The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • Exploring ICT for better learning

    Exploring ICT for better learning

    Sadly, over the years, mass failure in public examinations seems to have become the norm in Nigeria. Many are blaming the boost in information communication technology (ICT) partly for the problem.  Some experts have developed an application that could turn things around. But with increasing sophistication in IT-assisted crimes, how far can this application go? LUCAS AJANAKU writes.

    he use of internet has eased the way people live in Nigeria. Many applications (apps) have been developed in the areas of agriculture and education, health among others, which have helped solving human problems.

    President, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Bayo Banjo, said access to the internet has become a double-edged sword. To Lagos State Commissioner for Science and Technology Mr. Adebiyi Mabadeje, the hidden dangers unguided access to internet portends to students, moved the state to organise an awareness campaign for  primary and secondary schools pupils.

    Aside using the internet as a platform to acquire genuine knowledge, it has also become a platform for the perfection of organised examination frauds. Through the internet, innocent people have been swindled of their whole life savings. Several marriages have been consummated and broken on the internet while cyber bullies have forced the young at heart to commit suicide.

    The Minister of Communication Technology, Dr (Mrs) Omobola Johnson said the information communication technology industry (ICT) in Nigeria has grown phenomenally over the last one decade. According to her, the industry is now viewed as “a critical sector of the economy, ranked with oil & gas and power,” contributing significantly to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    “The industry currently contributes 9.58 per cent to GDP (Q3 2014) and is further enabling other sectors of the economy. The total mobile internet subscriptions increased to 73.8 million as at September 2014 from 45 million in 2011 while internet penetration increased to about 52 per cent in September 2014 from about 26.5 per cent in September 2011,” she said.

    But determined to ensure that the internet is deployed to knowledge acquisition, two firms, Cinfores Limited and WaveTek Nigeria Limited, have developed e-learning app they argue will address mass failure in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has partnered with the two software technology companies to address the increasing rate of mass failure in national examinations in the country through the innovative JAMB BrainFriend app.

    According to JAMB, in 2011, a total of 1,493,604 candidates wrote the examination out of which 2, 892 candidates scored above 300 marks while 842, 851 candidates below 200 marks. 495,426 candidates scored between 200-249 while 67,732 candidates scored between 250 and 269. The result further showed that 31, 444 candidates scored between 270-299 marks while another 7, 504 candidates had their results withheld because they were under investigation. Another 15,160 about 1.14per cent had their results cancelled because of examination malpractices while 28,069 candidates had invalid and incomplete results.

    In 2012, only three candidates scored 300 and above; 901 scored between 270 and 299; 71,339 scored between 250 and 269; 601,151 scored between 200 and 249; 374, 920 scored between 170 and 199 while 336, 330 scored below 170.

    Two years ago, the board withheld 12,110 results for possible disciplinary action. JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, said after thorough processing of answer scripts of the candidates who sat for the examination, the board discovered some forms of malpractice perpetuated during the conduct of the examination.

    A total of 1,629,102 candidates applied to sit for the Paper Pencil Test (PPT), while 15,008 candidates applied for the Dual Based Test, bringing the number of candidates to 1,644,110.

    He said: “The general performance of candidates in this year’s examination shows remarkable improvement compared with last year’s. Ten candidates scored 300 marks and above, while 127,017 candidates scored between 1-159 marks.

    “About 40,692 candidates’ results were invalid due to either multiple shading or no shading at all.  After processing all the results, the board also discovered that about 47,974 candidates were absent.”

    These are certainly disturbing results no doubts. The Director-General of NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack, lamented the steep decline in the quality of education in the country and the need to use ICT to improve the situation. He stressed the need to apply home-grown technology resources to address the twin issues of mass failure and malpractices in examination.

    He said: ‘There is certainly a sharp decline in the quality of education in our country. The mass failure in JAMB exams and other national examinations in recent years is a function of many things including the dearth of quality local resources to address the scourge. JAMB BrainFriend software will definitely tackle this.”

    Jack said, NITDA, as an IT agency, is committed to transforming every sector of the country. Jack said the agency will leave no stone unturned and partner local and international organisations to develop local solutions that will meet the needs of the sector. He said NITDA will do everything  within its power to support the partnership between the two companies. He added that this is why the agency has keyed into the initiative as part of its effort to deepen and encourage local content development in education and other sectors of the economy as mandated by the ACT setting up the agency.

    Managing Director Cinfores Limited, Mr. Asawo Ibifuro, said the two software firm decided to introduce the software to arm students with all that is needed for them to do well in their examination.

    Asawo, who frowned at the increasing rate of failure of students in JAMB examinations, said the software firm will continue to develop innovative apps that would promote ease in knowledge acquisition. He said: “We are committed to helping the students to pass their various educational examinations. We have assembled over 20,000 questions, answers and explanations that would help them overcome any kind of questions that come their way. This software will also banish any phobia that may arise from the electronic JAMB examination taking off this year.”

    The Managing Director of WaveTek Nigeria Limited Mr. Ken Spann, said the two companies realised the dangers of mass failure and its implication for the future of the country. According to him, the 75 per cent failure rate in the last JAMB examination in the country is unacceptable Spann who worked for 11 years at Microsoft Corporation in the United States (US) and Nigeria respectively promoting Microsoft Education value through Microsoft IT Academies, added that the firm would leverage on its network in the education sector.

    He said: “Through our strong network in education, we are collaborating with Cinfores to be its marketing partner and ensure that BrainFriend is used by the over 1.4 million students registered for the exam taking place in March this year.”

    Cinfores Limited had in the last 10 years pioneered locally developed e-learning and exam preparatory software also known as Cinfores BrainFriend.

    The new version of the software also contains over 20,000 questions, answers and explanation; 19 JAMB subjects/ subject combinations for the major disciplines; prototype/ past JAMB questions; career counseling guide; quick references/ study notes; performance tracking; summary/ questions on the UTME 2015 special literature –The Last Days at Forcados; available on Windows/ Android devices; free online counseling @ www.brainfriendonline.com; approved/ certified by the Federal Ministry of Education, Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC) and NITDA and affordable.

    Sector analysts say access to both PC and devices remain major challenges. For one, the software could only run on Android/Windows devices that are relatively expensive. The software cannot run on features phones that are affordable.

    But Mr. Jack has promised to make the software available to all the NITDA digital centres across the country to enable examination candidate access it. He also promised to reach out to the NCC and the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to make available the software to all its Community Communication Centres in order to extend the reach of the software to all, especially the candidates who cannot afford either a personal computer (PC) or a mobile device to activate the software for personal use.

    The two organisations are however optimistic that with the new wave of public and private sector deployment of locally adapted ICTs for the education sector, most of the challenges faced in the sector will be history. The CEOs urged all well-meaning Nigerians, organisations and institutions operating in the country to support the efforts by acquiring the licenses of the software and make it available to pupils and students across the country.

    Parents and teachers were also urged to download its mobile version on their Android or Windows devices to enable their wards that may not have devices to access the software pending when they could get devices for them. This is to ensure that at least 60 per cent of the candidates preparing for the examination have access to the software to use it to prepare adequately for the forth-coming examination.

    “We are sure this will be the game changer and we will begin to have more successful candidates in our national exams as we fully embrace this solution for forth coming JAMB UTME and related solutions for similar exams,” they said.

  • Dwindling oil prices: MainOne urges ICT deployment

    Dwindling oil prices: MainOne urges ICT deployment

    The Chief Executive Officer, MainOne,  Ms. Funke Opeke, has urged both the private and public sectors of the economy to deploy information communication technology (ICT), improve productivity and lower operating cost.

    She said the ICT sector is also important for the oil and gas industry as its deployment would result in optimum resource utilisation at lower cost.

    “The role of the ICT is particularly  critical in driving down costs and optimising operational efficiency in this period of falling oil prices. Oil and gas companies need to adopt ICT solutions to maintain profitability,” Opeke said during this year’s Oil and Gas Session in Lagos.

    She  added that  the slump in global oil prices has made fiscal belt-tightening measures imperative, stressing that with Federal Government reviewing 6,000 ongoing projects and proposing doubling of Value Added Tax (VAT) from five to 10 per cent, there is need for oil and gas companies to toe this line by leveraging available ICT infrastructure in Nigeria.

    Speaking on the expansion plans of the undersea cable company,  Opeke said Cameroon is one of  the countries the firm is looking forward to taking the sea cable to. She also said the firm will take services to the oil and gas producing Niger Delta region of the country.

    This, she believed, will significantly improve connectivity services in the Southsouth region and enable oil companies in this region access the internet more effectively by effortlessly interconnecting with their home offices.

    Specifically, Opeke noted the importance of enhanced connectivity of digital oil fields to MainOne’s Tier III Data Center, MDX-I cannot be overemphasised as it would lead to significant cost reduction.

    MainOne offers telecommunications services which include data center, co-location, global video center, metro ethernet, managed services, global internet services and global IP transit. The MainOne Tier III Certified Data Center, MDX-i, is TIA (Telecommunication Industry Association) 942 compliant with 600 rack space and ample work area space.

  • We ‘ll focus on data services, others, says Globacom

    We ‘ll focus on data services, others, says Globacom

    Nigeria’s second national operator, Globacom, has promised to focus on data services, network improvement and rewards its customers in the country this year.

    It said the huge investment it made last year on telecoms equipment swap has helped redefine customers’ experience both on data and voice on its network.

    Its Sales Director, Mr. Ken Hull told The Nation that the major network overhaul that took place last year will not be halted, but would continue into the year.

    He said: “Our network had a major overhaul last year. That will continue throughout 2015. We will continue to expand the network. We will be offering more and more packages, not just with voice, but with data. You know data is really the key to the future. That is a global fact. In really mature markets, in Europe and in the West, data at some stage became the key to bringing in more subscribers. So, there will be a great emphasis on data and of course the network will continue to improve and expand.”

    Hull also said there will be more promos designed specifically to reward loyal customers of the brand. “Like I said earlier, there will be more and more of promos. That is for sure. But on a different note, as I also said before, we will continue to expand the network, to improve the network and to try to bring more subscribers in.

    “Glo has scored first with many of its innovative ideas in telecoms .We will continue to try to be as innovative as we can. We are an indigenous company. It is owned by a Nigerian and because of that I think we have a duty to be even better than our competitors and we will be,” he said, adding that since rolling out 12 years ago, it has always set the pace for others to follow.

    He continued: “We have always been very motivated to be at home with our subscribers after all, Globacom was made by our subscribers. Were it not for our subscribers, we won’t be where we are today so this promo is just one in so many promos we have done to reward them.

    “And as I said earlier, in 2015, you will see even more of life enriching promos all in an attempt to get closer to our subscribers, because after all, they are the key to the success of our success.

    “The point I want to stress here is that when Globacom makes a commitment, we stick by that commitment well and truly. And as you see this morning, the happiness that has been created is fantastic. What a start for the new year for all of these very lucky subscribers and we will continue to do more of that this year.

    “Without the customers, without subscribers, we will not be around. It is very clear that without those customers, Globacom would be nowhere. And so it is a token of our appreciation. We want to keep our customers loyal and so we feel that there are many ways of doing that by making the network good and offering them good service.

    “All these we are striving to achieve and we believe we have achieved. But in addition to that, why not give more in the form of promotions, nice prizes, spread it out to as many subscribers as we can; that is the name of the game and that will continue in 2015.”

  • SystemSpecs boosts cashless with Remita

    SystemSpecs boosts cashless with Remita

    A Nigerian firm, SystemSpecs  Limited, has introduced an electronic collection platform, Remita, to ease money collection.

    According to the firm, Remita is a faster, safer and more convenient way of collecting money for both small and large scale enterprises as well as other collecting organisations.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. John Obaro, who spoke during the launch of the new platform, said the development is in line with the move by the Federal Government to close all revenue accounts of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) with commercial banks, incorporating them into a consolidated revenue fund taking effect from March 1 this year.

    Obaro said  the platform has been able to solve many complexities as regard the payment and collection of money. He said the idea behind Remita is making it  easy for people to pay and for collectors to receive money faster. He said it is opening up practically all bank branches making it easier to pay either with a bank card electronically or online or mobile banking.

    He explained that it is easy to set the e-collection portal up, adding that “for those who do not need full integration, you are ready to start receiving money within one hour and within two days for those that need technical integration.”

    Remita, according to Obaro, is the quickest and easiest way to connect to the  market and has the widest reach, in terms of options available to those who want to pay while signing up to Remita is absolutely free. This makes it friendly for both small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises (MSME).

    He said: “We make our money with your payments, your transactions and even at that, we are charging two per cent subject to a maximum of N2000, which is far below the market average,” he said, adding that the charge in the market is up to 3.5 per cent.

    “This feat has, however, been credited to the advanced technology put in place, making it easy to connect with the platform, which in turn takes away the initial connection fee. It requires easy steps to register by visiting remita.net.”

    Also speaking at the briefing in Lagos, its Executive Director, Deremi Atanda outlined the benefits, adding that Remita is bringing to the table a comprehensive package which is aimed at making the collection of payment simple.

  • How to grow SMEs to profitability, by CWG chief

    Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Computer Warehouse Group Plc, Mr. Austin Okere has identified three elements that would assure the success of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) owners in the country.

    Encapsulated in what he termed the “Three Power of Success”, he urged SMEs to ensure that their business visions are driven by the success factors.

    The three power of success include the Way Power, the Will Power and the Wait Power.

    He said: “The three powers are secrets that will keep every entrepreneur going. The Will Power is the competence you possess to run your business. The knowledge of how to run the enterprise you want to venture into.

    “Many people will start a business, create solutions then go about looking for the problems. And when people don’t buy it, they become disappointed. You first ought to be finding out peoples’ problems and pain points then create solutions that ameliorate the pain. This is the best way to ensure patronage.

    “The will power is the resolve to keep going when everyone say give up. Sometimes people close to you will advise you to dump your venture and seek a proper job. But, what should keep you going at such times is your passion. It is the passion of a footballer that makes him complain when he is benched, despite the fact that he will still receive his pay at the end of the day. Your will power makes you go the extra mile, while your passion makes you persist in your venture while waiting for pay day.

    “Most businesses fail because the proprietors abandon them as soon as they face challenges, because it is not yielding as much as they want. After you have put so much effort into your business, you need to patiently wait for the benefits that will accrue from it. This is the essence of the third power; the wait power, which takes you eventually to light at the end of a dark tunnel.”

    On how SMEs can leverage on technology to maximise costs and maximize result, Okere encouraged merchants to explore the opportunities that the CWG 2.0 platform offers. He spoke on Leveraging Technology for SME Growth during the maiden edition of the Annual Fidelity SMEs conference in Lagos.

    He said: “SMERP and Openshopen platforms are designed to meet the peculiar needs of SMEs in Nigeria. Openshopen will give you the visibility your business requires to thrive in this age where businesses are going online, while SMERP will take care of your accounting and generate the records banks such as Fidelity Bank will require from you to access loans. Beyond that, they are reliable and affordable, and are available on a subscription basis.”

    He said the essence of developing the CWG2.0 platform is to democratise the technology that companies such as Jumia and Konga have while used exclusively to great advantage, and make them available to the over 17.7m MSMEs in Nigeria.

    “Seeing the value that this platform shall bring to the SME’s in the country, SMEDAN has signed an MoU with CWG Plc culminating in a partnership that will address the technology needs of the sector,” Austin concluded.

  • Telcos explore new frontiers

    Telcos explore new frontiers

    Monday  marked the 14th anniversary of the liberalisation of the telecoms industry. While subscribers’ figures are approaching the 140 million mark from 450,000 analogue lines before the liberalisation, foreign direct investment (FDI) has gone up from $50million in 2001 to about $35 billion. With the achievement of these milestones, carriers and regulator are exploring data and digital services as new frontiers to redefine customers’ experience earn revenue. LUCAS AJANAKU reports that there is still a long way to go.

    Shortly after the deregulation of the telecoms industry and the award of digital telephone licences to offer service through the global system for mobile communication (GSM) to the two early birds in 2001, the Chief Executive Officer, SO4 Engineering Limited, Soji Oluwasuyi, approached one of the service providers to acquire a telephone line. He was not subjected to the rigours of filling forms and waiting on a long queue. He paid N25,000 for his subscriber identity module (SIM) card and N35,000 for his Nokia 3310, a feature phone.

    Oluwasuyi went home elated. “At least, this is better than trying to apply for a NITEL line for which you will not only wait for months after paying about N200,000 but also have to grease the palms of all manners of characters in the organisation before you will eventually get a line. I will no longer invade the privacy of my neighbour to make or receive calls.” he mused to himself.

    Like a dammed river suddenly losing its fetters, telephone hungry Nigerians took advantage of the new vistas opened by the telcos and started talking. It began with N50 per minute regardless of whether the line cut off within the first two seconds. Then the airtime too had the very provocative validity period. A myth was created around service by the first two players that per second billing could only be done through rocket science. Then came Globacom and the story changed. Today, calls could be made for between N10 and N9 per minute while the caller could pay less depending on the number of seconds used. Some of the operators even give one free minute for every minute spent on their network to their customers.

    Speaking on the phenomenal growth in the industry, Executive Vice Chairman, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr, Eugene Juwah, said: “Over $32 billion investment has been recorded in the sector as at June 2014 from $50 million in year 2001. The investment stood at $18 billion in 2010 and $25 billion in 2012.”

    He said this represents giant strides, adding that the commission will continue to regulate the industry in a way to continuously make it more attractive to global investment community.

    Over the past 14 years, the telcos have been able to deploy some 68,124-kilometre optic fibre cable (OFC).Last year, an additional 38, 000 kilometre OFC were laid. Experts say this represents an increase of about 44.2 per cent investment in OFC by the telcos last year alone.

    Services cannot be rendered without base transmission stations (BTS). The telcos have invested massively in building BTS across the country. According to the NCC, the telcos have built over 27, 000 BTS. But more still needs to be done in this area as there is still a deficit of some 53,000 BTS to assure seamless service delivery.

    In line with the focus of the telcos on the provision of data and digital services, the BTS are gradually being upgraded from 2G to 2.75G and 3G. Some of the operators even say they have done trial of 4G or long term evolution (LTE).  Currently, there is about 11 terabyte of bandwidth capacity brought into the country firms such as MainOne, Glo1, West African Cable Systems (WACS), among others that have landing points in the country. .

    The Ministry of Communication Technology said in the last two years, 2G-enabled sites have increased from 22, 578 to 28,289 while 3G-enabled sites have increased from less than 10,000 to 15,048 during the same period. It added that a backbone infrastructure project, started by the NCC, through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), has also continued to bridge the gap between the underserved and unserved areas in the country, especially areas not considered commercially viable by the telcos.

    Funded through the Universal Access Provision Fund of the NCC, subsidy is provided for the project which is designed to facilitate the bridging of the digital divide. It is expected to cover all the 774 local government areas of Nigeria. Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson said about 1, 200 kilometres of OFC has also been run so far, adding that over BTS, had been deployed through the fund. She said the sector now contributes about 10 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Tariff has relatively been friendly. The NCC adopted a progressive reduction in interconnect rates whereby new entrants and small operators had termination rates for voice services pegged at N4.90 in April 2013, N4.40 in April 2014 and by April this year it will drop to N3.90 for all networks.

    Mobile Number Portability (MNP) was introduced into the market to deepen competition. Though not many subscribers have yet taken advantage of the service, Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Tony Ojobo said the fact that it was introduced into the market will make the operators to sit up and improve service quality since they know they might lose their customers without losing their numbers. “So, for us, it is not about total number of subscribers that have used the service but the freedom it has brought to the subscribers and the fact that it has deepened competition and consequently service quality,” he said.

    With the revolution also came the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) which was established by the NCC to produce the requisite manpower needs of the industry. DBI began in Abuja but now has campuses in Lagos, Enugu, Asaba, Yola, Oturkpo and Kano to represent the six geo-political zones of the country.

    Juwah said the sector has also served as an enabler to other sectors of the economy as it is the only sector that runs 24 hours daily for the whole year. This may not be far from the truth as the sector has nipped in the bud, the billions of naira usually siphoned through fertiliser distribution by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Through the Growth Enhancement Scheme, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, was able to block the conduit pipe known as fertiliser and other inputs to the farmer directly through their cell phones using an e-wallet.

    Chief Operating Officer, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), Mr. James Agada, agrees no less. According to him, the sector has created jobs and fostered the emergence of e-commerce platforms such as Kong, Jumia and a host of others that have contributed enormously to the GDP.

    He said: “Apart from multiple job creation and the multiplier effect on other sectors of the economy, telecoms sector is driving the growth of e-commerce with the likes of Jumia.com, Konga.com, Dealday.com, Kaymu.com, wakanow.com as major players.”

    Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary, E-Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN), Mrs Regha Onajite said the increasing volumes of e-banking transactions, being driven by the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), “are all resting on the shoulder of the telecoms industry.”

    Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr Gbenga Adebayo said the telecoms sector has performed well as an enabler of most of the ICT-driven activities that have brought about efficiency in the country.

    He said: “Today, we bank with ease, we do online cash transfers, we use Automated Teller Machines (ATM), mobile money operators, e-wallet in agriculture, telemedicine, among others, but we forget that all of these activities, in addition to their traditional duty of providing voice and internet service, run on the networks of telecoms companies. Yet, cashless transactions are on the rise every day.

    “So, rather than criticise the sector for its little shortcomings, we should commend the players for helping the country to manage all these loads. I can imagine what will happen if telecoms companies decide not to carry any traffic (voice and data) in a day the way we witness it in the oil sector, where companies suddenly stop petrol distribution, thereby creating scarcity.

    “There have been sanctions on erring operators especially on the issue of QoS and related issues in the last four years. But the commission wants to go beyond sanctions by ensuring that it helps in addressing the obstacles to smooth operations by the telcos collaboratively,” Juwah said in an interview.

    The NCC said it has put in place adequate compliance, monitoring and enforcement activities which it said have worked very well.

    As the telcos shift attention to the provision of data and digital services to their customers, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) said the industry is still bedevilled with myriad of challenges which needed to be addressed with vigour.

    Its President, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, identified the drawbacks to include vandalism of telecoms infrastructure, bottlenecks in securing approval to build infrastructure, multiple taxation/regulation, and others.

    He said: “A number of challenges are affecting the spread of infrastructure and they include multiple taxation by different levels of government; environmental hostilities such as bringing down BTS, especially in parts of the North by terror groups and some government agencies; grant of permits challenge as well as vandalism and theft of telecoms equipment from sites.”

    Ajayi said more still needed to be done by the regulator and players in order to continue the auspicious march towards fully transforming Nigeria into a truly knowledge economy and a major player on the global ICT development map.

    The policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will have a far reaching effect on how far the telcos can go in their quest to chart a new revenue course from data and digital services provision. Two major ‘hostile’ policies have already been put in place by CBN. One is the devaluation of the naira which will increase the cost of importing telecoms equipment. The other is contained in a circular the apex bank issued to all authorised dealers late last month which directed that importation of ICT equipment shall be through the interbank market only. Endorsed by its Director, Trade & Exchange Department, O.I. Gbadamosi he decreed: “The importation of electronics, finished products, information technology, generators, telecommunication equipment and invisible transactions importations shall henceforth be limited to the interbank market only.”

    Justifying the directive, Gbadamosi told stakeholders that the policy was to maintain the existing stability in the foreign market and strengthen the various policy measures already initiated by the CBN.

    Analysts have wondered the stability the CBN is referring to when the naira has kept falling against the dollar. “Which stability in the foreign exchange market is the CBN trying to maintain? These policies will do more harm than good to the economy. The impact of these policies will begin to manifest in the coming months, especially in an election year,” a sector analyst said.

  • MainOne unveils N7b data centre

    MainOne unveils N7b data centre

    Provider of innovative telecom services and network solutions for businesses in West Africa, MainOne, has unveiled its  Tier III Lekki Data Centre to address the growing demand for colocation, cloud and disaster recovery services in the sub-region. It cost the firm N7 billion.

    In a statement, the firm said the facility designed to international TIA 942 standards, will be managed under a new subsidiary branded as MDX-i.

    Speaking during the inauguration of  the infrastructure, Chairman of MainOne, Fola Adeola reiterated the company’s commitment to nurture the growth and impact of the Internet ecosystem through the provision of high-quality infrastructure to power businesses and governments across West Africa.

    Its Chief Executive Officer, Ms Funke Opeke said: “We are delighted to launch West Africa’s largest and best-connected data centre.  “This reaffirms our capabilities in meeting the needs of business for reliable connectivity and data centre services in a dynamic and fast paced global economy.”

    The Minister of Communications Technology, Dr. (Mrs.) Omobola Johnson, who performed the commissioning of the facility, said the launch of MDX-I data centre facility is a notable accomplishment that complements initiatives required to further drive the realisation of the National  Broadband Plan of the Federal Government.

    She said:  “Availability of world class Data centres in Nigeria is critical infrastructure required for the implementation of our Broadband initiatives. The accomplishment by MainOne is indeed significant as it provides an outsourcing and cost effective model to further drive ICT adoption.”

    MDX-i’s Tier III Lekki Data Center is the first of many planned data centers by the company in Nigeria.  It is a N7 Billion investment and has capacity for 600 racks.  The data center provides corporate customers with world class co-location, cloud and managed services and the first set of customers will enjoy services starting from next week.

     

  • Improper management of e-waste harmful, say MTN, Ericsson

    Improper management of e-waste harmful, say MTN, Ericsson

    MTN and Ericsson have said electronic waste or e-waste not recycled properly is an under acknowledged environmental hazard around the world, lamenting that Africa, particularly West Africa, is one of the more highly affected continents.This is because large quantities of end-of-life materials from around the world end up at dumps in the sub-region.

    The two firms said they have partnered to jointly step up awareness campaign about the health hazards improperly managed e-waste potentially has on man and the environment.

    Ericsson said it has partnered the telco under the Ecology Management Programme, to launch the first electrical and electronic equipment waste (e-waste) collection and awareness drive in Benin. This campaign is geared towards creating awareness and minimising the potential environmental impact associated with the disposal of decommissioned electrical and electronic equipment in the country.

    This project provides a sound platform for raising awareness and discussing these issues and proffering solutions to how best they could addressed.

    MTN Benin CEO, Malik Melamu, said global e-waste level is expected to increase 33 per cent by 2017.

    He said:  “Research shows that the world’s e-waste level reached 48.9 million tons during 2012 and is expected to increase 33 per cent by 2017. With our company’s commitment to being socially responsible, this challenge has caught our attention. We are leveraging on Ericsson’s wealth of experience in electronic waste management to not only evacuate the waste but also educate the general public and all key stakeholders about the importance of proper disposal of the growing electronic waste in the country and the world.”

    According to the firms, a collection depot with a 20-foot container has been opened at Stade de l’Amitié de Kouhounou, Cotonou, Benin Republic. It will be operational for one month with the invitation to the general public to use the opportunity to properly dispose off  all forms of electronic waste.

    MTN will dispose off all e-waste including old equipment purchased from Ericsson and at the close of the campaign, collected e-waste will be transported to an Ericsson-approved recycling partner in Durban, South Africa.

  • Etisalat sends three to Dubai for engineering studies

    Etisalat sends three to Dubai for engineering studies

    Etisalat Nigeria said it is sponsoring the top three students from the first year of the Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Programme (ETEP) at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria for intensive training at the Etisalat Academy, Dubai.

    Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility at Etisalat, Oyetola Oduyemi, said further training at the Etisalat Academy would reinforce the students’ practical knowledge of telecoms engineering and also provide them with a competitive edge.

    He said: “At Etisalat, we believe that the right education has the potential to impact every aspect of life, so education remains central to our CSR interventions; this is why we are sending the three best students from the Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Programme class of 2014, to the Etisalat Academy in Dubai, to expand their horizons and give them further exposure to the cutting-edge technology driving the telecommunications industry.

    “As the programme continues, we plan to train between 15 and 20 students yearly to give Nigerians an opportunity to learn from the best in the field.  We will also develop local expertise to sustain the programme by sponsoring lecturers from ABU to study for a PhD in Telecommunications Engineering at the Plymouth University, United Kingdom (UK).”

    The Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Programme, organised in conjunction with the University of Plymouth, UK and Huawei Technologies Limited, is the first programme offering an MSc in Telecommunications Engineering in West Africa.

  • ‘Our phones are certified by NCC, others’

    ‘Our phones are certified by NCC, others’

    French phone brand, Wiko Mobile, said its range of 11 mobile phones launched in the Nigerian market are certified not only by the Nigerian Communications Communication Commission (NCC) but also by international regulators.

    The firm said it obtained “Type Approval” for the various ranges of phones to operate as terminal equipment in the Nigerian telecoms network.

    Wiko said NCC’s Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Engr. Haru Alhassan, signed the approvals on behalf of the NCC executive vice chairman since September last year ahead of the formal introduction of the phones into the Nigerian market.

    Wiko products approved by NCC include Highway, Highways-Signs, Bloom, Rainbow, Lenny, Goa and Sunset. Others are Riff, Luib3, Kar3 and Fizz.

    Its Channel Marketing Manager, Mr Adebayo Abodunde Adams, said in a statement that Wiko is proud of its quality standards as attested to by Nigerian and global bodies, contrary to a mistaken report in a national daily alleging non-accreditation of Wiko phones by NCC.

    He said: “Quality and style have been the basis for the wide and rapid acceptance of Wiko phone range in both the Nigerian and other markets across Europe, Middle East and Africa. We at Wiko are conscious of our heritage and comply with regulatory standards as well as corporate governance codes in our operations.”

    All Wiko phones have the CE marking.