The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, strongly believes that the ever-growing youthful population of Kano and Jigawa can be a source of blessing to Nigeria if carefully harnessed. Abdullahi stated this during a presentation at a Zoom Webinar organised by the Network for Development Foundation, with the theme: ‘Economic Recovery of Kano and Jigawa States Post-COVID19 Pandemic.’ He affirmed that if government leverages on the potential of the digital economy to exist, it can also recover from this pandemic, as well as create a sustainable environment to survive and thrive in the post-pandemic era.…
Author: DigitalTimesNG
Twitter Inc said on Wednesday it is testing a new feature that will allow users to tweet using their voice, capturing up to 140 seconds of audio in a single tweet, Reuters reports. The feature will be available to a limited number of users on Apple’s iOS platform for now and be rolled out for more iOS users in the coming weeks, Twitter said in a blog post here The micro-blogging platform said users will be able to create a voice tweet using a new “wavelengths” icon on the Tweet composer screen. Social media companies including Twitter have long been…
Visa is to roll out cards made from recycled plastic to all financial institutions globally. The card scheme has collaborated with CPI Card group to produce the ‘Earthwise High Content Card’, which is made with up to 98% upcycled plastic, according to a report in Finextra. The card is EMV compliant and dual interface capable, enabling both contact and contactless payment. Douglas Sabo, vice president and head of corporate responsibility and sustainability at Visa, says: “Our collaboration with CPI signifies a further milestone in our efforts to drive our goal of inclusive growth with a commitment to protecting the…
Announces plans to improve representation and support within the company Google is committing to spending more than $175 million on racial equity initiatives with a focus on financing black-owned businesses and supporting black entrepreneurs. The funding was announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday alongside a number of other commitments and changes meant to fight anti-black racism and support black Google employees and their families. The Verge reports that the $175 million commitment is part of an “economic opportunity package” that Google breaks down into four groups. The largest sum is $100 million in funding to be directed toward black-led…
Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments, has launched its new “Where You Shop Matters’ initiative that aims to champion and enable entrepreneurs in Nigeria while encouraging consumers to support small businesses. Alongside a new SMB resource hub, Visa has published the COVID-19 CEMEA Impact Tracker highlighting the recent effect the novel coronavirus pandemic has had on commerce for consumers and small merchants in Nigeria. The findings of the report highlight increased anxiety with consumers staying away from all but essential retail. 68% of consumers polled reported going grocery shopping less often, while 67% reported taking public transportation less often. The…
Access Bank has assured the public of its commitment to curtail the spread of COVID-19 even as it confirmed the unfortunate loss of one of its staff, who until his death, worked at the bank’s Onne Branch in Rivers State. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our deceased colleague’s family at this time as we pray for his eternal rest,” Access Bank said in a statement. It noted that in line with the bank’s COVID-19 Business Continuity Plan, the branch has been shut down for immediate disinfection and will only be reopened once it is certified that it is…
Mobile broadband subscriptions are set to account for 72% of all mobile subscriptions by 2025 LTE subscriptions in SSA are set to triple and reach 270 million in 2025 Fixed wireless access (FWA) connections forecast to reach close to 160 million, and account for 25 per cent of global mobile network data traffic by end of 2025 Mobile data traffic in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to grow by 12 times the current figures, with total traffic increasing from 0.33 Exabytes (EB) per month to 4EB by 2025. Meanwhile, average traffic per smartphone is expected to reach 7.1GB over the…
HP has unveiled its vastly improved range of gaming accessories aimed at enabling gamers to play their best while pushing the limits of what their devices can do. Gaming has increased dramatically as players look to find social connections and outlets for stress relief and entertainment. The latest HP devices are built with powerful premium components, and technology that addresses the mounting needs of all gamers, veterans, and newcomers alike. The new range of hardware and software includes the OMEN 25L and 30L Desktops, engineered for gaming performance, designed for immersion, and crafted for gaming expansion. Both the desktops perfectly pair with the…
An author and a member of the speaker’s faculty at the second edition of the 2020 Digital Rights series hosted by ITREALMS, Morenike Adebayo, has said that digital era offers women, especially in Nigeria like other developing countries, more voices. The second edition of Digital Rights webinar series was hosted in collaboration with DigitalSENSE Africa, Domain Name System (DNS Women – Nigeria) and NaijaAgroNet was on the theme: ‘Women and Rights in Digital Era.’ Adebayo, an author, activist and social entrepreneur, dwelt on the subtheme: “Nigerian Youth, Women and Rights in Digital Era” noted that in a country that…
By Steve MADUKA I am not a believer in awards. Perhaps I am of the school of thought that thinks winning an award is not a testament of who you truly are or what you can achieve. However, when at the recently concluded Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), the organizers bestowed on veteran television producer, Peter Igho the prestigious Industry Merit Award at the seventh edition of the award, I started having second thoughts about awards, because the award given to Igho, who is best known for his achievements with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in the promotion…