E-Business

Vodacom Says IoT will Transform Lives, Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria

Published

7 years ago

July 26, 2017

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Lanre Kolade, Managing Director of Vodacom Business Nigeria, has said that increasing numbers of people seeking healthcare services, rising costs and pressure to innovate, raises the need for the sector to adopt the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve the current healthcare system in Nigeria.

He stated this in his keynote speech at the Information Communications Technology and Telecommunications (ICTEL) Expo, 2017 organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

A recent report from the World Health Organisation’s Global Healthcare Workforce Alliance shows that the primary challenge for Nigeria’s healthcare system is inadequate production and the inequitable distribution of health workers, where the ratio of health workers per ten thousand citizens sits at 1.95. This means that citizens seeking healthcare services outstrips the availability of trained staff and those in need may be far from the nearest hospital or clinic.

Kolade said “The Internet of Things is a powerful tool for us to successfully address Nigeria’s healthcare challenges. IoT can be used to increase access to healthcare by extending the scope of care services to rural and hard-to-reach areas and ensuring that essential medicines are available where and when they are needed. This technology is powering connected medical services that enable healthcare professionals to diagnose and consult with patients and first responders remotely, no matter where they are.”

Kolade went explained that the cost of managing global populations and the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions is putting governments worldwide under considerable pressure. “IoT technology becomes pivotal to drive healthcare efficiency, where governments and industry bodies can use large-scale data sets gathered by IoT to analyse treatment effectiveness, track the spread of diseases and understand macro trends in population health, to guide policy decisions making.” he added.

IoT is significant to realising a digital healthcare system in Nigeria. Technology makes it possible to connect assets of all kinds – everything from heart monitors to chiller cabinets. These assets are equipped with sensors that monitor their environments, and with a network connection, so they can communicate.

Vodacom recently partnered with Kaduna State Government to launch a mobile technology-based healthcare program, SMS for Life 2.0, in the state. It aims to increase the availability of essential medication by monitoring drug stock levels, improving the delivery of healthcare for citizens who access public health services. Vodacom is the technology partner for the initiative, which is a public-private partnership with Novartis and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health. Vodacom has concluded the training and deployment of SMS for Life 2.0 in Kaduna, with over 250 facilities using the platform to date. This initiative is planned to be implemented in all thirty six states.

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E-Business

Study Reveals Software Programmers to make Full Use of AI Code Assistants

Published

6 hours ago

April 16, 2024

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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Gartner predicts that by 2028, 75 percent of enterprise software engineers will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) code assistants, up from less than 10 percent, currently.

According to a Gartner poll of 598 global respondents conducted in the third quarter of 2023, 63 percent of organisations are now testing, deploying, or have previously implemented AI code assistants.

AI code assistants provide for more capabilities than only code development and completion, notes the research firm.

According to Gartner, the use of AI code assistants can lead to higher work satisfaction and retention, resulting in lower turnover costs.

Philip Walsh, senior principal analyst at Gartner, comments: “Software engineering leaders must determine ROI and build a business case as they scale their rollouts of AI code assistants.

“However, traditional ROI frameworks steer engineering leaders toward metrics centred on cost reduction. This narrow perspective fails to capture the full value of AI code assistants.”

Gartner notes that software engineering leaders must “reframe the ROI conversation from cost reduction to value generations”.

Walsh adds: “Calculating time savings on code generation is a good place to begin building a more robust value story. To convey the full enterprise value story for AI code assistants, software engineering leaders should connect value enablers to impacts, and then analyse the overall return to the organisation.”

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E-Business

New National ID Card to Be Issued Via Banks- NIMC

Published

19 hours ago

April 15, 2024

Comms Week

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that the planned national ID card will be issued to applicants by their banks.

NIMC said it is working with the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) to deliver the cards to applicants.

“The card will be issued through the applicants’ respective banks in line with existing protocols with the issuance of the Debit/Credit cards,” the agency said at the weekend update on its official X handle.

KEY FACTS ABOUT THE PROPOSED NEW GENERAL MULTIPURPOSE NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD

The new National ID Card is a single, convenient, and General multipurpose card (GMPC) , eliminating the need for multiple cards—not three.
The single GMPC has multiple use cases:…

— NIMC (@nimc_ng) April 12, 2024

It said applicants need to request their cards with their NIN “through the self-service online portal, NIMC offices, or their respective banks”.

“The card will be powered by the AFRIGO card scheme, an indigenous scheme powered by NIBSS,” NIMC said.

“The card can be picked up by holders at the designated center or delivered to the applicants at the requested location at an extra cost to be borne by the applicants,” the update read.

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E-Business

NIMC Makes Clarifications on AfriGo, New National Domestic Card Scheme

Published

3 days ago

April 13, 2024

Comms Week

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that the new national Identity card, powered by AfriGo Card, is a single card with multiple services.

NIMC made the clarification against the confusion and criticisms that have trailed the AfriGo Card , touted as a National Domestic Card Scheme.

NIMC is launching the AfriGo Card, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System (NIBSS), and has had appointed SecureID, a Lagos headquartered company to manufacture the Card Scheme

Making clarification on the card, Kayode Adegoke, head of Corporate Communications of the NIMC, said the General multipurpose card (GMPC) will eliminate the need for multiple cards.

“The new National ID Card is a single, convenient, and General multi-purpose card (GMPC), eliminating the need for multiple cards—not three.

“The single GMPC has multiple use cases: Payments/Financial, Government intervention/services, travel, etc.

“The National Identity Management Commission is working with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System to deliver the payment and financial use cases.

“The card will be powered by the AFRIGO card scheme, an indigenous scheme powered by NIBSS. Applicants for the card will have to request with their NIN through the self-service online portal, NIMC offices, or their respective banks.

“The card will be issued through the applicants’ respective banks, in line with existing protocols with the issuance of the Debit/Credit cards.

“The card can be picked up by holders at the designated centre or delivered to the applicants at the requested location at an extra cost to be borne by the applicants,” he said.

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