₦airaland Forum

This year’s edition of Sahara Sparks, the innovation and technology entrepreneurship event holding in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania is focusing on data development in Africa.
Africa nations are rapidly joining the movement towards data development, even as commitment to free and open data expansion continues to grow in leaps and bounds among nations of the world for innovation and economic development.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/24/sahara-sparks-2018-herald-theme-data-development-africa/

“MATHEMATICS HAS TAUGHT ME NOT JUST NUMBERS AND HOW TO MANIPULATE FORMULAS, IT FURNISHED ME WITH A BELIEVE SYSTEM THAT I CAN ALWAYS MAKE IT NO MATTER THE ADVERSITY'.
One of the prominent figures in Nigeria’s nascent technology space, Victor Asemota, described David Daser as a hardcore geek in his Guardian article titled “Nigeria’s technology sector: A coming of age?”
Asemota wasn’t lying. I’ve met the man and everything about him is code. What I didn’t know however was how he got to know so much about Computer Science concepts and coding in general, especially considering he studied Biochemistry in the university.


CONTINUE READING: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/24/decisions-persistence-focus-belief/

Worldview International, a technology firm based in UK has launched in Nigeria, a portal to help prospective international students better access admission opportunities abroad and eliminate the hassle they go through while trying to find a place to study abroad.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/24/findadmission-com-launches-nigeria-offer-students-easier-access-study-abroad/

The EU-funded AfricaConnect2 project has just announced that, following the tender call to connect West and Central (W&C) Africa back in June 2016, GÉANT has awarded a 15-year contract to MainOne for connectivity services.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/23/geant-awards-mainone-15-year-contract-connectivity-services/

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reorganised the process of registering and certifying indigenous Information Technology (IT) Indigenous Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs to better ensure OEMs comply with quality assessment standards in line with global best practice.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/19/nitda-reworks-registration-certification-indigenous-oems-enhance-product-quality/

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is to partner the Nigerian Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council (NIPCAC) to advance the development of the telecommunications sector. This was made known this week in Abuja after a delegation from the Council headed by Edirin Akemu visited the commission.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/19/ncc-nipcac-set-partner-enhance-growth-telecoms-sector/

Nigerian regulatory authorities were left in the ditch yesterday after a court judgement halts the sale of 9Mobile to make the telco’s future dicey.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/17/9mobile-future-uncertain-court-halts-sale/

Stakeholders in the technology and education sectors are doubtful government can fully implement its newly unveiled 2030 Roadmap for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). Industry analysts say considering Nigeria’s history of abysmal failure to implement frontal policies, the current state of the economy and a somewhat lukewarm attitude to education, science and technology by the current government, it was unlikely Nigeria will make any headway on STI.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/16/stakeholders-doubt-nigerian-governments-commitment-2030-sti-roadmap/

OyaOya has announced the pilot go-live of its commodity trading marketplace on www.oyaoya.com to connect the commodity ecosystem across Nigeria and Africa. The OyaOya platform rides on cutting-edge technology to connect four essential components together in a seamless and efficient flow – a marketplace for vendors to present their products, customers to select a product, commodity transporters and an escrow payment system for secured transactions.

Continue Reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/15/oyaoya-unveils-africas-first-online-demand-commodities-trading-platform/

Nigeria offers both a consumer and a skill market; and holds the ace for faster returns on investment in Africa. Despite economic downturns and infrastructure challenges, Africa’s largest population of over 180 million people offer some of the brightest investment spots on the continent particularly for the technology sector.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/15/nitda-makes-case-investment-ces-2018/

The Federal Government has unveiled the 2030 Roadmap for the country’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) development. This officially commenced in Port Harcourt recently where the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, launched the South-South Sensitisation Programme on Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmap 2030, according to a statement by Deputy Director of Press in the ministry, Abdul-Ganiyu Aminu.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/11/nigeria-save-n3-trillion-raw-materials-import-unveils-2030-roadmap-sti/

Globally, Bezos now rules as the world’s richest man after his net worth reached $105.1 billion this week on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, surpassing the record previously held by Microsoft founder, Bill Gates.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/11/gates-amazon-founder-jeff-bezos-now-worlds-richest-man/

Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, is planning to strengthen technological innovation and entrepreneurship among Nigerian youths with the ‘Lagos Innovates’ program this month. The program is designed to beef up funding and mentors stream for the tech startup ecosystem mostly housed in Lagos.

Continue Reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2018/01/09/lagos-moves-strengthen-technological-innovation-lagos-innovates/

MainOne, West Africa’s leading communications services company and operator of the premier Tier III data center, has announced its official listing by Microsoft as an ExpressRoute Connectivity Provider for Nigeria. The listing follows MainOne’s launch of its Cloud Connect product and successful delivery of the Microsoft ExpressRoute service which connects large enterprises in Nigeria to Microsoft’s Azure Cloud. With this recognition, MainOne will continue to offer private, high-speed connections for customers to Microsoft Azure thus improving the performance of their enterprise applications and cloud infrastructure services

Continue Reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/18/mainone-listed-microsoft-azure-expressroute-connectivity-provider-nigeria/

In its quest to strengthen the agency’s competency and impact on the country, the management of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is deepening its network and partnership within and outside the country.
NITDA recently inked a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of Cloud Policy with software giant Microsoft. The deal would also help provide best practice and guidance in privacy and data protection laws in Nigeria as NITDA deepens its regulatory role across sectors and further braces up to assert its mandate within the public sector.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/19/nitda-explores-collaborations-microsoft-gartner-sita/

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has harped on technology as a panacea for addressing the adverse impacts of climate change such as temperature rise, erratic rainfalls, sand storms, desertification, low agricultural yields, drying up of water bodies like Lake Chad, gully erosions and constant flooding which have now become daily realities in sub-Saharan Africa and rest of the globe.

Continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/18/buhari-harps-technology-panacea-climate-change/

Data subscribers in Nigeria are soon to get respite from automatic forfeiture of their unused data. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) plans to have Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) offer subscribers a 14 days window allow consumers roll over their unused data even when they do not renew at the expiration of the data plan

Continue Reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/18/nigerian-mobile-subscribers-get-14-days-rollover-unused-data/

MainOne Cable and Tizeti have announced the completion of a joint development project with Facebook to enable the expansion of internet services in Lagos.
http://dld.bz/gyqT6

Jelani Aliyu, Director General (DG), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), in one of his musings, lament the sickening sense of lack of priorities or its misplacement by Nigerian teeming population of young people. While decades of government’s sense of failure have a strong persuasive argument, young people must look beyond the failings of state institutions to build a future and a swathe of possibilities outside of governance. Blaming the system is easy but interrogating the system to build a new system that works for all is more tortuous but more desirable.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/09/africa-future-innovation-youth-industry-entrepreneurship/

I am highly honored to be here in Lagos to deliver the speech on “Disruptive Technologies and Limits/Challenges of Regulations” before you distinguished audience at the 9th edition of the West Africa Convergence Conference. Developing and Regulating Information and Communication Technology is the primary responsibility of National Information Technology Development Agency and it is a known fact that majority of the disruptive technologies ever created in the world today are enabled by ICT. For instance, disruptive technologies like the semiconductor microchip, Personal Computer (PC) and the Internet are products of the ICT innovation that are transforming the way we live and work, enabling new business models, and providing an opening for new players to upset the established order. Disruptive technologies have the potential to impact growth, employment, and inequality by creating new markets and business practices, needs for new products & infrastructure and different labour skills.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/09/executive-notes-disruptive-technologies-limitschallenges-regulations/

Let me start by stating the obvious: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has supported employment explosion and enhanced employability not to state that it has created the youngest billionaires in recent times. Today, we do not look at ICT in isolation. We look at how ICT has helped to foster convergence of once stand-alone sector to become one that has converged with another sector so that there’s endless debate today, for example, whether the broadcast sector and the telecom sector should be deemed as one.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/09/executive-notes-entrepreneurship-era-convergence/

Accenture Nigeria has demonstrated its technology capabilities to help businesses across different sectors in the country boost their productivity and efficiency through its recent innovations and investments in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), robotics and blockchain. The global management consulting and professional services company that provides a strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations services, demonstrated its recent tech solutions to the media at its Lagos office.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/08/accenture-demonstrates-technology-capabilities-revolutionize-nigerias-economy/

“WITH THE INCREASE LEVEL OF UNEMPLOYMENT… PLATEAU STATE GOVERNMENT … CAN ALSO OWN AND MANAGE FINTECH COMPANIES…. GOVERNMENT TAKES A 30% OR 40% EQUITY IN A HOME GROWN FINTECH STARTUP AND ALLOW THE 70% OR 60% TO BE OWNED BY THE STARTUP FOUNDERS”
It’s obvious a lot is picking up in the hitherto forgotten startup ecosystem in Plateau State. I am glad that a lot of young people and the government are daring to create businesses. If you live in Jos it’s no news that everyday in the news government is trying to resuscitate failed companies or buy back previously sold assets. Giving a little attention to these will point you to the yearnings and cries on several levels of development on the need for this resuscitation which i believe is inspiring the decision of government.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/08/can-plateau-state-government-bootstrap-local-fintech-startup/

YouTube has released its annual Rewind lists showcasing the moments that captured the attention of Nigerians and YouTube users around the globe. Videos on President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trips to the United Kingdom, Biafra and comedy skits by Mark Angel top the list of most viewed digital contents.
According to YouTube in a recent press statement: “the top trending videos for 2017 are based on views, shares, comments, likes and more. These lists reflect the amazing variety of content that YouTube audiences love, watch and listen to, day in and day out.”

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/08/biafra-buharis-uk-trip-top-rewind-lists-youtube/

Medallion Communications Limited, one of Nigeria’s largest telecom infrastructures companies, has listed the challenges facing infrastructure in Nigeria and why the industry has not been able to leverage the benefits of technology convergence. “Lack of carrier-neutral peering points and interconnection centers; lack of adequate transmission network – local and long distance; and lack of finance to acquire adequate core network equipment have undermined the ability of operators to fully optimize the benefits of technology convergence, said Chief Technical Officer of Medallion Communications Limited, Mr. Krishnan Ranganath, while speaking at the recent West Africa Convergence Conference (WACC 2017) in Lagos on ‘Convergence and Infrastructure Challenges.

continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/06/medallion-communications-lists-challenges-infrastructures-convergence-nigeria/

Medallion Communications Limited, one of Nigeria’s largest telecom infrastructures companies, has listed the challenges facing infrastructure in Nigeria and why the industry has not been able to leverage the benefits of technology convergence.
http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/06/medallion-communications-lists-challenges-infrastructures-convergence-nigeria/

In a new move to reduce price and ease logistics in the purchase of its products, Dangote Cement Plc  has signed a pact with the foremost e-commerce platform Jumia Nigeria to offer for sale its cement to customers online. At the unveiling of the deal in Lagos, Dangote Cement, Key Account Director, Chux Mogbolu said Dangote Cement was happy to partner with online shopping giant, in a bid to make Dangote cement available with ease to customers
http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/05/dangote-partners-jumia-sell-cement-online/

FirstBank, Nigeria’s most valuable bank brand, has successfully recertified to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 3.2, having been one of the first top-tier banks in Nigeria to obtain the PCI DSS certification in 2014
http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/04/firstbank-achieves-pci-dss-version-3-2-recertification/

Nigerian government IT clearinghouse, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has declared it imperative for all government data to be hosted locally in line with statutory provisions. In an official statement released in Abuja today and signed by its Director General/CEO, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the agency said it was both illegal and unpatriotic to have government data hosted abroad warning that ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) flouting the law risk sanctions.
Continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/04/illegal-host-government-data-abroad-says-nitda/

It’s a double for the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Precise Financial Systems (PFS) Limited, Yele Okeremi who, on Wednesday, November 29 at the West Africa Convergence Conference (WACC 2017), was given the Convergence Technology Leadership recognition award, the following day,  emerges as the IT Personality of the Year at the National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA 2017) organised by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS).
Continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/04/yele-okeremi-convergence-technology-leader-man-year/

The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) is finalizing subsidy agreements with two of Nigeria’s infrastructure companies: MainOne, and IHS Services Limited for the Lagos and North Central Zones to speed up Nigeria’s broadband target for 2020
http://dld.bz/gxc2m

As technology continues to converge across industry verticals with an increasing need to thicken the value of entrepreneurship and employability, the Chairman ICT Committee at the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo has said the development of technology skills in the country, especially amongst the teeming youths will help to harness the new deals of convergence and grow the economy.

Continue reading: http://itedgenews.ng/2017/12/02/technology-skills-vital-national-development-house-ctee-ict-chair-onawo/