Search results for: “Lagos State Government”

Mafab (Mcom) Demos its 5G Service to Lagos Business Community, Telecom Subscribers

Forty-eight hours after it made history with the launch of its 5G Network in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, Mcom (Mafab Communications), has introduced its services to the business community in Lagos.

Mcom logo was also unveiled at the event held at Oriental Hotel, today, January 26 2022 with government officials, industry players, vendors, media and telecom subscribers in attendance.

| Mcom Logo

“Lagos is not just the commercial nerve center of Nigeria, but also a prime destination for tourism, sports, entertainment and culture. And the future is now even brighter with more exciting prospects and possibilities with the digital play of Mcom 5G Network”, Dr. Mushabu Bashir Chairman of Mafab Communications Limited, said in his speech.

“Mcom 5G launch marks the beginning of immense opportunities for the country to achieve infinite possibilities with a purpose of enabling connectivity for a digital future”.

As the second operator to launch 5G in Nigeria, Mcom expects more coverage for Nigerians and acceleration of broadband services.

“Putting things in proper perspective; Mcom will play a major role in advancing new technologies that will push Nigeria beyond just being a consumer of technology but a country playing an active role in developing and implementing new technologies.

| The Guests

“It will also enable our country take its position as a global technology hub in Africa and the world at large. You may have heard it before, but it bears re-telling that the 5G network will usher into this country a wide array of business opportunities, wherein various business outfits will expand their frontiers with operational ease and speed, especially in the fields of education, medical sciences, engineering, security, businesses like the banking sector, SMEs, smart cities, transportation, entertainment etc., and allow Nigerians meet the long-term goal of ensuring that everybody is connected”, Dr. Bashir, said.

Mcom to roll out in Six Cities:

“Our plans are quite ambitious and realistic. With the initial rollout in 6 cities, Mcom plans rollout additional sites and cities across the country”.

TechEconomy gathered that the cities are located in Abuja (FCT); Lagos, Rivers, Enugu, Kaduna and Kano States.

“It is no secret that the countries that are able to provide their citizens with the latest network infrastructure which the 5G technology represents, will also be the ones that thrive in the coming years. They will be the ones that will stay competitive and the ones who will lead in innovation in addition to bringing socioeconomic benefits to her citizens. And so, I can declare that with the 5G infrastructure, our future as a people and as a country is remarkably bright.

“The 5G technology is not just a mobile network but represents a new culture, and a new era of connectivity where billions of devices exchange data and instill intelligence in our everyday life. It creates new, intelligent systems; and it can help to develop new advanced manufacturing models. I cannot forget to mention the prospect of increased job opportunities as a consequence of the value-chain benefits, the technology will generate and offer. This is the dream we have all gathered here to launch today”.

Congratulating the company, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, commended the Chairman of Althani group of which MAFAB is a subsidiary.

“Though relatively new in the telecommunications industry, MAFAB Communications Limited has recorded a milestone achievement in the tech space through the launch of the 5G Network. I want to commend the management of MAFAB Communications for working hard to deliver this next level technology that out guns the 4G network by a very wide margin and as such its capabilities exceeds expectations.

| Hakeem Fahm, the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Lagos State, representing the Governor

“It is a fact that the contribution of the telecommunications industry has been a significant economic driver for Lagos State in particular and Nigeria as a whole, contributing more than $70 Billion and helping to create over half a million jobs.

The Governor represented by Mr. Hakeem Fahm, the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Lagos State, said that the prospects of what the country can accomplish with the 5G network, which is next level technology, fill him with high hopes for the future of the different sectors of the economy, most especially the Security sector.

During the demo session, Adebayo Onigbanjo of Mcom said they have prepared grounds for commercial launch after which the subscriber identity module (SIM Card) and the Customer premises equipment (CPE) popularly referred to ‘router’, would be made available to subscribers.

| Special invitees at the Mcom 5G launch in Lagos

He said the technology will major role in advancing new solutions that will push Nigeria from not just being a consumer –nation, but will put the country on the pedestal of playing an active role in advancing and implementing new technologies.

The Mcom 5G demo session proves truly that 5G can be significantly faster than 4G, delivering up to 20 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) peak data rates and 100+ Megabits-per-second (Mbps) average data rates.

5G has more capacity than 4G. 5G is designed to support a 100x increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency.

Onigbanjo said the Company which seeks to leverage the expertise of vendors, colocation and InfraCo operators, will continue to advance its technology for quality service delivery to the customers.

January 26, 2023
21st Century Technologies Commissions Digital Expert Academy in Lagos

“Digital Expert Academy promotes U.S.-Nigeria collaboration in Tech” – Consul General Will Stevens

L-r: U.S. Consul General Will Stevens; U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer Joe Kruzich; with Chairman & CEO, 21st Century Technologies Group, Wale Ajisebutu, during the official opening ceremony of the Digital Expert Academy in Lagos on Monday.

Today, the United States Consul General Will Stevens joined representatives from leading American tech companies, Nigerian technology and business leaders for the official opening of the Digital Expert Academy in Lagos.

U.S. Consul General Will Stevens (second right) with Chairman & CEO, 21st Century Technologies Group, Wale Ajisebutu, (second left), during the official opening ceremony of the Digital Expert Academy in Lagos on Monday.

Founded by 21st Century Technologies, the Digital Expert Academy seeks to create opportunities to train and upskill young Nigerians in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, machine learning, cloud services, data science, data center management among other tech fields.

U.S. Consul General Will Stevens speaking with the first cohort of trainees at the Digital Expert Academy during the opening ceremony in Lagos on Monday.

Delivering keynote remarks on the theme “Technology as an Enabler and Tool for Empowerment,” Consul General Will Stevens noted that the U.S. government is committed to supporting programs that provide youth with quality technological learning opportunities.

He highlighted the importance of tech skills to Nigeria’s future prosperity and economic competitiveness.

Consul General Stevens explained that the Biden Administration’s U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa aims to drive digital transformation and foster a digital ecosystem built on open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet and information and communication technology.

“This initiative is investing in some of Nigeria’s richest resources – its young people,” said Consul General Stevens. “We hope that by developing local talent in tech fields, we help accelerate medium and long-term growth in Nigeria’s and indeed Africa’s digital economy.”

Wale Ajisebutu, Chairman & CEO, 21st Century Technologies Group, explained that the Digital Expert Academy will help bridge the gap between youth and employers by better connecting young people with the changing needs of the private sector and the skills needed to succeed in the digital economy.

He added that the academy will partner with leading American tech companies such as Microsoft and Oracle to provide trainees with world class learning opportunities.

The academy, he added, is open to youth who are at least 18 years of age with minimum of a high school diploma.

The U.S. Mission supports Nigeria’s burgeoning tech scene and encourages the creation of the enabling environment necessary to foster a sector that contributes to a more prosperous future for all its citizens.

January 23, 2023
Lagos Budgets N2.64m as Initial Deposit for 2023 Pilgrimage

The N2,640,000.00 amount has been set by the Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board as the initial deposit for the Y2023 holy pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

All intending pilgrims who were unable to complete the Y2022 holy pilgrimage but who left their money with the State Government and postponed their intentions until the Y2023 exercise were instructed in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Olanrewaju Elegushi, to try to pay the amount of N1,340,000.00 in addition to the initial deposit of N1.3 million paid between 2019 and 2022.

He emphasized further that individuals who had previously paid the N2,640,000.00 fee for the most recent spiritual exercise but were unable to make the pilgrimage owing to unavoidable circumstances are not impacted by the directive.

He states that each intending pilgrim must obtain a “Bank Draft” from one of the nation’s commercial banks in the name of the “Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board” and submit it to the Board’s Accounts Department for further processing.

Elegushi emphasized that no prospective pilgrim should deposit funds into any individual accounts and cautioned that doing so was done at the individual’s own risk.

The Commissioner urged the prospective pilgrims to begin making payments as soon as possible and said that the Board would promptly inform them if there were to be any additional fees added to the N2.640 million.

He also reiterated his earlier statement that the intending pilgrims who left their money with the State Government between 2019 and 2022 for the forthcoming Y2023 exercise would be given priority when the spiritual exercise eventually commenced.

December 29, 2022
Earlybrite wins Lagos State (LASRIC) Research Grant

In an effort by the Lagos state government through Lagos state Science Research and Innovative Council (LASRIC) to make Lagos one of the world’s knowledge hubs through the application of Science and Technology, the government established a grant program to help start-up tech companies Create wealth and growth, establish better infrastructure.

Earlybrite, an innovative Ed tech company, that offers to help children acquire in demand tech skills across Africa becomes a beneficiary of the LASRIC Five Million Naira grant.

The grant was presented during the Art Of Technology event on Friday, 9th December, 2022 in Lagos.

Mr. Olatunbosun Alake, Special Adviser on Innovation and Technology to the Lagos state government, onbehalf of the governor presented a cheque to Earlybrite which was received by Victor Tubotamuno, founder and CEO of Earlybrite.

In a statement, Mr Victor said the grant was a step stone for the company to continue offering these indemand tech skills to children within and across Lagos and also allow these children have access to these in utmost flexibility.

“We are looking forward to providing these tech courses in the most conducive situation, allowing these children learn these skills in their local language and even through flexible medium such as SMS, USSD, Whatsapp and other seamless channels.

Victor Tubotamuno, founder and CEO of Earlybrite with the cheque

He further stated that the company wishes to express gratitude to the Lagos state government and the commissioner for Science and technology; Mr Hakeem Fahm for the unique opportunity to enable innovators be able to build more localized contents and train more teachers to enable learners in the state thereby, actualizing its mission, “Creating wealth, growth and tackling societal challenges in Lagos State through the application of Science and Technology in a knowledge driven world”.

December 14, 2022
Dataleum Wins StartUp of the Year Award for Art of Technology Lagos 4.0

Global Talent Accelerator, Dataleum, was recognized as the StartUp of the Year at the Art of Technology Lagos award night held at the Landmark Event Center, Lagos, Nigeria, on December 9, 2022.

The award recognized startups with significant financial and public relations achievements.

The award ceremony, hosted by the Art of Technology Lagos (AoT 4.0) and curated by Eko Innovation Centre, is the first-ever event sponsored by the Lagos State government to recognize tech startups and personalities for their impact and development of the Nigerian technology landscape.

Speaking on the award, Bode Roberts, the Chief Executive Officer of Dataleum, said, “It is a great honour to receive AoT’s StartUp of the Year award. The award affirms the good work the Dataleum team put in to achieve the best possible results.

At Dataleum, upholding the highest service of excellence and impact is what matters the most; and I am grateful for the opportunity to play my part in uplifting the standards of the tech industry.”

In May 2022, Dataleum became the official training partner of the Lagos Innovate Talent Development Program run by the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) in partnership with Honeywell Group to upskill unemployed Nigerians with in-demand tech skills. As a result, 260 beneficiaries got selected from a pool of over 1000 applicants.

The Talent Accelerator company emerged winner of the ‘StartUp Category’ as an organization that has excelled in its efforts to the Nigerian tech ecosystem’s growth. Other nominees in the same category include Vendease and TeamApt.

December 10, 2022
State Governors as Albatross to NCC’s InfraCo Model

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in August 2012, announced the adoption of an ‘Open Access Model’ approach as a measure to provide ubiquitous and affordable broadband services in the country.

The key elements driving the objective focus on open access deployment of fibre infrastructure, is to achieve high level of penetration across all geo-political zones, contribute to GDP growth and development of knowledge economy, provide commpetitive and affordable pricing, and ensure intelligent incentives to support industry players while equipping Nigeria with leading infrastructure in Africa.

The ultimate imperatives for this objective, is to realize affordable prizing, high speed connectivity, high level of coverage and targeted government support.

NCC made frantic and graphic representation of the mapping where the Commission would be responsible for provision of licenses, regulation of services, and facilitation of agreements.

This relationship was supposed to be guided by an industry structure of the open access model of the type being implemented in Australia which involves provision of non-discriminatory broadband access and services to end users, and provision of non-discriminatory equal wholesale broadband connectivity using active infrastructure, while NetCos build and operate passive infrastructure.

There is no gainsaying that global phenomenon such as the scissors effect and economic recession pose significant threat to the capacity to finance broadband infrastructure developments, especially for nationwide rollout. This, was probably chief among reasons NCC adopted the Open Access Model that would led to Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) rolling out services at regional approach with Lagos having a special attention.

Years down the line, State Governments seem to have orchestrated means to arm-twist the InfraCos thereby frustrating the NCC’s move.

Recall that NCC has gone ahead to license six (6) InfraCos across the six geo-political locations of Nigeria, with additional InfraCo to operate in Lagos.

MainOne (now an Equinix Company) and IHS Limited got the first two licenses to cover Lagos and the North Central zone including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) respectively in November 2014.

After about three years, IHS returned the license to the NCC over difficulties in securing the right of way approval to deploy infrastructure in the North Central Zone.

Other licensed InfraCos are Zinox Technology Limited for Southeast and Brinks Integrated Solutions Limited for Northeast.

O’dua Infraco Resources Limited is meant to serve the Southwest, Fleek Networks Limited for Northwest and Raeana Consortium Limited for South-South.

TechEconomy gathered that Broadbase Communications Limited last year picked up the license for parts of the North Central.

However, rolling out has not been easy for InfraCos despite a longer tenor and cheaper license costs.

The InfraCo license costs about N2.5 million for a 20-year period and is subject to renewals. However, there are other payments that follow such as administrative fees.

Until recently when some governors commenced a review of Right of Way (RoW) fees, the cheap licenses were undermined by huge RoW fees.

How States frustrate InfraCos

You remember this photograph, right?

Prof Pantami, Prof Danbatta, during a meeting with Dr. Fayemi as then Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum

Around January 2020, Prof. Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in Abuja, met with the Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi (he has since handed over as both Governor and the chairman of NGF).

The meeting, it was disclosed is a follow-up to discussions on how to address the issue of Right of Way (RoW) and other similar challenges confronting the telecoms industry.

Recall that 14 state governors and their agencies increased Right of Way charges, which is pegged at N145 per linear metre by the Federal Government. The states, according to reports are Lagos, Kano, Anambra, Ondo, Cross River, Kogi, Osun, Kaduna, Enugu, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Imo, Kebbi and Gombe.

This drew the ire of various stakeholders in the Information and Communications Technology sector who described the action of these governors as an affront and disregards to an earlier resolution reached by the National Economic Council (NEC).

Well, there were some positives from Pantami and Danbatta’s neeting with the then NGF Chairman. However, an industry play (who prefers to remain anonymous) confided in TechEconomy that some States that had agreed either to bring RoW charges to N1 per linear meter or outright removal of the charges, have resorted to gimmicks to frustrate the operators.

For instance, an InfraCo has entered into agreement with a State in the Southern part of the country for possible collaboration to lay metro fibers. While the InfraCo has sourced fund and was ready to embark on the phase-by-phase deployment of fibre cables and building of ducts, the State, through its Agency, started rolling out such infrastructure.

The State, according to our source, insists that the InfraCo must patronize them or they will be frustrated from using the NCC InfraCo license to commence the process.

“And the price the State wants to rent the infrastructure to the InfraCo is very high. It is not acceptable. NCC needs to find another means to get the States to support the InfraCo model because as it is today everything is on a standstill”.

fibre optic cable

The InfraCo project, which has dragged on for over seven years now, has become a source of worry to the telecommunications industry. This is even as broadband penetration and speed continue to gallop.

“The slow take-off of the InfraCos can also be attributed to other challenges such as insecurity, foreign exchange (forex) inconsistencies; poor projected return on investments (RoI) because people’s purchasing power is getting lower. The truth is that some regions are less viable. You also have to consider the fact that licensees have not been able to access Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s N64 billion counterpart funding (subsidy) for the project.

In conclusion, NCC came up with a brilliant idea called InfraCos under its Open Access (infrastructure) Model and has gone ahead give license to operators for the Layer 1 (dark fibre) services on a commercial basis with a focus on the deployment of metropolitan fibre and transmission services, available at access points – Fibre-to-the-Node or neighbourhood (FTTN) – to seekers.

The InfraCo Project is considered as the beginning of the “Next Level” journey towards achieving the 120,000km target of fibre connectivity set by the current administration. However, we believe the lack of political will on the side of the States, among other challenges, must be urgently addressed so that the InfraCos can ‘commence’ business as expected.

December 9, 2022
Tech Startups in Lagos Attracted $1.2b Capital Investments in 2021

The Lagos State government announced on Thursday that its ecosystem for tech startups received $1.5 billion in investment in 2021, with fintech being the most alluring sub-sector.

At the ongoing technology conference, Art of Technology 4.O in Lagos, Olatunbosun Alake, Special Adviser to the State on Innovation and Technology, made this announcement.

The Eko Innovation Center organizes The Art of Technology Lagos (AOT), an annual tech conference for the purpose of co-creating and developing solutions and policies that would accelerate the development of a smarter Lagos.

The event had in attendance stakeholders from the technology industry, legislators, venture capital firms, and startups. The conference continues tomorrow, 9th December 2022.

Investments

Olatunbosun said Lagos had a more than 120% rise in venture capital inflow between 2019 and 2021, which led to nearly $1.5 billion in investments for various firms in that year alone.

“Therefore, with a total of roughly $1.7 billion and 1.5 in Lagos State, that set a record in Nigeria. That illustrates Lagos’ scale and significance as an ecosystem.”

According to the volume of completed deals, he claimed fintech is the top startup investment capital in Africa. However, because the financial sector already has established policies in place, added takes the lead.

He went on to say that 107 technology startups raised $750 million in funding in Lagos alone in 2022.

The Lagos State government has been doing many things to encourage and ensure the ecosystem is right for this investment, he said.

“It’s a place where investors come to not just because of the size of the market, but because of the potentialities of return on investment.

Tech startups have also been at the forefront of hiring some of the talents across the country.

” So, what we are seeing is that different startups employ between 20,000 and more people across the innovation sector, and that is a significant number.

“A lot of these talents employed are in very deep technical work such as AI application development, and different areas, product management, cybersecurity, health, tech, and different sectors. So that’s quite a significant number. But as we go on you will see why this number needs to increase,” he said.

Similarly, the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat disclosed that the State has attracted over one billion dollars in Data Centre Investment in the past year.

In addition, the Deputy Governor said the State records over 2000 startups creating and contributing value, all of these points to an open and enabling environment for the growth and proliferation of entrepreneurial activity within the technology ecosystem.

Enablers

Now, what are some of the enablement levers? What has been making Lagos State the number one startup capital?

Dr. Hamzat claimed that for decades, Lagos has served as the hub of economic and technological development in Nigeria, as was evident during the telecommunications boom of the early 2000s. As is well known, the majority of technology and telecom companies in Nigeria have their headquarters in Lagos.

The environment allows them to operate the entrepreneurial environment on the open support for technology and form this administration’s enhanced focus on innovation in the effort to produce value production for this ecosystem, not because Lagos is the only place that can do so.

The various initiatives or implementations included in the Lagos State Innovation and Technology Master Plan serve as evidence of Lagos State’s participation.

“We are able to identify areas that need to grow, access, talent development, the inclusion of male, female and so on and so forth.”

According to him, the strategy was unveiled at the first The Art of Technology conference. The several strategic pillars in the master plan cascade the various tactical efforts.

In his view, Olatunbosun said the State has tech hubs and co-working spaces that have been doing quite a bit incubate to accelerate this sector, the startups in this sector.

“We have the university initiatives. I think we have the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, who is a strong proponent of innovation.

I think one of the first innovation activities that I attended when I got into this office was at UNILAG. So, our universities have been contributing to, the growth of this ecosystem as well.”

He said local and foreign VC investments are also enablers and drivers of the ecosystem.

“So as I said, Lagos is now the number one, of course in Nigeria is number one in West Africa and number one in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

December 8, 2022
Lagos State to Begin Issuance of Int’l Driver’s Permit

The Lagos State Government has announced that it has reached an agreement to start issuing international driver’s licenses as of this month, December 2022.

When welcoming the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Abdulhafiz Toriola, during an official visit to the VIS Head Office in Ojodu, Lagos, on Thursday, the state director of the Vehicle Inspection Service, VIS, Engr. Akin-George Fashola said that all stakeholders had been involved and the issuance process had been completed.

Fashola stated that section 326 (U) of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, (TSRL) 2018, which specifies international requirements, is followed in the issuance of International Certificates for Vehicles and International Driver’s Permits.

He listed some of these requirements as follows: class or description of the vehicle and examination of the vehicle.

He also said privately registered vehicles that are within five years from the date of manufacture shall be exempted from the mandatory computerized routine inspection carried out by the VIS as stated in schedule 1, section 326 (10) of the State’s TSRL, 2018, noting that Pre-Registration inspections (Auto Vin) would have recorded such vehicles for exemption and all that would be required from the owners of such vehicles is to get Exemption Certificate from the VIS.

Fashola said the exclusion is one of the ways to prevent the computerized vehicle inspection centers across the state from being over-clogged with vehicles.

The Director also disclosed that the VIS has commenced clamp down on rickety commercial vehicles without proper documentation and safety standards as prescribed, in section 12 (2) of the State’s TSRL, 2018.

He solicited the support of other law enforcement agencies in ensuring that Lagos roads are free of rickety vehicles.

Addressing the Vehicle Inspection Officers, Toriola enjoined them to work in line with the mandate of the VIS by ensuring that all motor vehicles plying the roads across the state meet safety standards in line with International best practices.

He equally urged the directorate to intensify its advocacy and safety drive, especially during this yuletide season, calling on officers to come up with new initiatives that will improve their mode of operations.

December 2, 2022
AOT 4.0, Nigeria’s Largest Yearly Technology Conference, Will be Held in Lagos

The Art of Technology Lagos (AOT) conference is Nigeria’s largest annual technology conference, bringing together important players from the public and private sectors to debate policies and initiatives that will pave the way for the creation of a smarter, digital, efficient, and competitive Lagos.

Together with the Lagos State Government, the economic and technological core of Nigeria, Eko Innovation Centre, one of the leading tech hubs in Nigeria, is organizing the conference.

Eko Innovation Centre is responsible for organizing events such as MarkHack, the Lagos Smart Meter Hackathon, EkoClimathon, and Security hackathon

Talent Acceleration will be the primary emphasis of AOT 4.0, with a ten-year plan developed to increase the talent acceleration pipeline to ensure the sustainability of talent and, hence, the delivery of a Smarter Lagos.

At AOT 4.0, the Tech Ecosystem Award will be presented for the first time to recognize the efforts of individuals, groups, and businesses that have contributed significantly to the expansion and improvement of Nigeria’s technology sector. There were five main categories and twenty minor ones for nominations.

The award nomination voting ended on November 15, 2022, with over twenty thousand (20,000) votes cast across all categories. The winners will be revealed and acknowledged during the Gala and Awards Night, which is slated for December 9th, 2022.

In keeping with this year’s conference theme, the conference committee, led by the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Strategy, went on a Hub Tour to educate startup founders on the importance of promoting policies that benefit the ecosystem and to extend an invitation to attend the conference. Co-Creation Hub, Impact Hub, Hub One, and Nest Hub were among the hubs visited

AOT 4.0 conference committee led by Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Strategy at Co-Creation Hub a Hub Tour

Victor Afolabi, Founder, Eko Innovation Centre, addressing startups at Impact Hub

Special adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Strategy, Tunbosun Alake addressing startups at Co-Creation Hub during the Hub Tour

AOT 4.0 conference committee led by Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Strategy with Startup Founders from Hub one and Nest Hub

AOT 4.0 conference committee led by Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Strategy with Hub one and Nest Hub Management Team

The AOT 4.0 will hold at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, on December 8th and 9th, and will feature thirteen (13) plenary speakers, three (3) guest speakers, five (5) keynote speakers, and more than thirty-five thousand (35,000) registered participants from all sectors of the technology industry, including policymakers, enthusiasts, ecosystem players, investors, business founders and executives, venture capital firms, startups, and technology talent.

To be a part of the event, click on the link to register Here

December 2, 2022
Excitements as MainOne Renovates School for Lagos Host Community

West Africa’s leading connectivity and data center solutions provider MainOne, an Equinix Company, has undertaken important improvement and renovation work at Okun Ajah Community Senior Secondary School, Eti Osa, Lagos, as this year’s recipient of its annual Corporate Social Responsibility program.

The school, which is a government owned secondary school close to the Lekki Data Centre and cable landing station in Lagos, serves several communities (Okunmopo, Eti Osa, Lafiaku, Ogombo, Resettlement, Ibeju Lekki, Owonikoko, etc.), and is the only senior high school within those communities, with 620 students currently enrolled.

MainOne’s support for the Okun Ajah Community Senior Secondary School once again demonstrates its unwavering commitment to its host communities by equipping schools for improved educational effectiveness under the umbrella of its annual Corporate Social Responsibility program. In addition, Equinix’s own Community Impact program added its backing to support the reconstruction and refurbishment of the school.

To improve the learning environment at the Okun Ajah Community Senior Secondary School, MainOne provided desks and chairs for students, renovated the library, painted 16 classrooms, and improved the computer room capabilities by adding desktop computers, providing internet connectivity, and putting in an inverter for backup power.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Tinuola Ipadeola, Head, Corporate Services stated that “we take on this responsibility every year because we believe in the power of education. In this fast-paced digital age, every student must be equipped with the right tools and exposure to succeed. We are happy to have this opportunity to give back to our society together with the Equinix Foundation and will continue to nurture the potentials of the students and improve the way they learn in school, one community at a time”.

November 23, 2022
Stakeholders Proffer Ways to Strengthen PPP Structure in Lagos State

Buoyed by the impact of the Office of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in closing the infrastructure gap in Lagos State across different sectors, stakeholders have suggested ways to further strengthen the PPP structure in the state with a view to delivering greater value, impact more people, and improving service delivery efficiency of the PPP Office.

The recommendations of the experts and speakers were contained in various presentations at an interactive session between the Office of PPP (OPPP) and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly House Committee on PPP, held over the weekend in Lagos.

It was suggested that ensuring value for money expended on PPP projects was the responsibility of the OPPP, House Committee, and the private equity investors while calling on all stakeholders in a PPP arrangement to understand the requirements of PPP including project financing from the beginning to the end.

‘‘The major role of the OPPP is to provide a global view of making decisions and quantifying guarantees; ensuring value for money expended on projects is the major responsibility of the OPPP, House Committee, and the private partner. The public sector should avoid over-influencing projects (subsidizing) and focus more on the value that the project will offer. Quantifying the cost of a PPP project cannot be easily estimated from inception; hence it is important for all stakeholders to be fully informed of the demands and dynamics of the project before delving into PPP,’’ they stated.

They also noted that dealing with macroeconomic issues will create a long-term effect on PPP projects, and recommended that risks registered on projects should be strictly considered including the advance determination of which party can best influence or take liability for the consequences of unforeseen risks. ‘‘Once the risks have been identified, there has to be risks mapping; hence risk identification, allocation, and mitigation become necessary,’’ they said.

The stakeholders advocated amendment of the Lagos State Public Private Partnerships Law, 2011, citing certain gaps in the legislation.

‘‘The PPP law should be amended to expand the circumstances where a project may be excluded from the OCB requirement and provide for the ability of private participants to submit unsolicited proposals. The PPP law should clearly define what PPP is, clearly the scope of its law, and provide an exhaustive list of permitted and prohibited sectors where PPP is applicable to give clarity to investors.’’

‘‘It is recommended the law is amended to provide for the nature of support that may be provided by procuring entities and to remove the restriction on the ability to provide guarantees for PPP projects. It is recommended that the law be amended such that the PPP Office may have oversight functions in respect of the implementation of PPP projects within the state,’’ they restated.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on PPP, Mr. Ope George, while welcoming participants said the interactive session was organized to enable the PPP Office and the House Committee on PPP to discuss the mandate of the OPPP with a view to deepening synergy and promoting the cordial relationship.

He added that the session provided an avenue to solicit the continued support of the legislature in the fulfillment of the OPPP’s statutory responsibilities of improving infrastructural development in the state.

Three presentations were facilitated by experts who assessed relevant areas that affect the operation of the OPPP and proffered cutting-edge recommendations that could promote sustainable service delivery.

A Partner at Vista Advisory Services, Mr. Sunloye Adekanye, in his presentation on ‘Financing PPP projects and the role of the state’ said PPP projects were assets built for the government for the use of the citizenry, hence in financing PPP projects, understanding the role of quantifiable guarantees and inherent risk factors was imperative to the sustainability of PPPs.

He emphasized the need to consider important factors such as the value and affordability of projects to the users; how strategic the project is; whether can or should the project be delivered through PPP or traditional procurement; whether should the project be handed over to the government or managed by private operators if it will be cost-effective; as well as the guarantees tied to the risk.

‘‘Therefore, the government must make good decisions when choosing to stand as a guarantor for any PPP project,’’ Adekanye stated.

A Partner in the legal firm of Olaniwun Ayayi LLP, Mrs. Ibi Ogunbiyi, spoke on ‘Salient points in the PPP legal framework in comparison to global best practices, highlighting the differences in the current PPP frameworks in comparison with global best practices.

While acknowledging the efforts made by the Lagos State government to align with global standards, she suggested, however, amendments to the Lagos State PPP Law, 2011 to improve service delivery.

Mrs. Ogunbiyi noted that since the government’s role was both statutory and contractual, it should not be surprising that the state treasury cannot fund infrastructure effectively and efficiently without affecting its administrative functions, thus stating that there was a need to harness the PPP approach.

Another speaker and a Partner in the law firm of Olajide Oyewole LLP, Ms. Solape Peters, in her presentation, ‘A synopsis of the PPP law, the challenges, and recommendations for reform’, reiterated that financial guarantee has remained a problem over the years with PPP projects in Lagos State resulting in the death of many proposals.

She identified some challenges with the PPP law, stating that the existing law set a blanket on financial guarantees which many times limits the applicants while urging the state government to be fair in its dealings with private partners.

Ms. Peters added that the long waiting time to get the state House of Assembly’s ratification on the concessions agreement before implementation should be improved, even as she called for the review of the provision of the law that gave the power to vary or adjust service charges, user fees, and tolls among others.

November 21, 2022
DWTC Targets Partnership with Lagos, Meets Sanwo-Olu

The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) is pleased with the Nigeria’s digital economy roadmap.

DWTC, the organiser of the annual GITEX GLOBAL, now the world’s largest technology and startup event, described Nigeria’s digital economy as “pulsating and encouraging in the last three years” and affirmed its commitment to partner with the Nigerian government at all levels to bring the benefits of ICT to millions of Nigerians.

https://techeconomy.ng/2021/09/lagos-state-to-establish-two-additional-universities-of-technology-education/

The officials led by Bilal Al Rais, ice President, Technology and Digital Cluster (DWTC) met Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, the Deputy Governor and other senior functionaries in Lagos to explore how to deepen partnership with Nigeria’s commercial capital and most populous state of over 20 million people.

In the DWTC team were Group Director Strategy & Senior Government Advisor, Radoine Nachdi; and local country representatives, Pinnacle International Consulting including President & CEO, Akande Ojo; and Director of Government Engagement & Media, Olusegun Oruame.

During the meeting, Governor Sanwo-Olu reiterated his administration’s commitment to developing physical infrastructures across the state and investing in the growth of digital talents.

The DWTC is already partnering with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and its parent ministry, Ministry of Communications Digital Economy to expose startups, private enterprises and government entities to global innovation and tech communities at the annual GITEX GLOBAL.

Lagos is working to remain the hub for technology infrastructure and digital skills and welcome collaboration that will further grow this vision as well as deepen the value proposition of the ecosystem, said Governor Sanwo-Olu at the interaction inside the Lagos Governor House that also had in attendance, Lagos State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Hakeem Fahm; the Special Adviser on Innovation and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake; and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology Engr (Mrs.) Ibilola Olufolake Kasunmu.

Earlier in Abuja, Al Rais had stressed the importance of collaboration to fully exploits the benefits of technology across sectors and countries.

“Collaboration is the soul of any innovation ecosystem. For innovators to thrive, there must be collaborations. The DWTC through the GITEX GLOBAL platform has for nearly 50 years now foster and encourage collaborations for different innovation ecosystem across countries, and helping to provide intra-nation partnerships and to do deals,” said Al Rais at a panel session on ‘Driving Growth and Unlocking Innovations Through Regulations for a Sustainable Digital Economy’ at the just ended Digital Nigeria conference and expo in Abuja organised by the NITDA.

https://techeconomy.ng/2022/10/nitda-bags-dwtc-most-valued-partnership-award/

Al Rais had commended Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami for the upward growth of Nigeria’s digital economy which he attributed to right policies and initiatives by the country’s leadership.

According to Al Rais: “In the last three years, we believe Nigeria has initiated a lot of policy and legal frameworks to encourage cross border collaborations and engender investment including the new Nigeria startup law; the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) developed to provide the roadmap for Nigeria’s digital economy aspirations; its National Broadband Policy to build Nigeria’s e-readiness and prepare the way to expand access and bolster investment. The DWTC is here to support Nigeria’s drive for international collaborations through the NITDA and its parent ministry.”

October 29, 2022
Lagos Commissioner Hakeem Fahm to Deliver Keynote at TestNigeria Conference 1.0

Hakeem Fahm, Honourable Commissioner of Science and Technology at Lagos State Government, will deliver the keynote address at the Nigerian Software Testing Qualification Board (NGSTQB) first Software Testing Conference in Nigeria codenamed ‘TestNigeria Conference 1.0’.

https://techeconomy.ng/2022/09/ngstqb-invites-software-ecosystem-players-to-testnigeria-conference-1-0/

Mr. Fahm is an experienced network infrastructure director with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry.

Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State, appointed Mr. Fahm as a Commissioner following his strong information technology professional experience; to lead State’s digital transformation agenda.

He will deliver keynote address at the TestNigeria Conference 1.0 to be held on Wednesday November 23, 2022 at Lagos Oriential Hotel, Lekki Road, Lagos under the theme: ‘Impact of Software Quality Assurance in the Nigerian Digital Economy’.

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

Also expected guests and speakers include, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor, Lagos State Government ; Prof. Isa Pantami, Hon Minister for Communications and Digital Economy; Dr. Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner / CEO, Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB); Dr. Dan- Azumi Ibrahim, Director General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP); Mrs Rakiya Mohammed, Director of IT, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Ms. Ola Williams, Country Manager Nigeria & Ghana, Microsoft Nigeria and other speakers drawn from leading software companies such as Inlaks and the Global Accelerex.

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

NGSTQB is a member of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB); the world’s leading organization for Certification of Professionals in Software Testing.

NGSTQB was officially registered as a Board with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria on August 21, 2021, after formal approval from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

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

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

In his words, “Testing is necessary because we all make mistakes. Some of those mistakes are unimportant, but some are expensive and dangerous.

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

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

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

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

Participation:

Interested participants should visit the website here or to see the details

October 19, 2022
CSEAN’s Cybersecurity Merit Awards Holds in Lagos Friday

The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) is set to hold the maiden edition of its Cybersecurity Merit Awards, where outstanding individuals and organizations who have made valuable contributions to the cybersecurity ecosystem in Nigeria will be recognised.

https://techeconomy.ng/2022/05/csean-identifies-how-you-can-fix-these-four-bad-password-habits-its-world-password-day/

The Cybersecurity Merit Awards is scheduled to hold on Friday, October 21, 2022 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja Lagos and awards will be given out in ten categories.

The categories, according Mrs. Oluwatoni Falade, Chairperson, Award Planning Committee are Rising Star of the year, Cyber Startup of the year, State Government of the year, Cybersecurity Woman of the year, Outstanding Individual of the year and University of the year.

Others are MDA (Public Sector) of the year, Organization (Private Sector) of the year, Financial Institution of the year and Media House of the year.

Mrs. Falade noted that the 2022 Cybersecurity Merit Awards is organized to recognize and reward outstanding individuals, teams, organizations, institutions and states that have over-time demonstrated excellence, innovation and leadership within the cybersecurity industry.

“This national award will tap into the vast experience of these professionals around the world to honor achievements and generate industry-wide recognition in every facet of information security development and awareness in Nigeria,” she said in a statement.

She added that Award winners and finalists are selected primarily based on nominations, after which a shortlisting process is done and winners are decided by a team of esteemed judges based on quality of nominees cyber security contributions accessible online.

The panel of judges consists a wide array of industry professionals with many years of experience. They include Chinenye Chizea, Consulting Security Architect, Nigeria Digital Identity for Development project, Abdul-hakeem Ajijola, Executive Chairman, Consultancy Support Services (CS2) Ltd, Tracy Z. Maleef, Security Researcher at Kiev’s Stamos Group, Chimaobi Ezeibe, partner at KPMG Canada and Dr Ifeoma Nwafor, legal partner at IEN Legal associates.

CSEAN is a non-profit organization established as an advocacy group to galvanize the movement and development of Information Security best practices in Nigeria through a multi-stakeholder consortium at domestic and international levels.

October 19, 2022
NIPR Unveils the Faculty for 7th Lagos Digital Summit

The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations today unveiled members of faculty who would be speaking at the seventh Lagos Digital PR Summit, tagged: ‘Digital Communities: New Frontier Building Relationships’, holding at the L’eola Hotel, Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos starting on Wednesday 26th through Thursday 27th, October 2022.

The faculty is made up of chief executives and experienced senior executives in leading digital marketing communications firms who are bringing their distinctive insights and practical experience to facilitate at the Summit.

They include the Cofounder and CEO, Zedi Africa, Ized Uanikhehi; Head of Marketing, Kwik Africa, Michael Owatunde; Head, Brands, Growth and Partnerships, Zedi Africa, Omobolanle Akingbala; Snr. Account Manager, Eskimi, WECA, Bukayo Ewuoso and Head, Ad Operations, HippoAD, Uchenna Innocent.

Others are Principal Partner, TMB Global Brands, Temitope Ooye; Deputy Business Director, Redwolf Company, Omokehinde Thomas; Director, Digital and Media (CWAR), Publicis Groupe, Muyiwa Aleshinloye; Head, Growth and Product Marketing, Omnibiz Africa, Princewill Ejirika and Managing Partner, ThePush, Aderinsola Jolaosho.

Special guests of honour expected at the opening of the Summit and launch of the Digital PR Digest include the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pension, Lagos State, Ajibola Ponnle; Group Director, Marketing and Corporate Communications, United Bank for Africa, and CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta; Founder/Chief Executive officer, Bellanaija Media Group, Uche Pedro; and President, Public Relations Association Consultants Association of Nigeria and CEO, Chain Reactions, Israel Jaiye Opayemi.

Comfort Obot Nwankwo, the Co-host and Chairman of the Lagos NIPR, said that “This edition of the Summit will x-ray the dynamic difference and impacts technology has introduced into human connections and interactions in the digital age without disregarding the way and manner social relations and human cordiality existed before now.

The focus is on building a digital community which is now the de facto place to live, work, play and sell online for B2B and B2C. Businesses need to find and create a community to transition from carrying their own torch to having a community that carries it for them.

The Lagos Digital PR Summit will equip participants with skills to create a better content that builds trust and engages a multi-channel community”.

The Summit adopts the FLIPPED Learning Approach where direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, ensuring a well-rounded model to knowledge acquisition and extension to drive positive changes in their organisations.

Attendees will earn a Certificate of Participation and the honorary Lagos Digital PR Ambassadorship.

The Lagos Digital PR Summit brings together senior marcomms professionals, Generation X and Millennials managing communications for government, corporate, media and NGOs to equip and expose them to contemporary techniques and glean new insights into the fast-growing digital media space for modern-day strategic communication practice.

This edition is being organized in partnership with multinational technology companies specializing in Internet-related, social media, global television broadcast station and social networking services and products including leading digital communications consultancies in the world including TVC Communications, TechCity, The Comms Avenue and leading marketing communication magazines.

The annual Lagos Digital Public Relations Summit is the first of its kind and the largest gathering of digital communication enthusiasts in Sub Saharan Africa.

The two-day experiential gathering of communicators focused on achieving collective intelligence to equip and capacitate communicators with high-level digital communication strategies, tactics and how-to’s, so they are better equipped to work in the rapidly growing algorithmic media ecosystem.

October 18, 2022

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