Author: WAJ Reporter

Meta Announces Undersea Internet Cable Project Connecting Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America Meta has announced an undersea internet cable project designed to connect Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. The cable is expected to be over 50,000 kilometers long. While Meta has previously been a co-owner of long undersea cable projects, this new initiative, called Project Waterworth, will be the first one they solely own. The project’s estimated cost is expected to exceed $10 billion. This project will also mark the first direct connection between Brazil and South Africa. Additionally, it will be the only…

Egyptian winger Omar Marmoush, who transferred from German club Eintracht Frankfurt to Manchester City for £59 million, had the chance to showcase his high form in the Premier League for the first time. In the league match against Newcastle United, he scored three goals in under 14 minutes. This marked the first hat-trick by someone other than Haaland in Manchester City for a long time. The last player to score a hat-trick for City, apart from Haaland, was Phil Foden, who achieved this feat in the match against Brentford a year ago. Marmoush had already demonstrated his potential by scoring…

24-year-old Ugandan athlete Jacob Kiplimo broke the half marathon world record on Sunday with a time of 56 minutes and 41 seconds. With this achievement, he surpassed Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha’s world record of 57:30, which was set last October in Valencia. Kiplimo’s performance was recorded as the greatest single improvement on the men’s half marathon world record. Following his remarkable feat, the Ugandan athlete shared his excitement:”I am very excited about what I did today. I wanted to have a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record.” “I started very strong in the first two kilometres…

ITTF Africa President Wahid Enitan Oshodi Increases Efforts Ahead of Africa Cup As the Africa Cup approaches, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa President, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, has intensified his efforts to modernize tournaments, promote youth development, and make the sport more attractive. Since taking office in October 2024, Oshodi has taken steps to strengthen competitions and professionalize the structure. He aims to expand the global reach of African table tennis. The tournament, which will be held in Tunisia from February 25-27, provides a platform for him to showcase this vision. The federation plans to introduce training programs to…

Recently, an interesting rumor began spreading on social media. According to the claims, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, wanted to own a Ballon d’Or trophy. To achieve this, he allegedly sought to acquire the 1995 Ballon d’Or from its rightful owner, George Weah. However, the legendary Liberian footballer Weah denied these allegations. He emphasized the sentimental value of the award to him. “I will reject even $1 billion from Elon Musk if he comes to me and tells me he wants to buy my Ballon d’Or. My Ballon d’Or is not for sale. And I will tell my children…

MAX Lays Off 150 Employees Amid EV Expansion The Nigerian mobility financing startup, Metro Africa Xpress (MAX), laid off approximately 30% of its workforce (150 employees) in January. The primary reason for these layoffs was MAX’s plan to finance 120,000 electric vehicles (EVs) across Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon—three times the number of electric and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, motorcycles, and tricycles it financed in 2024. The company expressed its appreciation for the affected employees and stated that the decision was not taken lightly. MAX assured that it would continue providing health insurance support and assist employees in transitioning to…

Juventus is showing interest in Ademola Lookman, Atalanta’s key player who was recently crowned Africa’s Best Footballer. Reports suggest that at the end of the season, the Italian giants plan to offer Douglas Luiz in a swap deal plus €13 million to secure the Nigerian forward. Juventus’ willingness to part ways with Douglas Luiz, a player they signed for €51.5 million last summer, highlights just how much they value Lookman. The Nigerian star has been on an impressive rise in recent years. He has recorded 46 goals and 25 assists in 106 appearances for Atalanta. Last summer, Lookman attracted interest…

The M23 rebels, with alleged support from Rwanda, captured the city of Goma in eastern DR Congo, which is rich in valuable natural resources. As a result, according to the UN, 700,000 people were forced to flee their homes in 2024. It has been claimed that Rwanda, along with its support for the M23, is also benefiting economically from minerals smuggled into the country. Rwanda has denied all allegations and stated that it is ensuring border security. Former DR Congo captain Youssouf Mulumbu called on Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to review its partnership with “Visit Rwanda.” When making this call, Mulumbu…

In the South African League on Saturday, Sundowns secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Orlando Pirates, putting them 9 points ahead of their rivals despite having a game in hand. Football fans were confident that this victory would allow Sundowns to confidently march toward the championship. However, an interesting turn of events occurred in the match played yesterday, as Sundowns lost 1-0 to TS Galaxy. Coach Cardoso attributed the defeat to fatigue: “We must understand that it’s impossible to have a schedule like this and play a fourth match in 72 hours [it was their fourth game in nine days…

Ethio Telecom Opens AI-Powered Ultra-Fast Electric Vehicle Charging Station in Addis Ababa Ethio Telecom has announced the launch of an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Addis Ababa. This bold move is aimed at supporting Ethiopia’s growing electric vehicle ecosystem. The charging station will be located along the Bole to Megenagna road in Addis Ababa. This state-of-the-art charging station was developed to meet the increasing demand for fast, smart, and efficient charging solutions. It is designed with three different charging modules, allowing up to 32 electric vehicles to be charged simultaneously. The charging units can power…

The Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi, who has struggled for regular game time at Nottingham Forest this season, received praise from his coach for his performance in the match against Exeter City. The 27-year-old took full advantage of his first-team opportunity in the FA Cup match, scoring a goal in the 37th minute. Awoniyi received a pass from Ibrahim Sangaré and fired a powerful shot from outside the box, breaking his goal drought. However, things didn’t go entirely smoothly for him. While the game continued, Awoniyi collided with Exeter City goalkeeper Joe Whitworth, which resulted in a broken nose. After the…

Nigerian National Team Star and African Player of the Year Winner Ademola Lookman Returns from Injury Ademola Lookman, the Nigerian national team’s star player and this year’s African Player of the Year award winner, has returned from injury. Lookman’s club, Atalanta, is set to face Belgium’s powerhouse Club Brugge in the Champions League qualifiers tomorrow. Reports indicate that the player has already resumed training with his team. Lookman is expected to recover in time for the World Cup qualifiers, which has excited Super Eagles fans. Nigeria has struggled in Group C of the qualifiers, managing to secure only three points…

Swypt Launches Kenya’s First Decentralized Stablecoin, cKES Swypt has introduced cKES, Kenya’s first decentralized stablecoin, pegged 1:1 to the Kenyan shilling. This stablecoin has been integrated into Mento, another decentralized platform. This move highlights the growing trend in Kenya’s fintech sector, where stablecoins serve as an alternative to mobile money and banking systems. However, the evolving regulatory landscape in Kenya could pose challenges to the platform’s growth. Founded in 2023, Swypt aims to address inefficiencies in peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto trading. The company focuses on enhancing accessibility and efficiency in digital payments through solutions like stablecoin transactions and SME payments. With…

The Madagascar national basketball team, Ankoay, has started receiving their overseas players back to the country. Ankoay began their preparations on February 2nd and will play against Ivory Coast on February 21st. A single win is enough for them to advance in the Afrobasket 2025 qualifiers. Among the overseas players joining the team are Rija Lahontan, Kiady Razanamahenina, Sitraka Raharimanantoanina, M’Madi Mathias, and Johan Andy Pierre Randriamananjara. In Group D standings, Ivory Coast leads with three victories and six points. Egypt follows with two wins and one loss, accumulating five points. Madagascar’s other opponent, the Central African Republic, has lost…

Bento Africa, a Nigerian HR technology startup, has temporarily halted operations. The company, which had previously faced allegations of tax and pension irregularities, made this decision following the resignation of its founder and CEO, Ebun Okubanjo, and the layoff of its engineering team after protests over unpaid January salaries. In January, the company laid off its 10-person engineering team after they refused to work due to not receiving their January salaries. Despite resigning on January 30, Okubanjo told employees on January 31 that the salaries would be “strategically delayed” to prioritize processing client payroll. The layoffs severely disrupted Bento’s operations,…

Manchester United is monitoring Ghana national team player Antoine Semenyo. The winger, who plays for Bournemouth, has been impressive this season with his speed, goal-scoring instinct, and versatility. The Red Devils believe his dynamism could add a lot to their squad. The January transfer window was quiet for Manchester United, as they only signed two players. At the same time, they sent Antony and Marcus Rashford on loan. With limited attacking options, it is expected that the club will focus on strengthening this area in the upcoming summer transfer window. Reports indicate that United plans to focus on signing players…