E-Business
Tears-of-Joy as Winners Emerge in Microsoft Devices’ “Passion to Empire” Campaign
Jessica Yahaya, an entrepreneur with passion for agricultural produce preservation was reduced to tears-of-joy as she joined Daniel Isa, Emmanuel Ugwueke, Emmanuel Okena and Godwin Benson as five top winners in the five-week Microsoft Mobile Devices and Services (MMDS) “From Passion to Empire” campaign.
The winners afterwards smiled home with N3.5miilion each and will be mentored by the likes of Nigerian top beauty entrepreneur, Tara Fela-Durotoye, entertainment mogul, the founder and CEO of Chocolate City, AuduMaikori and techpreneur and founding partner of leading careers and jobs website, Jobberman, Opeyemi Awoyemi.
Aside that, they have won themselves direct entry to Pan African University programme to be sponsored by MMDS too.
The campaign which commenced on February 16 ended on March 31, 2015 recorded over 4,000 entries while 15 were selected for the last pitching duel.
According to Mr. Joseph Umunakwe, managing director, Microsoft Mobile Devices and Services, inspiration for the “Passion to Empire” campaign was drawn from the drives of Bill Gates, the Microsoft Founder, who defiled all odds to establish the company, today recognized as the top software and hardware brand around the globe.
“The initiative” Umunakwe, said, “targeted at entrepreneurs to test the strength of their ideas, sharpen their skills and expand their frontiers as they go through a period of intensive business coaching with the aim to ultimately, establish their businesses”.
“Like I said during a programme, not long time ago, the reason our entrepreneurs fail is largely for lack of the bridge between passion and empire. We at Microsoft have seen it as a challenge and are willing to help out to ensure these noble ideas are ultimately utilized for the society’s growth”.
He added that the first and second runners up will be given opportunity to participate in the mentorship programme, because they have innovative acumen needful to the society.
Speaking on the sideline of the Lumia devices that spurred the campaign, Olumide Balogun, senior product manager, Microsoft Mobile Devices and Services, West and Central Africa, said that the Lumia 535 Dual SIM offers five great integrated Microsoft experiences, a wide-angle 5 megapixel front facing camera, and a spacious 5 inch display protected with Gorilla Glass 3 which makes it a perfect device for entrepreneurs who want to be able to do more on the go.
Expressing delight over the opportunity, Jessica Yahaya, said that while growing up as a child in Kaduna, she was never satisfied that her family records losses each year after fruitful farming, largely for lack of proper preservation mechanism.
She vowed to ensure that both her family, community and the nation, benefit from her technological program that will ensure proper farm products preservation.
On his part, Emmanuel Ugwueke whose team, in the last five years, have been manually engraving and branding companies’ names and logos on tin covers and packs, N3.5million is a major boost to their operations and will aid in transmission from manual to automated process.
Ugwueke said, “We have companies from Nassarawa, Benue, Kogi and others, who are willing to give us business, but we are limited due to the manual process of our operations. So, when I heard about the Microsoft Devices campaign, I reluctantly applied and they email me be in Lagos for the competition. Today, a new chapter has been opened to us.
“We have the idea that what we can produce will even discourage companies from travelling abroad for their packaging branding and engraving. Apart from that, it will stop capital flight and boast job creation in Nigeria. We are thankful to Microsoft and the judges who saw sense in what we are doing”.
On his part, Godwin Benson, hopes to transform the face of tutorial in Nigeria, adding that with a mobile application, they will connect parents and students to their choice tutors from any part of the country.
He said that the educational subsector has been growing by 17% in Nigeria and will even reach over 20% by year 2020.
According him, the application is to reduce the stress, time wastages and other inhibiting factors faced in the Nigerian tutorial and non-tutorial circle.
However, Emmanuel Okena, found pleasure in tackling challenges in the waste management and disposal in the country.
Using Lagos State as the model, he said that currently, residents are faced with issues such as a disconnect from the waste managers and improper billing and payment systems.
To him, it’s time the country removed the bottlenecks and move the secure to another level using technology.
Other winners also showcased creative ways to curbing Nigeria’s multi-faceted challenges.
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E-Business
Access Holdings, Coronation Partner Tate Modern to Spotlight Nigerian Modernism

Access Holdings Plc and Coronation Group have partnered with Tate Modern to commemorate World Art Day with a virtual session highlighting the global significance of Nigerian modernism.

Access Holdings
The event, titled “In Conversation with Osei Bonsu: Inside Nigerian Modernism,” featured a virtual tour of the Nigerian Modernism exhibition and discussions on the evolution of modern art in Nigeria.
The session brought together staff members across both organisations, reflecting growing institutional engagement with arts and culture as a driver of societal development.
Speaking at the event, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer of Coronation Group, Ngozi Akinyele, emphasised the role of art in shaping identity and national development.
She said that beyond financial capital, cultural and intellectual capital are essential in defining a nation’s prosperity and inspiring dialogue.
Akinyele noted that both organisations were committed to democratising access to art, ensuring it is accessible to a wider audience rather than a select few.
The discussion also featured insights from Tate Modern Curator, Osei Bonsu, and art expert Daniel Wallis, who examined the development of Nigerian modernism and its global relevance.
Bonsu said Nigerian modernism represents an independent reimagining of global art, rooted in the country’s diverse cultural heritage and expressed through unique visual languages.
According to him, the movement challenges narrow, Eurocentric definitions of modernism and highlights the richness of African artistic expression.
The session further underscored the growing international recognition of Nigerian art, particularly through exhibitions at Tate Modern.
Participants also reflected on the visit of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the exhibition, described as a milestone in promoting Nigeria’s cultural heritage globally.
In his closing remarks, Chief Communications Officer of Access Holdings, Amaechi Okobi, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to advancing African narratives on the global stage.
He said the collaboration with Tate Modern aligns with broader efforts to promote dialogue, preserve cultural identity and support the creative sector.
The event reinforced a shared commitment by Access Holdings, Coronation Group and Tate Modern to elevate African art globally and ensure Nigerian cultural narratives continue to shape international conversations.
E-Business
NDPC Issues Critical Advisory as Hackers Target Nigeria’s Key Digital Systems

Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has issued a regulatory advisory to data controllers and processors across the country following what it described as escalating threats to Nigeria’s data security architecture.

NDPC
In a statement signed by Babatunde Bamigboye, lead of Legal, Enforcement and Regulations, the commission said its technical assessment revealed that some shadowy threat actors were engaged in coordinated operations targeting financial systems and critical digital infrastructure in Nigeria.
The commission urged public institutions to comply with the presidential directive of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which emphasises the strategic importance of data in national development.
According to the NDPC, the President had declared that “data is the new oil,” stressing the need for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to rigorously capture and safeguard information in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
The commission therefore advised all data controllers and processors to urgently strengthen their technical and organisational measures to protect personal data and ensure compliance with the law.
It listed key measures to include the appointment of trained and certified Data Protection Officers, implementation of comprehensive privacy policies and information security standards, as well as conducting Data Privacy Impact Assessments.
Other measures recommended by the NDPC include deployment of robust identity and access controls such as Multi-Factor Authentication, adoption of zero-trust security architecture, prompt remediation of system vulnerabilities, and continuous patch management.
The commission also emphasised the need to secure cloud infrastructure, application programming interfaces (APIs), databases and access credentials, alongside real-time monitoring, logging and threat detection systems.
Further recommendations include encryption and secure credential handling, regular vulnerability assessment and penetration testing of critical systems, as well as routine backup and resilience testing.
The NDPC warned that organisations that fail to implement appropriate data protection measures in accordance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 risk legal liabilities.
It reiterated its commitment to providing regulatory support to organisations while ensuring the protection of personal data and strengthening institutional resilience across all sectors.
E-Business
Africa’s Forex Market in 2026: Key Trends Every Trader Should Watch

The forex market across Africa is witnessing more participants and more regulatory attention than it did just a few years ago. This growth is part of a bigger picture: Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to expand by 4.3% in 2026, while global forex turnover already hit an estimated $9.6 trillion daily in April 2025. However, there’s more to it than macroeconomic figures.

The trends reshaping the market are happening from within. Here are six worth paying close attention to.
1. Trading Has Moved to the Phone
The number of people accessing the market via mobile phones exceeds those accessing it via traditional bank systems. GSMA states that in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, there are more than 1.1 billion registered mobile money accounts.
The International Monetary Fund states that digitalisation and increased usage of the internet are changing payment systems in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
Mobile access changes traders’ behavior. It lowers the barrier to entry and speeds up deposits and withdrawals. Therefore, brokers who can provide a quality mobile trading experience will have a huge advantage.
2. Regulators Are Watching
The market is becoming more structured and more transparent. In South Africa, the FSCA regulates market conduct for financial institutions. In Kenya, the Capital Markets Authority regulates capital markets and maintains a licensing system that includes online forex brokers.
Nigeria’s SEC has publicly warned that online retail forex trading can be subject to abuse when unregulated. It also provides tools for investors to check operators’ registrations.
As a result, in 2026, more traders are likely to favour brokers that can show clear licensing, transparent operations, and stronger investor safeguards.
3. Volatility Varies by Country
A common mistake is perceiving the African market as one entity. In reality, according to RegTech Afrika, there are 21 countries out of a total of 54 that have a chance of seeing their currencies depreciate in 2025, with some of them losing value by as much as 6% or more.
A trader watching the rand, naira, shilling, or cedi, regional headlines needs more than regional headlines. Country-level macro data, central bank moves, and the US dollar will still play a major role.
4. Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure Is Quietly Improving
Platforms like PAPSS are helping make payments across African countries faster and easier to complete in local currencies. According to official announcements of PAPSS, it has become operational in 18 countries across Africa, with its latest launch in Algeria in 2025. It has also become operational in Kenya through a partnership with KCB Group, as well as in Rwanda through a partnership with Bank of Kigali.
Step by step, Africa is becoming a more financially connected continent.
5. Execution Quality Is the New Standard
Data from the BIS shows that in April 2025, three-quarters of FX trades were intermediated by the global centers of the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Therefore, the best liquidity and best prices are still linked to global conditions.
For local markets, this raises the bar. Forex traders are becoming increasingly aware that tight spreads, while important, mean little without reliable prices and execution. Brokers like JustMarkets that can bring all of these elements together are in a much stronger position than competitors.
6. Education as a Necessity
Regulatory disclosures from major global brokers illustrate how tough it is to trade without proper knowledge. According to publicly available disclosures, between 70% and 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
Forex traders who understand risk management and which financial news to follow have a better chance of surviving the market. Brokers who invest in education are more likely to be seen by traders as valuable partners rather than mere facilitators.
The Market Rewards the Prepared
Africa’s forex market in 2026 is shaped by volatility, stricter rules, and mobile-first trading. The traders who combine market knowledge with the right tools and the right broker will find real opportunity here, while those who don’t adapt will find the market increasingly unforgiving.
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