The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • eProcurement portal makes debut

    An indigenous information technology firm, Bids Online for You Limited (BOLFYNG) has launched a new electronic procurement solutions aimed at bridging the vast gap between purchasers and suppliers enabling the process of tendering, pre-qualification and contract bidding to be done electronically.

    BOLFYNG operates as an e-procurement solution company, which provides web based portal enabling purchasing organisations manage and streamline procurement processes from bid creation, publishing, prequalification, submission and evaluation, document distribution and management to instant tender notification to interested bidders.

    Speaking during the unveiling of the e-procurement solution, its Business Development Director, Mr. Yinka Sorinwa said the online portal connects suppliers providing various goods and services to purchasing organisations from the local, state and federal government, education, consulting, engineering, financial institutions, construction, healthcare sectors, public and private companies and many more across Nigeria and beyond.

    Sorinwa said the main objective of BOLFYNG is to provide a platform where  up-to-date information is made available to end users with the aim of becoming the most used and frequently visited web portal for bid publishing, e-prequalification and e-bidding.

    “The traditional manual process of procurement is now obsolete, making the bid tendering and application process very slow, frustrating and time consuming with very tedious process for payment and bid document pick up. Many advanced countries have replaced this with e-procurement and this solution is what BOLFYNG offers.

  • Nigeria needs $3.7b to cover underserved areas

    Nigeria needs $3.7b to cover underserved areas

    About $3.7billion is needed to bridge the digital divide existing in the country inspite of the progress recorded in the telecoms sector. Communication Technology Minister, Dr (Mrs) Omobola Johnson, who disclosed this, said the money would be needed to reach the various underserved people in different parts of the country.

    Already, the government, through a study, has identified about 207 communities, which are yet to benefit from the telecoms revolution. These communities have been grouped into subsidy clusters across the six geo-political zones for  the government to  through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) design projects and strategy to bridge the gaps and ensure that everyone, irrespective of locality, is connected.

    According to her, each cluster has the requisite attributes of sizeable population, major towns, main economic activities, institutions and others, adding that these gaps are expected to be filled by 2018 and would allow about 40 million Nigerians to gain access to voice services.

    On the challenges to government’s efforts at creating digital citizens through pervasive spread of broadband, Dr Johnson, who spoke during the presentation of the report of a study carried out by the USPF in Lagos, identified the challenge of right of way (RoW), multiple taxation/regulation, encouraging the demand side by ensuring that people adopt technology, cost of access to infrastructure, and the challenge of local content among others.

    In her opening remarks during a sideline gathering facilitated by Ericson and a4ai at which a report was presented by Alliance for Affordable Internet (a4ai) during the Mobile World Congress, she said the $3.7billion funding will be required to provide the requisite infrastructure that will take services to the un-served and underserved areas of the country.

    Dr Johnson said the Federal Government’s decision to create Communication Technology Ministry underscored the importance the administration placed on the ICT sector as a veritable driver of the economy.

    Executive Director, a4ai, Sonia Jorge, said the success recorded in the country’s telecoms sector was driven by strong leadership and regulation of the industry, robust broadband strategy, effective competition, efficient spectrum allocation, 4niversal access to rural and underserved population, and infrastructure sharing, among others.

  • Etisalat urges public private partnerships in broadband devt

    Etisalat urges public private partnerships in broadband devt

    The Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Group, Ahmad Julfar,  has urged the adoption of public private partnership (PPP) approach to broadband development, arguing that access to broadband is a basic right for everyone who could be served smartly, where needed.

    He lamented that artificial policies of long pay-back on infrastructure investments and diminishing returns impact ability of carriers to invest and innovate

    Addressing global leading figures in telecoms at this year’s Mobile World Summit (MWS) by Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Mr. Julfar said public internet needs to evolve further, stressing that it requires investment in capacity, new solutions, technologies and innovative business models.

    He argued that the carriers will not be able to drive this alone, as they face the risk of a big disruption due to the shifts across the value chain, necessitating the PPP approach.

    He said: “Etisalat believes that access to broadband is a basic right for everyone and it can be served smartly, where needed. But providing universal access to broadband poses a challenge for telcos because network investments not only have long pay-back periods and capex  (capital expenditure) on infrastructure today yields diminishing returns.”

    Mr. Julfar said “new investment models based on semi-public funding from governments or infrastructure-sharing models defined by regulators, are urgently needed and should be encouraged”.

    Speaking on Connecting Billions Across the Developing World, Mr. Julfar said: “The benefits of increasing connectivity are clear to see in economic, social and environmental fields, but there is a clear digital gap. Some 60 per cent of the world’s population remains unconnected, the majority of which is in rural areas of the developing world.”

    By 2020, approximately 3.8 billion men and women, or half of the world’s population will be connected to the internet through mobile and a vast majority of the new users will be in developing countries.

    “Telecoms revolutionises everything we do; it is the industry that changes all other industries; governments know it.  That is why, over the past 10 years, more than 150 governments have developed or are developing national broadband networks.  The primary goal is to make the country benefit from the economic impact of broadband. And we share a common interest to keep investing in the future internet,” he said.

    He proposed a number of changes in the telecoms ecosystem comprising governments, regulators, internet companies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). He urged all to embrace new competitive models to allow telcos focus on market value creation through collaboration between private and public sectors to distribute more choice, affordability and welfare to citizens.

    “Some of the most innovative models today come from emerging countries. Etisalat Group takes a different approach in various developing countries that it operates in, and not one size fits all. Our ability to be flexible to meet individual market need drives our growth across the region. This flexible approach has enabled Etisalat Group to extend service provision for millions of people,” he said.

  • MTN launches proposition for Christian subscribers

    MTN launches proposition for Christian subscribers

    As part of its effort to ensure that its Christian subscribers get connected to their faith on daily basis, especially during the Lenten period,  MTN has rolled out various life-enriching and spirit-filled Christian Value Added Services (VAS) offerings.

    These offerings according to MTN will enable Christian faithful have easy access to daily devotionals, Bible quotes, children prayers, sermons, songs, prayers, prayer points, hymns, callertunez and other spiritually uplifting content, that will keep them connected to their faith on a daily basis.

    Its Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Olubayo Adekanmbi, explained in a statement that the strategic crux of the initiative is aimed at uplifting and encouraging subscribers to get closer to God through the company’s bold new digital Christian VAS.

    He said: “We are committed to the total well-being of our customers as we strive to make their lives better through our propositions, products and value-added services.

    “The MTN Christian Service provides subscribers with life-changing prayers and prayer points from anointed men of God; prayers for children, inspirational messages from spiritual leaders, daily bible verses, praise and worship songs, hymns, Christian Callertunez and other spiritual-enriching contents to keep us in-tune with God every day. Subscribers can access these offerings by dialing 797 on their mobile phones and follow the voice prompt.”

    On its importance, Adekanmbi said: “This is a way of showing our commitment to our esteemed customers of Christian faith, by connecting them at this period of spiritual reflection and appreciation for the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross of Calvary (laying down his life for mankind).

    He went further to state that the company will continue to go the extra mile in providing exciting innovative initiatives geared at enhancing its customers’ whole new digital experience, while encouraging them to be better in their various fields of human endeavour.

    MTN Nigeria, last year sponsored 20 of its Christian subscribers across the country to Jerusalem on pilgrimage. This is as a result of their subscription to various MTN Christian services.

  • Unilag, Douala varsity best computer students honoured

    Unilag, Douala varsity best computer students honoured

    Computer Warehouse Group has rewarded best graduating students of the Computer Science Department of the University of Lagos and the University of Douala, Cameroon, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. At two different ceremonies, its representatives presented gifts to the students in furtherance of its bid to extol the essence of attaining academic excellence.

    At the presentation ceremony in Lagos, UNILAG’s Vice Chancellor,  Prof Rahman Bello observed that if the focus of CWG’s CSR initiative is sustained, it is capable of aiding universities in Nigeria to attain desired greatness.

    He said: “This award presentation has been an annual event. Since inception, CWG has lived up to their promise of rewarding the best graduating student in Computer Science Department every year, for five years now. On behalf of the management of the university, I thank your organisation for your commitment to this partnership. Your commitment to promoting academic excellence will help us in going forward.

    “I tell you that your contributions have been helpful. At the moment, University of Lagos is the 20th best school in Africa and the first in Nigeria, according to the 4icu rankings. Going by our consistent progressive performance, we look forward to being the first in Africa anytime soon. This is our target. And, we believe that the input of corporate partners like CWG will see us through to the point we aim to get to,” he said.

    CWG’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Phillip Obioha, said the annual award presentation underscores CWG’s emphasis on hard-work and qualitative education.  He said: “Our business scope covers a range of sectors; from banking to telecoms and recently SMEs. Our business is all about the quality of our workforce. We boast of an array of professionals whose expertise has formed the bedrock of service providers in the telecoms sector, for example. Our premium on quality workforce explains our emphasis on quality education.”

  • Nigeria needs $3.7b to cover underserved areas

    Nigeria needs $3.7b to cover underserved areas

    About $3.7billion is needed to bridge the digital divide existing in the country inspite of the progress recorded in the telecoms sector. Communication Technology Minister, Dr (Mrs) Omobola Johnson, who disclosed this, said the money would be needed to reach the various underserved people in different parts of the country.

    Already, the government, through a study, has identified about 207 communities, which are yet to benefit from the telecoms revolution. These communities have been grouped into subsidy clusters across the six geo-political zones for  the government to  through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) design projects and strategy to bridge the gaps and ensure that everyone, irrespective of locality, is connected.

    According to her, each cluster has the requisite attributes of sizeable population, major towns, main economic activities, institutions and others, adding that these gaps are expected to be filled by 2018 and would allow about 40 million Nigerians to gain access to voice services.

    On the challenges to government’s efforts at creating digital citizens through pervasive spread of broadband, Dr Johnson, who spoke during the presentation of the report of a study carried out by the USPF in Lagos, identified the challenge of right of way (RoW), multiple taxation/regulation, encouraging the demand side by ensuring that people adopt technology, cost of access to infrastructure, and the challenge of local content among others.

    In her opening remarks during a sideline gathering facilitated by Ericson and a4ai at which a report was presented by Alliance for Affordable Internet (a4ai) during the Mobile World Congress, she said the $3.7billion funding will be required to provide the requisite infrastructure that will take services to the un-served and underserved areas of the country.

    Dr Johnson said the Federal Government’s decision to create Communication Technology Ministry underscored the importance the administration placed on the ICT sector as a veritable driver of the economy.

    Executive Director, a4ai, Sonia Jorge, said the success recorded in the country’s telecoms sector was driven by strong leadership and regulation of the industry, robust broadband strategy, effective competition, efficient spectrum allocation, 4niversal access to rural and underserved population, and infrastructure sharing, among others.

  • NCC: Technical skills needed to sustain growth

    NCC: Technical skills needed to sustain growth

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said there is need to intensify efforts at building the specialised skills set needed in the telecoms sector if the gains of the telecoms revolution are to be sustained.

    Its Head Policy and Research, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, said the telecom revolution in the country which has resulted in the unparalleled growth from 400,000   lines to 139 million connected lines needed to continue to grow.

    He said for this to happen, there was need to grow the specialised skill sets to sustain and drive more growth and development in the sector.

    He spoke during the donation of 87 information communication technology (ICT) books to Bayero University, Kano (BUK).

    He explained that the aim of the project, which is part of NCC’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to spread digital dividends to tertiary institutions across the country, is to develop local capacity that will contribute to the ICT sector and boost the national economy.

    NCC Board Commissioner, Alhaji Mohammed Bintube, who led the Commission’s delegation to BUK to donate the books, said the ICT book donation is part of the project of the Commission to fill the dearth of educational materials within the ICT sector in the country.

    BUK Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed expressed gratitude to the NCC for the donation and encouraged it to further partner with the university in its efforts to expand ICT training programmes within the institution.

    He said the NCC is one of the institutions that show legitimacy and honor in the ICT sector, adding that the book donation by the Commission to the school is worth millions of naira and is one of the best the university has received so far.

    The books will adorn the university’s ICT Centre named T.Y Danjuma ICT Centre which consists of a post-graduate school, Departments of Information Technology (IT), Software Engineering and Computer Science. The gesture from the NCC is spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

    In a statement, NCC Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo quoted Bintube as saying:   “Commission is honored and privileged to be present at one of the citadels of learning in Nigeria. We appreciate the efforts made in ICT within the university.”

  • MainOne urges outsourcing of data management

    MainOne urges outsourcing of data management

    MainOne’s new subsidiary, MDX-I, has urged major firms in the country to leverage on outsourced Data Centre services to drive down costs and optimise operational efficiency.

    Convinced about the cost-efficiency of outsourced data, MDX-I and its parent company, MainOne a breakfast seminar in Lagos targeted at senior level IT managers to discuss strategies for companies that require improved data centre capacity. This session revealed valuable global insights from leading IT research company, the International Data Corporation (IDC), and global Cloud specialist, EMC2 Corporation, in addition to specialists from MainOne.

    MainOne’s Head of Marketing, Jumoke Akande, said the recent macro-economic issues in the country and fluctuating global oil prices necessitated the need for companies to use the session to explore how they can utilise Cloud and other Data Centre hosted-business applications to enhanced productivity at reasonable costs.

    With leading data experts from IDC and EMC2 Corporation as speakers, the session shed light on global trends in Data Centers, planning issues to consider, and the case for businesses to co-locate in commercial data centers which offer extraordinary levels of performance, as against building in-house data center facilities from ground up.

    Ms. Akande stressed that high level of attendance at the seminar with “Making the business case for data centre Migration” as its theme revealed the enlightened perspectives that IT managers in Nigeria are adopting to withstand economic pressures and reduce costs.

  • Ericsson, Tigo, others partner on community empowerment

    Ericsson, Tigo, others partner on community empowerment

    Ericsson, Tigo and Coca-Cola have partnered to float a programme they said would empower rural communities.

    The pilot project will bring mobile connectivity to EKOCENTER, a social enterprise initiative designed to empower community well-being by bringing safe water, solar power and mobile communications, as well as basic goods and services to underserved communities.  The pilot project will be conducted in collaboration with Tigo Rwanda and German start-up company, Solarkiosk.

    Chief Sustainability Officer, Coca-Cola Company, Beatriz Perez, said: “EKOCENTER is an innovative social enterprise that endeavors to help communities thrive by providing further access to resources.  Engaging new partners to join this journey adds skills and expertise beyond our core enhancing the value for the people in these communities. Connectivity has become a fundamental part of thriving communities and economies. We’re excited about the solutions Ericsson can deliver to EKOCENTER, solutions we believe will foster positive change.”

    Vice President Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility at Ericsson, Elaine Weidman-Grunewald, also said about the initiative:  “Mobile broadband can address a wide range of issues that hinder development – from poverty to lack of electricity and safe water, to financial exclusion and gender inequality”.

  • Glo gives N28b free airtime in overload promo

    Glo gives N28b free airtime in overload promo

    Second national carrier, Globacom, has said subscribers to its network have within the last two months received about N28billion worth of airtime from the Glo Overload Reloaded promo which is running.

    A re-launch of the promo earlier this year provided expansion to 400 per cent bonus airtime for a recharge of N200 and above, that is twice the initial 200 per cent bonus. The promo was one of those launched in the last quarter of 2014 which was designed to reward loyal and faithful subscribers.

    With more than 7,000 subscribers joining the promo and enjoying the benefits accruable since the re-launch, the company has given out  N27,523,577,800 bonus airtime to its subscribers.

    In the promo, a recharge of N200 gives a value of N1000 instantly, which is five times the value of recharge. N500 recharge gives the subscriber N2, 500 airtime value; N1000 gives N5000; N2000 gives N10,000; while N5000 gives N25,000 value.

    The bonus airtime can be used by subscribers to make calls to Glo lines and send SMS between 10pm and 8am. The validity period ranges from two to 15 days.

    Data subscribers on the network have also been enjoying the bonus. For example, a N2,500 data plan instantly gets 4.5GB worth of data, N5,000 gives 12GB, and N8000 gives 24GB of data.

    Also, customers who subscribe to the promo have the opportunity to be among the 120 millionaires that the promo will produce. Having produced 40 millionaires so far, 80 more will be announced in the next few weeks.

    Francis Oshin, a Glo subscriber, said the promo was a blessing to the industry.