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Int’l Women’s Day: Meet Women from Africa Who Are ‘Making What’s Next’

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From inventing windshield wipers to coming up with solutions to improve the lives of millions of people around the world, women have been harnessing the power of technology to do great things for their communities, families and themselves since as early as the 18th century.

In Africa, women have also made their mark on the world. Take Kenyan-born Juliana Rotich for example. Rotich is the co-founder and executive director of Ushahidi – a web-based reporting system that uses crowdsourced data, mobile phones and web reporting to formulate real-time visual maps during crises.

Or, Mariéme Jamme from Senegal, who is the CEO of the London-based SpotOne Global Solutions, as well as the co-founder of African Gathering, a global platform that brings together entrepreneurs and experts to exchange ideas about Africa’s development.

To mark International Women’s Day this year, we are celebrating the dynamic doers, the trail-blazing trendsetters and the unsung heroes from four countries across Africa who are using technology to #MakeWhatsNext:

Sayu Abend – Nigeria
“Women need to be bold, strong and driven to pursue their dreams. Create your own future and not one society has mapped out for you.”

Sayu Abend is the CEO and founder of a company called Spacepointe, which is a retail technology company that aims to bridge the gap between SMEs and their target market through technology-based business management.

But before being a CEO, Sayu is a mother and a wife first.
Finding the balance between running a highly successful company and spending quality time with her family is one of her biggest challenges.

However, with the help of technology, Sayu is able to maintain a healthy balance between her family and remaining productive in her business. In addition to using Microsoft’s suite of productivity tools both in her personal and professional life, she also hosts Spacepointe’s entire platform on the Azure Cloud.

Sayu’s message for young women wanting to pursue a career in technology:

“Do not pursue a career in STEM just for the sake of it. Technology is a means to an end. Find a problem in an area you are interested in and solve it. Don’t only solve it because it affects you personally, but solve it because it makes the world you live in a better place.”

Dr Wuleta Lemma – Ethiopia
“I’m showing young women it CAN be done”

Originally from Ethiopia, Dr Wuleta comes from a long line of tough women who believed that women should be given an equal opportunity to succeed in life. And succeed is exactly what Dr Wuleta did.

Growing up in one of the most turbulent periods in Ethiopia’s history, Dr Wuleta was able to overcome extreme adversity to study degrees in medicine, epidemiology and international health abroad.

With a deep love for Africa and a strong desire to develop home-born solutions for the African continent, she returned to her motherland. Dr Wuleta decided to marry her love for IT with the knowledge she had gained in medicine, by developing an e-health system to improve healthcare operations in Ethiopia.

The system, called the TenaCare, is currently being used in over 3000 facilities. She has also developed ICT-enabled training centres and programmes in conjunction with local universities and colleges.

In addition to using Microsoft technologies like Visual Studio, SQL Server, Windows, Azure and Power BI to power this revolutionary eHealth system, Dr Wuleta is also a self-confessed gadget geek and loves to use technology in her day-to-day routine. This helps her stay productive and balance her busy life.

Dr Wuleta’s message for young women wanting to pursue a career in technology:

“Africa is coming, Africa has a place and young African women are key to making this a reality. They have so much talent, and through my work I want to show young women it can be done.”

Caroline Nafula – Kenya
“Never apologise for having drive and passion”

At only 21 years old, Caroline Nafula, is well on her way to becoming a woman to which all young girls can aspire.

The middle child in a family of girls who are all pursuing degrees in STEM subjects, it’s no surprise that Caroline’s love for science and technology has led her to pursue a degree in IT and business information technology at Strathmore University in Kenya.

After enrolling with the Microsoft MySkills4Afrika programme, Caroline developed the skills needed to create two successful applications. One is called Food Junky, which is an online directory for street vendors. The other is an e-cards website called thoughtfulwishes.co.ke, which redefines the way people view, use and send e-cards.

Caroline owes much of her early success to her MySkills4Afrika mentors, Nate Koweda and Patrick Ngatchou, who are both based in America. Despite the distance, Caroline’s mentors have contributed greatly to her growth as a developer. “We use Skype and Outlook to keep in touch. My mentors have been able to teach me new tricks and hacks that have enhanced my coding skills. This wouldn’t have been possible without technology to connect us.”

Caroline’s message for young women wanting to pursue a career in technology:

“You should never apologise for having drive and passion. Life is too short to second guess yourself and not pursue what you really want. Block out the noise, block out the doubts and discouraging remarks. Tell yourself you can do it. If you are a young woman contemplating a career in STEM, go for it! This in the one field that makes you best placed to change the lives of millions of people all over the world.”

Lebogang Madise – South Africa
“To all the young women out there – you are science, you are engineering and you can shape the future through technology and mathematics.”

Lebogang Madise developed a love affair with her computer when she was in primary school, but she never in her wildest dreams believed she would pursue a career in technology. However, her future had other plans in store for her. Lebogang’s love for computers and technology was so strong that it inspired in her the desire to learn how to code and develop solutions that could change the world.

She is now a facilitator for mobile-tech startups at mLab. She also works as a committee member for IEEE SIGHT (Special Interest Group in Humanitarian Technology). IEEE is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation for the benefit of humanity.

Lebogang’s message for young women wanting to pursue a career in technology:

“You can be anything you want to be, irrespective of your background. You don’t need permission to dream big. Take that first step, don’t be afraid to fail, you have it in you to invent the next big thing. You are science, you are engineering and you can shape the future through technology and mathematics. Don’t expect it to be easy though.

It will be challenging, not because you are a woman, but because STEM careers are generally more mentally stimulating careers.”

Microsoft remains committed to closing the gender gap and creating even more opportunities for women to innovate, create and unlock the best opportunities for their future. Last year, Microsoft launched a new movement calling on young women and girls to #MakeWhatsNext.

The campaign raises awareness of the issues that cause girls to drop out of or lose interest in studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM), and aims to pique their excitement and educate them in how they can change the world — if they stay engaged.

The response to #MakeWhatsNext makes it clear that girls’ passion is strengthened when they see female role models who have created innovations that are used in our everyday lives. As the motto goes, “If you see it, you can be it.”

 

 


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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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Nigerians with Albinism Reject Pity, Demand Dignity at Empowerment Forum

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Nigerians living with albinism say their biggest challenge is not skin sensitivity or poor eyesight, but being seen, heard and treated as full human beings, a message that resonated at a recent empowerment session hosted by the Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF) and Albino Empowerment Foundation.

Nigerians with Albinism Reject Pity, Demand Dignity at Empowerment Forum

CADEF

The event last Saturday focused on lived experiences, self-advocacy and rights awareness rather than handouts, though participants received food, protective clothing and skin/eye care materials.

CADEF Executive Director, Prof. Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, said real progress requires respect and inclusion, not pity, adding that knowledge of human rights equips people to demand fairness.

“Dignity begins when people are seen fully and treated equally,” she said.

Ifeoma Ngesina, founder of Albino Empowerment Foundation, defined inclusion as equal rights and participation in decisions affecting their lives, not stereotypes.

“When persons with albinism are included in schools, workplaces, leadership and media, harmful myths fade,” she said, stressing it builds confidence and leadership.

CADEF Advisory Board Member, Ms Kobi Ikpo, urged participants to own their narrative: “If you do not tell people how to treat you, they will not know how to address you. Once you accept yourself as a complete human being deserving of respect, it reflects in how you carry yourself — and that confidence commands respect.”

Afolake Odudinu highlighted parental ignorance leading to school dropouts, skin damage from sun exposure and social/marital stigma, noting skin cancer treatment remains inaccessible for many.

Efosa Peter, a father and associate pastor, rejected pity for genuine empowerment: “I hate pity. I don’t want to be pitied — I want empowerment.” He described persons with albinism as creatively gifted and warned against insincere initiatives.

“Empowerment must include self-esteem and self-motivation. When you see yourself as whole, others will follow,” he said.

Teacher Rose Adudu shared overcoming school bullying through discipline and advocacy, helping enrol a young albino girl in school despite later parental withdrawal.

“Your character will speak for you,” she said.

Participants were encouraged to use content creation for education and myth-busting, with CADEF planning annual events and advancing Digital Financial Inclusion Rights for Persons With Disabilities.

The forum underscored a core demand: opportunity, understanding and respect over sympathy.


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