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Telecom Body Introduces New Global Guidelines to Protect Kids Online

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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has launched its 2020 guidelines on Child Online Protection (COP), aimed at ensuring a safe and empowering online environment for children and young people.

The ITU says while the Internet and related digital technologies opened new ways for children to communicate, learn and play, they also exposed them to a range of content, contact and harmful conduct online.

The guidelines come as the world grapples with COVID-19, which has seen technology being placed at the centre of managing the spread of the virus, further exposing children and young people online.

According to the ITU, the new guidelines were designed from the ground up to reflect the significant shifts in the digital landscape in which children find themselves, such as the Internet of things, connected toys, online gaming, robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The guidelines consist of four parts tailored to key audiences: children, parents and educators, industry and policymakers.

The guidelines for children are available in a child-friendly format and consist of a story book for children under nine, a workbook for children aged nine to 11, and a social media campaign and microsite for children and young people aged 12 to 18.

“These resources help children learn how to manage risks online, while at the same time empowering them to exercise their rights online and engage in opportunities the Internet presents to them,” says the ITU.

The guidelines for parents and educators serve as a practical tool to help them effectively support children and young people’s interaction online, to sensitise families to the potential risks and threats, and help cultivate a healthy and empowering online environment at home and in the classroom.

The guidelines for industry aim at supporting industry players in the development of their internal COP policies, such as integrating child rights considerations into all appropriate corporate policies and management processes.

The ITU adds the guidelines help in “developing standard processes to handle child sexual abuse material; creating a safer and age-appropriate online environment; educating children, carers and educators about children’s safety and the responsible use of information and communication technologies; and promoting digital technology as a mode for increasing civic engagement”.

Policymakers are also included in the guidelines, as the ITU says they serve as a solid foundation on which to develop inclusive, multi-stakeholder national strategies, through open consultations and dialogues with children, to develop better-targeted measures and more efficient actions.

“ITU and its partners sought to create a highly usable, flexible and adaptable framework firmly based on international standards and shared goals, particularly the convention on the Rights of the Child and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”

Commenting on the COP, ITU secretary-general Houlin Zhao says: “The question of how to ensure children’s online safety in the age of COVID-19 is now more pressing than ever before. ITU’s new guidelines on Child Online Protection are a very timely tool to safeguard the well-being, integrity and safety of our children, our most precious gift.”

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, director of the ITU telecommunication development bureau, says: “The new COP guidelines are designed to serve as a blueprint that can be adapted and used by different countries and stakeholders in a way that is consistent with national and local customs and laws.

“They can be considered as an initial step in engaging all relevant stakeholders – governments, the private sector, parents and teachers’ associations, and children themselves – in discussions around targeted measures and actions to create a safer online environment.”


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Coronation Report Reveals Key Role of Private Sector to Nigeria’s Infrastructure Funding

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The maiden edition of Coronation group infrastructure report has revealed that the private sector has a critical role to play in infrastructure funding in Nigeria.

The report stated that the key to private-sector infrastructure investment is for dealmakers to structure transactions that offer attractive returns combined with an acceptable degree of risk, the risk often being eased by agreements supplied by infrastructure investment vehicles such a Infracorp.

The report said that the investor base can play its part, providing liquidity as part of its own efforts to create long-term returns with low relationship with public markets.

The report noted that Nigeria’s future infrastructure development depends on private capital, including capital allocated to Public Private Partnership (PPP) ventures, given the huge amounts of money required and the inability of government to provide it.

The report explained that the record of the federal government in capital expenditure over several decades highlighted the need for increasing private-sector investment, adding that public expenditure on transportation, education, hospitals, power, housing, and other essential infrastructure has not kept up with the needs of a population growing at a long-term rate.

The report said Public-private partnership differs from government capital expenditure in that it must pay for its capital, noting that it must attract private sector capital and therefore provide better returns than the risk-free returns of government debt.

According to the report, “Inflows of petro-dollars into government coffers did not translate into proportionately more being spent on capital expenditure, surely a missed opportunity. Still worse was to follow in the period 2011-2020 when the average level of public sector capital expenditure fell to 1.1 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”


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DLM Asset Management Set to Host Webinar to Discuss Financial Stability in Times of Economic Distress

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DLM Asset Management Limited, a subsidiary of DLM Capital Group, is hosting a webinar with the theme, “Maintaining financial stability in times of economic distress.” The much-awaited webinar, slated for Thursday, March 28, 2023, at 11 a.m., is going to cover the essential strategies to navigate through economic challenges and safeguarding one’s financial future.

Hosted by industry experts, the webinar will delve into the following key topics and teach attendees:

  • How to adopt a proactive, knowledgeable, and adaptable approach to risk assessment and mitigation.
  • How to thrive in this present economy and remain financially resilient.
  • Financial planning and discipline

During its interactive Q&A session, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the subsidiary’s services from the hosts and speakers of the webinar. This includes the DLM fixed income fund, which Nairametrics identified as one of the top-performing Nigerian mutual funds in 2023.

This webinar is designed for investment savvy individuals Income earners, institutional and corporate investors, high net worth individuals, and the mass retail market.

Interested parties can register for the webinar by using this link, which is currently active. Seize the opportunity to gain experience on insightful things and get ready for a rewarding encounter.

 


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Firm Canvasses Affordable Technology to Drive Business Efficiency

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Information Communication Technology (ICT) service provider, Thamani Consulting, has stressed the need to make technology much affordable so as to make businesses seamless and efficient.

Olubunmi Abegunde, Managing Partner of the company, averred that making technology access affordable would enhance its penetration and increase uptake of digital technologies to drive employment growth of more than 22 million Africans joining the workforce each year.

He explained that the organisation remained committed to empowering businesses to thrive in Nigeria’s dynamic environment, hence churns out innovative solutions to address business problems across disciplines.

“Leveraging 20 years of combined market experience executing successful IT Projects with local and multinational organisations, we aim to capitalise on this to improve strategic utilisation of technology in Africa and support capacity building through access to requisite information technology,” he said.

He explained further that the African region more than others need increased usage of digital technologies to level-up globally, noting that polices to drive low-end technology access must be prioritised.

“This is why we do not compromise the balance of quality, standard professionalism and yet affordability in the choice of solutions we offer to clients which include: SAP training and Implementations, Software Asset Management, Plant Maintenance Process Automation and Automation for manufacturing Industries, amongst others.”


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