Nigeria Taps Microsoft to Oracle to Recover From Recession

Oracle has helped remove fake entries from government payroll

Simplifed revenue collection can ease corruption: Microsoft

Nigeria is hiring U.S. technology giants such as Oracle Corp. and Microsoft Corp. as the government invests more to save costs and fight corruption.

An initiative led by Redwood, California-based Oracle has enabled Nigerian authorities to remove 50,000 so-called ghost workers, or fake entries, from the payroll, according to a presidency statement June 29. That followed Oracle’s decision to open an office in Abuja, the capital, in May. Other companies interested in taking on more work in Nigeria include IBM Corp. and Sweden’s Ericsson AB, according to Yusuf Kazaure, managing director of state-owned Galaxy Backbone, which provides technology services to the government.

Galaxy Backbone’s budget has increased by 30 percent this year to 4 billion naira ($12.7 million), Kazaure said in a phone interview last month. State funding for the company will probably increase at a similar annual rate for the foreseeable future, he said. Nigeria is investing 50 percent more on information and communications technology infrastructure this year, totaling about 41 billion naira, according to budget data.

Africa’s most populous country is seeking to recover from its worst economic downturn in more than two decades and is using technology to improve government revenue collection and attract investment. The continent’s biggest oil producer is ranked 136 out of 167 countries on Transparency International’s 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index, a placing that may improve if the government is able to simplify processes such as the awarding of state permits, according to Hakeem Adeniji-Adele, director of public sector work at Microsoft Nigeria.

“The government’s digitization drive is imperative in cutting out the middle man,” he said in an emailed response to questions June 29. “The existence of middle men has left room for corrupt and illegal practices to thrive in the governance and doing business in Nigeria.” Microsoft sees an opportunity to advise and train users, Adeniji-Adele said.

Nigeria’s ministry of industry, trade and investment is in talks with Microsoft to improve e-services, which ties into the government’s objective to improve its World Bank Ease of Doing Business ranking, Constance Ikokwu, communication adviser to Minister Okey Enelamah, said in an emailed response to questions.

Source: https://www.google.com.ng/amp/s/www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2017-07-04/nigeria-taps-microsoft-to-oracle-to-help-recover-from-recession

OK... I hope they hire US tech guys too to cure our president and save cost too

i pray this thing will work out, tired of reading bad news about Nigeria. hope for a better future.
getting there, 3rd to comment

Kai saving cost and directing it inside their pocket for their personal waste.Buhari don't want to save cost too by coming back to Nigeria to take warm Agbo from baba,see beta washing and settings he will take and be healed since the medical treatment is not working issorite

Microsoft should also fish out Buhari from the government payroll... Because to most Nigerians he is a ghost worker on Federal allowance and salary with no visible proof if he's dead or alive.

Another story

ok

Idonbilivit.......Nigeria.the only country where the criminal detecting machine that has caught thieves all over the world was stolen.it wunt work.

Good move

Wasting money

WE GET BETTER CROPS AND MICROHARD HERE IN NIGERIA

Digitisation and removal of middle men is a very welcome development for our country. The latter especially has done too much damage. They are everywhere, they are the cabal.

From telecommunications (thank God for privatisation), subsidy, civil service to government hospitals, ministries and contracts.

On the other hand, we have more than capable hands in our own tech environment that can do these things. It's not a particularly too-complex thing for our techies. These guys will take this monies out of the country to their headquarters,which is kind of counter productive.


At least, mandate them to employ the services of a sizable number of Nigerians abeg.

And No, we are not doing contract. That contract staffing is a useless, wicked ripoff of the common man.

We're going techy. This is long overdue.

I remember the Past Pres GEJ saying something like using science and technology to fight corruption. Also taking the yam from the goat stuff.

Its good that Osinbajo is making it come to reality.
Hope this administration succeed in this step.

Lolz

DAntivirus:
OK... I hope they hire US tech guys too to cure our president and save cost too

Dimwit.

;wen I see Oracle Corp I was thinking of something else .. never mind kus am from the ewedu group

Is there no competent Nigeria firm that can handle it or we want to waste scarce forex

We have oracles here in Nigeria.examples like
Sango.amaduoha.anasa.owu.jujubenin.those one the work fast,so why hire from america

Becoted001:
Wasting money

This isn't

These people are too backward! The best way to fight corruption and waste right now is via BLOCKCHAIN technology and you don't need multinationals to do that. Nigerians can do all of these things. These LAWMA is better than this govt.

just wait till you hear the amount budgeted for this stuff

Yeye dey bounds, give salute to another Yeye corp.. when trust has been killed, you will be looking for trusted Angel in every corners with your precious sweat continually.. (not truth) because the grammarians would soon call my for head.... no truth,it has gone gone far from our governance circle..

Who Is Nigeria ?

Let us wait and see

Hmm...block one road and the nigerian man finds a way to open another just for his selfish gains. that's just who we are. pathetic.

sweet

Until a right and truthful approach is directed towards corruption the govt will continue running in circles.
There are those mostly elites who have ripped Nigeria of its God given resources and converted them to their personal wealths for many years now,we know them there is no need mentioning names.
So much money was retrieved from abacha because he passed away ,then think of those who are still alive that have ripped the country massively.
When you chase out ghost workers you deceive yourself by thinking you are fighting corruption ,you still have a problem in your hands because those people must survive and will fall back to something whether legitimately or illegitimately just to stay alive