The Nation Newspaper

Tag: technology

  • ‘We‘ll expand bio-bean technology to Nigeria’

    ‘We‘ll expand bio-bean technology to Nigeria’

    Arthur Kay is the founder and vice chairman of bio-bean, the world’s first company to industrialise the process of turning coffee waste into advanced biofuels and biochemicals. He is also a recipient of Shell’s LiveWIRE Innovation Award. Kay explained to reporters how waste from coffee grounds could be used as alternative source of fuel to power buses, saying:  “There’s nothing like waste, but resources in the wrong place.” EMEKA UGWUANYI  was there.

    How relevant is the project to a country like Nigeria where Shell has been operating for many decades?

    We’re launching bio-bean buses by using biodiesel to power 100 of London buses.Though this is currently used only in London, in future we hope to bring it to a country like Nigeria, where they drink about 275million cups of coffee a year. It’s a huge amount of coffee drunk in Nigeria, so the potential to apply a similar solution in Nigeria is massive. Naturally, what we try to do with this project is to do it here in London, but we’re thinking about applying the same concept in far different places and locations.

    What sort of energy challenges will this address?

    Bio-bean will address two key problems: the first is a waste problem, because, coffee drinking creates a lot of coffee grounds and in the UK alone we drink tens of tons of millions of coffee and that produces a lot of waste bags. That means a lot of waste out there, which is currently being sent to landfills.What bio-bean does is that we work with a lot of waste management companies and coffee factories to collect coffee grounds and bring them into our factory and thereby save a lot of Carbon Dioxide being sent to landfills. The second thing that we do is that instead of leaving them out there, we then turn those coffee grounds into a range of energy products such as pellets. So, what we’re launching today is to showcase how the alternative source of energy we created by diesel extracted from the oils of those coffee grounds and which were then blended to be used for London buses. In essence, there are two elements to today’s event, one is saving waste and the second is displacing conventional fuel and replacing it with renewal energy sources.

    Is the technology limited to arctic country like the UK, as not so much coffee is relatively drunk in Nigeria? 

    I don’t think it is limited. The bio-bean project is not solely about coffee or biodiesel, it is a broader insight into the context that there’s no such thing as waste, but resources in the wrong place. So, it is to get us to think of our waste and energy process as being connected. What that does is that it helps us come up with some great and bright energy ideas to solve them. Even if Nigeria is not a cold climate like the UK, they still drink a lot of coffee – 275 million cups a year – so it’s not a small amount, it’s a significant amount. So, there’s still an opportunity for a company like bio-bean to, one day, expand to Nigeria.

    What’s the quantity of coffee consumption in the UK?

    We produce about tons and tons, and there’s a lot of waste from that.

    How much of energy is that converted into in terms of powering buses?

    In London, specifically, it’s about 200,000 tons of coffee being drunk. That’s enough to power roughly one third of buses on the London network if we’re able to get our hands on every single cup dumped as waste. In essence, what we’re launching today is a smaller demonstration – working with the London fleet – of the potential of this idea and how it can be exciting if we unlock waste and see what we can do with it.

    What number of buses will it take off with?

    We’re currently producing about 6000 litres, that’s being blended with a lot of fats and oil as we’re working with some partners to produce that fuel. Of course, we’re supported by Shell which actually delivered that budget. To answer your question, it’s difficult to give a specific number of  buses, but when we use 6000 litres, that’ll be enough to power one London bus for the entire year.

    How soon will something to identify entrepreneurs like Arthur take place in Nigeria? 

    Shell has been very supportive to entrepreneurs in different countries to nurture creative ideas and I understand that in Nigeria as well, Shell is also working to identify entrepreneurs like me. I know that in Nigeria, just as in the UK, there’s the Shell LiveWire programme, which supports entrepreneurs and start-ups to come up with bright energy ideas in addition to helping them to run successful businesses.

    It was indeed through Shell LiveWire that one of our first products got a bit of funding in 2013. That was when it was just me with an idea. We’ve now developed two ideas since then and this is now the third product we’ve produced through the support of Shell. In terms of relevance to Nigeria, it is using that support that Shell provides and its networks in bringing this idea across.

    How cost-effective is it?

    Our main focus is on saving money for the producers of the waste coffee bags rather than just sending it to landfills. The thinking behind it is that to be environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be that costly.

    How sustainable is it?

    If we specifically look at this bio-bean project in terms of bus routes, if you take mineral diesel and compare it to second generation diesel, you have an 80 to 85 percent savings and that’s the figure from the recent Transport for London of June 2015.

    How much of cleaner energy can it deliver? 

    It’s pretty significant based on the Transport for London report.

    Considering that Nigeria has more buses by virtue of a higher population than the UK., does the amount of pollution being emitted make the country an attractive destination?

    Firstly, what we’re doing is to  prove the concept of bio-beans being a cleaner concept, a new technology and a new way of thinking about waste and demonstrating it in the market by working with Shell and our partners. Once we’ve proven it here we’ll be glad to expand it outside the UK and Nigeria will be a great place

  • Lagos’ L.A.P.H. initiative to ride on technology

    Lagos’ L.A.P.H. initiative to ride on technology

    •PPP to deliver 20, 000 housing units

    In its bid to reduce the three million housing deficit, the Lagos State government has signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) with a firm, Messers Echostone Development Nigeria Limited. The signing held a forthnight ago.

    The agreement was third in the series of JVAs signed under the Lagos Affordable Public Housing (LAPH) initiative aimed at constructing 20,000 housing units over a period of four years.  In 2012, the housing deficit in Lagos State was put at three million, while the national housing deficit was 17 million. To tackle the challenge, the state introduced the LAPH initiatives targetted at constructing 20,000 housing units in four years.

    According to Commissioner for housing, Gbolahan Lawal, the developer, Messers Echostone, under the agreement, is expected to build housing units in three locations within the state. They are: Idale in Badagry Local Government Area; Ayobo in Alimosho Local Government Area, and Imota in Ikorodu Local Government Area. The project will, however, commence with a 250 housing-unit construction in Idale.

    Lawal explained that the developer is expected to provide a total of 2,000 housing units comprising two-bedroom terraced bungalows and flats in the three locations. The developer will also produce infrastructure across the sites, which include: paved road network; safe portable water and water reticulation to each housing unit; electricity supply; street lights; car parks; sewage reticulation and green areas/playground.

    According to the Lawal, the project, which is expected to provide modern housing estates  comparable to the modern development, will be developed using technology that will ensure speedy delivery and reduce carbon footprint by 40 per cent in line with global climate change initiatives and efficient eco-friendly water and sewage systems.

    He explained the technology to be deployed in the project as the Echostone Housing System, comprising a specialised cellular lightweight concrete (CLC) material and a rapid and scalable construction process. The Echostone System, Lawal further said, combines “the “best-in-class” design, development and construction elements to achieve higher standards for communities”.

    “These projects in addition to providing decent and affordable housing for the citizens are also expected to considerably increase the value of all adjoining land thereby further economically empowering the people,” he said.

    Lawal revealed that to further actualise the project, the state has identified land in various locations across the state with the intention to collaborate with private investors under a JVA to provide houses for the residents. According to him, the land so identified will serve as the state’s equity while the private investor will contribute funding and technical expertise.

    He said the project is to underscore the intention of the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to ensure that the LAPH initiative impacts on every part of the state.

    “It is also the intention of Gov Ambode to ensure that development and urbanisation meet the citizens at their location. This we all know will reduce urban migration, density and over population in the metropolis,” Lawal added.

    It will be recalled that the state  in June last year, signed a JVA in respect of Ijora-Badiya with Messrs Brains and Hammers Nigeria Limited. It also signed another on Ikota with Messrs Multipurpose Infrastructure Development Company Limited (MIDC) and its subsidiary Ativa Riley Investment Limited (Aril) in October of the same year.

  • Fashola, surveyors and blockchain technology

    The mention of cryptocurrencies brings about diverse views globally. But when they are put aside, focusing on the evolution that is seldom associated with them becomes easy.

    The underlying blockchain technology, which powers cryptocurrencies, is worth a study. The application of this decentralized system fits perfectly into several use cases globally.

    In Nigeria, its potential use cases abound. It can be used to arrange transactions at the port or to raise funds for flood victims. Blockchain’s advent is truly disrupting traditional models.

    It could also be used for the housing minister’s suggestion to the Surveyors Council of Nigeria to make a national digital map.

    Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola recently urged the group to raise funds for the project. And that means work may have started on this project. Nonetheless, not privy to what may be ongoing, the concept of crowdfunding comes to mind.

    Blockchain’s smart contract feature is best known for achieving such a goal. For example, the surveyors run a not-for-profit group. Their financial position may not be strong enough to implement their sound idea.

    They need money to complete the map which will benefit the general masses in several ways. The map will serve security outfits, multinationals, ministries, departments and agencies. They can charge for its use to generate income.

    There comes blockchain-based initial coin offering (ICO). The crowdfunding method can help fund the project by issuing tokenized assets.

    Many Nigerians can invest in bits to support it and earn passing income with time.

    Transactions on blockchain are transparent. The system is tamper-proof and inputted data cannot be altered. The system’s openness promotes accountability.

    This aspect needs to be looked into. Cryptocurrencies should not be somewhat synonymous to a “get rich quick” means. Rather, a delve into identifying how the evolution they bring will improve us should be prioritised.

     

    • Olusegun Ogundeji,

    Barcelona.

  • Expert tasks businesses to leverage on technology

    Expert tasks businesses to leverage on technology

    Mr Tonye Cole, Executive Director, Sahara Group, has tasked entrepreneurs on the need to exploit technology for information gathering toward enhancing business opportunities and economic growth.

    Cole gave the advise at the Entrepreneurs Connect Forum themed: “The role of credit and technology in building a sustainable business” on Saturday in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Entrepreneurs Connect is one of the initiatives of The Young CEO that seeks to connect startups with business leaders from various sectors.

    The platform provides startups access to mentorship, grants and networking opportunities to help them scale up their businesses and command authority in their respective sectors.

    Cole noted that many entrepreneurs were not leveraging the internet to research diverse information that could catalyse and expose their businesses to global trends that would spur growth.

    “Startup businesses collapse because people have not done enough research into why they are going into business; they go into business because they see someone else doing it.

    “Every business school would tell you that most businesses fail in their first year, so to reduce the rate of this failure, you must spend time in conducting research so that you can avoid pitfalls that others went through,” he said.

    According to him, lots of financing opportunities are available to be explored by startups, adding that money is chasing entrepreneurs with innovative ideas.

    He commended the Federal Government on the country’s improvement on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking, adding that sustainability of the improved index should be enhanced.

    “The government can set a target and continue to build upon it, the ultimate is doing business registration and operating your business without seeing any government official.

    “The government should continue working that way because you do not need any government official to access money, pay taxes, access information and I believe that we will surely get there. It is a work in progress,” Cole said.

    He stressed that everyone and not just government has a role to play in contributing to easing the business environment in view of the immense benefits.

    Mr Michael Akintan, risk analyst, Bank of Industry (BoI), urged the entrepreneurs to keep proper business records and to explore the various financing products of the bank to upscale their businesses.

    Mr Aigbe Omoregie, Convener of The Young CEO, said that the initiative had been at the forefront of youth empowerment through its programmes and events.

    “Nigeria, in comparison with other West African countries, is by far a bigger economy with a teeming population of over 210 million, with the young unemployed people constituting a whooping 65 per cent of the number.

    “A large percentage of these young people are willing to work and create new business opportunities in their local communities but lack access to funding and mentorship from renowned business leaders,” he said.

    Omoregie noted that the platform seeks to bridge the gap of financing, mentorship and capacity building of youths between 15 to 30 years toward boosting entrepreneurship, job and wealth creation in the country.

    NAN reports that two beneficiaries in the fashion and agro-allied industry were awarded N100, 000 grant each to scale up their businesses.

  • Girls share science, tech experience

    The disproportionate ratio of men to women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has robbed women of opportunities in technology profession. Because of this gender imbalance, women are discouraged to choose career on these fields.

    How to bridge the gender gap and address the shortfall was the crux of discussions at the 2017 Science and Technology Fair held last Wednesday at Muson Centre in Onikan, Lagos.

    The event was organised by Dr Christopher Kolade Foundation (CKF) through its STEMMA Hands-on Empowerment (SHE) Initiative – an immersion programme aimed at offering girls from low-income and middle-income families an opportunity to experience science and technology in a simplified way.

    During a panel discussion by the pupils with the theme: “Girls for girls in Science and Technology”, the participants shared their experiences dealing with STEM education.

    Blessing Samuel, an SS 3 pupil of Omole Senior Grammar School in Ogba area of Lagos, said she would not accept the stereotype that tough science-oriented subjects were meant for only boys. This misconception, she said, had led many girls away from science and technology.

    Misturah Isiaq, a 16-year-old pupil of Estate Senior Grammar School in Ilupeju, said low self-esteem is the reason many girls abandoned science to embrace other disciplines.

    But, Eneh Abah, an SS 3 pupil of Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Grammar School in Ojodu, who switched from science to Arts-oriented class, said she did so to pursue her passion.  However, she praised SHE for impacting her life.

    “I strongly believe that everything I have learnt in SHE Initiative will always be part of me.  Right now I can create disco light, fire alarm, temperature, when I see devices I can tell the components that were used to make them. I can never forget them. When you see a SHE Initiative girl you know. It has really impacted on young girls. When I grow older, I will create an organization like Christopher Kolade Foundation to help young girls too. I know that girls can do it and we have to let the world know,” she said.

    Miss Soaniabari Luckyman of Ijeshatedo Senior Grammar School in Okota said she was studying science because she loved engaging her brain to find solution to difficult situations.

    The girls’ discussion enthralled the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, who listened with rapt attention as they explained how they developed interest in science and technology.

    Dr Adebule counseled the pupils to be Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-compliant, irrespective of their career choices.

    In her keynote address titled: “Building an inclusive 21st century workforce: The girl-child challenge”, Dr Adebule said there was need to continually change education curriculum and infrastructure to meet contemporary realities, given the switch from old skills to digital technology, robotics and artificial intelligence.

    She said: “For Nigeria not to be left out in the new world of inclusive sustainable development, economic prosperity and healthy environment, the girl-child of today who will become the expert woman of tomorrow must not be left behind in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

    “Innovation and technology have proven to be levelers for both genders with regards to jobs and productivity. Gone are the days when brute strength and stamina give advantage to the male folks and determine the kind of jobs that women can do.”

    Dr Kolade, who was represented by his wife, Beatrice, said SHE was designed to stir participants’ curiosity and interest in exploring science and technology, with the aim to change the stereotype around girls and science.  He said the beneficiary pupils would be equipped with life-long skills in science and technology, while also being trained on leadership, personal development and ethics.

    “The Foundation focuses on education as its key strategic initiative. Priority is given to promoting girl-child education, leadership, governance education, theological education and inter-faith relations. The initiative is guided by enduring legacy integrity, professionalism, ethical standard and continuous learning for which Dr. Kolade is known,” he said.

    The event also featured a panel discussion of successful women of Science and Technology including: Mrs. Bunmi Afolabi, Alumni Relations Director, Lagos Business School; Nkem Begho, CEO, Future Software Resources; Dr Abisoye Ajayi, Founder Pearls Africa Foundation; and Miss Omoka, CEO of Software Designer. They shared their career experiences in STEM, including the challenges they faced. They spoke about the reasons why girls should be involved in Science and Technology.

  • Pedal Power

    Pedal Power

    In Bangladesh, even the most remote rural areas benefit from information technology, thanks to an innovative concept favouring entrepreneurship over charity.

    By Shagufe Hossain for The Daily Star

    Sometimes, you have to take the mountain to Mohammed. Just ask iSocial, a groundbreaking programme that involves entrepreneurs delivering vital information and services to isolated communities throughout Bangladesh. In a gender-defying feat, the entrepreneurs are tech-savvy young women—who travel on bicycles.

    The programme’s roots go back to 2004, when Dnet, a nonprofit that uses information and communication technology for economic development, set up several Rural Information Centres. Villagers had to make their way to the centres, leading organisers to wonder: Why not save them the trip? The idea for “Mobile Ladies” was born: Women with cell phones began going village to village on bicycles, disseminating information, gathering questions and giving answers.

    Meanwhile, information technology was spreading throughout the world but largely bypassing Bangladesh—even today, only 38 percent of the population has internet access. So in 2008, the Mobile Ladies became Infoladies. Armed with smart phones, laptops, digital cameras and USB sticks, they give people in rural areas the opportunity to connect with the world. They also dish out advice on health and agriculture, and help villagers access government entitlements.

    The Infoladies are not employees, they are entrepreneurs who receive fees in exchange for their efforts. All hail from poor backgrounds but have up to 12 years of education; they are selected for their learning ability, communications skills and entrepreneurial spirit. iSocial provides training, but the women must invest in their own equipment and run their own business.

    Known as the Infolady Social Enterprise Limited, the initiative was rebranded earlier this year as iSocial, and the Infoladies became Kallyanis. As of this past spring, there were 60 Kallyanis bringing technology to 16 of Bangladesh’s 64 districts. To date, they have reached some 450,000 villagers. It is impossible to say who benefits most—the Kallyanis, the villagers or society at large.

    This win-win-win is movingly illustrated on the iSocial website, which includes a video relating the experience of 26-year-old Moni, who became an Infolady in 2010. Her story begins in the early morning, as family members begin to emerge from their small house onto the dirt courtyard. Moni feeds the chickens and tends to a pot cooking over an open fire; her husband, a carpenter, brushes his teeth at the water pump. The improbable sight of a solar panel on the corrugated tin roof hints at Moni’s profession: A reliable source of electricity is essential to power the equipment she uses for her work.

    She finishes her chores and gets ready for her workday, wheeling out her bicycle—a mode of transportation typically reserved for men. She pedals off into the countryside, her fuschia scarf floating above her green Kallyani tunic; a white baseball cap and an umbrella further identify her to villagers as an iSocial worker. Tied to the bike rack is a black bag carrying the tools of her trade: a smart phone and other electronics as well as various medical devices.

    Although it was at first difficult to win the villagers’ acceptance, they are now always delighted to see her. In a typical day, she might connect a wife to a husband or brother or son working overseas via Skype, help someone browse the internet or snap a family photo that she emails to relatives. She also carries devices that allow her to test blood pressure, measure glucose or albumin levels, and give pregnancy tests. She emails the results to medical clinics, saving villagers long trips that keep them from their work.

    In this conservative society, a man would never gain this kind of access to villagers. Many women won’t discuss their health problems with their own husband, let alone another man, and many will not travel to get the services they need.

    During the course of the day, Moni also holds meetings of the various groups she has formed. Each week, she has new presentations for children, teens, senior citizens, homemakers, laborers and farmers. The content for the sessions is provided by the centre, which also teaches Kallyanis how to form and lead the groups.

    Moni acknowledges that her work would be impossible without the centre’s training and support. While she must purchase all her equipment—from bike to laptop to glucose monitor—she can source everything from the centre, which arranges advantageous bank loans. They also assist with another important source of revenue: commissions on product sales. Kallyanis sell items provided by the centre (seeds, folic acid, sanitary napkins, shampoo, cosmetics) to villagers, and purchase villagers’ goods for resale at the centre.

    Kallyanis are typically 18 to 35 years old and can earn from $60 to $260 per month—more than the average male farmer. A proud Moni echoes entrepreneurs the world over when she said, “Everything is my investment, my labour, my qualifications, my time. So I don’t have to share my earnings with anyone. Whatever I earn, whether it is more or less, it belongs to me.”

    The innovative iSocial model has won several prestigious awards, but the programme’s directors know that as society and technology continue to evolve, iSocial must evolve right along with them. They are nonetheless convinced that the concept has matured to the point where it is ready to be rolled out on a much larger scale, nationally and even internationally. For now though, the goal is to have “one Kallyani in every community in Bangladesh” by the year 2020.

    http://dnet.org.bd/page/infolady

  • How to check software PIRACY —Microsoft chief Adeniji-Adele

    How to check software PIRACY —Microsoft chief Adeniji-Adele

    Technology is where the world is going and Nigeria should not be left behind. But the rising cases of piracy and breach of intellectual property are putting Nigeria’s plan to bridge the technological gaps in the country at risk. COLLINS NWEZE speaks to the Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft, Hakeem Adeniji-Adele, on what the company is doing to empower Nigerians and deepen the use of technology to achieve developmental goals.

    NIGERIA is not known to be technologically advanced country. People even think we are not even making an attempt. What are your thoughts on Nigeria when it comes to technology?

    I disagree with you that Nigeria is not technologically advanced. I beg to differ. Do we evangelise enough? No we do not. Do we have the capability? Yes we do. Do we have enough youths that can actually do what others do around the world? Yes. Do they have enough support? No we don’t.

    As a Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft Nigeria, I basically evangelise for technology in Nigeria.  We basically come into Nigeria and try to localise technology to the taste of Nigerians. I have passion for technology, and ensure we enable Nigerians with technology. We need to bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots. I do not think it is financial, it is more of technology.

    How do you see Nigeria in the next few years?

    We cannot really escape technological advancement in Nigeria. There has been a paradigm shift on the way many accounts are run. In Microsoft, there are three ways we are going to grow in this world. Artificial intelligence, mixed reality and hyper-computing. In mixed reality, gone are those days when you take pen and paper and begin to draw a house. What we do nowadays is to ensure we model it through and bring you into that reality.

    We cannot really do anything when it comes to health, education, transportation, even in government. You talk about nepotism and lack of transparency in government. How do we ensure that those that perpetrate them are eradicated? It is only through technology.

    Countries like Ghana, Togo, Liberia, among others, are using technology to plan elections. We have our census coming up shortly. If you are using technology, your fingerprint is unique to you if you are using biometric. If you ensure that census is technologically-driven, where you do not count more than two people, what happens is that you predict areas that need welfare in terms of the number of people there. You are going to predict as well, how many doctors you need in those areas. You do not need to do anything now without data. Data determines how you will govern the country. It will help drive how people are educated. It will also drive the wellbeing of Nigerians.

    Going forward, you talked about bridging the gaps between the haves and have-nots. As one of the biggest brands in the world, what are you doing to address the digital gap?

    We are one of the biggest and popular tech-brands in the world. We are also one of the innovative brand. Microsoft is not just a technology company. I want to say we are a lifestyle, because we tend to touch every facet of human interaction. The truth is that education will help to bridge the technological gap in Nigeria.

    We believe that for any technology company to make products for the next generation to use, it needs to start incubating them early. In Microsoft, we have several education products, from young people all the way to the university level. I also believe that education plays a key role in enlightening the people. We need more collaborative businesses between government and businesses. Those are some of the ways we can bridge those gaps.

    We partnered with the Federal Ministry of Health to do a lot of things. In Nigeria, the digital gap can be reduced with only one single policy. Right in Nigeria, the use of policy, like data sovereignty- saying no data should be domiciled out of Nigeria.

    I agree with Nigeria. But as a Nigerian, I also agree that Rome was not built in a day. And for you to make policies that will bring about technological advancement, you have to look at your environment. Most countries want to reduce that gap by ensuring that most of the things we do are done in a platform that does not need you to put in much capital expenditure. Using technology empowers more people to get more jobs. In Nigeria, we have issues with power, and keeping the infrastructure running.

    What are the challenges with knowledge transfer in Nigeria?

    We are democratizing technology. In the new world, technology should not be something you legitimize to use. It needs to be something that ensures that the lower denominator can also access technology. We have partnered some telecommunications companies, and we are also educating grassroots on technology usage.

    If you are saying that you cannot use computers because you are disabled, that is not correct. In Microsoft, you can speak to the computer. I believe there is no more barriers. In Microsoft, we call it accessibility. You do not need to have fingers to use a computer. You can speak to it. We help you to do anything normal persons can do. If you go to our Campus in Ciato, you will be surprised how many people are using simple tools to work. They are coding, they are speaking to technology. I believe that there is no more barrier to technology. You can talk to computer to do every single thing one can do with hands.

    For us in Nigeria, when you talk of knowledge transfer, I think it is about empowerment. It is about making sure that when we are developing technology, we take consideration of our ecosystem. I am not among those that think of bringing technology into Nigeria and forcing the people to use it.

    Now, the codes that doctors use in Nigeria, is the same they use in other countries. If you bring in a coding system from another country, you will not be able to use it unless you bring an expert to handle that. In Nigeria, it is about ensuring that we reduce the cost of ownership so that people can easily train those using that product.

    How do you handle piracy in the industry?

    There is need for us to work together with government to protect intellectual property. Let’s ensure that when you have built anything, we protect your intellectual property right. If everyone decides to make use of Microsoft for free, it will stifle growth. That is a big problem for us in Nigeria. Most people do not believe in intellectual property right. They believe that once you have created anything, everybody can just use it for free. Now, we have Windows 95. We also have Vista. If everybody around the world downloaded Vista and did not pay for it, you will not have windows 10 today. It is the money you pay that helps people to develop better products.

    If you go those shops in Nigeria, they will download the Microsoft operating system, for you for free. But what that thing should do is that when you have things like viruses, you are not protected. In Microsoft, we spend over $1 billion yearly on security to ensure you will not be attacked. When you download, you are exempted from being protected. It is not only a Nigerian problem.

    When the Wanacry virus came, more than 80 per cent of people in the United Kingdom were affected. People died. My point is that people with original Microsoft will be able to do more than those that use fake ones. If you buy things online, and you are using fake Microsoft, you are not protected.

    Through the $1 billion we spend every year, before they attack, we already know who the attackers are and where they are coming from. By the time the threats come in, it will quarantine it. For those that do not buy it in the proper way, they are not protected. If you have bought the right Microsoft, you do not need to buy anti-virus for your computers. You are stifling innovation. Do you believe that almost 80 per cent of software used in Nigeria is pirated?

    How far can Microsoft help to resolve these problems?

    We are already doing that in Microsoft. Part of the presidential order is for you to be able to access government services without paying bribe. The only way to do that now is to use technology. Now, government alone cannot do it. We have been partnering with Innovation Hubs where we train the youths.

  • ‘Technology, retail market future of insurance brokerage’

    ‘Technology, retail market future of insurance brokerage’

    The rise in technology and various distribution channels introduced by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to further deepen insurance sales and penetration is threatening the role and relevance of brokers in the industry. In this interview by Omobola Tolu-Kusimo, the Managing Director, SCIB Insurance Brokers Limited, Mr. Shola Tinubu, says brokers need to be creative to be part of the new business regime that will be created through retail business with the aid of technology,  amongst others. Tinubu is also the new President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB). Excerpts:

    What is it like being the NCRIB President?

    I think it is an honour to be given this type of leadership role where one is able to better implement some of the ideas and concept that one has been incubating throughout one’s career. For me, this position is very clear. It is not like the executive president of Nigeria or the executive governor of any state. It is a non executive position. I do not expect that this is something I am going to do alone, I am going to do it with a team but it means a lot to me that at this point in time that I have actually reached this position.

    As the new President, what is your vision for NCRIB and the brokage fraternity?

    Essentially, the core vision that I have for NCRIB is the type that stands as a strong institution  that can stand side by side with many of itspeers nationwide and even internationally. The standards for us are standards that we have been able to see and view. We are associated to the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) and many of the standards that they apply there are what we have continued to look at and imbibe bit by bit. If I were to explain it differently,it is for us to have a NCRIB that is in position whereby from year to year, presidents come in and go. But the institution itself will be there to talk to government on institutional and professional issues. It should be able to relate with government on the economy and all the affairs that affect our members because essentially that’s our focus.

    How do you intend to help your members maximise their potential towards achieving their set targets considering the role brokers play in the market?

    First of all, you must look at the future for broking; the future for broking is going to be strong in the corporate sector. However, retail is a big thing coming. Insurance penetration is going to be reaching its potentials for us in terms of retail. But you will find out that the broker is still relevant in corporate business anywhere in the world, no matter what. For instance, as big as Shell International is, they have a big insurance department with technical advisers on insurance, but they still use brokers and they will continue to use brokers in the future. They even have captive insurance companies they run by themselves, yet they still use brokers. Sometimes they use brokers to run their captives. We even have a situation where our Nigerian National Petroluem Corporation (NNPC) captive is run by a broker as at date. So the role for brokers in corporate sector will always be there. In the future, the growth of the corporate sector in Nigeria will only be limited to the growth of the economy itself. There’s a bit of saturation for the existing corporate sector and therefore it is only when that corporate sector grows with new companies springing up and the existing company doing better; that is when you’ll then see bigger roles for brokers. The role will always be there no matter what, but I suspect that role will be influenced by the speed in growth of other sectors which will be the retail business.  The retail business is coming around the corner and will be enhanced by the use of things like technology. What brokers need to look at is how they will remain relevant in the new market; that is going to explode because whether we like it or not, it is going to explode. It could be that it will be irrelevant in arranging technology platforms. Some entities that are not even brokers are arranging technology platforms for insurance. So why can’t brokers also be involved in doing so because we have an added advantage over them. They don’t know anything about insurance.

    What are the other developments to expect?

    Also you are going to see changes that you might not envisage because people love creativity. If you look back 15 or 20 years ago, you will find out that the market was playing a bit different especially with the advent of technology. So moving forward, we have to be prepared for the unknown and the organisations must be light on their feet. I also anticipate that there’s going to be the issue of regulation. Regulation is going to come and it is going to surprise us more and more because it is even trying to catch up with what is happening in the world. Presently, there is no regulation for doing internet insurance broking. But it will soon come out, otherwise we will have a space where people will do anything they like. So as things change, we are going to be seeing regulations role change as well. I believe that the future is extremely bright for brokers but there’s going to be effort that needs to be made in terms of creativity to be able to be part of the newly created business or those that will be created  in the years to come.

    How do you intend to re-direct your members to begin to take the retail business more seriously?

    At the national insurance conference this year, the speaker, Mr. Tony Elumelu, told us that capital goes to where it is welcomed. It’s very instructive and you can see it in many areas. If there is money in a particular area and people can see it, people will move into that business. If brokers are not moving into retail, its because they are not seeing money in it. Some of them are trying and burning their fingers. They are running around spending money to employ agents and they are not  getting enough money to be able to pay their expenses. So the real issue you are going to find is that if you have a medium that makes money, you’ll see people spend their time going there. But we haven’t even seen that. Even insurers have still not shown money coming out of retail. Many of them have tried; some of them have also burnt their fingers and stepped back a bit. Some  of the top five insurance companies have said they are not going to go that way no matter what anybody says. These are companies that have money to move in that direction. I think the real issue is creativity and innovation and I strongly believe that technology is going to be what will open one of the doors to that area. If you look at the success stories in Kenya or other countries, you will see technology playing a significant role. It is true that the regulator is looking for ways to deepen the industry and it’s not just looking for a way out on the broking side but the entire industry.  The regulator is looking at what can loss adjusters, insurers and brokers do to help that mission. I think it is their major mandate as NAICOM to try to do that.  What we want to do is to work hand in hand with the regulator to be able to see how the regulator can be a facilitator or a catalyst for this business to happen.  To be able to show  people where it makes sense in terms of making more money. No entity, whether insurance company or broker is going to move into a business just because they want to deepen insurance penetration in Nigeria. The business must make financial sense and that’s why we need to get a model that works and I think putting our heads together, some of those things will happen.

    What are the challenges brokers are facing?

    Brokers are not immune to the general problems in Nigeria- political, economic and the likes. More recently, the economic challenges that we had as a country has been a blessing. Sometimes if we don’t have the challenges or if your challenges are not too significant and abrupt, it is a tendency that does not breed creativity. For example, we have always known that we should be concentrating on agriculture but because of the challenges in the past few years that caused a change, people now say let’s look at agriculture better. The price of oil collapsed and everybody is now concentrating to look at things that have always been there. So it occurred to me that on the economic side, the challenges that the brokers have faced is diminishing market.  Many of our clients have started running into challenges. Some closed down, some were not even able to pay their premiums and many more issues. We started competing for the diminishing of the corporate market and therefore to address that we need to be able to open up on businesses like retail or the alternative market.  One of the things that brokers also need to do is product development. We need to key into product development. Insurers need to do it as a core for themselves but if they don’t do it definitely brokers should now wake up. We are only selling insurance products but when they refuse to develop new products then maybe we should develop those products for them. This does not necessarily mean creating a product that has never existed. It may be just putting together something that exists elsewhere but is relevant to the market here. We have people now thinking of cyber risk but we are not looking out selling cyber risk. But cyber risk insurance is there, it exists. Some part of it are inside the normal crime policy and money policies that we have but its about extending it to be able to do more and allay the fear of the market. So product development will do that. Our brokers are also looking at regulation. The cost of regulation, not just directly monetarily but in terms of the amount of time that is taken to be able to meet required and genuine regulation.  This is something that we need to address immediately but I also think that technology is something that would assist in that area and it is also something that we would be  looking at.

    Do you think insurers are doing enough to support market development?

    Well I don’t know any example of those kinds of areas. Most of what brokers want to sell are insurance products. It is true that we have some consultancy and risk management services but most of our products are sold through black market and they want their market to grow.  What I will do as the new president of the NCRIB is to work together along with our Executive Secretary, the new president of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), the chairman of the Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA), NIA Director General, NCRIB CEO and the Institute of Loss Adjusters. This time it will be with action in our spirit. We have had discussion in the past but we haven’t had a floor where we are operationally working together to move some of these industry objectives. The tendency is that when you talk and go back, you’ll concentrate on your core objectives  of your own group. Sometimes at the expense of the global objective and  except  you have a group working together  continuously looking at that, you will not achieve anything.  We have now made a commitment to work closely together and report back to all the bodies that we belong to.

    Insurance is evolving with technology. With the introduction of the new distribution channel by NAICOM, would you still say that brokers still have a job or would have a job in the future?

    Well, I understand where that thinking is coming from because I can see that there is a creation of a channel by the regulator that seems not to have encouraged the broker participation on that channel. This is one of the issues raised at the national insurance conference in Abuja where we had an open forum with all the parties there including the commissioner for insurance and the brokers were able to respond.  At the event, the commissioner made his point when he said that if it is true that this particular channel that has been created has not encouraged brokers on, it is not the only channel. He said we should get up and be creative, noting that we can create retail channel as well. I think that sometimes when you are pushed to the wall, you can decide to go on your own. So when the business begins to roll out of this channel more than even the channels that have been created, it may now be a situation where people begin to think and now come to your channel or continue to buy from both. This is because the insurance penetration is so low that you will find out that you are going to look for various ways of making the connection with the eventual client. So I try not to see things from negative perspective but I look at opportunity that rises from it. One of the things I said is if anyone has ever been at retreat, every time you are trying to do your SWOT analysis, 90 percent of what you see as threat also come up with opportunities. Some people see NAICOM as a threat and they are managing it as a threat. If you look at it from the other side, you will realise that there is an opportunity. We are going to build a good relationship with the regulator. Some people are saying this is difficult. I don’t agree because if you don’t understand what NAICOM wants to achieve, you may not be fully appreciative of the way they are going about their goals. But if you understand the way they want to go and alien with it, you will find them even aliening with you more because you are the one that is even getting them to their goal post better than they may be thinking they want to get on their own.

    Some industry observers have expressed worry on the issue of rate cutting. How are you going to help reduce or eliminate the menace?

    It came up at insurance forum at Abeokuta where we were discussing and we were actually challenged by the paper presenter who wasn’t an insurance person a technology person. He just couldn’t understand some of the things we were doing. Let it be clear which is part of one of the things the presenter said, it is first of all not the regulator’s job to manage rate. It is the opposite of their responsibility for a regulator to be looking at managing rate up. Their responsibility is to bring rate to the lowest possible position. Other regulators are doing it. For instance, telecom regulators are trying to make insurance telephoning cheaper. There is nothing like Glo’s rate is cheaper and they want to punish Glo. Their concern is that If Glo can do it cheaper why not MTN? This is what they do and that is the job of a regulator. It is not to protect the pricing of the large fat cat enterprises but to ensure that the insuring public gets value for money. So on the qualitative side, NAICOM has right to ensure that companies are solvent and are doing the right thing as well as ensure that they pay claims. If any company likes, it can sell insurance at zero premium but it must pay all claims at a point in time. Going back to the issues as you have presented it, in my own opinion, it is very rare for you to find anything called rate cutting. Meanwhile, you have to get the definitions of rate cutting, assuming that there is a specific rate you shouldn’t go below which has been signed off like a bible by the industry regulator. So the bible has come from heaven, this is the rate and anyone that goes below it is has engaged in rate cutting. But when there is no such bible or when there is no such rate, what can be done? The question also is, have you ever heard or seen any individual accused and punished for rate cutting? Why it can’t happen is because it is an emotional matter. it is not looking at something that is really cogent and until we now go back to our statistics and ensure that we can find out what appropriate rating is supposed to be, and advertise it, people will start moving towards the rate. This is because you have made them know what the scientific rate is supposed to be then us being to move as close as possible to it because if they go below that it will be a problem. So what we said at the conference is that, the same group of people are going to meet. The people are the new Director General of the Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA), Chairman of NIA , ILAN President and I as the new NCRIB President, NCRIB Executive Secretary. We are going to look at the issues properly and then come up with solutions to them.  I believe where it is going to end up is for us to understand what rating is supposed to be and move into trying to make people know what it is. I studied Actuarial Science in school and I thought I was coming to the industry to crack the numbers so that we can tell people exactly what the pricing is. During my youth service year, I went to various schools as part of my primary assignment to tell them about our vocation and what subject they need to choose to be able to study like insurance etc.

    Insurance industry has witnessed significant reforms geared towards improving customer services to enhance the image of the industry. What is your assessment of the reforms so far?

    If you take 2006-2007 as a base year, that was the time when things started happening, it was a good move by the powers that be at the NAICOM. It was always very difficult when claims are made, we find ways to avoid paying such claims without saying we would not pay. We had recapitalisation of the insurance companies and the entities became stronger. They were able to invest in their work and processes. They hired qualified staff and management to drive the company. We no longer have this bad stigma called small print in the industry. You cannot find any insurance company that would not respond positively to claims payment. It is no longer thug of war, it is getting better. Heavy claims that would not have been paid are now being paid without delay. You remember the Nigerian Bottling Company policy worth billions of naira, the industry rose up to their responsibilities and paid the claims.  The market has changed significantly because of the recapitalisation that took place in the industry. In terms of the recapitalisation, the commission was the driver of the process, they did it well and in the end, all the insurance companies that wanted to remain in business either funded it or form partnership and merged. There are quite a few of them that pulled their resources together and it was good for the industry. However, organisations should not be dictated to by the regulator on capitalisation, the practitioners and the company themselves know the type of risks they write and the funds that are required. Don’t forget they also have additional capacity, by way of reinsurance. When you insure and reinsure you are more or less buying additional capital from the reinsurers to add to the capital that you have on ground so that you are able to meet your claims obligations to the customer. If you know the risks you are writing, you should be able to know whether the capital that is available to you matched the risk, if that is the case you know how to seek for additional capital either by way of rights issues or any other form of raising capital. It should not be imposed by regulatory fiat, it should be that those running the business should be able to determine the level of capitalisation needed to enable them drive the process and market penetration.

  • We’re investing in technology, says Wema Bank DMD

    We’re investing in technology, says Wema Bank DMD

    Banking is gradually moving away from the banking halls, with banks and customers doing everything to ensure that face-to-face transactions are reduced to the barest minimum to cut cost and ensure efficiency. That explains the huge investment most banks are making in the digital banking space and technology. Wema Bank’s Deputy Managing Director Ademola Adebise  says the bank is playing big in the digital space because it realises that it’s where the future of banking lies. He speaks with COLLINS NWEZE on the Alat, a fully digital platform and how it is promoting financial inclusion, especially among the youth. 

    Digital banking is becoming more attractive to banks and their customers. It is catching the attention of everyone thinking of speed, efficiency and cost saving in banking.

    At Wema Bank, the launch of Alat, the first fully-digitalised banking in the country, where accounts opening, card issuance, documentation  and transactions take place without any physical contact between the customer and the bank, was a turning point in its digital banking journey.

    The bank’s Deputy Managing Director, Ademola Adebise, explained during an interview in Lagos that Alat is defining the pace in digital banking with over 100,000 customers on the platform. He said the lender early last year reviewed its marketing strategy to grow its market share and reduce cost of deposit, adding that after the exercise, it was what it needed to appeal to the youth, young professionals, and the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

    “Based on the focused sessions that we had, there is this group of people that do not want to visit the bank’s branches. They want to be reached through digital platforms. And in Nigeria, over 100 million people have mobile phones. We thought it was very important for us to carry out that number of research. Of course, we came up with the Alat platform, developed here in Nigeria by Nigerians.The whole idea of Alat is to have end-to-end transactions without visiting a bank’s branch,” he said.

    Continuing, he said:“Today, we have over 100,000 customers on Alert. One beauty of it is that it relies on having a Bank Verification Number (BVN). These 100,000 accounts we are talking about are unique customers. So, basically, we are making a lot of progress. We just launched the Version 2, which is an improvement on the first version. It tries to appeal to the lifestyles of customers.

    “Someone wakes up in the morning, goes to the office, and then to the canteen, and to the supermarket to buy provisions. We have developed the Alat to be part of people’s lifestyles. It comes on the improvement on the goals. A lot of people want to save, but lack the commitment to save their money. The Alat helps you to save your money. The version 2 gives you a lot of flexibility on the savings that you are making.”

    According to Adebise, the banking platform also helps the customer to easily know what he/she is spending on feeding, tuition, and allows the customer to create a dollar virtual account needed to make purchases on e-commerce sites abroad.

    “Basically, alert is changing the banking landscape. It is the first fully digital bank. Digital, in the sense that, you are not touching any form of paper. You are not filling any form to open an account. All you  just need to do is to get onto your phone with basic information like your phone number, BVN, and other information. You have to download your utility bill, download your photograph, and your means of identity and send it to the bank. The bank has an operations unit at its back-office, where they do the necessary Know-Your-Customer that needs to be done,” he disclosed.

    He continued:“You can also request for a card, the first one on alert is free. A number of them, you do not need to go to the branch to activate your branch even as your card will be delivered to your residence or place of work.”

    Explaining further, he said a customer downloads the app through the apple store, or Google play store. “Once you download, you initiate account creation. It will ask for your BVN, phone number used in registering the BVN. Then it will immediately confirm you and creates an account for you. The account it creates for you allows you to do a minimum amount of transaction, and makes you step up to a  higher transaction volume when you complete your Know-Your-Customer (KYC) form. It goes to the first KYC tier, which allows you to do about N20,000 a day. And if you want to do more than that, it requests you to download your means of ID, or photograph. Once you download that, the bank will initiate a KYC and a KYC agent will go and confirm the address of the customer,” he said.

     

    Funding the Alat Account

    Adebise said the opened account can be funded through another bank or even from abroad. “However, we understand that whether we like it or not, we are still largely a cash environment. You can still walk into our branches to pay, if you have to. From the Alat account, you can then carry out the transactions seamlessly,” he said.

    Continuing, he said the bank is investing heavily on technology. “The whole objective for investing in all these platforms is to create convenience for our customers and reduce cost of service to them.You can imagine the cost of setting up a new branch, cost of employing staff and putting everything together. It is quite expensive. But on the mobile platforms, your initial investment may be high, but overtime, your cost to serve a customer will drop,”he said.

    He added:“You can imagine if I have a million customer on alert. You know that as I increase the number of customers, the cost to serve the customers goes down. The same cost I will use to serve one million people is what I will use to serve 100,000 people. So, really, that is the beauty about it. Initially, there will be some cost we are going to incur, but overtime, it will begin to make a lot of sense. The major thing is that if you do not make that initial investment, where will you be? You will be out of the market because your competitors are also spending as much on technology. For us, it is spending wisely to ensure that we are able to reap the benefits in the future.”

     

    Staying ahead of competition

    Adebise said: “To stay at the leading edge of technology, for us, is to take a deliberate strategy. Alat is a journey. It is not the end of the story. We released version 2, which is an improvement on version 1. Version 2 largely deals on lifestyles, convenience, improving on what competition is doing. We are moving from acquisition to intention strategy in which case, yes, I have a customer on my platform, how do I continue to keep such customer so that he does not drift into competition?”

    The Wema Bank DMD said the bank is taking security very seriously. “The BVN project has been largely successful. It means that for you to properly serve your customer, you also need to identify the customer.The BVN has a lot of opportunity. It allows you in your lending process to ensure that you are lending to the right person. It allows you to know that you are dealing with the right person and to keep track of those trying to defraud the banks. If you remember, there was no database for credit bureaux previously. But today, we have credit bureaux. If I lend money to a customer, the first thing is that the customer approaches me I will find out if he has loan in any other banks. If you try to create another BVN, the system will deny the request because it is biometric,”he said.

     

    Competition with FinTech

    The Weman Bank DMD also said the bank is collaborating not competing with Financial Technology (FinTech) firms. “I think we should see it as how do we build an eco-system. Yes, I have my customers. The FinTech has their products. They will need to access my customers and we need to collaborate. It is not an issue of whether they are taking over or not. And mind you, the business of banking is regulated.The Central Bank  of Nigeria (CBN) is charged with the responsibility of regulation. But we cannot rule out the threat presented by FinTech and any forward looking organisation or bank must identify the areas of collaboration to build the ecosystem. You cannot be competent on everything.”

     

    Return on investment

    He said banks are in business to create shareholders’ value. “Intermediation is basically the business of banking,” he said, adding:  “What that means is that you are taking from the area of surplus and giving it to the area of deficit. And in the process of doing that, you have to be able to ensure that you cover your cost. If I have collected funds from ‘Mr A’ and given it to ‘Mr B’ I cannot give it to ‘Mr B’ lower than what ‘Mr A’ collected. So, I think you should look at it from a holistic view. We look at banks as being responsible for the high cost of funds, but it is an interplay of so many factors, that you need to put at play. If the interest rate is low, of course,  lending will also be relatively low. But if interest rate is very high, definitely, lending will also be very high.”

     

    Lending to Alat customers

    The bank chief said the bank will soon begin loan extension to Alat customers. “Today, we do only deposits. That is why I said Alat is a journey. There are many things in the pipeline. Very soon, we will go into lending. Imagine lending to you without you having to come into the banking hall? That is what is going to happen in a couple of months,”he said.

    Adebise said he would like to improve on the economy. He said:“One key aspect to achieving that is being able to support  SMEs. And  SMEs must also be able to access loans at very reasonable rate. If at this point in time, government is borrowing from the system, that means that the private sector has been crowded out. Imagine if you want to invest in Treasury Bills at 16 to 17, 18 per cent, how do you expect to borrow from a bank at the same rate? And given that banks are not paying Treasury Bills rates as interest on deposits, you may pull out your funds from the banks and invest in Treasury Bills.

    “So, I think the government is doing quite a lot to bring down interest rate, at the same time there is also the aspect that has to do with managing exchange rate. Yes, interest rate must come down, but we are beginning to see that forex stability in the system, we can see lower interest rate.”

    Wema Bank, which now operates a national banking licence, according to Adebise, is planning to make new expansions in different regions of the country. “We were a national bank, we moved on to be a regional bank because we did not have the capital base. But immediately we recapitalised, we had two schemes of capital raising, which made us to return as a national bank. We got our national banking licence in 2015. Between  2015 and now, we have been rolling out in other areas.

    “With regional banking, you can only operate at two geo-political locations, we operated in the southwest and southsouth, and Abuja. But immediately we got the national banking licence, we are planning to open Aba and Bauchi branches. Kano is also opening in November,”he said.

    The bank’s inroad into digital banking, he said, will help it to reach customers in areas not yet covered with physical branches. “What we decided is that we need to be in some locations, but we will not be bullish in rolling out physical branches. And we just decided that to do just few branches. We have identified Aba, Onitsha and Enugu. Bauchi, Kano, Lokoja, Niger and Kogi for the north. And we will continue to drive our operations through digital platforms. Physical presence is important, but relatively today, it is not as important as the digital space,” he stated.

     

  • Wisemart: Technology creating family gap

    The Business Manager, Wisemart, Omolara Atunwa, has said the development of mobile technology is weakering  fmily bonds.

    Speaking with reporters in Lagos at the weekend, she lamented that children’s absorption with technology, from texting to playing video games, limit their availability to communicate with their parents. According to her, a study found that when working parents get home after work, the children usually get immersed in technology such that they hardly acknowledge the presence of their parents.

    “Another study reported that family time was not affected when technology was used for school, but did hurt family communications when used for social reasons. Children, who spent considerable time on popular social networking site, indicated that they felt less supported by their parents.

    “As digital immigrants, parents can struggle to gain proficiency and comfort with the new technology that their digital-native children have already mastered. This divergence in competence in such an important area of children’s lives makes it more difficult for parents to assume the role of teacher and guide in their children’s use of technology.

    “Because of the lack of mastery of technology on the part of many parents, they lack the authority, at least in the eyes of their children, to regulate its use,” she added.

    She said computer and mobile technology have provided children with independence in their communications with friends and others, stressing that in the past, if kids wanted to get in touch with their friends and wanted to do that via telephone, it was through the landline, which parents will be available to pick.

    “Thus, parents had the opportunity to monitor and act as gatekeepers for their children’s social lives, but times have changed. New technology now offers children independence from their parents’ involvement in their social lives through the use of mobile phones, instant messaging, and social networking sites. Of course, children see this technological divide between themselves and their parents as freedom from over-involvement and intrusion on the part of their parents in their lives.

    “There is little doubt that technology is affecting family relationships on a day-to-day level. Children are on instant messaging platforms constantly checking their social media, listening to music, surfing their favorite web sites, and watching television or movies. Because of the emergence of mobile technology, these practices are no longer limited to the home, but rather can occur in cars, at restaurants, in fact, anywhere there’s a mobile phone signal,” she said.