Microsoft is partnering with OCP Africa through its Africa Transformation Office (ATO), with the goal of positively impacting smallholder farmers and Agri-stakeholders across Africa by 2025. OCP Africa, an African company that provides fertilizer solutions tailored to local conditions as well as the needs of soils and crops throughout the continent, will collaborate with Microsoft to strengthen and scale its digital agriculture platform. This platform improves farmer productivity while allowing them to better manage their businesses.
“In this time of increasing food insecurity, enhancing the resilience and livelihoods for smallholder farmers is needed to drive increased agriculture productivity, including reducing losses in the food production chain. With the increasing impacts of more frequent extreme weather events, adaptation, and resilience are of crucial importance to the food system’s transformation,” said Wael Elkabbany, General Manager for Microsoft Africa Regional Cluster.
The announcement was made in Doha, Qatar at the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries. The collaboration will enable smallholder farmers to gain access to skilling and information through Agri-digital services, leveraging OCP Africa programs such as the Farmer Hub concept to support millions of farmers. OCP Africa will also collaborate with Microsoft to explore the use of big data, machine learning, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to build their data and AI platform to improve operational efficiency and better serve ecosystem stakeholders.
On his part, the CEO of OCP Africa Dr. Mohamed Anouar Jamali said: “African agriculture is at a transformational moment in its history – and a time of incredible possibility and promise for farmers and industry alike. Digitizing agricultural practices in Africa allows smallholder farmers to optimize their decision-making, which in turn helps optimize production. The partnership between OCP Africa and Microsoft will allow us to increase the services provided and scale up our digital agriculture platform, expand our reach, and make an even bigger impact on food security across the continent.”
Collaboration with African AgriTech startups, agricultural firms, and partners to increase access to technology, skills, and agricultural knowledge is expected to optimize the industry and generate new revenue streams that will ensure global food security. The adoption and integration of technologies such as the Cloud, AI, Agri Data Platforms, and Azure App modernization into the agricultural space is also expected to deliver transformation in the form of precision agriculture.
“We believe that precision farming, brought about by the adoption of advanced technologies into the agricultural sector, will revolutionize food production and help to eliminate hunger and poverty in Africa. Technology is the key factor in enabling and increasing access to finance, equipment, and sustainability for rural farmers, empowering local farmers in Africa. Our partnership with OCP Africa will help to directly impact smallholder farmers and improve production,” added Elkabbany.
Microsoft launched a new Bing search engine and Edge browser powered by a more powerful than ChatGPT next-generation OpenAI large language model. It features new AI chat and compose tools that bring together search, browsing, and chat into one experience across the web. To give you a unique conversational experience, a better search with complete answers, and the ability to generate content.
The Microsoft Edge browser received a new update that brings a new look and allows you to experience the new Bing preview with AI capabilities. It comes with two new features; chat and compose located in the Edge sidebar.
To experience the new ChatGPT-like AI-powered Microsoft Edge browser here is what you should know. You first need to have a Personal Microsoft Account(MSA). Then secondly because it is still in preview, you’ll need to get the Microsoft Edge Dev channel browser.
Get the new Edge browser with AI chat and compose features
Download the latest Microsoft Edge Dev build. Or If you already have an Edge Dev browser go to settings>about Microsoft Edge>Update to Version 111.0.1660.6.
Sign into Microsoft Edge Dev using your approved personal MSA
Restart the Microsoft Edge Dev browser
Confirm you can access the new Bing. Now Go to Bing.com and type a question, then hover and click the Bing icon at the top corner of Microsoft Edge to try the new chat and compose experiences.
Microsoft is slowly rolling the feature out so your experience might differ depending on your location. Microsoft plans to scale the preview to millions in the coming weeks and bring it to mobile and other browsers as well. You can join a waitlist to know when it is available to you.
Microsoft has launched a training programme targeting the Omani youth that focuses on developing cloud, data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills dubbed ‘Build the Skills of the Future’ in partnership with The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), Oman.
This initiative comes as part of the MoU signed between both organizations in May this year. It is also in line with The Digital Competency Qualification Initiative (Makeen) to empower Omani youth with advanced digital skills needed to succeed in the digital era as well as provide them with income-generating opportunities in the digital sector. The initiative aims to train ten thousand Omani youths in digital skills by 2025.
Through the ‘Build the Skills of the Future’ programme, Microsoft will equip students, academia, SMEs, startups and government employees with the necessary skills to succeed in the ever-evolving technology and innovation ecosystem. The training also aligns with the government’s digital transformation programme, set to run until 2025. This complements one of the National Digital Economy Programme initiatives – a key facilitator toward accomplishing Oman Vision 2040 for sustainability and economic diversification.
The ‘Build the Skills of the Future’ training programme kicked off on November 6th and will continue until December 7th 2022 at the Middle East College in Knowledge Oasis Muscat, Rusayl, offering five Microsoft Azure certification tracks.
Omani youths can choose from a range of skill levels and course topics that will enlighten them on the fundamentals of cloud, Data and AI, as well as designing and implementing a complete Data and AI solution.
Commenting on the launch of the initiative, Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, General Manager for Microsoft in Oman and Bahrain, said, “The significance of combining academic qualifications with digital capabilities and professional certifications has become imperative for current employees, entrepreneurs, and those aspiring to join the workforce.”
“We at Microsoft remain committed to encouraging lifelong learning, skilling and upskilling the workforce to fill professional gaps and ensure wholesome digital and economic transformation. With Microsoft’s unrivalled expertise, this training initiative with MTCIT will ensure government employees, students, as well as other professionals, are equipped with valued skills to accelerate the country’s digital transformation programme and ultimately drive the actualization of Oman Vision 2040”, he added.
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Dynamics 365 and Power Platform services are now generally available in the Mircosoft Africa datacentres. The Microsoft Business Applications will provide organizations with solutions to cut costs, improve efficiencies, drive business continuity and disaster recovery. The services are available in the Microsoft South Africa North and West datacentre regions located in Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively.
Dynamics 365 and Power Platform services feature the ability to rapidly store, analyze, and act on data with intelligent software. While maintaining data residency and sovereignty and meeting compliance and regulatory requirements.
Microsoft notes the continued upgrade of services shows its commitment to investing in Africa. As well as increasing cloud capacity and capabilities to enable organizations in the public and private sectors in the region to accelerate growth through innovation, agility, and resilience.
“Leaders in organizations across industries and sectors are focused on finding ways to improve the flow of innovation and knowledge across the business in order to respond to market changes, customer needs, and specific business and industry challenges at speed. They need digital solutions that break existing silos between data sources, people, processes, and insights,” says Karin Jones, Director of Business Applications GTM at Microsoft South Africa.
“This will accelerate digital innovation in the country by enabling businesses to become more agile, resilient, and competitive,” says Jones.
With this Microsoft now offers Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform online services to organizations in the region.
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GITEX Global 2022 took place in Dubai and Microsoft participated in the annual technology exhibition. As a Silver Sponsor and a founding partner to DEVSLAM the newly introduced meetup community for coding developers. Highlighting solutions across tourism, fintech, retail, education, cybersecurity, and smart cities alongside its partners.
Microsoft showed participants what the future of mixed reality will look like under the theme “Believe the hype, it’s real”. This year at Microsoft’s GITEX 2022 hub, it hosted 26 partners to jointly showcase the latest Microsoft and Microsoft partner innovations and products.
For its flagship showcase, Microsoft partnered with Kagool to introduce a new use case for its HoloLens 2 device, which utilizes advanced Metaverse technologies to create a unique experience for tourists, allowing visitors to experience Dubai attractions virtually using Microsoft AI capabilities.
“GITEX remains the preeminent technology showcase in the region,” said Naim Yazbeck, General Manager, Microsoft UAE. “It is here that we predict and project. It is here that we showcase the new, whether it be a product, a service, or an opportunity. Microsoft has been the UAE’s partner on this journey for more than three decades and our involvement in GITEX Global 2022 will see our biggest presence yet as we look ahead towards a digital, connected future.”
Throughout the exhibition, Microsoft shared its thoughts on Web 3.0 and the role metaverse technologies, including the recently launched HoloLens 2 device, Mesh, and Teams, will play in the future of hybrid work. Microsoft also took a deep dive into cybersecurity and what it means in the multi-cloud era, covering the latest developments in the threat landscape and the implications of the multi-cloud reality for issues such as identity and data protection.
Microsoft speakers featured at AI Everything to explain the existing trends driving culture changes across the region in preparation for low code, no code, and the integration of smart solutions. At DevSlam, experts conducted a full-day Hackathon on day one of the exhibition and delivered a three-day certified coding masterclass.
At the Fintech Summit, Microsoft explored the challenges faced by start-ups in that space and how digital experiences have evolved in the FSI sector. Microsoft’s education experts also addressed the sector’s stakeholders on how distance learning will continue to take shape.
The next GITEX Global event will take place from the 16th to the 20th of October 2023 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
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Microsoft is announcing the general availability of Azure Availability Zones in its United Arab Emirates(UAE) datacenters in Dubai. The investment will enhance the competitiveness of UAE businesses through the vital provision of business continuity and disaster recovery solutions. This reinforces Microsoft’s commitment to the UAE government, its business community, and its population.
Azure Availability Zones will build on the capabilities and benefits offered through Microsoft’s enterprise-grade datacenters in Dubai which began operations in June 2019. Organizations already using the zones in the UAE include Emirates Group, Commercial Bank of Dubai, and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
“With the advent of the always-on economy, uptime and continuous access to critical data, applications and workloads have become front-of-mind concerns for the region’s technology stakeholders,” said Naim Yazbeck, General Manager, Microsoft UAE.
“As businesses move forward amid increased industry upheavals and competition from market disrupters, competitiveness hinges on the ability to remain operational even as external issues destabilise markets and supply chains. Backups alone will not deliver such capabilities. Rapid recovery requires strategy-focused infrastructure and solutions to work effectively. That is what Azure Availability Zones delivers.”
Naim Yazbeck
Microsoft notes the launch of the zones shows its readiness to form the backbone of organizations’ futureproofing programs.
“The new availability zones will allow us to enhance the way we use Microsoft Cloud, says Srinivasan Sampath, Acting Group CTO of First Abu Dhabi Bank. Offering us a greater level of data security, resilience and flexibility. Which in turn, will support our customer-centric ethos, and allow us to provide greater benefits for our clients.”
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