The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • 12-year-old develops mobile app

    12-year-old develops mobile app

    A 12-year-old student, Tomisin Jasmin Ogunnubi, of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, Oregun, Lagos, under the tutelage of an ICT partnership between the school and New Horizons Computer Learning Centre, has developed an Android mobile tracking application called My Locator.

    The app helps a user to know his geographic location, view it on the map and get appropriately directed. One of the other useful attributes of the app is that it is integrated with an alert button which when pressed in a distressed situation, calls the Lagos State emergency service number (767), and thereby gets the chance of being rescued from such threatening emergencies or conditions.

    The app is already uploaded online and readily available for free download in Google Store. The performance of the likes of Tomisin has confirmed that Nigeria is blessed with sharp and focussed youths who in future, will emerge as Nigeria’s industry captains that will become tomorrow’s entrepreneurial giants like Bill Gates, Mack Zuckerberg, Google Boys, etc.

    While presentating the app, the school’s executive director, Mrs. Olufunke Fowler-Amba expressed joy that Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls has been living to its billing as a top quality and front row IT-driven school for many years. She said the achievement of Tomisin and many other students who have equally developed other IT solutions at different times are glaring testaments to the fact.

    She expressed satisfaction with the partnership her school has with international ICT firm, New Horizons, based in the United States, and world’s largest international IT skills and certification training organisation with presence in 80 countries.

    General Manager Educational Services, New Horizons, Mr. Bolaji Olaoye congratulated the proprietress, management and  the school for the impressive heights it has acheived.

    He also commended the school’s  21st century IT-driven stance which guaranteed that all the students mandatorily undergo training in different international IT skills acquisition under the partnership.

    Olaoye said these sets of young entrepreneurs would have been convincingly positioned with their skills to bail the country out of its total dependence on oil and become an IT-driven country such as India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and others that are dominating the world’s lucrative IT market which is expected to hit 4.4 trillion Euros by 2019.

  • NCC warns against use of pre-registered SIM cards

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned subscribers against patronising sellers of pre-registered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. It warned that fines and jail terms awaited people caught using such SIM cards as it is criminal to do  so.

    Its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Garba Dambatta, said rather than patronise the criminals, members of the public should report them to law enforcement agencies as part of their responsibility, not only as subscribers but also as good citizens.

    Represented at this year’s NCC Day at the Lagos International Trade Fair in Lagos by an assistant director and Head, Media, Reuben Muoka, Dambatta also warned subscribers to be wary of substandard and used mobile phones shipped into the country that did not get the type-approval of the NCC. He said such were capable of compromising the integrity of services received by end users.

    The fair was organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

    He said: “When we talk about consumer interest, we also speak about consumer responsibilities.

    “We expect the consumers and members of the public to also embrace our disposition by assisting the Commission to eradicate some fraudulent activities that exist in the industry, especially those ones that are within their purview of support.

    “We are saying this today with regard to instances of use of pre-registered SIM cards in the country. By our regulation, any new number acquired by the subscriber would be unable to originate calls until such a number is registered before it is activated in the network. It also means that any number that is not registered or activated by the service provider would remain inactive in the network.

    “However we have a situation where some unscrupulous individuals engage in registering and activating huge number of lines with fraudulent identities with a view to selling them to unwary subscribers who are too busy or too ignorant to understand that they need to have their identities behind their numbers. In some cases, those who engage in these activities are trying to hide their real identities for the purpose of using such lines to perpetrate criminal activities in the society.

    “We are using this opportunity to inform consumers and members of the public to alert security agencies where they find anybody engaging in the sale or use of preregistered SIM cards as they pose a serious danger to our individual and collective safety.  Those found culpable also risk severe penalties of fine an imprisonment. We have also sent serious warnings to the service providers to ensure that their dealers and sub-dealers who have a role to play in the sale of and activation of services, are not culpable in the perpetration of this crime.”

    He also said as the country passes through advance in technologies and as more devices are being introduced into the market, some of these devices have been used and dropped in other parts of the world and some may not even meet with international benchmarks for safety. He advised subscribers to visit the website of the Commission to check for the list of type-approved phones so that they would not be defrauded.

    “Substandard devices are capable of degrading the quality of services available in the networks and also pose serious safety issues to users,” Prof Dambatta said.

    He advised subscribers to take advantage of the Do Not Disturb (DND) 2442 code to stay free from unsolicited text messages and also use the toll free number, 622, should their complaints to their service providers fail to be addressed in record time.

  • Crooks prowl on mobile phones, cyberspace

    Crooks prowl on mobile phones, cyberspace

    Crooks are getting more audacious as they hide under the anonymity provided by the cyberspace and pre-registered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards to swindle unsuspecting bank account owners and people who buy goods on social media platforms, LUCAS AJANANAKU reports.

    Her story is pathetic. Bisola’s (not real name) ‘friend’ on one of the social media platforms had opened an account and advertised Brazilian shoes and bags for sale. She fell for one of the bags and a pair of shoes. After online bargaining, the seller and the proposed buyer agreed on price and mode of payment. It was agreed that payment be made into the bank account of the seller while delivery will be made afterwards.

    Bisola, who has been an online friend of the merchant for a long time, had no reason to suspect that she was going to be defrauded. They have shared so many things in common through chatting and had become ‘real friends.’ So she had no reason at all to suspect any foul play. She paid the money into the bank account and waited for the goods to be delivered.

    The next thing the fake merchant did was to block her. “I was shocked that I could no longer get across to her. She blocked me completely after paying the money into her account. I was helpless because the banks too have the policy of protecting their customers. So I have resigned to fate,” she said.

    Bisola is but one of the many victims of the antics of crooks who use the anonymity provided by the cyberspace and pre-registered SIM cards by unpatriotic elements to wreak havoc on unsuspecting members of the public.

    These unscrupulous elements brazenly use mobile phone numbers to send their scam mails. They are emboldened by the fact that they may never be traced through the phone numbers because they have circumvented the SIM registration guidelines of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

    Speaking at a cybercrime forum organised by the America Embassy in Lagos, Mr. Remi Afon of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria, (CSEAN) said cybercrimes have become a global threat, adding that addressing the issue required collaboration.

     

    Cybercrime facts

     

    According to American tech giant, Symantec Corporation, cybercrime has now surpassed illegal drug trafficking as a criminal money-maker. The company which produces software for security, storage, backup and availability – and offers professional services to support its software, said somebody’s identity is stolen every three seconds as a result of cybercrime.

    Another American tech company, Verizon said 89 per cent of breaches had a financial or espionage motive while an American business magazine published bi-weekly, Forbes, has projected that cybercrime costs will hit $2trillion by 2019.

    Cybersecurity Ventures estimated that cybercrime damages is expected to cost the world $6 trillion by 2021.

     

    Figures

    According to Afon, quoting the NCC, he said over 97 million Nigerian internet users while between 2012 and 2014 Nigeria lost N64billion to cybercrimes, according to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

    The Office of the National Security Adviser said N127 million is lost yearly to cybercrime in Nigeria while another tech firm, Ultrascan said $9.3 billion is the cost of cybercrimes that originates from Nigeria globally.

     

    Cybersecurity progress

    According to him, progress has been made in the country as the Cybercrime Act was signed into law on May 15 last year while the National Cybersecurity Policy & National Cybersecurity Strategy was also launched last year.

    On April 20, last year too, Cybercrime Advisory Board was inaugurated, adding that cybercrime prosecutions are picking up while the establishment of Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERRT.ng by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) & ngCert by the ONSA) is a healthy development towards combatting the menace.

     

    Cybercrime threats, trends

    Popular threats and trends include 419, phishing, social engineering, spear phishing CEO, malware, cyberbullying, identity theft and ransomware

    Attack trends

    According the CSEAN chief, 95 per cent of enterprise attacks are through email while 30 per cent recipients open messages.  Overall successful scams cost $3.1bilion yearly.

     

    Successful attacks

    According to Hewlett Packard (HP), phishing accounts for 83 per cent successful attacks while compromised accounts take 63 per cent; web-based attacks account for 54 per cent; client side attacks-43 per cent while the average cost of cybercrime is estimated to cost some $7.7million.

    According to the firm, it takes 146 days before a successful breach is detected while 84 per cent of breaches are against the application (app) layer.

     

    How to be safe online

    For consumers

    He said to be safe online, there is need to use anti-virus software, use strong passwords and change passwords frequently

    For security experts

    He urged security experts to keep the operating system and applications up-to-date; use multi-factor authentication; and use a password manager.

     

     Spotting a scam email

     

    When a mail is sent and it is requesting you to change your password; requesting for money; all caps in header, subject line, address or somewhere else prominent in email; “re” in an email that is not a response to another e-mail; messages from overseas, particularly anything from a country one has never visited; request for personal information and offer of a free gift, be careful because “There are no free gifts on the Internet.”

    He warned users to be careful of anything that says “click here,” particularly to see a video, picture or article or emails from a known person addressing you differently than they have before (for instance Emeka instead of Emma).

     

    Social media, new turf for crooks

     

    The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) warned members of the public to be wary about the information they share with strangers on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and others, adding that cybercrooks have now taken their nefarious games to these platforms.

    Lagos Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmus, a Superintendent of Police, who spoke at the forum, said the volume of cybercrimes committed via phishing, social engineering, spear phishing, malware, cyberbullying, identity theft and ransomware could no longer be matched with crimes committed through the various social media platforms.

    According to her, the male criminals’ modus operandi is opening an account on social media platforms with the image of a very pretty girl in need of a spouse. The unsuspecting man out there falls for the bait and money starts to flow.

    She said the NPF is equal to the task of dealing decisively with the criminals, adding that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, has intensified efforts in this regard as he has committed to training and retraining officers and men of the force to counter the menace of criminals marauding in the cyberspace.

  • U.S. envoy: Cooperation vital to fighting cybercrime

    20 million Nigerians risk digital exclusion to tax

    About 10 per cent of Nigeria’s population (some 20 million people) risks being denied access to the benefits of the gains of information communications technology (ICT) if the National Assembly goes ahead to pass the  Communication Service Tax (CST) Bill pending before it.

    Similarly, the 30 per cent broadband penetration of Federal Government target for 2018 in the National Broadband Plan (NBP) would remain wishful thinking and rubbish all the gains made by the country in its digitilisation strive, telcos, acting under the aegis of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) have warned.

    Its President, Olushola Teniola, who spoke during a presentation to the Senate in Abuja, said ongoing work on the proposed nine per cent CST Bill is a trending subject, adding that group would be happy to support government to make the best of our tax efforts which certainly are key components of strengthening the economy and sustaining the telecoms industry.

    He said: “Contrary to uninformed opinions, we do not object to reforms in taxation neither do we regard taxes as burden.

    “But the projections are that a new tax on ICT services as high as nine per cent that is being proposed would result in excluding 10 per cent of the population, that is talking of about 20 million Nigerians from access. Whereas the survival of our economy is on attracting more citizens into access to internet and therefore ICT services, it does not add up if whatever we do ends up not bringing more people into access.

    “The reality of internet access in Nigeria is that it’s all about mobile. Only about 13 per cent of Nigerians get broadband access via mobile while less than one per cent does from fixed services.

    “One of the main reasons the rate of internet adoption and use is rather slow in Nigeria is the high cost of data subscription.”

    Teniola lamented that a 500megabyte (MB) plan costs typically 5.4 per cent of average monthly income, adding that the current definition of affordability used by the United Nations (UN) Broadband Commission is where the price of a broadband plan is less than five per cent of average monthly income and if this definition is applied to the country, it is certainly on ‘the cusp of affordability’.

    “In Nigeria the average income in 2014 was $2970 (GNI per capita, source: World Bank), 40 per cent of the population actually earned less than half that amount. In practice this means that a 500MB mobile internet plan priced at 5.4 per cent of average monthly income actually costs the majority of Nigerians anywhere between seven and 18 per cent of monthly income.

    “In 2013, we planned to achieve 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018. Current access figure is clearly some way off this target and needs measures to boost growth in usage. A sharp rise in tax as being proposed in the CST Bill will achieve the exact opposite of our desire. We ask for a reconsideration of the CST Bill.

    “We recommend, as an alternative, a tax reform that increases the current VAT by a new one per cent added for the purpose of development of communications. Another alternative is that the tax being proposed in the Bill be limited to 0.2 per cent,” Teniola told the lawmakers.

    He said the group agrees that there is severe pressure at these times and government revenue cannot be different. “We however pray that the template with which the telecom industry is viewed and assessed be slightly modified. The truth is that there is severe over taxation in our industry. It explains the slow penetration of services into unserved areas of the country. The truth again sir is that contrary to popular belief telecommunication operators and service providers are barely sustaining existence in these times,” he added.

    “There are reasons to suggest that the desire to widen the tax net is laudable and that as things stand telecoms is about one of the few areas where the net-capture may be widened, we therefore suggest that an increase in VAT tax which is already included in all services of telecoms by an increase that is not beyond one per cent should be a good reform strategy,” he added.

  • How to promote financial inclusion, by MTN

    How can the financial inclusion strategy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) be achieved using technology?

    MTN says it is through the application of disruptive technology to cash transaction.

    Its Head, Financial Inclusion Services, Mr. Usoro Usoro, said the fast changing and disruptive world driven by technology is shifting customers’ behaviour leading to increased competition. He, however, added that technology is the most significant as it enables and fuels the others at lower cost and greater access.

    Speaking during the unveiling of microCash or mCash in Lagos, Usoro said the time is now ripe in the country to disrupt cash in the process of business transaction.

    He said the coming together of some 18 lenders, four major telcos, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) and the CBN to launch the m-Cash initiative was a welcome development, adding that collaboration was capable of making the achievement of 80 per cent inclusion rate a reality..

    A survey conducted in Nigeria in 2008 by a development finance organisation, the Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access revealed that about 53.0 per cent of adults were excluded from financial services. The global pursuit of financial inclusion as a vehicle for economic development had a positive effect in Nigeria as the exclusion rate reduced from 53.0 per cent in 2008 to 46.3 per cent in 2010.

    The partnership is on the use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) payment solution.

    ‘Mcash’ is a solution designed to facilitate low-value retail payments and growing e-payments by providing accessible electronic channel which is USSD. This would enable merchants and customers conduct transactions instantly as fast as a cash transaction.

    Also speaking on the occasion,  Seun Omotsho of Etisalat said the success of the initiative will rival that of mPessa in East Africa, adding that it will capture the over 17 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into the financial services net.

    Telcos already signed up to the initiative are Airtel, MTN, Etisalat and Glo. Under the platform, transactions below N10,000 would be conducted at no cost.

    Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer NIBSS, Mr. Ade Shonubi said: “With m-Cash, the whole intention is to broaden the opportunity for people who today use cash to find a convenient means of making payments. The Central Bank has been pushing the cashless initiative for a long time and we have seen significant gains but a lot of the people who have benefited so far have the 27 million banking customers.”

  • Mixed grill for Multichoice subscribers

    Mixed grill for Multichoice subscribers

    From today, customers of pan-African pay television provider, MultiChoice, in countries, such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi and others, will start paying reduced monthly subscription fees on DStv and GOtv bouquets. This may be a response to the harsh economic realities sweepingn across the continent. Nigeria, arguably its biggest market, was left out, LUCAS AJANAKU reports.

    MultiChoice  has announced that it will lower monthly DStv subscription fees from today in several African countries where the DStv prices were out of line with the average and will add a temporary Harry Potter pop-up channel from M-Net.

    DStv will also add several TV channels to lower-tiered bouquets in several African countries and make more soccer viewing available on SuperSport channels given to its lower-tiered offerings, to boost the content offering for cheaper DStv packages and to add content value.

    Several countries, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi and others will see a significant reduction in monthly DStv subscription fees from today. But curiously its home country, South Africa as well as Nigeria which are also its two biggest markets, are excluded from this gesture.

    The DStv price reduction comes as tough economic conditions facing consumers and greater competition in the pay-TV market from rivals such as StarTimes, EcoNet, Zuku and others, have seen the pan-African pay-TV operator decide to lower prices to try and stem the tide of MultiChoice Africa customers cancelling subscriptions.

    In Nigeria DStv prices are not lowered but some new local channels such as ROK are being added and several channels previously only accessible to DStv Premium subscribers are being opened to lower packages to add bigger content value to cheaper subscription options.

    There are indications that hundreds of thousands of the subscribers of the pay TV firm might not renew their monthly subscription if they are exempted from the fee reduction because, as they argued, what is sauce for the geese is also sauce for the gander. The firm is alleged to be making an average of about N8 billion from its over 4 million subscribers every month in Nigeria and about N80 billion as turnover per year.

    MultiChoice Africa Chief Executive Officer Tim Jacobs, said the dollar rate is affecting the pay TV subscription rates. “Over the years, our currencies have devalued, sometimes there has been volatility then they strengthen but, generally speaking. Our currencies have devalued as a continent against the US dollar,” he said.

     

    Uganda

     

    In Uganda, it announced about 15 per cent cut in subscription fees, in a move to entice more customers amid weak economic realities.

    “We are facing hard economic times not just as a company but also our customers,” MultiChoice Uganda Public Relations and Communications Manager, Ms Tina Wamala, said.

    “This significant price drop, coupled with the major boost in entertainment value across all DStv bouquets demonstrates our commitment to ensuring DStv customers receive the best possible access to great entertainment and outstanding value,” its General Manager, Charles Hamya,, explained in a statement.

     

    Malawi

     

    Under the reduction regime, DStv Premium in Malawi is down to K55,600 from K61,100, Compact Plus is at K35,700 from K42,000, Compact is at K22,300 from K23,800 while Family is reduced to K12,700 from K16,700.

    To add more value, DStv Premium has been added with eight HD channels including latest and exclusive first run movies, drama, comedy and sport.

    “MultiChoice’s priority is to put customers at the heart of our business and that is why the whole of this year, despite the economic challenges the country is facing, we did not increase our subscription prices.

    “It’s been 20 years that we have been doing business in Malawi and we strive to do business differently and that is why tonight’s press briefing is named ‘Business Unusual’,” its Marketing Manager, Chimwemwe Nyirenda said during a press briefing at Atmosphere Restaurant in Blantyre.

    Its General Manager, Stephen Knight, said the significant price drop, coupled with major boost in entertainment value across all DStv bouquets, demonstrates commitment to ensuring DStv customers receive the best possible access to great entertainment and outstanding value.

    “These changes are not only a defining moment in our MultiChoice story, but also a defining moment in the African Entertainment landscape and we are proud to be pushing hard as we can to delight every television entertainment fan in Africa,” Knight said.

    A source who claimed anonymity  said the company decided to slash fees in the countries after it observed that about 40 per cent of its subscribers had refused to renew their subscriptions due to economic recession that has been biting harder in those countries.

    “The stiff DStv price hikes put subscribers under pressure in those countries and we have lost about 300,000 subscribers in the countries in one year as people could no longer afford the service or no longer saw it as valuable enough. When reviewing our packages and prices in each country, we take into account local dynamics such as inflation, content costs, foreign exchange rates, local taxes and overheads required for each business.

    “To compensate Nigerian viewers, we will introduce more amazing channels to the existing entertaining programmes. We have also embarked on an aggressive marketing and follow up innovation to ensure most of our subscribers do not abandon their bouquets. We call subscribers a few days to the expiration of their subscriptions to remind them about the reasons they should not miss out of the global village,” said the source.

     

    New channels

     

    New TV channels such as Eva+, a sister channel to the telenovela channel Eva, will be added to DStv with several channels that will be upgraded to high definition (HD) quality similar to South Africa.

    While DStv Premium subscribers across the continent  including South Africa can watch the new pop-up M-Net channel M-Net Movies BlockParty on DStv channel 109, MultiChoice in a statement says DStv subscribers can also “look forward to more exciting pop-up channels in the coming months like the M-Net Movies Harry Potter pop-up channel which will run from 4 to 14 November”.

    The Harry Potter pop-up channel will show all of the Harry Potter movies before the debut in theatres of the first movie of the new spin-off film series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that is scheduled for a worldwide release on November 18.

     

    South Africa, Nigeria

     

    MultiChoice in South Africa says South African and Nigerian DStv subscribers won’t see a price reduction and that the price of DStv Premium in South Africa compared favourably with the pricing in other African countries.

    “We review the DStv prices once a year when we do our business planning – our prices for next year will be announced before April 1, 2017.

    “When reviewing our packages and pricing in each country, we take into account local dynamics such as inflation, content costs, foreign exchange rates, local taxes and overheads required for each business.

    “We’ve done a lot of research into what pay-TV costs in other parts of the world, and we believe that DStv offers good value for money in the countries in which it operates.

    “In South Africa, we’ve implemented a number of cost-saving options for our customers – those who pay annually receive one month free, and our Price Lock packages enable customers to freeze their package price for two years,” MultiChoice South Africa said.

     

    Fee increase for Nigeria coming

     

    Instead of a reduction, the General Manager, Sales and Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria, Martin Maputo, has warned that subscription fees may go up if the foreign exchange (forex) problem facing the country is not addressed. He spoke in Lagos while unveiling new content upgrade on all DStv bouquets.

    Maputo said currently, DStv is trying as much as possible to avoid any price increase but instead concentrating on upgrading its contents across all bouquets.

    However, he said if government fails to curtail the forex crisis which has made it more expensive for the company to buy foreign content, especially English premiership among others, it might be forced to consider price increase.

    “Most of the content we buy such as EPL and others from abroad are dominated in pounds, dollars. So, we are not only operating in the market but also responding to the market. At this stage, we are trying as much as we can to avoid any price increase but if there is nothing done to curtail the forex issues, we might be forced to increase (our subscription fees),” he warned.

  • Govt begins process to auction 5.4 GHz spectrum

    The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has said that the processes have begun for the licensing of broadband services on the 5.4 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum band and allocation of 70/80 GHz band (E-Band).

    He said the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has licensed six slots of the 2.6 megahertz (MHz) spectrum for the deployment of 4G-LTE services in its efforts to deepen broadband penetration across the country.

    Though, broadband penetration in Nigeria has reached 20.95 per cent, while the percentage of internet penetration has reached a milestone 47.44 per cent, which makes Nigeria second in ranking on the African continent, he said, there is the need to increase the $38 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of the sector to the gross domestic product (GDP).

    Speaking on: ICT As a Focal Point for Economic Diversification, during the formal opening ceremony of the National Council on Communications Technology, at the Arewa House, Kaduna on Friday, the minister said the ICT sector could be re-engineered to grow its contribution to the economy and facilitate the country’s early exit from economic recession.

    According to him, ICT innovation and entrepreneurship and the broadening of investment opportunities are vital avenues for increasing generated revenue in any economy, Nigeria not an exception.

    While admitting that ICT has become a fulcrum of the nation’s economy, the minister said the “challenge is how to harness and leverage the opportunities thrown up by the new economy powered by ICT to address the issues of revenue, investments and cost savings.

    “Many developed countries around the world, do not rely on the export of any raw materials, but on the development and export of ICT,” Shittu said, adding that Singapore, India and Thailand are examples of developing countries that have leveraged on ICT to make a difference in their economies.

    He said he had facilitated the draft of a Sector Strategic Plan for 2016-2020, to chart a short term framework for the sector while the ministry will ensure that the ICT in Government Initiatives is sustained.

    He said: “Through Galaxy Backbone, Government has provided internet access to about 400 MDAs, over 11,000 nodes of wireless LAN (local area network) to all MDAs at the Federal Secretariat, over 40,000 email addresses for government officials under the gov.ng &mil.ng domains. This has ensured that government data is hosted locally on a secured website with data back-up to MDAs and 200 servers hosting 94 MDAs.”

    In the area of spectrum management, he said the Ministry of Communications has issued and renewed a total of 668 licenses from November 2015 to September 2016, generating about N500 million as government revenue.

     

  • Nigeria’s march to digital economy on course

    Nigeria’s march to digital economy on course

    Information Communications Technology (ICT) tools are increasingly becoming indispensable in driving more digital economy. The Managing Director, Huawei Nigeria, Mr. Frank Li, says the technology firm has been at the forefront of pushing Nigeria’s digital transformation. He speaks on how the firm is collaborating with the Federal Government to improve the health and education sectors, among other issues. Lucas Ajanaku reports.

    How technology chaging business  in Nigeria

     

    In the previous times, the gross domestic product (GDP) was rated based on the traditional industries’ contributions. However, nowadays, the global connecting index report shows that every 20 per cent increase in the Information Communications Technology ICT industry leads to over one per cent increase in the GDP. We do see that the ICT domain is globally driving the digital economy. Before now, raising capital was the focus for businesses, because it is critical in value creation. However, today, capital will become of no effect without knowledge. Knowledge fertilises capital for growth. For example, our lives have changed since the advent of mobile Internet. Yesteryears, we walked outside to flank down taxies, but look at what companies like Uber, jiji are doing. With your smartphone, it got easy to book for a taxi through an app; sell and buy online, thereby saving costs and time. This is the way the digital economy has totally changed our lives. It is a typical example of how the ICT industry changes the whole system in Nigeria. There is the ‘direct project’ that connects the Galaxy Backbone and the data centre for the Federal Government. If we focus on the farmers at the rural areas, we will see they lack access to predictions about the future economy – the kind of period to farm or carry out their functions. With the kind of projects Huawei is collaborating with the government on, these challenges are being solved. Suffice to say that ICTs have become business enablers for government to become e-government. Now, governments can have the e-platform in rural areas for farmers to have access to the Internet. That means, ICT tools create more job opportunities, values and enhance lives. Our innovation and experience centre is also a response to the Nigerian government’s call on driving digital economy. Therefore, we are assisting the government and our partners to create that ecosystem to build a better connected Nigeria. It will not be long for the initiatives to begin to yield even more results and grow the GDP.

     

    Innovations to improve critical sectors of the economy

     

    In education, for example, we saw that many teachers are limited by facilities at their disposal.  There is knowledge out there, which they would want to share from others in developed economies, but it has not been easy for them. This is part of the reasons we established the innovation and experience centre in Lagos. The digital platform offers users connectivity to technologies and innovations across the globe. This platform also enables the users to have first hand practical knowledge about their field and even exchange their own ideas, thoughts, visions and motivations with the outside world. Looking at some rural areas; the classrooms to be specific, it is not easy for our teachers to have access to sufficient resources. Now, with what Huawei is doing through cloud technology, the company can remotely access the contents. In other words, they can remotely access the e-education, tap into the knowledge, and better equip the students with the latest technology. If we took a flash back to when President Muhammadu Buhari visited China, we would recall that there were 20 students who joined our e-education programme and they shared their experiences with the President. They were excited about the platform, and they told the President that at home it was impossible.

    E-health gaining traction

    In the health sector, there are issues with the doctors still attending to health matters in the ‘traditional’ way. It has not been easy for them. Thus, we are initiating an e-health programme so that one can remotely access health solutions. Presently, a patient will first visit the hospital, obtain a card and join a very long queue. This can be transformed digitally; leveraging mobile phones to attend to health documents and other matters. The interesting part of the solution we are bringing is that through video chat, you can remotely book an appointment with the doctor and not be there physically. This will increase efficiency and quality, reducing cost of services too. It will enable the government serve the people more efficiently. Huawei’s major focus is on building a better ecosystem for our clients and mostly, offering quality services to the citizens of Nigeria while working with the government.

     

    Leveraging Huawei’s products, services for development

     

    To me, the government should not relent on working with Huawei and other partners to understand the principles of digital economy. The government should not discontinue in its quest to understand what is digital transformation, digital economy and the benefits. Another thing is having the policy to encourage partner-companies to form an ecosystem, because Huawei cannot do it alone. For example, if there is such policy to encourage more enterprises to embrace the technologies we have, then more private and public organisations will open their doors to more innovations.

     

    Place of talents in driving innovations

     

    Talent is also key in this industry. We believe that government can open more channels to develop the ecosystem. Huawei believes that the innovation centre we launched will go a long way to highlight the technology we have to as many that would want to improve on their skills. We are focused on practical realities. That is why we are collaborating with universities like the University of Lagos. With government’s support, we have more programmes to train ICT-inclined individuals for skills development in the industry. In this transformation time, the sector needs more time and support to rave up the economy.

  • Sharing, liking Facebook post land students in trouble

    Sharing, liking Facebook post land students in trouble

    Sharing and liking a dubious Facebook posts may land you into trouble with your employers, school authority and even your parents.

    Not too long ago, three students of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko were suspended by the institution’s Senate for being tagged in a post: ‘SayNoTo25k reparation fee’. The students, Femi Fasojaye, Abiodun Awe, and Olajide Johnson Oluwaseun  are still awaiting hearing by the committee set up to investigate them, according to AAUA Highlight, the school’s bulletin.

    In South Africa, sharing or liking a post such as the “Two arrested over 80,000 ballot papers” article, could land one in legal action for engaging in the chain of publication.

    If you like or share a Facebook post which contains questionable information, you can face legal action for engaging in the chain of publication.

    An example was the case where the website African News Updates published a fake article titled “Two arrested over 80,000 ballot papers already marked as ANC votes” in South Africa.

    The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) slated the fake report, and highlighted that it is an offence to make intentionally-false statements with the aim of disrupting or influencing an election.

    The IEC opened a case with the South Africa Police Service to investigate the source of the false reports, and for referral for prosecution.

    The article received around 20,000 Facebook likes, which raises the question: Is it a legal risk to share or like fake reports?

    A social media law expert and partner at Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys, Verlie Oosthuizen, said there is a risk if a person engages in “the chain of publication”.

    “When a person likes or shares a comment, they are publishing that comment once again, especially in a Facebook and social media context, as it will appear on that person’s newsfeed,” said Oosthuizen.

    “In normal circumstances it may only result in defamation. However, in the election context, where there is specific legislation regarding comments about elections, votes, and political parties, there may be statutory liability,” she said.

    This means that anyone who shares or likes a dubious Facebook post could face legal action as part of the “chain of publication”.

    Nicholas Hall from Michalsons Law Firm said the article about the stolen ballot papers is definitely an offence in terms of the Local Government: Municipal Electoral Act 27 of 2000.

    “It is an interesting question of whether a person who shares the article on social media would also be liable, and further if people just retweet or reshare or like it,” said Hall.

    Hall said in terms of our law of defamation, sharing, liking, or retweeting constitutes an act of publication – so he would argue that similar logic would apply here.

  • UBA: Digital channels drive deposit growth by 70%

    UBA: Digital channels drive deposit growth by 70%

    UNITED Bank for Africa (UBA) is profiting from its huge investments in technology, as its various digital channels currently aid 70 per cent of incoming transactions.

    Besides, the bank, which said it has over 10 million accounts in its 19 branches across Africa, said outflow transactions is over 80 per cent also driven by the digital channels, which include the Automated Teller Machines (ATM),  Point of Sales (PoS) terminals, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Scheme (NIBSS) Instant Payment, internet and mobile banking, among others.

    Its Head, Consumer and Digital Banking, Yinka Adedeji, said there has been low emphasis on building of bricks and mortals, stressing that the focus has been to bring convenience and innovation to its customers electronically.

    He said the lender has eight million bank accounts in Nigeria, adding that to further bring services easier and more convenient, the bank has introduced another products, called emailMoni.

    According to him, the new service, which is in agreement with MyECheck, would enable the bank to provide a revolutionary new social commerce payment system.

    EmailMoni, he explained, is the world’s newest game changing technology, which will dramatically advance the payments landscape in Nigeria and across Africa.

    “EmailMoni is a next generation payments technology that enables people and businesses to securely send and receive money electronically in real-time and at low cost using a downloadable mobile smartphone app or from a web app.  The EmailMoni web app can be accessed from any mobile device, any browser or any type of internet connected computer.

    “EmailMoni allows people and businesses to pay and receive electronic payments securely in a number of easily accessible and convenient ways. Users can send and request money instantly using Microsoft Outlook email, or any web mail.  Money can also be securely requested and sent using Facebook, SMS text and other methods,” he stated.

    Adedeji said the new service can be accessed on iOS on the Apple App Store and for Android on Google Play, stressing that the EmailMoni mobile app for smartphones will over time, interact with a card-less ATM network using Quick Response (QR) code enabling cash to be deposited and withdrawn from the system at thousands of ATM locations in Nigeria and across Africa.

    “We are proud to open a new frontier for e-payments in Africa with EmailMoni. This conforms with our desire to continuously deliver innovative and convenient payment options to our customers. Our innovations in the digital banking space have been possible because of our huge investments in building efficient, trustworthy platforms. We assure our customers that we are committed to continually bring the best in the financial technology space to ensure they always have the best and most convenient banking experience with all our service channels,” he stressed.

    The UBA chief said the focus of the bank now is technology, stressing that the bank is looking at various ways of providing convenience to the customers.

    He disclosed that the bank now have about 1800 ATM terminals, with a monthly transactions of about N100 billion, while Internet and mobile banking channels transaction is now about N50 billion.