The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), will on Tuesday 23rd of June, 2020, unveil a five- year (2020-2024) Strategic Management Plan (SMP). This is in line with the objective of creating a seamless strategy to augment the Commission’s effective management and regulation of the telecommunications sector. The NCC said on Sunday, through a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs at the NCC, Dr. Henry Nkemadu that the SMP that will be unveiled that day will leverage the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) as well as the new National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020 2025 Roadmaps. It will cover…
Author: DigitalTimesNG
Twenty startups have been selected for the fifth edition of Google for Startups Accelerator Africa programme, according to a report in Ventureburn. Launched in 2017, the programme formerly known as Google Launchpad Accelerator programme has worked with 47 startups from 17 African countries in four editions. According to Google, startups that participate in the three-month-long programme have access to mentorship, funding, and PR support, among other incentives. In the fourth cohort last year, it selected 12 startups from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The startups were Afara Partners, TradeBuza, Xend, REACH, Tulaa, WorkPay, Elewa, OZE, Eversend, Phenomenal…
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through its IT project clearance mandate, had assessed and cleared 62 Information Technology related projects worth over N1trillion between January and May this year. Director-General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, made this known during his speech delivered by the Director IT Infrastructure Solutions, Dr Usman Gambo Abdullahi, at a virtual meeting organised by a subsidiary of the Agency, Office for Nigerian Content Development (ONC). This is an indication of the drive by this administration to digitalise government services, as most of these projects are service-based. The event theme, “Harnessing indigenous solutions for…
Abimbola Junaid, a United Kingdom-based parliamentary aide and development actor, has said that Nigeria needs a deliberate policy to skill-up the girl-child in a digital era. Junaid made this known at the second edition of Digital Rights webinar series hosted by ITREALMS in collaboration with DigitalSENSE Africa, Domain Name System ([DNS] Women – Nigeria) and NaijaAgroNet, on the theme: ‘Women and Rights in Digital Era.’ She noted that despite the gains made so far with the digital era and women having more voices, there are some lamentable aspects that should be addressed promptly. Junaid cited an instance with women celebrities…
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.…
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…