A media advocacy group, Digital Economy Media Support Volunteers, (DEMS Volunteers), has congratulated the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, on his reappointment for another term of five years. Made up of Nigerian media professionals that are leading nationwide awareness/campaigns on Digital Economy, the group expressed the message of goodwill, in a press release, over the weekend. The Group said that, with President Muhammadu Buhari, reappointing Prof. Danbatta, following a recommendation by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, shows a cordial working relationship that exists, between…
Author: DigitalTimesNG
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has commended Governors AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Willie Obiano of Kwara State and Anambra State, respectively, for positioning their States to embrace the Digital Economy. Recall that the governors did this by crashing the Right of Way Charges from N5,500 per linear metre to N1 per kilometre of fibre in Kwara State and from N600 per linear metre to N0 in Anambra State. For instance, the Executive Governor of Kwara State had in making the pronouncement, noted that the reduction was “designed to deepen digital penetration in Kwara…
By Idowu OBADARA One afternoon some weeks back, a call from a secondary school mate roused me from my lockdown-induced siesta. My mate, an excitable guy from way back, wanted to share with me a piece of news he thought I had not heard. “What is it?” I asked groggily. He said Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour, had urged DStv, GOtv and StarTimes to give subscribers free subscription for at least one month as a way of lessening the economic impact of the lockdown imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak. I told him I had seen Keyamo say…
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has contributed $750 million towards the manufacturing and distribution of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University. The funds come as part of a deal with British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca, who’s joined forces with organisations fighting to protect the world against infectious diseases like COVID-19: the Serum Institute of India (SII); the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); and the Gavi Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), of which the latter two are directly funded by Gates. Gates’ millions will support the delivery of 300 million doses of the vaccine, confusingly dubbed AZD1222, with the first shipments expected to begin by the end…
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, has said that since 2012, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) had enrolled a total number of 41 million Nigerians. He said it has also issued each person with a unique identifier known as the National Identification Number (NIN), which serves as a universal proof of identity. The SGF said that the Commission also harmonised about 11 million Bank Verification Number (BVN) data from other public agencies, according to a report by the Vanguard. Mustapha made these claims at the inauguration of the Steering Committee for the Nigeria Digital…
Good news came the way of Professor Umar Garba Danbatta Friday afternoon as President Muhammadu Buhari approved his reappointment as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). A statement by Uwa Suleiman, spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said the reappointment was in an effort to consolidate the gains made in the telecommunications sector in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, “Professor Danbatta’s reappointment was based on the recommendation of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), in line with the Nigerian Communications…
Access Bank Plc, Africa’s most sustainable financial institution, has rolled out Access 9ijaKids, a 12-week eLearning programmme aimed at improving the intelligence quotients, financial literacy and civic knowledge of primary school children. The eLearning programme underscores Access Bank’s deep understanding of the adverse effects the COVID-19 pandemic has on Nigeria’s education system, according to a report in the Vanguard. The programmme which employs the use of gamified technology is being executed in partnership with 9ija Kids, a Nigerian EduTech company with a storied history of using games to engage, educate and reward Nigerian children. Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Access Bank’s Head…
Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance, whose backers include Cisco Systems Inc. and a foundation of South African businessman Jonathan Oppenheimer, has raised $1 million to support its African technology startups and help kick-start the return of venture capital to the continent following the coronavirus outbreak, Bloomberg reports. The group has allocated about $100,000 each for two Nigerian companies-Max.ng, a taxi-hailing service, and Releaf Group, a platform for sorting and distributing farm products, to help them through economic downturns caused by the pandemic, Harambe Chairman Okendo Lewis-Gayle said in a phone interview. “The capital markets have frozen up,” said Lewis-Gayle, who founded Harambe…
Google was sued on Tuesday in a proposed class action accusing the internet search company of illegally invading the privacy of millions of users by pervasively tracking their internet use through browsers set in “private” mode, according to a report by Reuters. The lawsuit seeks at least $5 billion, accusing the Alphabet Inc unit of surreptitiously collecting information about what people view online and where they browse, despite their using what Google calls Incognito mode. According to the complaint filed in the federal court in San Jose, California, Google gathers data through Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager and other…
Standard Chartered Nigeria has announced the winners of the first edition of its Women in Technology Incubator. Launched in June 2019, the SC Women in Tech Incubator was established to support and promote the economic and social development of women in Nigeria through innovation or technology-led entrepreneurship. From over 600 applications, 10 candidates with the most compelling ideas were selected to go through the programme. At the end of the training period, 5 winners emerged and received USD10, 000 each to support the growth and sustained expansion of their businesses. The programme which was implemented for the Bank by…