Microsoft Corp. and The Coca-Cola Company on Tuesday announced a five-year strategic partnership to align Coca-Cola’s core technology strategy systemwide; enable the adoption of leading-edge technology; and foster innovation and productivity globally.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has opened the application for the group training of Artificial Intelligence (AI) developers in Abuja. NITDA on Wednesday disclosed that the application opened in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) with the agency also saying that the group training is for the Cohort 11 AI developers. “The free monthly program at National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), Abuja, aligns with NITDA’s goal to train one million Nigerian developers,” the statement read.

Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani said Nigeria need to develop a national strategy to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence for its sustainable growth. The Minister made this known when he shared a document titled, ‘Co-creating a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Nigeria’ on his X handle today saying the AI should be viewed as a multi-purpose technology transforming production and service delivery, with a potential to impact positively on Nigerian economy and social growth.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has dismissed claims made by Binance, that it was asked to pay a $150 million bribe by unidentified government officials. On Wednesday 8th May 2024, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Rabiu Ibrahim disclosed that the government is aware of Binance's attempt to improve its tarnished reputation as a company that does not follow the rules and regulations governing business practices in sovereign nations.

The SAT-3/West Africa Cable System (WACS), the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), and MainOne are said to have been damaged, which has resulted in the disruption of internet services in Nigeria, Ghana, and other countries across the continent. According to NetBlocks, an internet analysis, the cut has triggered outages and connectivity issues for mobile operators and internet service providers across the West African sub-region.

Mobile Telephone Network (MTN) has cut off services from 4.2 million users of its network following its refusal to link Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) with National Identity Numbers (NINs) after the February 28th deadline. The firm disclosed this in its Earning Report for the year ended December 31, 2023. It noted that 19 million lines on its network are currently being verified, and 4.3 million have been verified as of February 2024. MTN said, “We also had approximately 4.2 million lines disconnected for which the subscribers did not submit their NIN. Several of these lines were low-value subscribers, minimizing the revenue impact.

Google has rolled out Android's Circle to Search for iPhone users. The move harnesses the power of Google Lens and iOS Shortcuts, making it possible for iPhone users to enjoy the same functionality previously exclusive to Android. Earlier this year, Google launched the Circle to Search feature for Android that takes a screenshot and lets you select what to look up. Google has highlighted that Circle to Search differs from Google Lens primarily in accessibility, as it is universally available on Android devices with a simple long-press, both features share the same search and OCR technology. Circle to Search stands out for its capability to circle or lasso items for selection instead of merely tapping.

Meta has expanded its AI service, Meta AI, to 12 countries that include Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and others. Meta is the company managing Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Meta Llama 3, Meta AI is smarter, faster and more fun. With Meta Llama 3 technology at its core, Meta AI empowers users to accomplish tasks, acquire knowledge, foster creativity, and forge connections with ease. 

On Wednesday, Google terminated 28 employees who had participated in a protest against the contract with the Israeli government that Google shares with its rival, Amazon. The firings happened after nine employees were arrested on Tuesday during sit-in protests at Google offices in Sunnyvale, California, and New York City. The detained workers were released after a few hours, according to employees.

Meta has now surpassed three (3) billion daily active users across its apps, showing a 7% increase year-over-year. The biggest surge was seen in Instagram's "Threads", which has now reached over 150 million monthly active users, up from 130 million in February.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched a new satellite mission to study ocean health, air quality, and the effects of climate change. The new mission known as PACE, the Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, and Ocean Ecosystem satellite, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Mobility and ride-hailing service provider, Bolt has committed N1.25 billion to empower female drivers in Nigeria. The commitment is part of a new campaign launched by the mobility service provider called ‘Women at the Wheel’ which seeks to address the under-representation of women in the mobility sector. The campaign seeks to help women access the additional earning opportunities provided by working as a driver on a ride-hailing platform.