But hiring is stalling in several traditional sectors, while a few others are expanding and still absorbing workers.

Looking at recent labour data and employment reports, we see that jobs have not disappeared, but changed course.

Top Assets Nigerians Are Buying to Beat Inflation

Why Hiring Still Continues in a Weak Economy

Even in a period of economic downturn, companies are still recruiting for a few simple reasons:

• Demand for digital services has not stopped or reduced
• Ageing populations are increasing healthcare needs
• Automation and AI are creating new technical roles
• Supply chains are still adjusting after years of disruption
• Governments continue to invest in infrastructure and energy transition

What this means is that some sectors are cutting back, while others are expanding fast enough to offset the decline.

Top Industries Still Hiring in 2026

1. Technology and Artificial Intelligence

The tech sector is uneven, but demand for specialised skills is strong. Companies are not hiring extensively anymore, they are hiring carefully.

Roles in demand include:

• Data analysts
• AI engineers
• Cybersecurity specialists
• Cloud infrastructure experts

Even as some firms reduce headcount, others are expanding aggressively into AI-driven services and automation tools.

2. Healthcare and Social Care

Healthcare is still one of the most stable employers globally. Hospitals, clinics, and care facilities are recruiting due to:

• Ageing populations in many countries
• High demand for long-term care
• Ongoing staffing shortages

Nurses, caregivers, laboratory technicians, and medical support staff are in high demand.

3. Renewable Energy and Green Industries

Energy transition is already influencing employment.

Hiring is strong in:

• Solar and wind energy projects
• Electrical grid expansion
• Climate and environmental engineering

Investment from both governments and private firms support steady job creation in this space.

4. Logistics, Transport, and E-Commerce

Online shopping habits have permanently changed how goods move.

This sector hires in:

• Warehousing and inventory management
• Delivery and fleet operations
• Supply chain coordination

Even when consumer spending slows, the infrastructure behind online retail keeps expanding.

5. Finance and Fintech

Financial services are also adapting rather than shrinking.

Banks and fintech companies are hiring for:

• Digital payments systems
• Risk and compliance roles
• Fraud detection and cybersecurity

The transition toward mobile banking and cashless systems is still expanding.

6. Education and Online Learning

Education has become more flexible and digital.

There is high demand for:

• Online tutors
• Course creators
• Learning platform staff
• Corporate training specialists

People are also returning to upskilling as job competition increases.

What Skills Are Becoming More Valuable

Across all industries, employers are prioritising practical, adaptable skills over traditional qualifications alone.

The most requested skills include:

• Digital literacy
• Data handling and interpretation
• Familiarity with AI tools
• Communication and teamwork
• Problem-solving ability
• Remote collaboration tools

In many cases, the ability to learn quickly is more important than existing experience.

Where the Job Market is Not Focused on

It is important to note that hiring is not evenly spread.

Some sectors are reducing their pace:

• Retail and hospitality in some regions
• Entry-level white-collar roles
• General administrative positions

Reports also reveal that hiring has become more selective, with employers favouring experienced candidates over beginners in many industries.

What This Means for Job Seekers

This year, the job market is not affected by a lack of jobs, but by a mismatch between available roles and the skills people offer.

Job seekers need to follow these steps:

• Focus on industries still expanding
• Build skills linked to digital and technical roles
• Be open to hybrid or remote opportunities
• Apply early and consistently rather than broadly and randomly

The post Top Industries Still Hiring Despite Economic Challenges appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the initiative on Thursday after meetings held during the Education World Forum 2026 in London.

The Federal Government said it would fully fund 36,000 training licences in the programme’s first year, removing the cost barrier for participants.

Training will cover Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing and Software Engineering, while successful participants will earn certifications recognised by employers globally.

Alausa described the programme as one of the biggest government-backed digital skills investments in the country.

“On the sidelines of the Education World Forum 2026 in London, I signed a landmark partnership with @coursera to launch the Digital Training Academy (DTA), a major initiative designed to equip Nigerian youths with globally competitive digital skills.”

He added: “Through this programme, young Nigerians will receive world-class training in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Software Engineering and other high-demand digital fields, while earning globally recognised certifications valued by employers across the world.”

The minister said the programme supports President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places attention on youth development, innovation and workforce readiness.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda recognises that digital competency is no longer optional. It is foundational,” Alausa said.

“The Digital Training Academy is a direct investment in helping young Nigerians compete and lead in the global digital economy.”

According to the Ministry of Education, the programme will run in partnership with National Open University of Nigeria and Yaba College of Technology.

The government said NOUN would use its nationwide structure to give students across the country access to the programme, while YABATECH would provide technical support, facilitators and industry-focused mentorship.

“Access to training alone is not enough. What truly changes lives is completion, support and accountability,” Alausa stated.

Officials say the academy forms part of reforms introduced by the government to improve technical and vocational education.

In 2025, the Federal Government revised the Technical and Vocational Education Training curriculum, increasing the focus on practical learning with an 80:20 ratio in favour of hands-on training.

Nigeria also signed an agreement with China last year to strengthen vocational education through technical partnerships and practical training support.

The new academy arrives as demand for digital and AI-related skills increases globally. It also comes at a time when Nigeria faces high youth unemployment and underemployment, pushing more young people to seek technology-related careers and remote work opportunities.

The post FG Partners Coursera, Pluralsight to Train 36,000 Nigerian Youths in Digital Skills appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Applications began on Monday, April 13, 2026, through the official TVET portal. Officials say the exercise targets young Nigerians seeking practical skills for work and for starting small businesses.

The programme runs across accredited centres in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, offering two training paths. One lasts six months under the Short-Term Certificate track and the other runs for one year under the Vocational Education and Innovation track.

Training covers more than 25 trades. These include electrical installation, welding, plumbing, ICT, automotive repair, fashion design, cosmetology, agriculture, solar installation, creative media, and hospitality services.

Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, said the programme focuses on long-term economic outcomes.

“In strengthening this programme, the Federal Government is investing in the productive capacity of our youth. By providing practical training and recognised certification, we are creating pathways for self-employment, innovation, and long-term economic growth,” Dr Alausa stated.

The ministry says the initiative will also expand training in the creative and cultural sectors. It is working with the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism to support that goal.

Each trainee will receive support throughout the programme. The structure includes free tuition, monthly stipends, and certification after completion.

“Participants will receive a monthly stipend of N22,500 throughout the duration of their training and will be awarded a nationally recognised certification upon successful completion.

“Training will cover a wide range of high-demand sectors, including construction, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), automotive technology, creative media, agriculture, fashion and garment production, cosmetology, tourism and hospitality, catering services, and leather works, among others,” the statement partly reads.

Officials also confirmed startup grants and access to low-interest loans for graduates. The aim focuses on helping trainees move straight into work or self-employment.

The ministry requires applicants to provide a National Identification Number and Bank Verification Number during registration. It also says attendance will go through biometric checks. Only trainees who meet attendance rules will receive stipends.

How to Apply

Applications for TVET second cohort go through the website. The ministry has asked candidates to complete registration early and select approved training centres.

The programme sits within a national skills plan, aligning with efforts to reduce unemployment and expand vocational training across Nigeria.

In December 2025, the government released N4.7 billion as the first tranche of payments to trainees and accredited centres under the TVET scheme. The Education Minister announced the release through a statement shared on X.

The rollout started earlier in May last year. Since then, the government has pushed to expand participation across states.

Interest in the programme has grown. Within one week of the portal opening in 2025, officials recorded more than 90,000 applications.

Entrance examination figures also rose. Participation moved from 7,547 candidates in 2024 to 30,000 in 2025. That was an increase of nearly 300%.

The ministry also introduced an artisan-led mentorship model and now operates across 38 upgraded technical colleges. Experienced craftsmen guide trainees directly on practical tasks.

Accreditation regulations for training centres are strict. Centres must register with the Corporate Affairs Commission and must also adopt an NSQ-based curriculum and meet staffing and facility standards.

Officials still describe TVET as an important part of Nigeria’s skills drive. The programme links formal training with industry needs, seeking to close gaps between education and employment.

More updates are expected as the second cohort begins registration and screening across the country.

The post FG Opens TVET Second Cohort Applications, Sets N22,500 Monthly Stipend appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

By way of positives, online access to education has brought world-class curricula from leading global institutions within reach of anyone anywhere.

This has allowed individuals with high-speed Internet access to become familiar with the structure and delivery style of academic courses around the world, preparing them not only for further tertiary education elsewhere but for workplaces in an increasingly globalised world.

The content and delivery made possible by digitalisation is preparing today’s workforce for tomorrow’s jobs and opportunities.

“This has brought about an education revolution for countries that have embraced digital delivery. The most motivated learners have been able to move much farther ahead, at their own pace, using resources outside the academic institution to further build their skills. The ability to own your educational path has created enormous up-side potential for the most talented. It has also allowed the most innovative institutions to rise in prominence,” says Murray de Villiers, EMEA Emerging, Education Head, SAS Institute.

“Unfortunately, the negative aspects of digitalisation revolve around access. For many learners in developing countries, lack of access to high-speed Internet hampers development and equality of opportunities. Industries are also changing faster than academia can adjust to disruption, which means that a gap is developing between elite institutions with the resources to keep pace and those that cannot,” adds de Villiers.

To bridge the gap, de Villiers says academic institutions need to work in partnership with governments and private sector organisations. “Academic institutions need to stay on top of technological advancements in business – and adopt some of those changes to processes themselves, for the improvement of the customer experience. The same accountability for delivery that traditionally featured in physical content delivery needs to apply to online delivery.”

SAS has more than 3000 education customers in 56 countries, helping institutions to anticipate the future and respond proactively to changing trends by harnessing data and analytics.

By moving beyond merely collecting and reporting data to applying sophisticated analytics, universities can achieve systemic improvements through deeper insights and improve student outcomes.

The onus is on business and technology innovators to provide the expertise to help with the necessary transformation. “SAS was founded in 1976 at the North Carolina State University by academics and researchers, so involvement with academia is in our DNA. The nature of work is changing, with the application of analytics capable of providing solutions to any question imaginable. We see it as part of our mission to grow the ecosystem of people capable of doing that work, so we make the content of more than 300 of our courses available to universities,” says de Villiers.

The reason SAS invests in the secondment of staff as well as educational content to academia is that universities struggle to keep up with industry developments and related theoretical advancements without direct input from organisations.

Graduates with expertise in an industry standard like SAS, as well as open-source skills, stand out in the competitive job market.

Digital credentials that validate expertise, augment and enhance degrees do carry significant weight with savvy employers seeking people who can get the job done.

Having artificial intelligence, big data, advanced analytics or data science credentials foster lucrative career opportunities across industries.

“We help train faculties to deliver the latest in technology, but this is done in a collaborative triangular approach that includes our customers. They, too, bring their top-tier research and professional talent to create practical experience programmes, technical experience programmes and professional networking,” de Villiers adds.

The last element – professional networking – is crucial and took a blow during the pandemic, says de Villiers. “Mentorship and career development are important in the development of professionals, not just the bearers of skills. When we expose young people to successful leaders in their career fields, we create a standard to emulate. This is what moulds the next generation of industry leaders across the world. It is the role of universities to ensure students have access to top experts and thought leaders. That is where their competitive edge will come from.”

The role of governments is to ensure that the fundamentals for a digitalised education sector are in place. “We need wider and more reliable access to high-speed Internet in non-urban areas. Some providers are delivering this type of connectivity via satellite, which comes with additional benefits for the economy beyond education. Along with connectivity, governments need to put in place policies for the market that support the creation and deployment of high-tech solutions to social problems,” de Villiers says.

It is only when all three participants in the triple helix – academic institutions, organisations and government – act in concert that social value is created and sustained.

The post Digital Transformation of Education Industry Holds Mixed Implications for Developing Countries appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

According to him, this is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to create millions of jobs by leveraging digital technologies and achieving a digital literacy rate of 70% by 2027.

Inuwa made these remarks during a meeting with the management team of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), led by its Executive Secretary, Professor Ismail Junaidu, at NITDA’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.

He stated that digital technology has an important role to play in the design of the curriculum, content and processes due to evolution of technology. This disruptive technology has substituted the way of doing things worldwide of which Nigeria as a country is not to be left behind.

“We must lead in developing a competency-based, outcome-focused curriculum that addresses the demands of the 21st century. This will enable us to produce a skilled workforce capable of meeting the needs of the Nigerian market and attracting investment from other countries.  Integrating digital skills into the curriculum is crucial for national development and economic growth,” Inuwa stated.

He further asserted that government policies and objectives, especially those that relate to sustainable development, 21st century skills, digital economy, creative arts and digital technology will create a pathway for nation-building.

Inuwa also explained that things have scaled up to meet up the new normal, like computer precision to digitalisation which is the central focus of the curriculum to provide citizens with the required knowledge and skills and digital technology for growth and development.

In his earlier remarks, the Executive Secretary of NERDC Prof. Ismail Junaidu stated that their institution is charged with the primary responsibility of curriculum development for the country at all levels and this cannot be done without the infusion of digital literacy as a critical area for the development of any country.

The ES noted that the visit was to scale up the existing relationship, partnership and engagement and to explore potential areas that both organisations will have a tie towards national development. 

Junaidu added that the institution is also responsible for undertaking and promoting book development, and local authorship for quality assurance, conducting educational research for public policy formulation and implementation and developing Nigerian languages and promoting other languages to enhance education delivery and for public use.

The Professor also commended NITDA for its significant contributions to advancing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) across Nigeria.

He praised the Agency’s efforts, which span across almost all states and highlighted the impact these initiatives have had on driving growth and development in the ICT sector.

The post Digital Literacy: DG NITDA Calls for Curriculum Overhaul to Meet 21st Century Needs appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

• Etisalat Nigeria (2008–2017): Entered the market with strong youth-focused branding and rapid growth, peaking at over 23 million subscribers.
• 9mobile (2017–2025): Rebranded after Etisalat Group exited due to $1.2 billion debt. Struggled with declining subscriber base, infrastructure decay, and ownership instability.
• T2 (2025): A bold rebrand under Lighthouse Telecoms, signaling a digital-first transformation with ambitions to become leaner, smarter, and more customer-centric.
• In July 2025 the NCC approved a three-year national roaming agreement between MTN Nigeria and 9mobile (now T2), enabling T2 subscribers to use MTN’s network while T2 rebuilds/optimises coverage.

Will the rebrand cause market disruption?

My quick response to that is that major disruptions are unlikely, but industry observers should expect transitional friction.

Why?

The MTN-9mobile (now T2) national-roaming pact, NCC-approved, significantly reduces the risk of mass service outages for customers, because subscribers can fall back onto MTN’s nationwide footprint while T2 stabilises.

That arrangement is explicitly meant to prevent service gaps.

Also, market disruption to competitors (Airtel, MTN, Glo) will be minimal in the near term because they already operate at much larger scale; any short-term customer movements will be incremental.

However, localized service quality issues, billing glitches, or porting/branding confusion could produce customer complaints and temporary churn. T2 must address these with immediate effect.

The bottom line is that the roaming deal blunts immediate disruption, but execution risk such as network fires, customer service breakdowns can still create noise and short-term churn.

Can T2 woo back 9mobile’s lost subscribers?

This is very possible. T2 is already perceived as vibrant, and the name appears forward-thinking. However, the porting of subscribers back to Ts won’t be automatic. They need reassurance of consistency of network availability. In fact, the handlers understand they need to do a lot of ‘give-away’ (incentives).

Key considerations:

Branding alone won’t bring customers back. Subscribers left for reasons like poor coverage, dropped calls, poor data speeds, perceived instability, and billing/customer care issues.

A new name helps perception, but must be paired with tangible improvements.

Coverage and quality are the primary determinants of return. With roaming on MTN, T2 can promise better immediate coverage, that’s necessary but not sufficient.

Offers and trust-building (transparent tariffs, no-bait billing, simple retention bundles, easy SIM/number porting) will be required to persuade users to return.

Therefore, T2 can win back some subscribers, especially price-sensitive or loyalty-ready segments, but regaining meaningful scale requires sustained investment and service reliability over 6–18 months.

Key areas T2 should major on to regain investor & subscriber confidence

Actionable priorities (short → medium → long term):

• Short term (0–3 months)

Service continuity & communication: Use the MTN roaming window to guarantee coverage and proactively communicate to customers what has changed and why – FAQs, SMS alerts, customer care hours.

Transparent migration plan: Clear timelines for network restoration, SIM provisioning, and any service interruptions. Transparency reduces panic and regulatory scrutiny.

Retention offers: Immediate, generous data/voice bundles for existing customers and port-back incentives for former subscribers.

• Medium term (3–12 months)

Network investment & O&M: Recommission towers, prioritise high-traffic corridors and cities, and publish KPIs including latency, speed, dropped-call rates. Investors watch CAPEX and operational metrics.

Customer experience overhaul: Improve billing systems, complaint resolution SLAs, and digital self-service options like apps, USSD.

Partnerships: Strengthen wholesale/roaming, content, and fintech partnerships to create sticky services, bundled VAS, payments, education, OTT partnerships.

• Long term (12–36 months)

Corporate governance & transparency: Publish audited accounts, board composition, and recovery milestones. The NCC and investors favour demonstrable governance improvement.

Product differentiation: Focus on niche segments – SMEs, youth, rural connectivity, rather than trying to replicate MTN’s full stack immediately. Bring back the ‘youth vibes’ of the Etisalat days – campus storms, etc.

Sustainable business model: Prove average revenue per user (ARPU) improvement and churn reduction while controlling opex. Investors need a credible turn-around plan with milestones; subscribers need reliable service and fair pricing.

Is this a sign of recovery for the telecoms sector?

Well, partly. The rebrand and roaming pact are signals of pragmatic consolidation and collaboration, not necessarily a broad-sector boom.

The roaming deal and the rebrand indicate industry actors and the regulator are working to avoid failures and preserve consumer service, a healthy sign for systemic stability.

Why cautious?

The sector still faces structural issues such as high spectrum costs, legacy debt, CAPEX demands, and rising operating costs.

A single operator stabilising or rebranding is encouraging, but broader recovery requires improved ARPUs, investment flows, and policy stability. Let the gains of the tariff adjustments go round.

Subscribers demand or deserve improved quality of service; the government is expecting higher taxes, and the shareholders hope to smile to the banks hence the operator, often treated as the sacrificial lamb, must be protected at all costs; without them, the whole system collapses and everyone goes hungry.

The NCC’s recent corporate governance push suggests regulators are tightening standards, both a necessary improvement and a challenge for weaker players.

What role will the NCC play in T2’s survival?

NCC’s role is central. My expected actions from the NCC are in three fronts:

Facilitator of operational continuity: Approving roaming to prevent service outages (already done).

Regulatory oversight & compliance enforcement: The NCC’s corporate governance guidelines and spectrum oversight require T2 to comply on reporting, operational integrity, and consumer protection; non-compliance could lead to sanctions or loss of privileges.

Market stability measures: The regulator can encourage industry collaboration (number pooling, shared infrastructure), mediate disputes (interconnect, roaming fees), and influence the environment for investor confidence (clear rules, predictable enforcement).

NCC’s posture will likely be supportive but watchful, approving short-term measures like roaming while insisting on governance and recovery milestones.

Is the roaming arrangement with MTN working out successfully?

I think early evidence is promising but incomplete. Reports suggest operational roaming is active in many areas; other commentary suggests 9mobile (now T2) base stations were not fully active at the time the deal took effect, which would make roaming essential.

Those reports are mixed and partly anecdotal.  What matters for “success” are seamless handoffs, consistent QoS, correct billing settlement, and clear customer communication.

If MTN and T2 resolve these without frequent dropped sessions or billing errors, the arrangement will be judged successful. If customers face degraded experience or confusing charges, the reputational damage could be high.

So, the framework is the right one and reduces immediate risk, but the real test will be operational KPIs and customers’ actual experience over the next 3–6 months.

Quick risk checklist: What to watch this quarter

• Clarity (or lack) on T2’s funding plan for CAPEX and debt servicing.
• MTN’s commercial terms. If roaming is priced poorly for T2, sustainability will be strained.

Recommended immediate communications/PR points for T2

With the rebranding comes more pressure on the communications team. Publish a one-page recovery timeline with measurable milestones.

Also run an SMS/call campaign explaining roaming, what customers should expect, and a helpline for issues.

Launch a “welcome back” package for former 9mobile, sorry T2, customers. Make it simple, no-surprises bundles.

Commit to monthly public KPI updates for three quarters – coverage %, average speeds, complaints resolved – to rebuild investor trust. Make sure your (accurate) data are updated on NCC’s Industry Statistics Page.

At the end, T2’s success hinges on execution, transparency, and innovation. If it can deliver a superior digital experience, rebuild trust, and stay lean, it could become Nigeria’s most agile telecom player. But the road is steep, and the market is unforgiving.

The post From Etisalat to 9mobile to T2: A Journey of Reinvention appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Well, research by UNESCO affirms this. The appalling lack of access to quality education is saddening and despite collaborations to relieve this, more hands are needed. 

Osayi Izedonmwen is one of such innovators working hard to reduce this rate and bolster quality education access starting from Nigeria and then Africa at large. 

In this regard, he founded Teesas. Join us as he speaks on the company’s commendable reach, scale and impacts so far.

Kindly enlighten us about Teesas. What was the inspiration behind the name?

Teesas came from a Bini (Edo) word Etisa which means teacher. That’s a reflection of what we intend to do, which is to bring together the very best teachers, giving them an opportunity to impact lives, build leaders of the future, transform their minds, not just from the academic aspect but focus on developing the total child.

That’s why when you go on the Teesas platform, we are not just focused on academics but also total character building, strengthening the connection to our local culture and dialect, among others.

Correct me if I’m wrong please. Teesas was founded in 2021 after the pandemic hit hard in 2020. Was the idea of Teesas promoted by the pandemic or it had been cooking before the covid?

We had been planning and talking about developing an edtech platform for at least two years before covid came about. The reason is that we’ve always believed the future of education is going to be somewhat hybrid, and we already had a lot of interactions with kids because another company that I founded Imose Technologies, had become one of the largest brands delivering children’s educational tablets, for example, the Omotab educational tablets.

We already knew that we needed to increase the quality of educational content we put on the tablet and we also know that for us to reach children that are in the most difficult-to-reach areas, we had to leapfrog the structural hurdles through technology. So I had been thinking about this for a while.

Teesas last raised a $1.6m pre-seed fund December 2021, which was to stimulate your expansion into new markets and expand your product range. Where have you expanded to since then and what are the new products developed?

Last year, when we started, we were just rolling out primary school academic support products that essentially help children understand foundation concepts across subjects that are delivered from reception all the way to primary six. Today, if you go on the app, we’ve created so much value in terms of new products, now we have The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Kids, developed in partnership with Franklin Covey, the publishers of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and one of the world’s most trusted leadership training organisations. We are now their exclusive partner across Africa for education.

Within this period, we’ve also developed the secondary school entrance exam product. What it does is to really help children prepare for entrance exams into different categories of secondary schools — Catholic schools, National Unity schools, Military schools and all.

We’ve taken many years of past questions, broken it down, brought in the best and brightest tutors to  really dig deep into how to answer those questions effectively, training the children and giving them many years of past questions that they can take on the app.

We’ve also developed a more robust product for learning Nigerian languages. That’s targeted at parents that want their children to get grounded and connected to their local culture, at home and in the diaspora.

Those are some of the things we’ve done in terms of enhancing the product range.

Regarding expansion, we’ve started making moves in Kenya, we’ve set up a full team in Kenya and we are at the early stages of setting up a team in Ghana. We’ve made quite some expansive moves in the last one year and we will continue to grow the business.

Did you have legislative issues when you launched in Kenya or Ghana, when it came to the Government and dealing with their rules, laws and policies?

We are still in the process. For Kenya, it was a bit straightforward, we registered as a full-fledged subsidiary. In Ghana, we had to look at the local laws and find the best ways to accommodate our business there. We are a law-abiding company so we have to focus our energies to align with the local legal requirements to register a company there and essentially, we’ve done whatever is required to register or set up. I wouldn’t say it’s easy or hard because the only comparison we have is Nigeria and relatively, we’ve had very good lawyers from the onset and it hasn’t been very difficult.

How have these products enhanced your growth and what are the impacts made so far?

We have done a lot of CSR and one which I’m excited and proud of is the Teesas Donate Program, where we have encouraged individuals to donate damaged devices such as tablets and computers to us, we’d repair them and infuse those devices with our educational content. We then deliver these devices for free, donate them to orphanages, IDP camps and we don’t just donate devices, we support those orphanages with one-on-one tutorials every now and then, and give them internet access for a year.

For a startup that came to life just last year, it’s something we are really proud of and we are clearly focused on giving back to society. We believe in creating value, impacting lives and at creating essential value for our shareholders because as an organization, our vision and ambition is to democratize access to quality education with the aim of developing the whole child and enhancing their future outcomes.

Today, we have lots of big schools such as Oxbridge, St Saviours, and others collaborating with us. Our goal is not to replace traditional schooling. We see our products as supplements to help schools truly deliver on their vision and that’s why we are super excited about programs like the Principal’s Academy, where we brought in principals, school owners, and administrators and we gave them a robust 2-day training, we brought an international coaching expert from the US to really teach them how to drive social-emotional learning, how to help children develop skills that they need to be successful as they move into the real world. 

A lot of schools attended the program and it just reinforces our aim to strongly collaborate with schools with the aim of doing exploits.

From what you’ve said, could we say you also reach out to the underserved? For people that can’t afford education

Absolutely, that is the core essence of the Teesas Donate Program. We believe that as an impact-driven organization, no child should be left behind. Our commitments remain to make sure that every child, everywhere, has access to quality education and the only way we can do that is to find creative ways to bring in these underserved children that otherwise cannot afford quality education. 

That’s why we are focused on the program, giving out those tablets for free, giving them access to quality education for free, so yes, our goal is really to get more people educated and that involves reaching the underserved and the difficult-to-access communities.

How have you been able to sustain and even intensify this growth and impact? As of January this year, you already had over 150,000 downloads on the Google Play Store. How much increase have you gotten now? Still on numbers, tell us about the tractions you’ve made so far?

We try not to be number focused at Teesas, we try to be more impact-focused and that is how we measure our success. Remember our core ethos is impact, we measure success by the number of lives that we’re impacting and the transformation that we are making in the lives of children.

When we go to schools and are able to expand the network of schools we collaborate with, those are things that we track.

Are you saying users can leverage your product without the app?

We’ve designed the product such that whether you’re on the web or mobile, you can have access to the app. We’ve made access as seamless as possible and we also recognize that 60% of Africans interact with products using their mobile phones and that is why both on android and iOS, we have the app available.

The post Teesas is making Education Seamless, Accessible. A Discuss with Osayi Izedonmwen  appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Drawing in 754 registered participants from across Africa, HackOps 1.0 not only delivered on its promise to challenge developers to solve real-world problems but also demonstrated the potential of PipeOps as a deployment-first platform bridging the DevOps skills gap across the continent.

While participants brought energy, innovation, and determination, the success of HackOps 1.0 was made possible in part by a powerful panel of expert judges, each selected for their deep domain knowledge and experience in emerging technologies.

These individuals played a critical role in evaluating the over 150 submitted projects and selecting the top 25 teams that competed in the final round held in Lagos. 

Judges Brought the Bar of Excellence

The judging panel was strategically curated to mirror the diversity of the tech ecosystem and the hackathon’s core tracks: Michael Mekuleyi, Adora Nwodo, and Jeremy Brockett brought their deep cloud and infrastructure expertise to the DevOps & Cloud Engineering track, evaluating scalability, CI/CD practices, and deployment efficiency. Olatunji Fagbore, a leading voice in AI and IoT product management, judged solutions applying machine learning, data science, and embedded systems.

Cynthia Chisom, Samuel Ogbonyomi, and Jadesola Akinnusoye judged the Startup and Product Strategy track, assessing business viability, product-market fit, and user strategy. Abdullateef Abdul, General Counsel at Bumpa and Managing Partner at Goldlex Legal, provided legal oversight, reviewing submissions for regulatory compliance and IP protection.

Leke Ayodele and Ewere Diagboya led the judging on community growth and developer relations, focusing on open-source visibility, UI/UX quality, and user onboarding.

Oluwaleke Fakorede, CTO of Insomnia Labs and Co-founder of GoWagr, served as the sole judge, bringing his experience to the Blockchain Engineering track.

With years of experience building on protocols like Ethereum and Solana, Oluwaleke evaluated decentralized applications, smart contract architecture, and Web3 innovations.

His selection was crucial in a track with one of the rarest but most technically demanding skill sets.

Judges were chosen based on their excellence and experience in their respective fields. Each judge assessed projects, bringing their years of experience to the forefront and using a rubric tailored to their track, ensuring objectivity while maintaining high technical standards.

Real-World Problems, Real-World Impact

Participants were challenged to build solutions in five core sectors: healthcare, finance, education, project management, and travel and hospitality, using emerging technologies like blockchain, AI, etc.

Notably, over 60% of projects focused on healthcare and finance, with the top three teams (Bendan, Medix, and Isis) delivering standout innovations in medical records, AI-driven diagnostics, and health data management.

The judging team’s experience proved instrumental in identifying not just functional projects, but scalable and impactful ones.

A Platform for What’s Next

HackOps 1.0 wasn’t just about prizes and prototypes—it was about building confidence in the African developer ecosystem and offering a practical, scalable alternative to cloud deployment through PipeOps.

With over 36,000 CI/CD deployments, 714 vCPUs, and 3.6TB of server resources spun up, HackOps didn’t just test developers—it accelerated them.

As the PipeOps team plans for HackOps 2.0, one thing is clear: the bar has been set—and the judges helped build it.

The post HackOps 1.0: A Resounding Success Powered by 754 Builders | See Expert Judges Behind the Scenes appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Speaking to an audience of telecom executives and stakeholders at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Rudman stressed Nigeria’s overwhelming dependence on mobile internet.

“99.98% of the total internet users in Nigeria are using mobile devices. Only 0.2% are on fixed and unfixed wire. This is from the NCC’s website. It’s official.”

That single statistic, he said, explains the nation’s weak internet backbone and poor local content delivery. 

In contrast, South Africa, with over 50% of users on fixed connections, manages to retain and circulate massive internet traffic internally. Brazil, he added, is now the second largest country by network size globally, thanks to a deliberate policy to empower over 10,000 local internet service providers. “They are able to domesticate almost 90% of internet traffic in Brazil,” he noted.

Nigeria, Rudman warned, is trailing far behind because of neglect and lack of coordinated policy efforts at both federal and state levels. “Sometimes the government might not really be keen in solving those issues, and even if the federal government wants to, the state legislations are entirely different,” he said. 

For any reform to work, he stressed the need for strong lobbying at the state level and continuous pressure from media and stakeholders.

Beyond infrastructure, Rudman also spoke on the nation’s faltering education system, blaming its collapse on entrenched interests. 

He called out policymakers for failing to understand the link between education and national development, using India and Singapore as examples of countries that invested heavily in human capital to achieve global relevance.

“India is spending a billion dollars training people. That’s why you have all these humans from all these major companies in the world from India. They are churning out 70 to 100 unicorns every year. The entire African continent has only seven. We will keep dreaming, but the government must do their responsibility.”

He spoke about institutions like the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), questioning their contribution to the telecom sector. “We have DBI, right. What is DBI doing in terms of the impact on the telecom sector? They have the financial model, the amount of land that they have in Lagos and Abuja… There is a deficit in human capital, human skills, yet they are not doing it.”

Rudman proposed the creation of a dedicated ICT Think Tank to drive training and education strategy, one that would work directly with universities and not rely on empty bureaucratic structures. But he left no doubt that the onus lies squarely on government to make the first move.

“The President of Nigeria must make deliberate attempt to solve this. It is not for ATCON to go and change advocacy. We should consistently push for government to do the right thing.”

Nigeria’s telecom sustainability cannot be built on mobile data alone, nor can its digital economy grow without radical education reform and committed leadership.

The post ‘99.98% on Mobile, 0.2% on Fixed Networks’ – Rudman Warns of Dangerous Imbalance in Nigeria’s Internet Sector appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Backed by a $50 million commitment in research grants, computational resources, and API access, this initiative aims to accelerate scientific progress and provide students and educators with the tools needed to enhance AI’s sustainability.

The programme brings together institutions across the United States and beyond, including Harvard University, the University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Duke University, and Texas A&M University, among others. 

Through this collaboration, OpenAI seeks to create an environment where academic research and AI development intersect, producing innovations that could have wide-ranging impacts across industries.

AI-Driven Research and Innovation

One of the objectives of NextGenAI is to bolster AI in scientific research. The Ohio State University is leveraging AI to boost multiple sectors, including digital health, energy, manufacturing, and agriculture. 

Meanwhile, researchers at Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital are using AI to expedite the diagnosis process for patients with rare diseases and refine AI’s role in medical decision-making.

Duke University, on the other hand, is focusing on metascience research—studying how AI can optimise the scientific process itself.

“Ohio State is at the forefront of a multidisciplinary approach to the benefits of AI, significantly impacting both research and education. We are excited to join OpenAI and this elite research partnership, which will enable us to drive even more groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in medicine, manufacturing, computing, and beyond,” said Peter J. Mohler, executive vice president for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge at The Ohio State University.

Beyond research, NextGenAI is designed to prepare students and educators for an AI-driven world. Texas A&M University has launched the Generative AI Literacy Initiative, aimed at training students in responsible AI use. 

Similarly, MIT will leverage OpenAI’s API and computing power to help students develop and fine-tune AI models, while Howard University plans to integrate AI into its curriculum and administrative processes.

Dr. Robert H. Bishop, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, emphasised the importance of this initiative:

“We look forward to collaborating with OpenAI, whose support will enable us to empower our students, researchers, and the broader academic community with cutting-edge knowledge and skills in the rapidly evolving field of generative artificial intelligence.”

AI in Libraries and Universities

AI’s impact is also expanding to historical preservation and public access to knowledge. The University of Oxford’s renowned Bodleian Library is digitising rare texts, using OpenAI’s API to make centuries-old documents searchable for scholars worldwide. 

Similarly, Boston Public Library is employing AI to improve accessibility to public domain materials, ensuring that information is more readily available to diverse audiences.

“This new collaboration marks an exciting step forward, offering fresh opportunities to enrich our research, expand our AI capabilities, and foster skill development. By working together, we can learn from one another, advancing the frontiers of artificial intelligence, understanding its impact on education, and unlocking its vast potential for the benefit of our university community and beyond,” said Anne Trefethen, pro-vice-chancellor, Digital, at the University of Oxford.

Strengthening the Link Between Academia and Industry

Beyond boosting AI research, NextGenAI strengthens the collaboration between academia and industry, ensuring that AI’s benefits extend beyond university labs to libraries, hospitals, and classrooms worldwide. 

According to OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer, Brad Lightcap, “The field of AI wouldn’t be where it is today without decades of work in the academic community. Continued collaboration is essential to build AI that benefits everyone. NextGenAI will accelerate research progress and catalyze a new generation of institutions equipped to harness the transformative power of AI.”

This initiative follows OpenAI’s earlier launch of ChatGPT Edu in May 2024, which provided universities with access to ChatGPT for academic use. NextGenAI builds on this effort by providing institutions with the necessary resources to drive AI innovation at scale.

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