The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ICT

  • TD to empower SMEs in ICT

    Worried by the rising costs of doing business and its attendant effects on start-ups in the country, Technology Distributions (TD) has unveiled plans to boost the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises(SMEs) in the information communication technology (ICT) subsector.

    The firm said it would work through a partnership, which will provide access to a suite of business support initiatives for the beneficiaries including financial management guide, mentoring sessions, business intelligence and credit facilities, among others.

    According to it, the initiative is in line with TD’s desire to help cushion the harsh effects of the business environment on SMEs and provide a platform for this vital sector to thrive as a means of contributing to the growth of the economy.

    The partnership with TDs, number one ICT distributors in Sub-Saharan Africa, will see the beneficiaries join TD’s network of resellers while allowing them benefit from the organisation’s wide presence and proven expertise in the areas of fiscal management, corporate image building and soft loan financing. In addition, the successful beneficiaries will receive special trainings and business guidance on multi ICT products being represented by TD as largest distributors on the African continent. TD enjoys prime status as authorised distributors for IBM, HP, Dell, Microsoft, Cisco, Lenovo, D-Link as well as smart mobile brands from Infinix, Techno and Injoo, in addition to a wide range of smartphones, tablets and other ICT devices. Furthermore, a quarterly review system will be deployed to gauge progress made by the new resellers and assess likely areas of improvement.

    “These are indeed tough times and the harsh operating environment is likely to impact more on small scale businesses. Access to funding is even more difficult now as banks are more skeptical about granting loans. This is why we have decided to help provide a way out for these businesses,” said its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mrs. Chioma Ekeh.

    “The role of small and medium scale businesses in the growth of any economy cannot be over-emphasised. This sector holds the key to generating wealth for the greater number of Nigerians and it is in line with these realities that we have decided to partner with them and empower them to take advantage of the limitless opportunities in the ICT business space and position their businesses for the future,” she said.

    With branches in major cities coupled with expansion into other  African capitals, TDs has forged a reputation for being the prime ICT distributor in the West African sub-region.

    Backed by its status as the pioneer manufacturer-accredited local distributor for the sub-region, TD has successfully represented a number of globally renowned brands which has helped maintain its position as the market leader.

  • Deploying ICT solutions for polls

    Deploying ICT solutions for polls

    Across the world, information communication technology (ICT) tools and solutions are being deployed to provide answers to human problems. It is now common to find ICT solutions in areas such as medicine, agriculture, commerce and even in churches and mosques. Experts have commended the introduction of permanent voter cards (PVCs) and the card reader for elections. They urge the Federal Government to fine-tune the tools to allow people vote conveniently, reports LUCAS AJANAKU.

    She woke up early last Saturday, prepared breakfast for her five children and headed for Salvation Army Primary School, Ayobo in the Ipaja/Ayobo Local Development Area of Lagos State where she had done her voter registration, collected her temporary voter card and voted at previous general elections.

    Armed with her permanent voter card (PVC), 36-year old Mrs. Esther Kokumo got to the school compound at about 8.15am. She met a long queue of people who wanted to do accreditation with their PVC using the card reader technology which the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) had introduced to enhance the smooth conduct of the election.

    When it was her turn to be accredited, she presented her PVC and her right thumb was placed on the machine which brought out all her data earlier captured during the registration exercise.

    “I spent less than three minutes to do it and returned home to join my children and to wait for about 1pm when voting proper was scheduled to take place,” she said.

    But reports from some parts of the country indicated that the card reader didn’t live up to expectation. For instance, at the polling booth of President Goodluck Jonathan, about four card readers were said to have failed to work in quick succession. That is however not to say the technology was a colossal failure as it was applauded across the country for performing so well and lending credibility to the entire process.

    Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, said:  “A card reader is a data input device that reads data from a card-shaped storage medium. The first were punched card readers, which read the paper or cardboard punched cards that were used during the first several decades of the computer industry to store information and programs for computer systems. Modern card readers are electronic devices that can read plastic cards embedded with either a barcode, magnetic strip, computer chip or another storage medium.”

    When the idea of the card reader was first sold to the Federal Government by INEC, it was bought with excitement but as the general elections inched closer, opposition to its use grew, especially from the ruling party which had earlier gave its approval to it.

    INEC had configured and distributed to states, over 154,000 card readers for the general elections.

    Experts in the ICT industry have commended the introduction of the card reader technology in the country, arguing that in spite of the little challenges that arose from its use, it should be fine-tuned with a view to making it work more efficiently.

    Both the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) and the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the umbrella body of telcos in the country, have urged the upgrade of the technology to a level where a registered voter in Lagos could vote in any part of the country.

     

    NCS’ position

     

    NCS said its position has always been that ICT tools should be sued by government institutions not only to save cost but also enhance efficiency.

    The body believes the country is ripe for electronic voting or e-voting, adding that the introduction of PVC and card reader is encouraging as it will one day dovetail to the use of e-voting.

    It said if e-voting is adopted, it is not only cost-efficient, it will also erase whatever doubts the electorate might have concerning the electoral umpire in terms of transparency.

    Its President, Prof. David Adewumi who spoke with The Nation said there is no basis why the country should not adopt e-voting which the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) have used a couple of time with great success.

    He said: “Our position in the NCS remains the same. We are ripe for e-voting. When you look at e-voting, it is no longer rocket science. The major requirement is the infrastructure, I mean the information technology (IT) equipment, capacity building. Then INEC must provide the purposeful leadership that is required to deploy the technology and consequently, e-voting. I think that is all that is needed. There no space science to that.”

    On the low level of computer literacy and personal computers (PC) ownership in the country, the NCS chief said it was no true that the level of computer literacy in the country was that alarming.

    According to him, the old people in the villages now use mobile phones, adding that keyboard of the mobile phone is even smaller than the ones on the PC. “Yes, the old people in the village now use mobile phones. So what is it about low level of computer literacy you are talking about? The key board for the mobile phone is smaller than that of the PC. I think what is required in this is determination to ensure it succeeds,” Prof Adewumi said.

    He urged INEC perfect the use of the card readers for future elections and embark on the training of its workers.

    “The lessons here are that INEC should train its workers; liaise with professional bodies such as the NCS for professional advice. Card reader has erased the problem of double voting or voting by people who did not register in the first place,” Prof Adewumi said.

    On the possibility of registered voters voting anywhere in the country, he said infrastructure and logistics may make this a wishful thinking. He added that the existence of mistrust among Nigerians may also be a stumbling block in the realisation of the goal.

     

    ATCON’s views

     

    President of ATCON, Lanre Ajayi said technology will continue to simply processes. He expressed delight that public institutions such as INEC have started embracing ICT tools and solutions.

    “I congratulate INEC for introducing the card reader technology into the electoral process. It has brought credibility to the entire process by eliminating the menace of ghost voters. INEC should take the technology further. Having said that, time has come for us to do e-voting in the country,” he said.

    He however said the dearth of infrastructure may make voting as easy as using the automated teller machine (ATM) card to make financial transactions impossible in the short and medium term.

    He said: “Making voting as easy as using ATM card is not rocket science. However, while ATM has infrastructural back up such as internet running on the network of telcos, the card reader does not. So, for this to happen, there must be 100 per cent connectivity to support it. Hopes are not lost because we are investing heavily in building infrastructure across the country. So, it is something that could be achieved in the not too distant future in the country.

    “Some states such as Lagos have achieved almost 100 per cent coverage. The pilot of such innovation should be run in those states to see how it works. But if we are talking about running it in the entire country, that may not be possible now for obvious reasons, especially network coverage.”

    Namibia became the first African country to adopt the e-voting technology with the Southern African country using it during her general elections last year

    The e-Voting Machines (EVMs) were acquired at a cost of 24 million Namibia dollars from an Indian firm which said the machines were equipped with technology that was designed to eliminate flaws and address the scepticism of some political parties questioning the transparency of that country’s electoral body.

    The machines have features such as candidates’ photos, political parties together with other information next to the casting button. Voters will just have to click on their preferred candidate or party during elections to vote.

    India also successfully used half-a-million EVMs of the same type during its 2009 general elections.

    The EVM was used to choose 96 members of Namibia’s National Assembly and one of nine presidential candidates, ranging from the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters to the white minority Republican Party. About1.2 million Namibians reportedly cast their ballots at nearly 4,000 electronic voting stations across the country.

  • ECOWAS court adopts ICT

    ECOWAS court adopts ICT

    The President of the Court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Community Court), Justice Maria de Céu Silva Monteiro  has inaugurated an information communication technology (ICT) based tool- Ecolink -aimed at enhancing the court’s operations.

    Justice Silva Monteiro said Ecolink is a new ICT-based administrative tool for the court, intended to serve as a platform to strengthen inter-institutional relations and cohesion while ensuring greater transparency in the pursuit of the objectives of the ECOWAS community.

    The court’s president, who spoke wile inaugurating Ecolink at the court’s headquarters in Abuja, assured that the full implementation of the system will enable officials in the ECOWAS Commission, community institutions and agencies have access to the same level of information.

    This, she added, will help to promote better management of the resources of the community and contribute to the realisation of the 2020 vision of the region for a citizen driven community.

    The Ecolink project is intended to help streamline business processes, improve control over documents, reduce manual processes and the use of paper, ensure faster information access, improve tracking of documents and provide a standardised platform for managing data across the ECOWAS Commission, institutions of the community and agencies.

    The court’s president said the project was in line with the provisions of the Community’s 1993 Revised Treaty, which encourages cooperation through science and technology for the socio-economic transformation required to increase the quality of life the citizens.  She said by adopting this IT based platform, the Community was following a global trend, which favours the deployment of IT to improve efficiency.

    Earlier, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Khadi Saccoh hailed Justice Silva Monteiro for the success achieved so far in the implementation of the project following the inaugural launch at the Commission on February 23 this year and the launch in the court two weeks later.

    She said with the successful inauguration of Ekolink, the court has entered a “new era of transformation of its management system that will impact on its judicial and non-judicial functions for the benefit of ECOWAS citizens.”

    “By improving the quality of support functions, namely financial, accounting and procurement processes, Ecolink will provide our Community’s judiciary with the required support for enhanced performance.”

    The project was launched last year by the new management of the Commission with the objective to transform the management systems in all institutions and agencies of the Community. It is being implemented in two phases with both phases to be completed by the end of this year.

     

  • Online course to help teachers integrate ICT

    The African Virtual University (AVU),  a Pan African intergovernmental organisation, is offering teachers  how to integrate Information Communications Technology (ICT) into the teaching and learning process an opportunity to do so online.

    The AVU, in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) officially launched a four-module programme tagged: “ICTs to Enrich Teaching and Learning Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).”

    Registration for the training is still open though the first module has already started.

    A statement online by the university noted that “participants will go through a variety of learning activities designed to help them improve.”

    In the first module, teachers will learn about ICT and how it relates to teaching and learning.   “They will learn about a process called S.A.K.E.(skills, attitude, knowledge and experience) that would help them personalise, apply and extend their learning.

    The second module, which starts on March 16, will focus on the role of ICT in teaching and learning as well as the cost and the pedagogical implications of integrating ICT in education.

    In the third module, teachers would be expected to apply ICT tools to enhance their teaching, learning and examine the benefit for an online teacher training.

    The final module will help teachers use ICT to improve their management skills and support administration in the classroom and at a school level.

    The AVU has a mandate to significantly increase access to quality higher education and training through the innovative use of Information Communication Technologies.

    Since its establishment in 1997, AVU has trained more than 43,000 students and established the largest network of Distance and eLearning institutions in 29 African countries.

     

  • Access Bank lifts women with ICT skills

    Access Bank lifts women with ICT skills

    As part of its capacity building initiative, the Access Bank Plc has concluded plans to boost the skills of women in the area of information and communication technology (ICT).

    The Group Managing Director of the bank, Herbert Wigwe, who disclosed this during the Women’s History Month Launch in Lagos, at the weekend, said the training would equip the women on the relevance of information technology. This, he said, would enhance their capability in information technology handling.

    He said the role of women in the economic development of the nation cannot be overemphasised, hence the need for the training.

    The programme was organised by the Public Affairs Section of the United States Consulate General, Lagos in partnership with Ideas Builders Initiative and Access Bank Plc.

    Wigwe said the training would last for a period of twelve months, assuring that the bank would upgrade the information and communication technology (ICT) systems to provide better services and build a more robust ICT platform as well as upgrade the branch networks and facilities to serve the growing number of clients and further improve the working environment of its staff.

    Besides, he said the bank hopes to develop its distribution channel infrastructure to provide better and more efficient services to clients as well as augment its working capital to expand its loan book in its medium term strategic objectives.

    Wigwe said as the Nigerian banking industry becomes more and more competitive, it would increase its market share by developing products that would offer better value and by showing better understanding of individual customer needs.

    While lauding the initiative behind the programme, the presidential candidate of KOWA Party, Prof. Remi Sonaiya, said the Ideas Builders’ Initiative, a nongovernmental organisation, deserves commendation for focusing attention on women, agriculture and rural community development.

    She also lauded the organisation for scaling up its women programme ultimately to make women succeed first as individuals before taking up other roles in the society.

    Of note, she said, was the organisation’s plans to extend its tentacles to secondary schools, a development, she emphasised, that was well thought out.

    The highpoints of the occasion was the launch of the ‘School Vegetable Gardening Project’ targeting public schools in the four geo-political zones of the country.

  • ICT skills vital for better opportunities, says New Horizons CEO

    ICT skills vital for better opportunities, says New Horizons CEO

    Managing Director New Horizons Nigeria Mr. Tim Akano has stressed the need for the acquisition of information communication technology (ICT) skills, arguing that such skills brightens the chances of a better future for the youths in the country.

    Akano, who spoke during the inauguration of a N50 million ICT Centre for the students of Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, said the world started with agricultural revolution, then followed by industrial revolution, adding that in the 21st century, it is ICT that is ruling the world.

    He said: “For any person to make great impact, he/she must have ICT skills. Whether you are studying nursing, business administration, accounting, medicine, biology, law and others, you need ICT skills.”

    He said the company has extended globally recognised IT certifications which are sought after by employers across all sectors to almost all the private universities in the last 10 years training over 50,000 students nationwide.  He urged the students to avail themselves of the opportunity presented by the resource centre by taking serious their coursework and strive to get the certification.

    “We felt that Adeleke University should not be left behind because the internet has turned the world to a global village. You will compete for employment with people from China, India, USA, etc even as the job market is looking for people with the requisite skills irrespective of where they come from. You owe it a duty to put Nigeria on the global stage. With your IT and e-business certification you can be a millionaire as well as an employer,” he said.

    Akano informed the students that  world economy is being ruled by the IT industry. He said: “60 per cent of the richest people in the world and USA in particular are in the ICT industry such as the founder of Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Twitter, and others who are billionaires. In the next 20 years, Nigeria’s crude oil will no longer become the major revenue earner. The services industry will depend on ICT for revenue and it is here you come in.”

    Its Vice Chancellor, Prof Oluwole Gideon Amusan, said it would enable every student irrespective of his or her discipline have minimum of four international skills certifications at 90 per cent subsidised rate, before graduation from the university. It will position them in global software development industry, e-banking, e-medical/telemedicine, e- government, e-legal administration, oil and gas as well as telecoms sector with attendant employment and self employment opportunities.

    He said:“It will provide skills that make our students more marketable and relevant to the demands of the job market. Today, ICT has made scholars to redefine literacy. Man will return to the Stone Age if ICT is removed from learning. Adeleke University deems it fit that all our students should have certifications in CCNA, Oracle, Java, Microsoft and other globally acclaimed IT and e-business professionals courses.”

    The school’s ICT Director/Head, Department of Computer Science Dr. Longe Olumide, thanked the governing council and management of the university as well as New Horizons, for the gesture. He said the ICT certifications will make the students digital natives, place the school at the top among the likes of Harvard University.  He urged the students to make use of the opportunity and entrench the young university among Nigeria’s leading institutions.

  • Pupil puts Africa on ICT map

    Pupil puts Africa on ICT map

    Managing Director of Readmanna Ventures, Mrs Edna Agusto, had reasons to be excited at the national awards programme for last year’s Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist National Championship held at Queen’s College, Lagos.

    One reason was that the firm secured a significant sponsor for this year’s edition of the competition.  The other was that her daughter, Olubunmi, became the first African to win on the global stage of the 13-year old competition last year.

    Olubunmi, a pupil of Day Waterman College, Abeokuta, won second place in the Microsoft Word 2007 category of the Certiport Microsoft Office World Championship after earning the highest score of 967 in the national edition of the competition last year.  She won $2,500 for her effort in the competition held at Disneyland, Carlifornia, United States.  Mrs Agusto described the success as a victory for Africa. She was particularly happy that Nigeria got recognition on the world stage after so many years of the national winners being denied visas to compete.

    “When Agusto’s name was called, all Africans in the hall became Nigerians and they started shouting ‘Africa, Africa’.  Thank you Bunmi for making us proud,” she said.

    Following Nigeria’s performance, Delta Airlines has offered eight return tickets to the 2015 edition of the competition holding in Dallas, Texas.

    An excited Mrs Agusto said this would allow the organisers fly all the six winners of the three categories (Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint) that would emerge from the national contest in Nigeria, as well as two teachers for the competition. Representatives of the airline were at the awards programme to assure that the promise was real.

    Seasoned Banker and Chairman of Main One Cable, Mr Fola Adeola, who chaired the occasion, added $500 more to Olubunmi’s prize money, bringing it to $3,000.  He challenged other pupils at the event to enter for this year’s edition of the competition and excel on the global stage so they could also win extra money like Olubunmi.

    “I will increase the $2,500 to $3,000.  That amount is to encourage the next African champion,” he said.

    At the event, Olubunmi got a laptop and printer for winning in Word 2007 category and a laptop for coming third in the Powerpoint 2007 category.  The 17 other winners and runners up in the Microsoft Word 2007/2010; Excel 2007/2010 and the Powerpoint 2007/2010 categories were also presented with laptops and printers.

    For the next edition, Mrs Agusto said candidates would only contest in the 2010 and 2013 versions of the Microsoft Office software applications as the 2007 versions have been phased out globally.

    She admonished secondary schools to register their pupils, as well as university undergraduates to participate in the competition, which is open to 13-22 year olds, so they can win Xbox One video games next year.

    The event also featured a talk by Mr Olalekan Olude Co-founder of Jobberman, an online search engine for jobs, and an ICT quiz competition in which the secondary school participants won the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

    Olude urged the pupils to think out of the box and be the best – like he did as an undergraduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University and was selected for an internship to work with Goldman Sachs. He said he earned up to N1million working at the firm during his holidays.

    He said the MOS competition would equip the pupils with skills that would separate them from the crowd.

    “What they are doing now will definitely stand them now.  One of the major problems that we see is that people lack soft skills and these are some of the soft skills required – ability to use presentation software, ability to be able use Excel and Microsoft Word.  And this would be a plus for them,” he said

  • 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.

  • Agency to build ICT community centres

    Agency to build ICT community centres

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will build Information Technology (IT) community centres nationwide to increase access to IT, its Director-General Mr Peter Jack, has said.

    The agency has concluded arrangement to kick off the project with about 48 community access centres, as pilot projects in the first quarter of this year.

    Jack spoke on the sideline during the public presentation of the Framework for Building a Knowledge-Based nation through Information Technology with focus on women and youths, developed by the Consultancy Support Services (CS2) Limited, in Abuja.

    He said the centre when fully in operation would assist in running other services such as voter’s registration, National ID Card registration as well as registration for various examinations such as the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in addition to being a training centre on ICT.

    He said: “If those centres are in a community it can provide e-government services to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Identity Management (NIM), JAMB, WAEC and others.

    “It can also provide relevant information on health, agriculture, like e-wallet system. It can provide ICT market in the community.”

    He explained how it would be achieved,  saying that he would not rule out the possibility of adopting the existing cyber café in the community. He reiterated the agency’s commitment to creating a robust package.

    “We have already had 48 pilot projects in our budget last  year (2014), and it will be implemented by the end of the first quarter of this year (2015),” he added.

    Jack said the agency was exploring ways of taking advantage of the opportunity created by the recent launching of the N200billion Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) fund by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost the realisation of the project.

    Presenting the framework, the NITDA chief called for inter-agency co-operation in an effort to build a knowledge-based nation through Information Technology (IT), adding that several initiatives of the agency had yielded the desired result due to lack of synergy.