive analytics, and ad targeting.
  1. Tap into Africa’s Youthful Digital Culture

Africa’s greatest media strength lies in its youth. Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are home to a vibrant, under-35 population that shapes trends through TikTok, gaming, and streaming. The report shows that video and esports are outpacing traditional TV, with Nigeria expected to lead that shift by 2028.

Brands that align with this youth-driven culture will not only gain relevance but also become part of the new cultural economy—where commerce, creativity, and community converge.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Build creator partnerships with micro-influencers who drive local conversation.
  • Integrate gaming, music, and entertainment sponsorships into your brand strategy.
  • Launch interactive digital experiences—from AR filters to gamified campaigns—that tap into youth participation.
  1. Blend Live and Digital Experiences

PwC’s analysis reveals a rebound in live events and entertainment, with South Africa’s live music ticket revenue projected to grow at 5.9% CAGR and Nigeria and Kenya following closely. This renaissance, amplified by social media visibility, suggests that audiences crave real experiences enhanced by digital touchpoints.

Businesses can merge physical and digital engagement—what’s now called the “phygital” experience—to deepen brand relationships.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Combine in-person events (pop-ups, concerts, trade expos) with digital amplification (live streaming, influencer coverage, AR participation).
  • Use QR and NFC technologies at events to collect data and continue post-event engagement.
  • Create hybrid loyalty experiences that connect offline participation to online rewards.
  1. Invest in Local Storytelling and Cultural Relevance

The future of African media will be shaped by local voices telling global stories. PwC highlights how AI and OTT platforms are enabling regional storytelling—from Nollywood’s global streaming success to Kenya’s gaming and music content exports.

This shift means businesses must root their storytelling in local identity while maintaining global standards of quality and accessibility.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Build brand narratives that celebrate local culture, creativity, and social impact.
  • Partner with content creators and production houses who can express your brand values through music, film, or visual storytelling.
  • Use vernacular languages and regional humor to improve engagement and relatability.
  1. Position for Emerging Market Expansion

The inclusion of Mauritius in the PwC report signals a widening E&M scope—new, smaller markets are emerging fast. As digital infrastructure expands, peripheral markets will become high-growth testing grounds for regional expansion.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Identify tier-2 markets (like Ghana, Rwanda, or Mauritius) where early entry can secure leadership.
  • Develop scalable, lightweight business models—digital-first services, subscription products, or app-based solutions.
  • Use cross-border digital partnerships to distribute content or services seamlessly across Africa.
  1. Build Agility Around Economic Volatility

PwC warns that currency fluctuations, inflation, and regulatory barriers may temper growth. Yet, agility—backed by data—can turn volatility into opportunity.

Strategic takeaway:

  • Diversify revenue channels: mix digital ads, subscription, sponsorship, and e-commerce models.
  • Invest in financial resilience through hedging and scenario planning.
  • Stay policy-aware—engage regulators and industry bodies early to shape digital and advertising policies.
  1. Redefine Success: From Reach to Resonance

As media converges with commerce, the goal is no longer just to reach millions—it’s to matter deeply to the right audience. Businesses that use media to tell authentic stories, empower communities, and innovate experiences will define Africa’s next decade of growth.

In the words of PwC’s own summary, Africa’s E&M sector is “fast, focused, and future-ready.” So too must be its businesses.

In Conclusion

The reins of power have shifted—from capital to content, from institutions to individuals, from visibility to engagement.
For African business leaders, the message is clear:
Those who master media will master markets.

The next frontier of competition will not be fought in boardrooms or on billboards—but in newsfeeds, screens, and stories that inspire, connect, and convert.

 


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Deepfakes: The Next Human Vulnerability for Businesses?

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By Ben Jacob, Tech Lead EMEA, Sophos Red Team at Sophos

Synthetic audio and video generation technologies, known as deepfakes, have reached a critical threshold. Once mostly limited to social media entertainment or occasional political manipulation, they are now fully integrated tools in cyberattack tactics. This shift represents more than a technological evolution; it marks a transformation where human perception itself has become an attack surface. Recognizing a familiar voice or face is no longer a guarantee of authenticity.

In this context, businesses face a threat that relies less on raw technical skill and more on subtle manipulation of human behavior. Fraud campaigns now exploit cloned voices and manipulated videos to simulate authentic communications, deceiving even the most vigilant employees. In February 2024, an employee at a Hong Kong multinational transferred €24 million after being duped by a deepfake. The scam succeeded because everything appeared authentic: accent, rhythm, tone… The widespread availability of these tools, thanks to their low cost and accessibility, accelerates the industrialization of such attacks.

A technological threat turned human

Attack simulations conducted with international organizations show that deepfakes are no longer a futuristic hypothesis but an established reality. A 2024 Anozr Way report projected deepfakes could increase from 500,000 in 2023 to 8 million in 2025. Deepfakes exploit a rarely anticipated cybersecurity vulnerability: our instinctive trust in human interactions. Cloned voices impersonate executives; videos generated from public content are embedded in credible scenarios to deceive experienced staff. Beyond technical sophistication, the industrialization of these practices is what should raise alarm.

Voice cloning now requires only a few seconds of publicly available audio, often available via public media such as YouTube or TikTok, allows artificial voices to be generated within minutes at low cost. These voices are then used in automated campaigns, including mass phone calls conducted by conversational agents simulating convincing human interaction. This paradigm shift moves the attack vector from IT systems to human behavior, exploiting trust, urgency, and voice recognition.

Identity: the new attack surface

Across recent breaches, including those impacting M&S and JLR, we are witnessing a clear shift in attacker behavior. Adversaries no longer “hack in”, they simply “log in”. They obtain valid credentials through phishing, vishing, and social engineering campaigns, then use them to operate under the radar of traditional defenses. Deepfakes now extend this pattern by enabling the theft and imitation of identity itself. A cloned voice or AI-generated face can bypass skepticism, convincing employees they are interacting with a trusted colleague or executive.

Identity has become the primary currency of access. As organizations strengthen their technical controls, attackers increasingly exploit human trust as the easiest route inside. This convergence of social engineering and AI-driven impersonation means the next wave of attacks won’t just target vulnerabilities in IT systems, they’ll target people.

Awareness, doubt, and verification: the new pillars of cybersecurity

Most companies have focused cybersecurity efforts on protecting systems and data. However, with deepfakes, humans become the entry point. These attacks exploit a major gap in current cybersecurity: the lack of verification reflexes in voice and video communications. While most organizations run phishing awareness campaigns via email, awareness of deepfakes remains minimal. Unlike phishing, now well understood, falsified calls or video conferences remain largely underestimated. The realism of deepfakes, especially under stress or urgency, obscures subtle cues that could raise alarms.

Detection depends on noticing small inconsistencies such as timing delays or slightly robotic speech, signs that are easy to miss during a busy day. Organizations need to establish verification practices that go beyond technical controls. This includes contextual questions that only legitimate colleagues would know, answers that change regularly (e.g., “When did we last meet?”), or confirmation through secondary channels. “Trust but verify” has long been a motto in cybersecurity, but identity-based attacks such as deepfakes make it more relevant than ever.

“Robocalls,” already widely used to target individuals with daily AI-driven calls, can also be exploited by adversaries for illegitimate purposes. Here too, slight timing delays and intonation are key indicators to identify.

Therefore, team awareness can no longer be limited to email. It must include these new scenarios, train employees to recognize manipulations, and foster a culture of systematic verification. Trust must no longer be implicit, even when it seems natural.

The threat of deepfakes can no longer be seen as a technological curiosity or niche risk. It fundamentally challenges how companies manage trust, decision traceability, and communication security. Organizations must integrate these concerns into governance: crisis simulations, verification protocols, redundant information channels, and continuous training. More than a technological response, this requires an organizational, cognitive, and cultural approach. Against a digital illusion that relies on familiarity, only active vigilance can prevent the next attack from coming… through the CEO’s voice.


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