Category: e-Business

To tackle poverty, the Lagos State Government is expanding its social safety nets. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

The Lagos State government is committed to the well-being of the residents. This involves providing them with sustainable income opportunities.

During an interactive session with beneficiaries of National Social Investment Programme (NSIP),  Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu reiterated the commitment of  the government to create opportunities for them to enable them to contribute to national development.

 It would be recalled that to cushion the hardships occasioned by the fuel scarcity and cash crunch, the state government kicked off food banks in strategic places last Saturday  to ensure  the  most vulnerable do not go hungry.

 ”I have also directed that food banks be set up in various parts of the state to cater for the vulnerable. We have identified stakeholders and organisations that will help distribute food stuff to the vulnerable people in various communities hit by the current situation. By this, we are not out to solve the entire economic crisis created by the currency swap programme, but we understand this is a difficult moment for vulnerable individuals. The relief will help until normalcy is restored.”

 Commissioner, Ministry Of Wealth Creation And Employment, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke spoke about the achievement of the National Home-Grown School Feeding (NHGSF) Programme. Her words: “The National Home-Grown School Feeding programme has been successful in improving attendance and concentration levels in schools and also reducing hunger and malnutrition among children in Lagos State. A total number of 124, 314 pupils are fed in the state, 1,313 vendors are engaged and 880 public schools out of the total 1,019 are in the scheme.”

She explained that N848 million was released to state government by the Federal Government last year  as 2021 disbursement.

She added that the  initiative was aimed at providing one nutritious meal daily to school children in primary one to three to improve their health and education in the state public primary schools. 

She noted: “Additionally, the programme supports local farmers by procuring food from their communities and provides a ready- made market for farm produce such as eggs, beef, chicken and fish. Furthermore, it empowers women as vendors and cooks for providing children with fresh and healthy food, as a result stimulating local economic growth. As we all know, nutritious meal is essential for a child’s physical and mental development as a meal-a-day can make a difference in the mental up-bringing of the children.”

One other intiative, she addressed, was the  Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme designed to support those within the lowest poverty bracket by the increase in utilisation of health and nutrition services

She  continued: “The support is conditioned on fulfilling soft and hard co-responsibilities that enable recipients to improve their standard of living. These beneficiary households represented by their care- givers are paid bi-monthly sum of N10, 000.The impact of this programme cannot be over- emphasised in our state as there are over 11,000 households in the CCT programme drawn from just 12 LGs/LCDAs. It is worthy of note that beneficiaries of CCT programme have been paid N1, 017,430,000 so far. The multiplier effect of these amounts on the economy is massive and we hope to continue by domesticating the programme in our dearest Lagos State.”

Under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), aimed at providing financial inclusion and access to microcredit for Nigerians at the bottom of the economic pyramid, Mrs. Arobieke indicated  that many entrepreneurs have been provided access to funds to establish a business of their own. 

The flagship programmes under the scheme are: Trader-Moni, Market-Moni and Farmer-Moni.  She explained: “ The various categories of funds disbursed are:Trader- Moni – N50,000 per beneficiary, Market Moni – N50,000 per beneficiary, Farmer-Moni – N300,000 per beneficiary.

 In the last four years, GEEP has provided  loans of between N10, 000 and N300, 000 to about 2.3 million beneficiaries when it was implemented by the Bank of Industry (BoI) to traders, artisans, enterprising youths, agricultural workers and other micro-service providers. 

 The GEEP 2.0 Programme is under the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment with an expanded aim to give accessible credit to the poor and vulnerable, including persons living with a disability.

With the launch of the fifth generation (5G) network in Nigeria first by MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communication Limited, LUCAS AJANAKU explores the opportunities the technology has to offer and as Airtel Nigeria laces up its spike shoes to join the race.

After a long wait, the 5G network was finally launched in the country in August, last year in line with the information memorandum (IM) prepared by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) preparatory to the auction of the two lots of 100megahertz (Mhz) frequencies in the 3.5Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum (C-Band) dedicated for the deployment of the network in 2021.

5G is the new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. 5G enables a new network that can connect virtually everyone and everything, including machines, objects, and devices. Over time, 5G technology will improve the way we live and work.

Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity at NCC, Bako Wakil, said there are different angles to define a 5G network. He said it is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks that enable a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together.

According to him, it is meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, at ultra-low latency, with more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.

“Higher performance and improved efficiency empower new user experiences and connect new industries,” he said.

With higher multi-Gbps maximum data speeds of up to 10 Gbps, ultra-low latency, increased reliability, massive network capacity, and increased availability, 5G will drive innovation across every sector, industry and transform everything as we know it. 

5G impacts

According to the World Bank, Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world.  5G will accelerate the democratisation of inclusive and affordable access to quality education, thus levelling the playing field between children in remote villages and children in cities.

 Education in Nigeria will be transformed by 5G, as students will be able to download learning materials faster and collaborate in real-time.

Students will be able to ‘be inside’ these environments they are being taught in and even have holograms of guest speakers in their classroom without lag, making education more experiential.

Medical students are not excluded from this educational experience. They can use augmented reality to dissect cadavers and diagnose illnesses, among other things. Indeed, 5G technology will advance the educational sector in Nigeria by bringing abstracts to life and introducing a new way of seeing the world.

It is not news that Nigeria has a medical personnel shortage. Telemedicine is now at our fingertips thanks to 5G technology. From anywhere in the world, doctors can virtually perform live scans, video consultations, medical diagnoses, and examinations. Interestingly, this was one of the use cases demonstrated at MTN Nigeria’s commercial launch of 5G technology, as doctors from Canada and the United Kingdom performed a medical diagnosis on a patient in Nigeria. Poor women, who are most at risk of maternal/infant health issues, will have access to proper antenatal care from a doctor anywhere in the country or the world with a single 5G device in a primary health care centre.

When combined with haptic technology, 5G enables a person in one location to control the movement of an object in another. This means that a doctor in Los Angeles can perform surgery in Lagos remotely. Although some may dismiss this as impossible, the exact same thing was expressed when mobile phones, airplanes, and electric cars first appeared. The marvels of the 5G revolution have created the possibility that Nigerians might very well soon abandon physical examinations, diagnosis, and treatment in favour of tele-surgery.

At MTN Nigeria’s commercial launch of 5G technology in September last year, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Adia Sowho, had said: “The list of possibilities with 5G is endless. We are truly excited to be at the forefront of bringing this amazing technology to Nigerians and can’t wait to share in all the incredible moments that our customers will experience.”  This is true because slow internet speed is a major issue for creatives such as content creators, movie producers, and photographers, among others. However, the 5G revolution has eased this pain point because 5G’s low latency, incredible speed, and bandwidth enable instantaneous file transfer without a second’s delay. She backed up her claim during a live speed test at the 5G launch, where a file of 2GB was placed to download on both a 4G and 5G network. The 5G network downloaded the file in less than two minutes, while the 4G network said it would take an hour. “5G has already downloaded the file, while 4G has asked us to return in an hour,” she said.

5G will forever alter the way we enjoy entertainment. AR/VR technology will enable us to do more than just watch content; we will feel as if we are there. We can virtually visit other countries, be in games rather than just playing them, and watch artists perform together live on stage from different locations, such as Fireboy performing in Nigeria and Ed Sheeran performing alongside him from London, all thanks to 5G. Because they have an equal connection, our gamers will be able to compete on an equal footing with gamers from all over the world. There is no doubt that with this revolutionary technology, the Nigerian creative industry is about to take a 180-degree turn and we will begin to witness more marvellous creative expressions and productions in the entertainment space than we have in yesteryears.

Agriculture is one way for Nigeria to achieve true sustainability. We can have smart farms with 5G, where farm activities can be managed using robots, drones, and other devices to improve the quality and quantity of production and maximise results. Smart-enabled devices on smart farms process faster progress in cultivating, planting, manuring, and harvesting while minimising labour for farmers. Farmers can monitor market prices in real time, storage facilities for moisture and other issues, and if there are any complications, farmers can be alerted via SMS. Farmers will be able to work more efficiently and produce more food, reducing poverty, food scarcity, and the hike in food prices which favourably impacts the Nigerian economy.

COVID accelerated the era of remote work. But it was not without its challenges, particularly in this part of the world. 5G will enable people to collaborate in real time, rather than only on documents. Scientists from various countries will be able to work on experiments. When COVID first appeared, scientists from all over the world, including Nigeria, were sequencing the genome. With the incredible potential of 5G, all those scientists would have been able to collaborate in real time, potentially saving many lives.

Another possibility enabled by 5G is the Smart home. Realtors can design homes where every device is smart, responsive, and connected to meet the requirements of a new homeowner. Imagine arriving home to find your air conditioner, lights, and water heater already turned on. Your sound system plays relaxing music that has been pre-programmed. 5G technology allows a homeowner to be comfortable without performing any heavy lifting or home preparations. From anywhere in the world, they can tell if there has been a break-in, if their fridge has been opened, or if the lights have been turned off. This is a brand-new and exciting revolution in Nigerian real estate.

As Nigerians, familial and religious values are extremely important, and with the Japa wave separating families, this is another area where this technology can assist, as 5G literally eliminates distance. If 4G enabled us to see and communicate with people all over the world in real time, 5G allows us to feel them to a significant degree. A grandmother in the village can hold her new grandchild as soon as it is born, no matter where it is born in the world, thanks to haptic gloves. 5G will improve religious service coverage and allow penetration into the most remote parts of the country. Think about living in Canada and worshipping in Nigeria with your family in real time.

The Fintech industry would not exist without 4G; the possibilities for this sector and the financial sector are limitless. 5G will enable seamless database communication, allowing telecoms’ KYC data, BVN, NIN, and other databases to be linked in a way that makes it faster, easier, and cheaper to validate identities without physical presence or technical expertise. This is necessary for obtaining formal identification, opening a bank account, and gaining access to certain government services, among other things.

Filling forms for financial institutions, government agencies, and other organisations is difficult for most people at the bottom of the pyramid. 5G will enable seamless voice-to-text applications, allowing illiterate or semi-literate people to fill out forms by speaking to an Integrated Voice Response (IVR) system – even in their native language – and thus access critical services by themselves. 5G will connect Nigerian consumers and businesses to themselves and the rest of the world in ways we couldn’t have imagined before.

The Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, said enhancing seamless connectivity is one of the reasons MTN Nigeria invested so much in bringing this technology to Nigeria.

“5G will enable new industries, unlock value chains and open more doors for Nigerians; we understand the possibilities of a digitally empowered society and are honoured to play our part in delivering this game-changing technology to our great nation. This is what our ambition is by 2025- to build leading solutions for Africa’s progress, and today’s launch spearheads the next journey for us as we stay committed to sustainable advancement for Nigeria’s progress and that of our shareholders and customers,” he said.

As humans evolve, needs arise, and with needs come solutions. 5G has boundless solutions for Nigerians, and this truly promises to be an exciting time for all Nigerians as we get to experience the endless and quite breath-taking possibilities that 5G technology enables. 

The cash scarcity and implementation of the revised daily cash withdrawal by individual and corporate bank customers by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that has fuelled resort to the use of electronic channels of transferring cash may soon shoot up debts owed to telecom firms by commercial banks over the use of the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), it was gathered.

The debt, which stands at over N80 billion, has continued to worry the telecom operators who say it is a significant cash which could be plough back to making the infrastructure more robust as Federal Government’s policies take toll on revenue generation.

“Yes, we expect the debt to increase significantly on the crest of the implementation of the cashless policy of the CBN which has seen an equally significant rise in the number of our customers taking advantage of the ease of the channel to send money to their customers for business transaction and also send cash to their loved ones across the country, So, we see the debt going up to N100 billion within the next few months,” a source in the industry said on condition of anonymity.

Worried by the development, the operators had last year warned of possible service support withdrawal to commercial banks over the debt.

Acting under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the group said the debt remained a cause of worry why despite the intervention of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami and others, the banks refused to pay the debt which has risen to over N80 billion.

Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, in a telephone interview, said the major threat to the policies of the CBN is the refusal of commercial banks to pay the service providers the money they have deducted from customers for services provided using the telecoms infrastructure.

 “The big elephant in the house is the USSD debt which has now reached N80 billion in spite of the ministerial interventions. One day, we will get to the point where we will operate the no pay, no service policy. This will no doubt frustrate the entire industry. It is one major threat to the cashless policy because, no matter how long it takes, one day, we will implement our commercial terms,” he said.

He assured the subscribers of the readiness of the telecoms operators to continue to expand infrastructure to make end user experience better, he nonetheless said the operators will withdraw support for transactions that ride on the USSD platform.

Reacting to the development, the President, National Association of Telephone, Cable Tv and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ACTIS-Nigeria), Sina Bilesanmi, frowned at the refusal of the banks to pay what is due the operators.

According to him, the association had opposed the use of USSD for transactions in the banking sector but had had to bow to superior argument.

He said if the telecoms operators make good their threat, it is going to affect members of his oragnisation with membership strength running into several millions.

“Were there no sharing formulas between the banks and the operators? How come the banks are holding unto the cash already deducted from our members and refusing to pay the operators?  This issue has dragged on for too long. Why is the CBN governor looking the other way? Doesn’t he know that it will affect his policies on cash withdrawal limit and cashless economy drive? Our members cannot be thrown into another round of pain. The banks should keep their promise,” Bilesanmi said.

Also speaking, the President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOM), Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo urged the operators and the banks to settle the issue amicably for the interest of the subscribers and the economy.

He said as the giant of Africa, the country should encourage the use of the electronic payment method to reduce the huge cash outside the banking sector.

The CBN had said the harmonisation of all USSD fees to a single rate of N6.98 kobo will stabilise the payment system.

The apex bank, in a report, said the exercise, which has the backing of key stakeholders, including the National Communication Commission (NCC) will boost bank customers’ confidence in the payment system, bring more unbanked and underbanked to the financial system and ensure sustainability of the services to e-payment customers.

The CBN said all USSD charges will henceforth be collected directly from customers bank accounts on behalf of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to promote transparency in its administration.

It said the new plan replaces the per session billing structure, ensuring a much cheaper average cost for customers to enhance financial inclusion adding that the approach is transparent and will ensure the amount remains the same, regardless of the number of sessions per transaction.

It said the wide acceptance and usage of the USSD shows that it remains the best and fastest available communications technology that delivers mobile financial services to low-income customers.

It pledged to continue to engage relevant operators and all stakeholders to promote cheaper, seamless access to mobile and financial services for all Nigerians.

The apex bank said that with the new policy, the disagreements that have for long existed between the MNOs and Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) will be put to rest, while assuring that  there will no longer be additional charges on customers for use of the USSD channel.

“The protracted disagreements between DMBs and MNOs concerning the appropriate USSD pricing model for financial transactions has been put to rest,” it said.

The CBN added that the USSD is a critical channel for delivering financial services, particularly for the underserved and/or financially excluded.

The resolution framework for pending debts owed MNOs, which is acceptable to all parties, has also adopted a settlement plan for outstanding payments incurred for USSD services, previously rendered by the MNOs, is being worked out by all parties in a bid to ensure that the matter is fully resolved.

“MNOs and DMBs shall discuss and agree on the operational modalities for the implementation of the new USSD pricing framework, including sharing of Application Programme Interface (API) to enable seamless, direct and transparent customer billing. DMBs and MNOs are committed to engaging further on strategies to lower cost and enhance access to financial services,” it said.

The stakeholders said the USSD channel remained optional, as several alternative channels such as mobile apps, internet banking and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) may be used for financial transactions.

Global analytics software provider FICO and FPG Technologies & Solutions Ltd, a member of FlexiP Group, have partnered to bring advanced decision management and analytics tools to companies across West Africa.

Under the partnership, FPG will sell, implement and support FICO Blaze Advisor decision rules management system and FICO Xpress Optimisation, leading tools that businesses use to automate high-volume decisions, rapidly change strategies and leverage advanced analytics to improve performance.

FlexiP Group is a leading enterprise IT solutions provider and systems integrator, with specialties in financial services, telecommunication, energy, oil & gas, and healthcare.

 Speaking on the partnership, its CEO, Rex Mafiana, said: “West African companies are engaged in digital transformation initiatives that have gotten extra momentum from the pandemic.

 “Across all industries, it’s critical to be able to automate more decisions, to change strategies faster, and to increase efficiency.” He added that FICO has world-class tools that can help customers be more competitive, and also help the company’s development team develop new products.

Manager, Partner Relationships for FICO in EME, Mark Farmer, said: “Rules management and mathematical optimisation are the core technologies for better decisions. FPG has deep domain expertise in multiple industries in West Africa, and can help businesses there use these technologies to transform their performance.”

As FICO’s flagship rules authoring solution, FICO Blaze Advisor decision rules management system maximizes control over high-volume operational decisions. Blaze Advisor provides businesses across multiple industries with a scalable solution that delivers unprecedented agility and actionability for smarter, transparent, and better business decisions.

FICO Xpress Optimization allows businesses to easily build, deploy and use optimization solutions that crunch through millions of potential scenarios to find the ideal solution. Standard capabilities include scalable high-performance solvers and algorithms, flexible modelling environments, rapid application development, comparative scenario analysis and reporting capabilities, for on-premises and cloud installations.

FICO was named Best Technology Provider for Data Analytics at the 2022 Credit Awards, and a Leader in The Forrester Wave Digital Decisions Platforms.