Category: e-Business

  • NCC: Digital connectivity key to achieving SDGs

    NCC: Digital connectivity key to achieving SDGs

    The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said quality of life is now being measured in terms of digital connectivity that promotes businesses, social and economic wellbeing of the citizens.

    Danbatta, who keynoted the 2022 Africa Tech Alliance Forum in Lagos, said digital connectivity has a major role in advancing the gains of development and sustaining the future, as well as attaining the needed quota in attaining a sustainable future and actualising the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Represented by the Director of Digital Economy, Dr. Augustine Nwulunne, the telecom sector chief regulator spoke on the theme: “Creating a Sustainable Future through Connectivity”.

    He cited studies to buttress the centrality of digital connectivity to quality of life and stated that the NCC is dedicated to activating regulatory initiatives aimed at deepening connectivity for the overall economic development of Nigeria.

    “Connectivity and development in Nigeria have not been fortuitous, rather they have been as a result of measured, painstaking and strategic policies implementation in the telecommunications sector by the NCC and relevant stakeholders, and we are committed to driving robust and vibrant telecoms sector to enhance further growth of Nigerian economy in all its spheres,” the EVC said.

    According to him, telecommunications sector has become an enabler of economic growth, providing the necessary digital succours that bring greater efficiency in service deliveries in education, healthcare, transportation, commerce, financial services, and other sectors of the economy with greater impact on the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as enhancing other sectoral growth correlating to each of the 17 goals on the SDGs.

    The highlight of the event was the decoration of Danbatta with an award of “5G Core Leadership Award” while the Commission was named as the corporate organisation with “Best Digital Economy Project of the Year 2022” for the regulatory efforts of the Commission in driving commercial deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) network in Nigeria.

    Danbatta said the NCC, through various policies and initiatives, has provided an enabling environment for a fair and liberalised telecommunications industry, by emplacing appropriate regulatory tools and providing relevant regulatory services for mobile network operators (MNOs), who are the primary providers of telecommunication services in the country.

    “The commission has provided the enabling environment to stimulate the deployment of necessary infrastructure pertinent to the provision of universal and affordable connectivity.

    The resultant effect of this is that today, we now have over 210 million active telephone lines, representing 110 per cent teledensity; and over 150 million Internet subscribers as well as 45 per cent broadband penetration which has enabled over 80 million broadband subscriptions.

    “Telecommunications has been credited with lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty; diversifying the economy and providing over $70billion to Nigeria’s GDP; it has also provided thousands of Nigerians with various employment opportunities. A glance at Nigeria’s historical data on its GDP portrays the upward trajectory of the country’s GDP since the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector. In 2001, Nigeria’s GDP was $74.03 billion, in 2005, it grew to $176.13 billion, and it currently stands at $440.78 billion, and telecom has been a key driver of this growth,” he said.

    The EVC told the audience that the Commission is also driving implementation of various policies and frameworks including the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030; and the ongoing deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) network and other digital interventionist projects aimed at driving universal service availability, accessibility, and availability.

  • Sabinus, Brain jotter, others endorse Betfuse betting platform

    Sabinus, Brain jotter, others endorse Betfuse betting platform

    It appears sport betting and prediction company Betfuse has come of age as it is enjoying accolades from different quarters, especially the social media community. Not only have some individuals openly expressed their satisfaction with using the platforms, some brand influencers have also inadvertently or otherwise endorsed the brand.

    In a series of posts on the brand’s Instagram page, notable brand influencers and content creators like MrFunnyn (Sabinus), Brainjotter, Nasboi, Isbae_u, Sydneytalker and others have thrown their weights behind the sport betting and prediction company, with different content or skits to drive home their points on the popularity of the platform.

    In a skit made by @MrFunny known as Sabinus, Sabinus met a guy who claimed to have made a huge profit from betting after having consulted the Betfuse app, for odds and tips. Sabinus then asked the guy to celebrate his winnings for him by taking him to a cafeteria where Sabinus lived it up on the house.

    Brainjotter also made a skit to pronounce his admiration for the betting brand. In the skit, Brainjotter was supposed to meet a date for lunch and on getting there he found out she was with a friend. Brainjotter, who must have put himself on a strict budget attempted to skip upon spotting them but his date called him back, that it was her friend who was paying as a result of having won hugely based on the odds and tips provided by Betfuse

    Nasboi, Isbae_u, Sydneytalker and others also did different skits with different concepts to promote the betting brand.

    “Be assured you’ve won, before you launch. As far as the world of sportsbetting is concerned, we are the best growing sports predictions brand you can trust your stakes with. We offer 2-5 odds plus free tips daily, ht/ft analysis and massive weekend longshot

    “For high stake subscribers, we have a private maxbet channel that admits on payment for our premium analysed games,” nsays the founder/

    Betfuse was founded in 2018 by Abayomi Opeyemi Isaac, a staunch lover of sports and football games .

  • ‘Upgrade security infrastructure to fight cyber-threats’

    ‘Upgrade security infrastructure to fight cyber-threats’

    The recent advances in cyber-threats as a result of the rising adoption of latest technology by organisations in Nigeria have made it imperative to upgrade critical security infrastructure, PPC Nigeria has said.

    Head of the ICT Division at PPC Nigeria, Dr Patrick Ede, while speaking in Lagos, said cyber-criminals were now using sophisticated tools to take control of outdated information technology (IT) systems and gain remote access to important customer data.

    He spoke against the background of a series of cybersecurity alerts issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in recent times.

    The implication of this, according to him, is that organisations whose security has been breached will experience disruption of critical operations, loss of revenue and important data.

    He stated that the credibility and reputational damage the activities of malicious cyber hackers cause were often irreversible, adding that neglect of vulnerabilities in IT systems would hamper overall business performance.

    The NCC’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) issued different security alerts in the past months, urging Nigerians to be wary of five malicious Google Chrome Extensions, compromised apps and vulnerabilities in specific antivirus products that secretly track users’ activities online and compromise their data.

    The telecoms regulator said the malwares, which have high damage potential, have been downloaded multiple times by unsuspecting people and consequently jeopardising the privacy of users.

    “Businesses are confronting new security threats arising from unprecedented global technology adoption and a hybrid work culture. These criminals explore the vulnerabilities in new and existing technology installations to launch their attacks.

    “It has become imperative for organisations to rethink how they address security concerns. Regular upgrade of software and hardware infrastructure should be included in cybersecurity measures to minimise risk of breaches.  Software is not perfect and loopholes are often exploited by threat actors. Therefore, businesses must plan to deploy patches immediately if a security risk is announced by the vendor.

    “While there has been a lot of focus on software updates, physical technology devices such as workstations and servers that are slow or have stopped receiving vendor updates, need to be replaced to mitigate risk of data breaches. Most end-of-life hardware infrastructure is not interoperable with new software installations and as such, the software requires an updated hardware to run it,” Ede said.

    PPC Nigeria’s expertise in the deployment of best-in-class ICT and engineering solutions has assisted several organisations in the public and private sectors to create a secured and collaborative work environment.

  • How pandemic exposed banks’ vulnerability, boosted digitalisation

    How pandemic exposed banks’ vulnerability, boosted digitalisation

    Though the COVID-19 pandemic has largely abated with the quick discovery of vaccines, its social impacts continue to reverberate across all sectors of the economy. A new report showed that it was a mixture of both good and bad in Africa. LUCAS AJANAKU reports.

    European Union (EU)-owned bank, European Investment Bank’s (EIB) latest annual survey on banks in Africa has confirmed that COVID-19 fast-tracked the rate of digital transformation within the broader banking sector as banks were forced to use digital channels to reach customers.

    The survey, Finance in Africa, supported by Making Finance Work for Africa entitled, Navigating the financial landscape in turbulent times, said the pandemic led to acceleration in the rate of digitalisation of the banking sector, as banks were forced to use digital channels to reach customers.

    Its Chief Economist Debora Revoltella, said: “Ninety per cent of banks agree that the pandemic has accelerated their internal digitalisation transformation and 70 per cent say that they increased the range of digital services available to customers. However, there are constraints to increasing digitalisation, with three-quarters of banks ranking cybersecurity risks as the biggest issue.

    The rapid growth of the FinTech sector has been another catalyst for increased digitalisation. The entire FinTech ecosystem in Africa has grown to more than 1 000 active companies in April 2022, up from 450 in 2020. Of these, 80 per cent are homegrown and 20 per cent come from outside Africa.

    Payments and lending services are still the dominant products, but the sector has diversified. The increasing competition from this sector is a key concern for banks, with more than half of banks listing it among their top three issues.

    The EIB report aligns with the publication of UK Finance which stated that impersonation scam cases, in which criminals impersonate trusted organisations to trick victims into handing over their money, almost doubled to 39,364 cases in 2020, the largest increase of all scam types.

    During the pandemic, criminals sent fraudulent emails claiming to offer government support to those impacted by the pandemic and scam text messages requesting payments to book a COVID-19 vaccine. They also impersonated delivery companies to exploit the rise in online shopping.

    According to UK Finance, there was a 32 per cent increase in investment scam cases last year, which are often promoted through adverts on search engines offering higher than average returns, and a 38 per cent increase in cases of romance scams, driven by the rise in online dating during the pandemic.

    To capitalise on the increase in online activity during the pandemic, UK Finance has also seen the emergence of criminals openly advertising fraud and scam services for sale online, including template phishing websites and custom-built scam apps which replicate real banking apps.

    UK Finance is calling for fraud to be included in the scope of the government’s Online Safety Bill to better protect consumers from these scams. This would ensure that online platforms such as social media firms, search engines and dating websites take action to address vulnerabilities in their systems that are being exploited by criminals to commit fraud.

    Managing Director of Economic Crime at UK Finance, Katy Worobec, said: “The banking industry has worked hard throughout the pandemic to protect customers from fraud and to go after the criminals behind it, with over £1.6 billion of fraud stopped in 2020.

    “However, are we seeing a worrying rise in online and technology-enabled scams that evade banks? advanced security systems and use digital platforms to target victims directly, tricking them into giving away their money or information.

    “We urge the government to use the upcoming Online Safety Bill to ensure online platforms take action to protect customers by taking down scam adverts on search engines, removing fake profiles on online dating websites and tackling fraudulent content on social media.

    “It cannot be right that online firms are effectively profiting from fraud, while society as a whole pays the price.”

    The report stated that Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud cases, where customers are tricked into authorising a payment to another account controlled by a criminal, increased by 22 per cent to almost 150,000 in 2020. Losses amounted to a total of £479 million, up five per cent on the previous year.

    Investment scams, in which a criminal convinces their victim to move their money to a fictitious fund or to pay for a fake investment, saw the highest increase in losses of any APP scam type, totaling £135.1 million.

    Purchase scams, in which the victim pays in advance for goods or services that are never received, remained the most common form of APP fraud, accounting for 52 per cent of APP fraud cases.

    In an unauthorised fraudulent transaction, the account holder themselves does not give permission for the payment and the transaction is carried out by the criminal. Unauthorised fraud losses fell by five per cent to £783.8 million in 2020. The banking and finance industry prevented £1.6 billion of attempted unauthorised fraud and continue to invest in advanced security systems to detect and prevent fraudulent activity. This means that £6.73 in every £10 of attempted unauthorised fraud was blocked by the industry last year.

    Lockdown restrictions have caused criminals to turn away from more traditional forms of fraud.

    Contactless card fraud losses fell by 22 per cent to £16 million, the first annual fall since this data started being collected in 2013. This is likely to be related to lockdown restrictions limiting opportunities for criminals to commit contactless fraud using lost and stolen cards.

    Cheque fraud losses saw a significant fall of 77 per cent to £12.3 million, likely driven by the continued fall in the use of cheques, which has been exacerbated by the impact of lockdown restrictions.

  • NeuRMS to halt capital flight, others for SMEs

    NeuRMS to halt capital flight, others for SMEs

    Small, medium enterprises (SMEs) lose a lot of cash to capital flight, lack of transparency stunted growth and high mortality across Nigeria and the entire sub-region, an indigenous technology firm, NeuRMS, has said.

    Its founder, Lanre Olaniyan, who spoke during the unveiling of the NeuRMS solution in Lagos, said Nigeria’s over 48 million SMEs have continued to be exploited by offshore apps which are not designed to address their local challenges.

    He said the app is a retail management solution that helps businesses to solve capital flight, address local problems in business, promote transparency, efficiency and ultimately improve profitability.

    According to him, some products imported into the country by way of apps do not have support, no scalability while usage of features are not maximised because they aren’t designed for local use, lamenting that in spite of this, payments are sustained in foreign currency.

    He said some of these apps are designed for only two users, stressing that should the user apply for expansion in the number of users, money would be demanded to do that.

    Olaniyan said some of the solutions in the market aren’t smart; no feedback, limited carts, no expiry product notification because the apps aren’t smart or intelligent.

    He said: “NeuRMS is a brand-new scalable management solution for retail businesses. With a bias for Nigerian business owners, NeuRMS is a software that aims to help Nigeria’s over 48 million SMEs to retain the foreign exchange that they spend on purchasing foreign developed retail management applications.

    “NeÜ Retail Management software helps retail business owners drive more sales with business applications that include point of sale features, inventory management, retail customer relationship management, vendor management, business analytics, business reporting, employee data management, and more.”

    “NeÜRMS integrates hardware and software solutions to drive retail business efficiencies. Its solutions often include hardware for payment terminals, pads, and mobile devices support for different operating environments including IOS, Android, Windows, and Web OS.”

    According to Olaniyan, the product was carefully designed with the peculiarities of Africa’s diverse economies and societies in mind, adding that the launch marked the climax of a journey that started in 2020, during the global COVID-19 crisis.

    He said its key features include Point of Sales (PoS), Report and Analytics, Smart Inventory management and product stock tracking (low stock notification), Supply chain management, Purchase order receiving, printed or electronic receipts and Multi live cart management. Others include Support multiple payment methods, Vendor management, Multistore (multiple locations), supports multi-currency, and credit cards, supports barcode scanners, cash drawers, receipt/tape printers, laser printers, hardware compatibility, tax management and reporting, employee data management, Employee Payroll processing, customer management and loyalty program, Support varieties of market space like supermarket, mini mart, restaurant, perfume store, grocery, electronic and mobile stores, fruits and vegetable store, secure login panel for cashiers and business owners, Remote business management and enterprise support.

    Other features that will come very soon, he said are stock transfer from one store to the other,, integrated payment, offline mode, employee time shift management, online ordering and raw to processed food cost tracking -expense tracking.

  • What Are The Benefits Of Cash Loans

    What Are The Benefits Of Cash Loans

    Sometimes, it becomes difficult to pay your debt because of unseen financial emergencies. Now, these emergencies are such that they are always on your top priority list.

    It can be a sudden medical expense that you never calculated or study material your kid needs to work on school projects. At times, you might face problems making your payments and need to consolidate your debt.

    No matter what worries you, cash loans are the perfect solution to put all your worries to rest.

    You might think that the only benefit of having a quick cash loan is that they fill your need when you are in need of some cash. However, that is not the only benefit you enjoy.

    Not sure where you should apply for cash loans? We have got you covered. We have got you covered. With help from the right companies, you can instantly get cash loans.

    Now that you know the solution, you will need to understand it and its benefits as well.

    What Are Instant Cash Loans?

    Cash loans are given to you without checking your credit score and with very short notice. This is in trend and also is unknown to many people because not every company is comfortable providing such loans.

    However, few companies are flexible in providing one-hour loans directly into your bank account. However, most companies are comfortable promoting same-day loans because no one is willing to take the risk of 1 hour.

    Commonly you will get the repayment tenure between two to 24 months. Apart from that, the interest rate can be around 35 and 100 percent, depending on your state, repayment behavior, and income.

    Benefits Of Cash Loans

    Now that you know the destination to get instant loans, you need to check your cash loans wired in 1 hour with some efficient companies available in the market.

    In addition, it’s time to focus on its benefits to understand and match its importance for you.

    1. Money You Need In An Emergency.

    Financial energies are common for middle-class people, and thus they can be seen as a perfect match for those people. It is not always possible to maintain the balance between income and expense.

    Emergencies like health issues may occur out of the plan, and that’s where cash loans can be beneficial for you.

    2. Easy To Approve.

    The typical approval process of getting a loan is passed, and now you can get loans instantly with minimal documentation and a verification process.

    You just need to provide some personal information and your income documents to ensure that you are getting approved to get the cash in an active bank account. You can do all these processes from anywhere online.

    3. Protect Your Credit Score.

    A credit score is crucial to maintain your loan-taking approaches in the future. Without a good credit score, you will not be eligible for big loans.

    Moreover, if your credit score hits badly, no financial organization is going to trust you in the future. These short-term emergency cash loans are effective enough in balancing your credit score if you repay on time.

    4. No Disclosure Of Usage.

    One of the most interesting things about these loans is that you will not need to disclose your reason for getting the loan to the authorities. They will just take the necessary information and transfer cash into your bank account without any hesitation or delay.

    5. You Can Avoid The Harassment Of Asking Friends And Family Members For Money.

    Asking friends and family members for money after a certain age is very embarrassing. But when we fall into critical situations and don’t find any other way, we tend to go this way.

    But will you ask for money from them if you get instant cash in your bank account without any difficulty?

    This time you get the opportunity and so grab it.

    Choose Your Provider Wisely.

    When you are getting easy cash, you also need to be flexible with the repayment processes and deadlines. Try not to miss any repayment schedule; otherwise, you will have to go expensive in such cash loans.

    It’s time to think smart and make wise decisions.

    Now that you know the benefits take a short tour and select a particular company wisely, depending on your niche and criteria.

  • How Olubusayo contributed to Zenith Bank’s financial operations

    How Olubusayo contributed to Zenith Bank’s financial operations

    By Larry Anwansedo 

    In the complex environment of modern banking, maintaining accurate records, managing risk, and ensuring regulatory compliance are critical to operational stability. 

    At Zenith Bank, Mr. Oluwabusayo Mesioye contributed to improvements in financial processes, focusing on foreign currency reconciliation and financial control. 

    His efforts were acknowledged through bank awards in 2021 and 2022, reflecting documented enhancements in efficiency and compliance within the institution.

    His work in the bank’s Nostro account operations exemplifies both technical acumen and practical impact. 

    “Banking isn’t just about processing transactions; it’s about anticipating issues before they escalate,” Olubusayo explains. 

    When discrepancies arose in the Nostro ledger due to erroneous debits by a correspondent bank, he quickly identified the problem and secured the return of funds, averting a potential loss of funds. 

    Beyond crisis management, his process improvements reduced customers’ waiting time by 48 hours, demonstrating the direct impact of operational efficiency on client experience.

    Olubusayo’s influence extends to strategic financial planning. By enhancing forecasting accuracy, he contributed to a 12% improvement in financial performance assessments, enabling management to make more informed investment and capital decisions. 

    He also played a pivotal role in designing and implementing capital stress tests, which improved the bank’s risk management effectiveness by 15%. 

    “Sound financial operations aren’t just internal metrics; they’re the backbone of trust, stability, and sustainable growth,” he noted 

    Regulatory compliance is another area where his expertise has had tangible results. 

    Olubusayo directed the implementation of internal controls over financial reporting in line with SEC requirements, ensuring that the bank’s operations met the highest standards of accuracy and reliability. 

    “Regulations are not hurdles; they’re frameworks that guide responsible financial management,” he says. His contributions in optimizing financial infrastructure have strengthened not only the bank’s operational resilience but also its market standing.

    Olubusayo has been recognized for consistently contributing to operational excellence, with insights that translate into both risk reduction and efficiency gains. 

    By combining technical expertise with a strategic understanding of banking operations, he exemplifies a professional capable of driving meaningful, measurable improvements in financial processes.

    As financial institutions face increasing complexity, from global currency fluctuations to evolving regulatory expectations, Olubusayo’s work underscores the importance of expertise, foresight, and disciplined execution. 

    His story is a reminder that behind every stable banking system are individuals whose analytical skills and commitment to operational excellence safeguard both capital and customer trust.

  • Only right policies will drive impact investment – Glover

    Only right policies will drive impact investment – Glover

    Impact capital in Nigeria is valued at $4.7 billion, with the private sector contributing 20 percent of that amount. As the world continues to emphasise transition to cleaner energy and net zero emission, experts say impact investment can play a key role in achieving this in a just, equitable, sustainable and inclusive manner.

    But to unlock more private capital in impact investment, Nigeria needs the right policies to drive private sector buy-in, according to Maria Etemore Glover, project lead, Impact Investors Foundation (IIF).

    Speaking in Lagos on the sidelines of the 5th Annual Convening on Impact Investing, Glover said Nigeria requires policies to build the market framework and legitimize the impact investment space, adding that if the right policies are not in place, the private sector participants would not increase at the speed that is expected of them to deploy capital.

    She, however, hinted that with efforts from IIF, which engages and collaborates with key stakeholders active in the impact investing space to unlock capital for social investments in Nigeria, there is a significant buy-in in the space, as more investors are getting interested in impact investment because there is no finance without discussions around sustainability and the bottom line.

    Glover said IIF builds a strong impact investment ecosystem by working with various foundations and sectors, from investors across the various spaces including philanthropic spaces, development finance institution, institutional investors, among others.

    “We look at the demand sector; those demanding capital for social development, intermediaries and policymakers, among others. We are looking at all sorts of people working together towards strengthening impact investment in the ecosystem,” Glover said.

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    “Impact investment is a new space and we know that with impact investment, we are able to provide financing and skills to solve our social development problems because government cannot fund our social development by themselves. There is a need for public-private partnerships,” she explained.

    Glover noted that forums like the one organised by IIF help bring the stakeholders together, identify challenges in the space and look at how to mobilize capital towards addressing them.

    Every year, the Annual Convening on Impact Investing extends the frontiers of impact investing in Nigeria. By bringing together the widest range of impact investing stakeholders, it stimulates conversations, births solutions and culminates in the Annual Deal summit where impact investors meet social enterprises.

    “This year, we are focusing on sustainability and just transition. This is so important and there are different aspects of sustainability. We see the flooding that is happening and people being displaced. How do we get the private sector involved?” Glover said.

    “Everyone is talking about net zero and Nigeria has made a commitment towards the net zero. We hope to achieve net zero by 2060. $10 billion annually is needed to achieve net zero. Where is that going to come from? What is the annual budget?” she said.

    Glover stressed that there is a need for private sector to partner government to get more capital towards just transition, so that no one is left behind.

    The Fifth Annual Convening on Impact Investing featured plenary and breakout sessions focusing on trending sustainability themes in Nigeria, including the just transition and funding it with impact capital, the energy transition and pathway to cleaner energy, regulations and frameworks on sustainability, the circular economy and waste management, climate action and Nigeria’s response, powering Africa through sustainable and clean energy, and the role of impact investment in achieving sustainable socio-economic development and just transition.

    Speakers include Prince Clem I. Agba, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, who gave a keynote address on “The Role of Impact Investment in Achieving Sustainable Socio-economic Development through a Just Transition”, Mohamed Yahya, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Markus Wagner, Country Director, Nigeria & ECOWAS, GIZ, among many others.

  • Sanwo-Olu, others for TestNigeria confab

    Sanwo-Olu, others for TestNigeria confab

    The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof  Isa Pantami, Lagos Commissioner of Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm, and Director of IT, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs Rakiya Mohammed are expected at Nigerian Software Testing Qualification Board (NGSTQB) first Software Testing Conference in Nigeria codenamed ‘TestNigeria Conference 1.0’.

    Others are Country Manager Nigeria & Ghana, Microsoft Nigeria, Ms. Ola Williams, National Commissioner / CEO, Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), Dr. Vincent Olatunji; Director-General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Dan- Azumi Ibrahim and other speakers drawn from leading software companies such as Inlaks and the Global Accelerex.

    Fahm will deliver the keynote at the conference, to be held November 23, at Lagos Oriential Hotel, Lekki. Its theme is “Impact of Software Quality Assurance in the Nigerian Digital Economy”.

    Designed as a platform for software professionals to discuss how the Nigerian IT ecosystem can start developing quality software that meets international standards and help achieve Nigeria’s Digital Economy Strategy, the conference is targeted at software developers, banks, government institutions, telcos, fintech companies, industry regulators and major users of sensitive software among others.

    Also, the President of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB), Mr. Olivier Denoo, is among experts scheduled to speak at the two-day event with Mr. Bob Van de Burgt, the Test Maturity Model integration Foundation (TMMi) Local Chapter Manager; Dr. Babatunde Oghenobruche Obrimah, Chief Operating Officer, FINTECH Association of Nigeria and Dr. Chika O. Yinka-Banjo, Department of Computer Sciences, University of Lagos, all confirmed to speak.

    fairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria on August 21, 2021, after formal approval from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

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    Mr. Boye Dare, the President of NGSTQB, said TestNigeria Conference 1.0 will feature networking cocktail, keynote presentations, panel sessions and fireside chat including special sessions on Software Test Improvement in Organisations; Growing Software Testing Ecosystem in Nigeria’s Educational Sector, and Need for Certified Test Professionals in Organisations.

    While reemphasizing the need for software testing, Mr. Dare said is it vital for Nigeria to be identified as a country with high-quality software.

    He said:  “Testing is necessary because we all make mistakes. Some of those mistakes are unimportant, but some are expensive and dangerous.

    “Software failures can be devastating to company value and reputation. For example, UK-based loan company Provident Financial lost 1.7 billion pounds (about $2.4 billion) of market value in 2017 after a bug in their newly developed scheduling software, such that barely half of their loan debts were collected when due. This bug cost the company 120 million pounds ($170 million) in profit loss, and the fiasco is considered a record-breaking loss.

    “In a recent report by Synopsys, Inc, in conjunction with Consortium for Information & Software Quality (CISQ), the cost of poor software quality in the US in 2020 was approximately $2.08 trillion.

    “According to Nigeria’s Digital Economy strategy, Nigerians are highly innovative people, and a thriving digital economy will create employment opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming population and lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.”

    The NGSTQB President, therefore, said that achieving Nigeria’s Digital Economy strategy is the collective responsibility of all individuals and businesses.

  • NITDA, KOICA mull enterprise architecture framework

    NITDA, KOICA mull enterprise architecture framework

    As part of the implementation of the second phase of the National e-Government Master Plan (NeGMP), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in collaboration with the Republic of Korea, through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Office in Nigeria, has commenced the implementation of one of the main components of the second phase which is the development of the Enterprise Architecture (EA) Framework for Nigeria.

    The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, who was represented by the Acting Director, Digital Economy, Engr Salisu Kaka, said that the EA is one of the components of the second phase of the NeGPM implementation. The quadruple of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS); National Identification Management Commission (NIMC); Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, were approved by the Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy (FMoCDE), Prof Isa Pantami to be used for the pilot implementation of the EA project.

    He stated that the EA Framework is aimed at helping the Federal Government through its Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to seamlessly navigate the digital transformation journey and prepare the country for the future of the digital economy.

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    Inuwa mentioned that the EA implementation is going to cover all MDAs in the long run. He said the four MDAs used for the pilot are to be the pace setters and will be used to bench-mark the implementation process for the rest of the MDAs.

    Prof Park Byeong, Korean EA expert and Nigerian EA project lead, during a presentation at the training said: “EA defines business and Information Technology (IT) blueprint and architecture in each different view using abstraction.”

    He explained that the EA concept was started in 1987 by John Zachman who raised a need to express a conceptual framework for the integration and linkage of information systems and named it Architecture Framework.

    He further explained that the evolution of the EA which was initially Information System Architecture (ISA) in 1987, presented a solution to the increasing complexity of information systems. In 1992, it became Information Technology Architecture (ITA) which was used as a tool for the systematic management of IT in the 1990s, and then, in 2000, it became EA which was extended to include the whole enterprise as a focus area.

    The five-day training  took place at the e-Government Training Centre (eGTC), Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Kubwa, Abuja.