West Africa
Nigeria Still Waiting on Federal Government’s Approval for 5G Deployment
Image sourced from the Verge. Nigeria’s final journey into the deployment of 5G technology is expected to begin sometime relatively soon, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The Guardian reports that the only obstacle to the deployment of the technology in Nigeria is approval by the country’s Federal Government. A previously existing obstacle, a supposed loose end, has recently been tightened by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Approval from the Federal Government is expected within the next few months. Nigeria’s Senate Approves 5G After two trials conducted by MTN and Ericsson in 2019, with the supervision of the NCC, Nigeria’s Upper Legislative Chamber, the Senate approved the deployment of 5G networks in the country. The Senate had agreed that the technological impact tha...
4 Exciting Insights into How E-Commerce is Creating Jobs in Ghana
In 2020, the unemployment rate in Ghana was at approximately 4.51% of the total labor force. The unemployment rate is the percentage of a country’s labour force that is without jobs but are available to work and actively seeking employment. This is an increment from 4.16% in 2018 and 4.22% in 2019. Graduates from tertiary education, all genders in Ghana was reported at 10,9874 Persons in 2018 and this number increases year on year. Maybe in comparison to other developing countries, this seems like it’s encouraging. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_2c7.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_2c7.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } However, if we take a closer look at the active labour force of Ghana which stood at almost 13-million in 2020, we begin to get a clear picture of how discouraging thi...
Risk Insights and Instinctif Partners Launch Nigeria’s First AI-Powered ESG Rating Tool
Image sourced from Kiguru and Associates. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_6d3.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_6d3.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } ESG (environmental, social and governance) data analytics company, Risk Insights, and Instinctif Partners, a strategic communications company, today announced the launch of ESG GPS Nigeria, the country’s first AI and machine learning ESG rating tool, developed by Africans for Africa. ESG GPS is based on global standards and bespoke to the country’s laws, regulations, and best practices. “ESG GPS uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to process unstructured data with structured financial information to provide a rating to a listed corporate. Risk Insights ESG GPS tool considers voluntary and mandatory disclosure, negative news ...
President Buhari’s Administration Facing Lawsuits Over Twitter Ban
Image sourced from Reuters. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_896.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_896.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } There are at least 2 large-scale pending legal suits that have been filed against the federal government of Nigeria over its controversial 4 June decision to indefinitely suspend access to Twitter in the country. Since the ban, the legality of the government’s decision has been widely questioned, and stakeholders in the civic space have seemingly begun moving to challenge the decision which has sparked national outrage and attracted international media criticism in the weeks since the ban. SERAP Seeks Legal Action /* custom css */ .tdi_3_622.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_622.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The Socio-Economic Rights an...
MTN Commits $1.5-Billion for Broadband Access Across Nigeria
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) MTN Nigeria plans to invest 640-billion naira (approximately US$1.5 billion) over the next three years to expand broadband access across the continent’s most populous country, in line with the federal government’s 2020-2025 National Broadband Plan and in support of MTN Group’s Ambition 2025 strategy. “Nigeria is one of our most important markets. We have a proud history of partnering with Nigeria and Nigerians to drive faster and more inclusive growth through digital transformation,” said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita after a three-day visit to Abuja and Lagos, in which he met a number of key stakeholders. These included President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo; Minister of Communications and Digita...
Nigerian Government Intensifies Internet Control Bid After Twitter Ban
Image sourced from CNN. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_1d7.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_1d7.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has begun ramping up efforts to regulate online media in Nigeria, just two weeks after Twitter was indefinitely banned in the West African country. Now, the federal government has asked that the House of Representatives pass a law that will enable the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to control all forms of internet broadcasting and social media. Many Nigerian users believe that this is but further attempts to stifle the country’s civic space – effectively crippling free speech and public dissent online. Nigeria Govt is asking House of Reps to amend the NBC Act and include “internet broadcasting”. That...
Award-Winning Synology NAS DiskStations Available NOW on Jumia.ng
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_7e7.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_7e7.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Synology today announces that DiskStation, its award-winning NAS server dedicated to data sharing and backup, is now available at the largest online store in Nigeria – Jumia. This announcement comes with a grand opening special offer: 10% on all items in the store. Synology DiskStation is an intelligent storage device connected to the home or office network. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_0bb.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_0bb.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } It helps users to store, secure, sync, share and manage their ever-growing amount of data. Synology products have become an essential device for power users and businesses worldwide, with various applications offere...
How VPNs Can Shield Nigerian Users from Government – An Interview with the VP of ExpressVPN
“Outrage as Buhari bans Twitter.” Image sourced from Reuters. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_fa6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_fa6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } 5 June, on a brisk Friday evening, the Nigerian government sought to indefinitely ban users in the country from accessing social media network Twitter. A decision based on the government’s reaction to the service’s deletion of a Tweet that was posted from President Muhammadu Buhari’s official Twitter account. In an official statement, the government declared that Twitter was “undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.” The Tweet in question, believed to have been posted by Buhari himself, had been referring to the bloody two-year-long Nigeria-Biafra war. A conflict that saw the deaths of an estimated one to...
Ghana Sees Huge Surge in Digital Communications with COVID Pushing Customer Experience
Image sourced from Goobjoob Education. To a large extent, enhancing the customer experience (CX) has been a game of catch-up for most organisations in Ghana, until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which significantly accelerated the uptake of digital channels by enterprises last year. As the pandemic drove consumers to avoid traditional physical interaction with brands, so many corporates were forced to move their services and products online. For example, many insurance companies that used third-party agents before the pandemic are now adopting digital channels at a significant rate. This is to allow customers to buy policies online, via Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) or through a mobile app or website. Not only was the adoption of digital channels significantly accel...
