Author: Rommy Imah

As controversy rages over the availability of Fifth Generation (5G) services in the country, Nigeria’s telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has once again reiterated its earlier clarification that 5G network service has neither been licenced nor deployed in any part of Nigeria. The Commission described as mischievous, a statement-making the rounds on social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites that the Nigerian telecoms industry was going to switch on 5G networks in Lagos last Sunday (yesterday) 10th, Monday 11th or Tuesday 12th May 2020.  The NCC said in a release signed by Dr. Henry Nkemadu,…

As technology innovations continue to transform every industry and job role in Nigeria, the service industry (including the hospitality sector) is certainly no exception. Technology innovations, including customer relationship management platforms and point-of-sale (POS) tools, have come a long way in the hospitality industry. Keeping up with the latest technology trends is of the utmost importance for those in the hospitality industry, not only to improve their customer experience but also to improve internal processes at the same time. The Hotel is arguably the most obvious form of accommodation that falls within the hospitality industry, catering to people who require…

Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has declared that in every crisis there is a hidden opportunity, stating that the opportunity in this COVID-19 pandemic for Nigeria and African countries is the adaption to Smart Automation. Abdullahi made this known during his online presentation on Smart Automation Africa/West Africa hosted by Tradepass. The Webinar which was hosted by Tradepass and described as the biggest in Africa had as its theme: “Smart Automation in Africa,” and was exclusively focused on the benefits of automation for organisations in East and South Africa. The virtual event…

The Board of Trustees of Champlain College, one of America’s Innovative Colleges, Tuesday announced Benjamin Ola. Akande, PhD as the ninth President of Champlain College. Dr. Akande will assume the role effective July 1, 2020, replacing Dr. Laurie Quinn, the College’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academics, who has been serving as Interim President since July 1, 2019. While announcing the appointment, Charles Kittredge, Champlain College Board of Trustees Chair said, “Dr. Akande is an agent of change and a visionary leader with a global perspective. His enterprising mindset and commitment to student success will be essential as he…

As the Coronavirus continues to take its toll on the media industry, Google News Initiative has announced the creation of a Journalism Emergency Relief Fund to support thousands of small, medium and local news publishers globally. The funding is open to news organisations producing original news for local communities during this time of crisis and will range from the low thousands of dollars for small hyper-local newsrooms to low tens of thousands for larger newsrooms, with variations per region. Starting Tuesday 14 April, publishers everywhere can apply for funds via a simple application form available at https://newsinitiative.withgoogle.com/journalism-emergency-relief-fund/apply. Applications will close…

A freight forwarder, Mr Emmanuel Chukwuma has been speaking about how technology adoption by contemporary freight forwarding operators in Nigeria has positively changed the face of the business. Chukwuma, who is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lagos-based ELROL Integrated Services Limited, spoke recently in an exclusive interview with DigitalTimesNG. He said that unlike before, there is now more comfortable ease in doing the business of freight forwarding as a result of disruptions arising from the avalanche of technology applications available for operators to run their business. “Now, I stay in the comfort of my office or home and transact…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has embarked on the building of six Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Parks to promote the socio-economic transformation of Nigeria. The ICT Parks, according to a statement signed by Dr. Henry Nkemadu, Director, Public Affairs at the NCC, are to provide Innovation Labs and Digital Fabrication Laboratories (Fablabs) for use by ICT innovators and entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into products and prototypes. The Parks will also provide a Commercial Hub for ICT capacity building and digital skills; create employment and entrepreneurial activities, and facilitate smart city deployment across the Digital Industrial complex. An initiative…

Facebook has recently announced a new feature called ‘Quiet Mode,’ which does pretty much what you’d expect: limit notifications and the time you spend on the app. Digital wellbeing,’ the movement to limit our times on devices so we can focus on other things, has been one of the biggest tech buzzwords in the past year or two. The concept has permeated so far that now even Facebook is trying to get you to stop using Facebook, according to a report in thenextweb.com Facebook says the feature “mutes most push notifications” and that if you open Facebook while it’s activated,…

Apple and Google Friday said they’re working together on Bluetooth interoperability between Android and iOS devices to empower coronavirus tracking apps for smartphones. Apple and Google own the world’s two most widely used mobile operating systems. The news was announced today in a joint Apple-Google statement and will enable tracking of close proximity between people across Android and iOS devices, according to a report by VentureBeat. “First, in May, both companies will release APIs that enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities. These official apps will be available for users to download via their respective…

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has observed that the implicit requirement of social distancing as a means of avoiding contact with COVID-19 pandemic has increased the adoption of online platforms and e-payment systems. “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed how we interact as individuals. In particular, there has been an appreciable migration of several meetings, lectures and other forms of interactions to online platforms,” the minister said. Pantami, who sees this as a positive development, admitted that it will support his ministry’s implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for…