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Canon Central and North Africa Partners with Makerere University to Shape the Next Generation of Creatives

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Canon

Canon Academy Photo & Video workshops, journalism training, and virtual film school access to empower youth and strengthen creative education in Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda, May 21, 2026/APO Group/ —
  • Practical training in photography, filmmaking, and journalism
  • Access to Canon’s interactive virtual film school for aspiring storytellers 

Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) (www.Canon-CNA.com) has partnered with Makerere University in Uganda to deliver Canon Academy Photo & Video programmes, providing students with hands-on training in photography, filmmaking, and journalism.  The initiative will provide hands-on training in photography, filmmaking, and journalism, while giving students access to Canon Academy Video, Canon’s virtual film school.  The collaboration underscores Canon’s continued commitment to youth empowerment, creative education, and strengthening Africa’s visual storytelling industry as CCNA approaches its 10-year milestone in 2026.

Inspiring Tomorrow’s Storytellers

Rashad Ghani, B2C Business Unit Director, Canon Central and North Africa, said, “We’re proud to celebrate ten years of CCNA by investing in the next generation of creatives. Our partnership with Makerere University enables us to share Canon Academy’s resources with aspiring storytellers, helping them build the technical and creative skills needed to shape Africa’s visual narrative. By offering access to training, mentorship, and learning platforms, we’re supporting students on their journey into photography, filmmaking, journalism, and digital content creation.”

Our partnership with Makerere University enables us to share Canon Academy’s resources with aspiring storytellers, helping them build the technical and creative skills

Strengthening Educational Ties

The collaboration builds on Canon’s established relationship with Makerere University, where Canon has previously hosted training weeks and workshops. Makerere University, founded in 1922, has grown into one of Africa’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning, with a long tradition of excellence in journalism, media, and communication studies. By integrating Canon Academy workshops into the university’s curriculum, the initiative combines academic learning with practical, industry-focused training, helping prepare students for careers in Africa’s rapidly growing creative sector.

Overview of Workshops and Training

Students and local professionals can expect a diverse range of workshops and training sessions, including:

  • Dedicated Media Workshop: Local journalists and media professionals will join sessions led by Canon trainer Elayne Okaya, exploring Canon’s photo and video ecosystem and gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.
  • Canon Camera Innovation Workshop: Students will immerse themselves in Canon’s imaging tools, guided by Canon trainer Elayne Okaya, with insights into the latest products for content creation and practical demonstrations.
  • Journalism Workshops: Two sessions will focus on visual storytelling, ethics, and best practices in modern reporting, helping students strengthen their skills with Canon technology guided by certified trainer Miriam Watsemba.
  • Canon Academy Video Platform: Canon Educational Programmes Manager Katie Simmonds will introduce students to the virtual film school, guiding them through structured online learning and certification opportunities.
  • Basic Filmmaking Workshop: A three-day course led by Elayne Okaya will cover filmmaking fundamentals, including camera movement, scene structure, and production techniques, with access to Canon equipment for hands-on practice.

Supporting Africa’s Creative Economy

As Africa’s creative economy continues to expand, there is a growing need for practical training that equips young people with the skills required for careers in filmmaking, journalism, and digital content creation. By combining technical expertise with hands-on experience, initiatives like this help students build the confidence needed to succeed in a fast-evolving creative landscape. Dr Nakiwala Aisha Sembatya, the Chair department of Journalism and Communication noted that, “This collaboration gives our students direct access to industry expertise and practical experience in photography, filmmaking, and journalism. Canon’s training platforms will enhance our academic programmes and prepare students for careers in the media and creative sectors.”

Canon Miraisha and Long-Term Commitment

The partnership with Makerere University forms part of Canon’s broader Miraisha Programme and education-led ecosystem across Africa. By working with universities, training institutions, and creative communities, Canon supports young people in building careers in visual storytelling and digital content creation. As CCNA marks a decade of operations in Africa, the company continues to invest in initiatives that expand access to skills, nurture creative talent, and strengthen Africa’s future creative industries reflecting Canon’s Kyosei philosophy of living and working together for the common good.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA).

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OPPO Find X10 Pro Max to Debut Globally with MediaTek’s 2nm Flagship Dimensity 9600 Pro

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October 15, 2026

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SHENZHEN, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 October 2026 – OPPO, a leading global smart device brand, today announced that the upcoming Find X10 Pro Max will be among the first smartphones to feature the flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro and launch in international markets.

Built on TSMC’s advanced 2nm N2P process, the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro delivers a significant generational leap in performance and power efficiency. Compared with the previous-generation process, it delivers up to a 61% improvement in CPU multi-core energy efficiency, providing a stronger foundation for sustained flagship performance and increasingly demanded on-device AI workloads on Find X10 Pro Max.

 




 
 

For CPU performance, the Dimensity 9600 Pro continues MediaTek’s All-Big-Core architecture with a new configuration featuring two 4.55GHz C2-Ultra cores and six performance cores. The new CPU delivers an overall performance improvement of 17%, while independent frequency control for each core enables more precise workload scheduling, helping Find X10 Pro Max balance sustained performance with outstanding power efficiency.

Graphics performance takes another step forward with the latest flagship G2-Ultra NX GPU, introducing enhanced ray tracing and new neural graphics capabilities. Under sustained heavy workloads, the Dimensity 9600 Pro delivers approximately 27% higher performance, enabling richer visual detail and more immersive gaming experiences on Find X10 Pro Max.

The Dimensity 9600 Pro also brings a major upgrade to on-device AI with its latest-generation dual-NPU design, combining a powerful NPU with a Super Efficient NPU. The new high-performance NPU delivers 51% faster LLM prefill performance, providing powerful support for workloads including large-model inference and computational imaging. Meanwhile, the Super Efficient NPU is 40% more power efficient, enabling persistent AI capabilities to run at ultra-low power for more responsive and always-available AI experiences.

Further enhancing the platform is OPPO Laminar Flow Engine, jointly developed by OPPO and MediaTek and making its debut on Find X10 Pro Max. By restructuring the underlying rendering architecture and coordinating it more closely with system scheduling, the technology achieves a better balance between ultra-smooth system responsiveness and low power consumption. It also helps accelerate app launches and maintain smooth and stable content loading during demanding scenarios such as rapid photo browsing.

Further details about OPPO Find X10 Pro Max, powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro, will be revealed at the upcoming global launch event.

About OPPO
OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone – “Smiley Face” – in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services. OPPO has footprints in more than 90 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world.
 




 

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Liquid C2 partners with KnowBe4 to bring workforce risk management to African businesses

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1 day ago

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October 14, 2026

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KnowBe4 is an addition to Liquid C2’s Secure360 portfolio with ongoing security awareness, phishing simulations, and risk management capabilities

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 13, 2026/APO Group/ –Liquid C2, a business of Cassava Technologies, a global technology leader, today announced a new reseller partnership agreement with KnowBe4, a global leader in digital workforce security, securing both humans and AI agents. Through this partnership, Liquid C2 will bring KnowBe4’s training and risk management solutions to enterprise customers across Africa.

 




  

“At Liquid C2, we understand that employees are the first and best line of defence from cybersecurity attacks for any organisation. They are the foundation of a digitally resilient organisation. Employees need the skills and awareness to spot threats early, and by working with KnowBe4, we are strengthening the human side of our cybersecurity services. Cybersecurity is no longer just a compliance exercise, it is a business continuity imperative. Our partnership will ensure our customers have access to global cybersecurity training and an experience customised for staff at all levels of client organisations” said Vinay Hiralall, Chief Commercial Officer at Liquid C2.

We look forward to working with Liquid C2 to deliver KnowBe4’s platform to even more organisations across Africa

KnowBe4 is an addition to Liquid C2’s Secure360 portfolio with ongoing security awareness, phishing simulations, and risk management capabilities. Secure360’s unified framework covers governance, protection, detection and response, while the partnership adds capabilities that help organisations address employee-related security risks.

Additionally, the KnowBe4 platform includes attack simulation and training, email and collaboration security, and agent security powered by its Artificial Intelligence Defence Agents (AIDA). KnowBe4 maintains a robust partner programme that helps organisations worldwide strengthen their      workforce security capabilities.

“We look forward to working with Liquid C2 to deliver KnowBe4’s platform to even more organisations across Africa,” said Kurt Mills, SVP of global channel at KnowBe4. “By integrating KnowBe4’s high-quality, world-class platform with our existing security services, we can now deliver comprehensive protection that combines technological safeguards with digital workforce security. This partnership represents our commitment to providing customers with the most effective methods to build a security-conscious culture and significantly reduce their human and agentic AI-related security risks.”

This offering will be available to small, mid-sized, and large enterprises across Africa, with tailored benefits for regulated sectors like finance, telecoms, and government, where strong cyber security measures are critical to protecting people, systems, and data. Customers will have access to local billing, regional support, onboarding, and compliance assistance specific to their industry needs.

KnowBe4 will be bundled with other Liquid C2 services, including managed cybersecurity which is also available as part of Liquid C2’s Governance, Risk and Compliance offering. This gives organisations greater flexibility to integrate the solution into their existing cybersecurity environments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Liquid Intelligent Technologies.

 

 




 

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OPPO Partners with Manus to Bring Agentic AI Experiences to Smartphones

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1 day ago

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October 14, 2026

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SHENZHEN, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 October 2026 – Global smart device brand OPPO today announced a collaboration with Manus, a leading AI agent platform, to bring next-generation agentic AI experiences to smartphones. By integrating Manus’ agentic capabilities to OPPO AI Mind Pilot, the collaboration will help users turn complex, multi-step tasks into ready-to-use results—advancing OPPO’s vision for Personalized Proactive Intelligence, where AI understands users and proactively helps them get things done.
 




 
“Agentic AI marks an important shift from answering questions to helping users get things done.” said Kai Tang, President of Software Engineering at OPPO. “Together with Manus, we are bringing more proactive and capable experiences to AI Mind Pilot, enabling AI to better understand users’ intentions, take actions and complete tasks. Our goal is to make personal AI a natural part of everyday life and work.”

“Smartphones are central to people’s daily lives and support many of the tasks they handle every day, making them a natural platform for personal AI agents,” said Tao Zhang, Co-Founder & CPO of Manus. “By bringing together Manus’ agentic capabilities and OPPO’s system-level integration, we can make advanced AI agents more accessible and help users complete multi-step tasks through simple, natural interactions.”

Manus Capabilities Debut in AI Mind Pilot’s New Agent Mode

The collaboration will debut through the integration of Manus’ agentic capabilities into AI Mind Pilot’s new Agent Mode on the upcoming OPPO Find X10 Series with ColorOS 17.

Designed to move beyond simple question-and-answer interactions, AI Mind Pilot can understand a user’s end goal, break it down into multiple steps, identify relevant information, select the appropriate tools, and deliver a finished result, including by working directly with files and photos stored on the device.

For example, a user planning a trip could simply ask AI Mind Pilot to organize their travel plans. It can find flight tickets, hotel bookings, restaurant reservations, and attraction tickets scattered across different apps on the smartphone, organize them, and combine them with relevant online information to create a personalized, day-by-day itinerary—without requiring users to manually gather and upload the information.

The same capabilities can support everyday creative and professional tasks. Users can ask AI Mind Pilot to find and organize photos from a trip, locate specific images, or bring together existing files and online information to create a presentation, proposal, portfolio, or other ready-to-use content, all with just one single prompt.

Powerful Agentic AI Built Around User Control and Privacy

As AI moves from providing information to working with personal context and completing tasks, privacy, security, and user control become increasingly important. AI Mind Pilot is designed with these priorities at its core.

ColorOS 17 uses on-device models to understand and organize relevant information locally. For local tasks such as finding, organizing, or renaming files and photos, the original content remains on the device and is not shared with Manus. When a task requires external processing, AI Mind Pilot will ask for the user’s explicit confirmation before relevant content is uploaded or shared.

Users remain in control of what information is accessed, which actions are taken and whether external processing is allowed. Through on-device processing and transparent authorization, OPPO and Manus aim to make agentic AI more capable while maintaining a clear fucus on users’ choice and control.

Launching on OPPO Find X10 Series

The Manus-powered capabilities in AI Mind Pilot will debut on the OPPO Find X10 Series with ColorOS 17. Further details on availability, supported markets, and user benefits will be announced at launch.
 




 

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