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Africa Online Safety Fund Announces Grant Winners

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The Africa Online Safety Fund (AOSF), an initiative supported by Google.org, has announced the winners of this year’s grants. Among the recipients are six organisations operating in Nigeria: Access Drive Capacity Development Foundation, Epower, Lagos Mums Foundation, TechSocietal, Teens Can Code, and Zikoko Citizen.

Africa Online Safety Fund Announces Grant Winners

The selection of the 22 winning organisations from seven countries was announced by Impact Amplifier (IA) from its headquarters in Cape Town, South Africa. Nigeria led the count with the highest number of awards, followed by five to South Africa and four each to Ghana and Kenya. Cameroon, Somalia, and Zimbabwe each had one winner.

These organisations, while representing seven countries, will implement internet safety interventions across 15 African countries in total. Just over 350 applications were received in the 2023 cohort, from which a shortlist of 40 entries made it for the final selection process.

Each of the eventual winners will receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Making the announcement, Impact Amplifier Director, Tanner Methvin said, “With over 500 million people having access to the internet in Africa, reflecting just under 40 per cent of the continent’s population, online safety issues are of critical concern.”

The AOSF, Methvin said, supports innovative approaches to addressing the complex safety issues the internet presents.  “The winning innovative solutions range from unique ways of combating mis and disinformation, establishing investigative teams to track cyber criminals, supporting journalists targeted with hate speech and bullying, integrating online safety training into school curriculums, and much more.”

The AOSF offers grants to organisations throughout Africa that address one or more of the safety issues the internet facilitates. It is however focused on four primary countries: Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa in this funding round.

There are three categories of funding: Transformative, Maturing and Catalytic. Transformative projects are intended to be larger in scale, reach multiple geographies and/ or potentially large numbers of beneficiaries, and be scalable as a solution. The Maturing projects are intended to test ideas at a larger scale, try new ideas within existing projects, and reach new audiences. The Catalytic projects are intended to be smaller, targeted, and potentially only locally or culturally specific.

Transformative projects are a maximum grant of $50,000, Maturing projects up to $25,000, and Catalytic projects $10,000.

In addition to announcing the winners of the AOSF awards, Impact Amplifier, again with the support from Google.org, is developing the first Africa focused online safety research, education and support platform.  Funding solutions to online safety since 2021, Impact Amplifier has realized that the only way to combat the scale of this challenge is by creating an ecosystem approach.  Part of developing this ecosystem involves centralising some of the key tools needed for support.  To this end it is developing an online platform, which aggregates all the research which has been done regarding online safety in Africa, making this key knowledge available to policy makers, civil society, academics, business and the general public.   Additionally, the platform will be hosting education materials to teach children and adults alike how to protect themselves online.  This content will include curriculum, testing materials, evaluation tools, and general awareness content, enabling anyone interested in learning how to protect themselves or others with easy access to all the content they need.  Finally, despite our best protection efforts, online violations occur.  Once someone has been the victim of an online crime or violation getting help is hard to navigate.  To address this, the platform will centralise all the ways that people can seek support no matter where they are in Africa.     This new platform will be launched in February 2024.

ABOUT THE NIGERIAN WINNERS:

The Access Drive Capacity Development Foundation (ACDF)  https://accessdrive.org moulds leaders, promotes digital citizenship, and prepares students for a tech-driven future through immersive experiences, industry partnerships, and a focus on comprehensive capacity development, fostering problem solvers and innovators for Africa’s economic growth. The Foundation’s Digital Safety First project tackles the problem of early school dropouts by offering comprehensive online safety education for re-enrolled students in economically disadvantaged public secondary schools in Lagos, Nigeria. It focuses on children, parents, and teachers, with the establishment of DSF Clubs to ensure ongoing learning and peer mentoring, and training of parents and teachers with the necessary skills to guide and support students in their online experiences.

Epower  www.epower.ng  is a technology and digital education organization by Comcast Plus that is focused on promoting safe and responsible internet use, notably among younger generations, through the innovative Cyber Hygiene App. The app is complemented by physical and virtual training, policy collaboration, and the establishment of cyber hygiene clubs to foster a culture of cyber safety within schools. Epower’s Cyber Hygiene App is an innovative, multifaceted solution addressing cyberbullying and unsafe digital behaviour by providing education, awareness, and action. It offers specialized content for students, parents, and teachers.

Lagos Mums Foundation   https://lagosmums.com/ offers parenting and family life resources, education, and support to help parents, caregivers, and educators in Africa raise children who are successful digital citizens in the 21st century, with a focus on online safety. The Lagos Mum Foundation will develop a culturally relevant Online Safety for Successful Digital Citizens program to provide accessible online safety training for Nigerian parents, youth, and teachers, addressing the lack of sustained awareness of online safety issues. This initiative aims to empower families with training to prevent cybercrimes, cyberbullying, and mis/disinformation, reducing the risks faced by children online.

TechSocietal (Aspire Youth Development Center)   https://techsocietal.org/ reduces digital inequalities and empowers digital access, especially for vulnerable groups like women and underserved youth, through capacity building, network building, advisory services, and advocacy to promote online safety, digital rights, and gender equality. These efforts allow them to bridge the digital divide and address broader socio-economic inequalities among Nigerian youth. TechSocietal is planning to establish a ‘Community of Practice for Online Safety’. The aim of this platform is to foster nationwide stakeholder collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill-building to enhance online safety for women and children.

Teens Can Code  https://teenscancode.com.ng/ expands technology education and opportunities for young Nigerians aged 9-23, integrating STEAM into the educational curriculum while supporting educators and students, with a focus on play and fun in their programs. Teens Can Code’s Virtually Safe Initiative will employ a holistic approach to enhance internet safety for young. It includes organizing hackathons, creating internet safety clubs in schools, hosting conferences, distributing educational materials, conducting research on online safety, addressing online gambling issues, advocating for policy changes, and sharing recommendations with stakeholders.

Zikoko Citizen  https://www.zikoko.com/category/citizen/is a web and social media-based platform that simplifies politics, policy, and governance for young Nigerians, providing honest and trustworthy news analysis and encouraging informed action. Its Citizen Situation Room on WhatsApp actively combats fake news and misinformation by leveraging the widespread use of WhatsApp in Nigeria, reaching a broad audience quickly. This model also utilizes open-source intelligence to address local issues faster and encourages community fact-checking through trained members, ensuring timely and accurate information dissemination.

 


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Trump Threatens More Strikes in Nigeria

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President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could carry out further military strikes in Nigeria if Christians continue to be killed, reigniting a sensitive debate over religious violence and foreign intervention in Africa’s most populous nation.

Trump Threatens More Strikes in Nigeria

President Donald Trump

Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times, published on Thursday, while responding to questions about a US military strike carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day.

At the time, the US military said the operation targeted Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria and was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government.

Nigeria, however, described the operation as a joint counterterrorism effort, stressing that it was aimed at armed groups designated as terrorists and “had nothing to do with a particular religion”.

“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” Trump was quoted as saying. “But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”

Pressed on comments by his own Africa adviser that extremist groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram have killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims but insisted that Christians were being targeted disproportionately.

“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly raised alarms about the safety of Christians in Nigeria, beginning in late October when he warned that Christianity faced what he described as an “existential threat” in the country. He has accused Nigerian authorities of failing to adequately protect Christian communities and has openly threatened US military intervention if the violence continues.

Nigeria has firmly rejected claims of systematic persecution of Christians. The government maintains that the country’s security challenges are complex and largely driven by insurgency, banditry and criminal violence rather than religious targeting.

With a population of more than 230 million people, Nigeria is almost evenly divided between Christians, who are concentrated mainly in the south, and Muslims, who predominate in the north. Islamist insurgencies, particularly Boko Haram and its offshoots, have plagued parts of northern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands and displacing millions.

Nigerian authorities have repeatedly pointed out that militant attacks have claimed the lives of both Muslims and Christians, arguing that framing the violence along religious lines oversimplifies the crisis and risks inflaming tensions.

Following Trump’s earlier threats, the Nigerian government said it was willing to continue cooperating with Washington in combating terrorism but rejected language suggesting that Christians alone were under threat.

The latest comments are likely to strain diplomatic relations further, as Nigeria balances its partnership with the United States against concerns over sovereignty, security cooperation and the portrayal of its internal conflicts on the global stage.


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OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health

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OpenAI maker of ChatGPT is rolling out a health-focused feature to the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that’s used by nearly a billion users.

Named ChatGPT Health, the new feature aims to provide users with health and wellness information. This, as health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT, according to OpenAI.

In a blog post, Microsoft-backed OpenAI says de-identified analysis of conversations show that over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness-related questions on ChatGPT every week.

ChatGPT Health will also “securely” connect medical records and wellness apps to ground conversations with a user’s own health information, making responses more relevant and useful.

“Designed in close collaboration with physicians, ChatGPT Health helps people take a more active role in understanding and managing their health and wellness – while supporting, not replacing, care from clinicians.”

According to OpenAI, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notes making it hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own.

“ChatGPT Health builds on these so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness apps – like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal – so ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the trade-offs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.”

According to the company, ChatGPT Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care, adding that it is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. “Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time – not just moments of illness – so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations.

“To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, we’ll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.”

OpenAI adds that access to ChatGPT Health has started with a small group of early users to learn and continue refining the experience, adding that users with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans outside of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK are eligible.

“As we make improvements, we plan to expand access and make Health available to all users on web and iOS in the coming weeks.

“Medical record integrations and some apps are available in the US only, and connecting Apple Health requires iOS.”


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Kaspersky Shares AI Cybersecurity Predictions for 2026

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Kaspersky experts outline how the rapid development of AI is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape in 2026, both for individual users and for businesses. Large language models (LLMs) are influencing defensive capabilities while simultaneously expanding opportunities for threat actors.

Deepfakes are becoming a mainstream technology, and awareness will continue to grow. Companies are increasingly discussing the risks of synthetic content and training employees to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to it. As the volume of deepfakes grows, so does the range of formats in which they appear.

At the same time, awareness is rising not only within organisations but also among regular users: end consumers encounter fake content more often and better understand the nature of such threats. As a result, deepfakes are becoming a stable element of the security agenda, requiring a systematic approach to training and internal policies.

Deepfake quality will improve through better audio and a lowering barrier to entry. The visual quality of deepfakes is already high, while realistic audio remains the main area for future growth.

At the same time, content generation tools are becoming easier to use: even non-experts can now create a mid-quality deepfake in just a few clicks. As a result, the average quality continues to rise, creation becomes accessible to a far broader audience, and these capabilities will inevitably continue to be leveraged by cybercriminals.

Online deepfakes will continue to evolve but remain tools for advanced users. Real-time face and voice swapping technologies are improving, but their setup still requires more advanced technical skills. Wide adoption is unlikely, yet the risks in targeted scenarios will grow: increasing realism and the ability to manipulate video through virtual cameras make such attacks more convincing.

Efforts to develop a reliable system for labelling AI-generated content will continue. There are still no unified criteria for reliably identifying synthetic content, and current labels are easy to bypass or remove, especially when working with open-source models. For this reason, new technical and regulatory initiatives aimed at addressing the problem are likely to emerge.

Open-weight models will approach top closed models in many cybersecurity-related tasks, which create more opportunities for misuse. Closed models still offer stricter control mechanisms and safeguards, limiting abuse.

However, open-source systems are rapidly catching up in functionality and circulate without comparable restrictions. This blurs the difference between proprietary models and open-source models both of which can be used efficiently for undesired or malicious purposes.

The line between legitimate and fraudulent AI-generated content will become increasingly blurred. AI can already produce well-crafted scam emails, convincing visual identities, and high-quality phishing pages.

At the same time, major brands are adopting synthetic materials in advertising, making AI-generated content look familiar and visually “normal.” As a result, distinguishing real from fake will become even more challenging, both for users and for automated detection systems.

AI will become a cross-chain tool in cyberattacks and be used across most stages of the kill chain. Threat actors already employ LLMs to write code, build infrastructure, and automate operational tasks.

Further advances will reinforce this trend: AI will increasingly support multiple stages of an attack, from preparation and communication to assembling malicious components, probing for vulnerabilities and deploying tools. Attackers will also work to hide signs of AI involvement, making such operations harder to analyse.

“While AI tools are being used in cyberattacks, they are also becoming a more common tool in security analysis and influence how SOC teams work. Agent-based systems will be able to continuously scan infrastructure, identify vulnerabilities, and gather contextual information for investigations, reducing the amount of manual routine work.

“As a result, specialists will shift from manually searching for data to making decisions based on already-prepared context. In parallel, security tools will transition to natural-language interfaces, enabling prompts instead of complex technical queries,” adds Vladislav Tushkanov, Research Development Group Manager at Kaspersky.

 


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