The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • How to achieve knowledge economy, by New Horizons

    A United States (U.S)-based Information Technology (IT) and e-business solutions and training firm, New Horizons, has stressed the need for collaboration between academics to harness the huge potential of knowledge economy.

    Its Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Bolaji Olaoye, who spoke during the unveiling of an application developed by three students of  Anchor University Lagos (AUL), said the development of the solution underscored the huge untapped potential collaboration between the industry and academia can unlock.

    The customised library management app which upgrades, digitises and eases the use of university library systems for students was by developed Odufote Israel, Nwakaibe David, and Ochoyi Joshua, all in their 300 level, under the mentorship of New Horizons.

    He said the performance of the students calls for collaboration between the industry and academics so that the society and humanity can be impacted better.

    According to Olaoye, the current digital age is so demanding in terms of huge cost in dollars and rapid rate of technological obsolescence, that a single institution cannot actually do it all alone. At the macro level, these sets of technologically empowered students are what Nigeria needs to get out of its sagging oil-dependent economy and join the league of reigning digital economies such as Singapore, Malaysia, China, etc.

    Olaoye said the vision being driven by New Horizons globally in the 80 countries and 370 centres where it currently operates, with particular reference to the operations of the Nigerian Branch in tertiary educational terrain, has been to ensure that the products of Nigerian universities graduate with the required skill set so that they can be market-ready for employers of labour, as well as getting the lucrative jobs both nationally and internationally.

    The app is used for e-labelling and identification, registration, onsite and off-site borrowing and returning of books, e-tracking systems, management of late return, and seamless blend of penalties for defaulters, among other functions.

    The students encouraged by the scholarship opportunity given to them by New Horizons, said the platform served to ignite their passion for the project-based solutions which ultimately led to the feat they achieved.

    One of them, Joshua, said: “Some of the major problems we usually have with our library are issues of books identification, registration and others but with this app, students can do their registration online with any internet accessible device. Likewise, the administrator end of the solution has simplified the administration of the library systems management for the librarians and other library managers.”

  • iSON wins contact centre award

    iSON Xperiences, (formerly iSON BPO Limited),  with strong focus in sub-Saharan Africa won the “Pan African Contact Centre Management Provider of the Year.”

    It won award at the 14th annual Titans of Tech Awards that was held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island – Lagos over the weeknd.

    The award was in recognition for the its consistent excellence in providing world class call centres for national development.

    Commenting on the awards, its Global CEO, Mr. Pravin Kumar said: “While we are happy to receive this award, we are even more delighted to have our efforts in providing a distinguished customer service experience recognised. Since  we started our journey in Africa, we have seen that investing in Nigeria has truly paid off in growing the ICT industry here. As we continue to help in growing the tech industry, we cannot help but feel even more encouraged to satisfy our clients through our superior services.

    Mr. Kumar also expressed  gratitude to the clients, stakeholders, staff and organisers of the event.

    He said: “Without our incredibly talented staff, our loyal clients and stakeholders we simply would not be where we are today.  It is through their consistent drive to provide the best quality IT solutions that we are able to stand here today. I would like to thank Tech Africa for organising such an important occasion. This award confirms that the efforts iSON is investing into fostering a stronger tech and IT ecosystem in Nigeria is truly worthwhile, milestones like these ones are truly worth appreciating.”

  • Gbajabiamila seeks strong regulation of cryptocurrency

    Speaker of House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila has called for appropriate regulatory framework to guide the use of cryptocurrency in the country.

    Gbajabiamila made the call in Abuja when the management team of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), led by the Managing Director, Mr Umaru Ibrahim, visited him.

    The Spokesman of the agency, Mr Sunday Olufemi, reported the encounter in a statement on Thursday.

    Olufemi quoted the Speaker as saying that the call was necessary, especially now that the “entire world is exploring ways of mainstreaming cryptocurrencis into the global financial landscape”.

    Gbajabiamila said that only recently, there was a meeting of world leaders in Osaka, Japan, to deliberate on the subject.

    “The NDIC and other safety-net participants in the country must not be left behind in the adoption of appropriate regulatory framework to deal with the prevalence of cryptocurrencies in the global financial space,” Gbajabiamila said.

    The Speaker commended NDIC team for the visit, describing it as a right step towards fostering a harmonious working relationship between the legislative and executive arms of government.

    He assured that the House, under his leadership, would ensure that the appropriate committee was assigned to handle the oversight functions of the corporation.

    Earlier, the NDIC managing director had advised Nigerians to exercise maximum caution in the adoption of cryptocurrencies in their financial transactions.

    READ ALSO: Wanted: Cryptocurrency regulation in Nigeria

    Ibrahim warned that while various forms of digital currencies currently in operation had their positive and negative attributes, those patronising them risked losing their savings.

    This is because the medium, according to him, is largely unregulated and unrecognised by the traditional central banks in almost all financial jurisdictions.

    The statement quoted the Chairman of the NDIC board, Mrs Ronke Sokefun, as saying earlier that the corporation remained a critical player in the Nigerian financial safety net.

    Sokefun said that the NDIC had contributed “immensely to the growth and stability of the nation’s financial sector in the 30 years of its operations.

    She added that the agency recently became the first public sector institution in Nigeria to be awarded three International Standard Organisation (ISO) certifications simultaneously by the British Standards Institute (BSI) in view of its result oriented system, processes and procedures.

    The board chairman solicited the assistance of the House in the passage of the NDIC Act Amendment Bill currently before the National Assembly.

    (NAN)

  • HMD Innovates Nokia 2.2 Android with Artificial Intelligence

    Nokia 2 series is built with advancements in Android and AI (Artificial Intelligence) operating systems, HMD, Nokia global team has said.

    Its General Manager, West, East & Central Africa`, HMD Global Joseph Umunakwe, said the artificial intelligence technology on the third-gen Nokia 2 series focused on mobile photography, foster easy-launch Google Assistant, face unlock, and other standard Android features.

    He explained that, the seamless smartphone runs on Android One program (based on Android 9 Pie, Android Q) which means it offers just the very basic android mobile experience.

    The Nokia 2.2 comes equipped with a decent 5.7-inch screen with a notch for the selfie camera. HMD, the Nokia team, and Google he said, are promising at least two years of major platform upgrades and monthly security updates up to three years.

    “We believe that the latest and greatest innovations in the industry should be available for everyone. With the Nokia 2.2, we’ve brought the pinnacle of AI experiences to more people than ever before.

    “And including features like biometric face unlock with liveliness detection adding extra security to your phone, AI imaging, Google Lens and Google Assistant at the press of a button, we aim to revolutionise the way our fans interact with the phone.

    “Nokia 2.2 joins our Android One family, and like all Nokia smartphones, offers an experience that stays fresh longer. With two years of OS updates and three years of monthly security updates guaranteed, Nokia 2.2 is Android Q ready and will just keep getting better,” Umunakwe said.

    He explained further that, “We believe that the latest and greatest innovations in the industry should be available for everyone. With the Nokia 2.2, we’ve brought the pinnacle of AI experiences to more people than ever before.

    “And including features like biometric face unlock with liveliness detection adding extra security to your phone, AI imaging, Google Lens and Google Assistant at the press of a button, we aim to revolutionise the way our fans interact with the phone.

    “Nokia 2.2 joins our Android One family, and like all Nokia smartphones, offers an experience that stays fresh longer. With two years of OS updates and three years of monthly security updates guaranteed, Nokia 2.2 is Android Q ready and will just keep getting better.”

    The device is the first 2 series Nokia smartphone to be a part of the Android One family. With a proven track record of offering the latest Android and Google experience across the Nokia smartphone portfolio, Nokia 2.2 is Android Q ready.

  • Security, knowledge gap hinder cryptocurrency

    Though the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is yet to give its nod to trading in virtual currencies in form of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ripples, Monero, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Onecoin, and exchanges, such as NairaEx, it is a growing business in neighbouring countries. In Kenya, the value of trade in crypto has risen up to $1.5million, LUCAS AJANAKU writes that security and dearth of knowledge militate against its potential.

    Despite a $1.5million trading in crypto-currency in Kenya, according to the Blockchain Association of Kenya, lack of education is hindering its progress, report has said.

    Titled: “Kaspersky Africa’s Cryptocurrency Report 2019”, it was based on feedback from respondents, and highlighted several risks, including volatility in value, lack of regulation locally, taxation issues and cyber fraud.

    Enterprise Sales Manager at Kaspersky Africa, Bethwel Opil, said: “The survey found that there is a desire among many consumers to use cryptocurrency, but a knowledge gap is getting in the way of taking the plunge. In addition, many people who thought they knew what they are dealing with later decided against using cryptocurrency.”

    What is cryptocurrency?

    According to online resources, cryptocurrency is a digital currency built with cryptographic protocols that make transactions secure and difficult to fake.

    Blockgeeks, an online platform, said the most important feature of a cryptocurrency is that it is not controlled by any central authority: the decentralised nature of blockchain makes cryptocurrency theoretically immune to the old ways of government control and interference.

    Cryptocurrencies make it easier to conduct any transaction, for transfers are simplified through use of public and private keys for security and privacy purposes. These transfers can be done with minimal processing fees, allowing users to avoid the steep fees charged by traditional financial institutions, it added.

    This introduction explains the most important thing about cryptocurrencies. After you‘ve read it, you‘ll know more about it than most other humans.

    Today, cryptocurrencies have become a global phenomenon known to most people. While still somehow geeky and not understood by most people, banks, governments and many companies are aware of its importance.

    How miners create coins

     A cryptocurrency like Bitcoin consists of a network of peers. Every peer has a record of the complete history of all transactions and thus of the balance of every account.

    A transaction is a file that says, “Bob gives X Bitcoin to Alice“ and is signed by Bob‘s private key. It‘s basic public key cryptography, nothing special at all. After signed, a transaction is broadcast in the network, sent from one peer to every other peer. This is basic p2p-technology. Nothing special at all, again.

     CBN’s position

    The CBN has warned Nigerians against cryptocurrencies.

    In a circular titled: Virtual Currencies not Legal Tender in Nigeria – CBN, it said: Further to the circular issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on January 12, 2017, to banks and other financial institutions on virtual currency operations in Nigeria, the bank wishes to reiterate that cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ripples, Monero, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Onecoin, etc and exchanges, such as NairaEx are not licensed or regulated by the CBN.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, dealers and investors in any kind of crypto currency in Nigeria are not protected by law. Virtual currencies are traded in exchange platforms that are unregulated, all over the world. Consumers may therefore lose their money without any legal redress in the event these exchangers collapse or close business.

    “Members of the public are hereby warned that virtual currencies are not legal tender in Nigeria. Accordingly, we wish to caution all and sundry on the risks inherent in such activities.”

    The report also provided insight into the South African market and stated that nearly a fifth of South African respondents (14 per cent) stopped trading in cryptocurrency because it became too technically complicated.

    “This lack of understanding could be leading to mistrust in cryptocurrencies’ ability to keep consumers’ money safe. For instance, 35 per cent of South African respondents stated that they believe cryptocurrencies are quite volatile and they need to be stable before they are prepared to use them,”  Opil said.

    The void in education in keeping cryptocurrencies safe has seen fraudsters take advantage of the situation and more people are being scammed. Fraudsters can use cryptocurrencies to their advantage, with around five per cent of those surveyed in South Africa saying they have experienced hacking attacks on exchanges.

    “Criminals also create fake e-wallets to attract people to unwisely invest their money, and 16 per cent of South African consumers have been victims of cryptocurrency fraud,” Opil added.

    At the global level, over 80 per cent of respondents have never used cryptocurrencies underlining the low penetration for digital currencies. Only 10 per cent  said they understood how these digital currencies work, with 35 per cent viewing it as a fad.

    Despite the slowly growing trend on digital currencies, Opil sees cyber security as very important to adoption.

    He said it was commendable for government to set up a task force to understand the space and also help in curbing criminal activities fuelled by the use of digital currencies.

    “Always verify a web wallet’s address and not following links to an online bank or web wallet. “Double-check recipient addresses, the amount being sent, and the size of the associated fee before sending a transaction,” Opil said.

  • Jumia boosts education

    Leading online shopping firm, Jumia, has donated books approved by the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for junior secondary school curricular to Agidingbi Junior Grammar School, Ikeja.

    It said it was part of activities to celebrate its seventh anniversary in the country.

    The donation held at the company’s Ikeja warehouse; two teachers and about 20 student representatives were on hand to receive the materials.

    Jumia also organised a career talk for the student representatives on the opportunities within the e-commerce landscape and what they could do to start and grow a career in the sector.

    Jumia Nigeria’s Public Relations and Communications Manager, Olukayode Kolawole, said the gesture, which aligns with the company’s education-focused corporate social responsibility (CSR) project, was aimed at increasing access to quality educational materials and promoting good reading culture among secondary school pupils in the country.

    Read Also: ‘Jumia’ll leverage internet, data for growth’

    He said: “Education is an integral part of our corporate social responsibility programmes at Jumia Nigeria. We remain focused on our mission to use technology to improve the quality of everyday lives in the country, and by extension Africa. Increasing access to quality educational materials for young secondary school students who are the leaders of tomorrow aligns with our mission. We continue to build the next future tech leaders, and at the heart of this endeavour lies the need to equip these future leaders with the right information and guidance on how to build a career in the fledgling Nigerian e-commerce industry.”

    Also, Jumia Nigeria Human Resources Director, Dele Awolala, said the anniversary was aimed at appreciating its host community over the years.

    He said: “Our local community remains our biggest host, for allowing our business and employees to thrive within a peaceful environment. Therefore, we will continue to foster, nurture, grow and nourish this special relationship through our various development and empowerment programmes targeted at different stakeholders within the community. Agidingbi Junior Grammar School is one of the first beneficiaries of our education-focused CSR initiative, and we will continue to expand our outreach to many more schools in the future.”

    The Principal of Agidingbi Junior Grammar School, Mr. O. A. Ojo, commended Jumia for the gesture which he said is focused on increasing access to quality education and complementing the state government’s effort in ensuring that all public schools within the state are equipped with good reading and writing materials.

    “This gesture will have a lasting impression on our current students and many more after them. Jumia’s name will remain indelible in our hearts and the hearts of our students. We thank the management of Jumia Nigeria for this thoughtful initiative,” he said.

  • iSON implements self-care solution

    iSON has implemented its Self-Care Solution. The solution intercepts the call at  Interactive Voice Response (IVR) level and automatically invokes the application or specific screen of the application.

    iSON said it empowers customers to solve their product-related queries in minutes while drastically cutting down the operator cost. In the Customer Experience Management (CEM) domain, the firm offers consulting, implementation and managed services.

    The ready to deploy solution can be implemented with various enterprises like communications service providers, banks, microfinance institutions, insurance companies, travel and hospitality, utilities and government sectors and others.

    Read Also: Tecno: R&D touchstone of quality products

    It said the solution helps enterprises and contact centres reduce the number of agent hours while empowering the end-customer more than ever.

    CEM has evolved over time with the introduction of new technologies, devices and rise of social media platforms. Enterprises are now considering and investing on strategising their CRM roadmap by connecting and empowering user through its mobile phone.

    Traditional contact centres are also compelled to reshape their approach and strive for a strategic role in CEM that can get a pulse on customer actions and lifetime value.

  • Tecno seeks investment in youth devt

    Technology firm, Tecno Nigeria, has stressed the need for more investment in youth development.

    Its Marketing Manager, Jeff Tang,  who spoke during scholarship presentation to pupils in Lagos, said it is in realisation of the importance of youth development that the firm, through Tecno Foundation, is giving back to the society. He said the firm is desirous of building the future.

    The kids-centered CSR started in 2014 as one of the ways the brand gives back to its host communities.

    The initiative has made it possible for many pupils from public primary schools  to win scholarships and  other prizes. As is the custom, schools also got free educational materials.

    The theme for this year is: Give the Nigerian child a future.

    In the Lagos region, five schools were selected to participate this year; they include: Coker Primary School, Lagos; Ayanleye Memorial Primary School, Ogba, Lagos; F.A.C.M School 1, Lagos; F.A.C.M School 2, Lagos and Ebenezer Primary School 2, Ojokoro, Lagos.

    After an examination to select the best students, scholarships were awarded to five pupils from each school courtesy of Tecno Nigeria. There was also a party which brought pupils from over 30 public schools with fun, games and numerous gifts. The occasion was an avenue to highlight the musical and acrobatic talents of the children as there were live musical performances and cultural dance displays.

    The winners of the scholarship in Lagos include Murital Muiz from Coker Primary School; Michael Oni from Ayanleye Memorial Primary School, Ogba; Kwawou Veronica from F.A.C.M School 1; Adeshina Samuel Ayomiposi from F.A.C.M School 2; and Alade Abdul Azeez from Ebenezer Primary School 2, Ojokoro. Each of them received a N100,000 scholarship grant.

    Similarly, at the Palms Mall, Ibadan, Port Harcourt; and in Abuja, it was fun as the firm made sure that  the kids had a memorable  celebration.

    Scholarships were awarded to the best pupils in selected public schools and free Tecno smartphones were

  • Be careful online, experts warn

    Information Technology (IT) experts and stakeholders in the Communication Ministry and information communication technology (ICT)-related sectors at the weekend, in Lagos, warned internet users to be wary of what they do online.

    They spoke at the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum 2019, which had Enabling digital commonwealth for development as theme.

    The Executive Vice Chairman, NigerianCommunication Commission(NCC), Prof Umar Dambatta, represented by Chidi Diugwu, recalled that the Internet Governance Forum was established in July 2006 for policy dialogue on issues and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the internet.

    “However, to achieve an efficient and effective identification of potential challenges, implementation of policies and functional stakeholder engagement, there was a need to domesticate the activities and benefits of the Global Internet Governance Forum (GIGF). This is carried out through both the regional African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) and the sub-regional West African Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF),” he said.

    During the panel session,  experts urged internet users to be mindful of what they post online to ensure their safety.

    Issues deliberated upon include Cybersecurity and Trust: Enabling People-centered data protection and privacy regulations during the session.

    The Director, Cybersecurity,  National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr Dimie Wariowei, said what is uploaded online could be used for criminal acts.

    He said people use digital means to transact businesses, accessing banking through their mobile phones daily.

    He said there were a lot of challenges associated with such actions, hence, users had to be careful.

    Representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Emmanuel Edet,  said personal data protection was key to being safe online.

    Edet said there were different laws in the country that protect people’s data, hence, should be leveraged for full benefit.

    He said personal data should be protected so that they would not be misused by others.

    The Ministry of Communication said ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government would partner with stakeholders in ICT to curb the loss of billions of naira to importation of technology by ensuring digital inclusion for local internet initiative.

    Its Permanent Secretary,  Istifanus Musa Mik Fuktur, represented by the Director of ICT at the Ministry, Moni Udoh, said the Ministry, in conjunction with other parastatals, especially the NITDA, was set to curb  loss to technology importation.

    She said the target was to ensure digital inclusion for local internet initiative through education by discussing ways the internet can be used to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  • NCC mulls strategy to tackle fake phones, others

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)  is set with other stakeholders in the information communications technology (ICT) ecosystem to establish a Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) to combat unchecked import and use of unregistered, cloned, substandard, counterfeit, stolen and or non-compliant devices.

    It said these pose a threat to Quality of Service (QoS) and Experience (QoE) as well as security, among others, across the country.

    NCC Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Prof Umar Dambatta, at the weekend, said the proposed MDMS would have the capacity to facilitate the mandatory registration of all subscriber identity module (SIM)-based devices, block all stolen, counterfeit, illegal or otherwise substandard SIM-based devices from operators’ networks and interface with the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), tax authority, security agencies, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other relevant agencies to ensure full registration, payment of duties and taxes due on those devices and the protection of security and privacy of users in the country.

    Delloitte, in its 2018 Nigeria Cybersecurity Outlook, said cybercrime is estimated to cost the economy about  $500 million yearly.

    Consistent with the Commission’s regulatory mandate, several consultative fora were organised to enlighten stakeholders on the growing menace posed by the influx of cloned and fake ICT devices into the country.

    The stakeholders include the NCS, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), security agencies, SON, as well as equipment and solution vendors.

    He said after due consideration of input from stakeholders, the resolution was reached to deploy an end-to-end technology based solution in combating the influx of cloned and fake ICT devices into the country.

    “Essentially, the NCC and other relevant government agencies in Nigeria are going tough on fake devices. Therefore, the panel is expected to proffer seamless solutions to assist in eradicating the influx of cloned and fake phones and other devices, and curtailing the menace of existing cloned and fake phones and other devices on Nigerian shores. Cyber security is structurally composed of processes, technologies and practices devised to optimally mitigate the risks to computers, programmes, and networks, i.e. cyber crime,” Dambatta said.

    According to him, cybercrime evolves at a fast pace with malicious cyber criminals becoming increasingly more sophisticated and better organised using the same ICT infrastructure and systems that have made it easier for people to conduct e-commerce and online transactions, being exploited for criminalities.

    The Federal Government, being aware of the benefits of ICT to its citizens and the growing concerns about cyber security, therefore,  developed the National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy documents, and came-up with The Cyber Crimes ACT 2015, a measure to address the nation’s risk exposure in cyberspace.

    The NCC has provided the enabling environment for growth and a level-playing field for competition.

    “Counterfeiting is a global challenge that has elicited a common disquiet among stakeholders, especially in respect of the continued influx of counterfeit and illegal information communication technology (ICT) devices in both developed and developing countries.

    ‘’Nigeria is not immuned to this problem. The challenges posed by this menace are quite devastating, hindering the progress made so far in ICT usage and processes in terms of its economic, social, environmental and security impacts on the country,” he said.