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50 MDAs Back Nigeria Digital ID4D Project, As NIMC Updates Stakeholders on NIN Enrolment

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Dr. Walter Duru delivering a Paper on Duties of Desk Officers during the Roundtable
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No fewer than fifty public institutions in Nigeria, on Tuesday, pledged their support for the implementation of the Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) Project.

Dr. Walter Duru delivering a Paper on Duties of Desk Officers during the Roundtable

Dr. Walter Duru delivering a Paper on Duties of Desk Officers during the Roundtable

Rising from a 1-day Roundtable for Desk Officers of Ecosystem Implementing partners of the Nigeria Digital ID4D project, held at Peniel Apartments, Abuja, the stakeholders described the project as timely, reiterating their willingness to participate in its implementation.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital ID4D project, Musa Odole Solomon, congratulated the desk officers on their nomination by their respective public institutions, reiterating the project’s commitment to working with them.

“Let me start by congratulating you on your nomination as desk officers for the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project. It is a show of the level of confidence the leadership of your respective organisations has in you.”

“This meeting is aimed at explaining the essence of the Nigeria Digital ID4D project, its components, objectives, strategy and expected results, while discussing the roles of the desk officers in the project implementation, among other objectives.”

“The idea of desk officers was to ensure a single point of contact with each of the ecosystem implementing partners, to ensure that our partners do not miss out on any important step in the project implementation.”

“The project is designed, following an ecosystem model, and not limited to any single organisation. It therefore involves different agencies of the government, the private sector and civil society. As desk officers, you are here today because you represent organisations already identified as important ecosystem implementing partners. Our goal is to ensure that no strategic stakeholder is left behind, in this endeavour.”

Also speaking at the event, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission, Engr. Aliyu Aziz commended the Nigeria Digital ID4D project for its intervention and support.

The NIMC Chief Executive, represented by the Director, Corporate Services of the Commission, Ibrahim Abdullahi, informed the stakeholders that the national database has hit about Ninety-Three (93) million National Identity Number (NIN) enrolments.

“The unified ID system approach, as well as the ecosystem model have had tremendous positive impacts on the enrollment figure. Currently, the National Identity Database has over 90 million (93.5m) records, which is a sharp contrast from just 7 million, when I assumed office in 2015.” he said.

He noted that “the primary aim of the strategic roadmap for digital identification in Nigeria, is to simplify the approach to identification through simple data collection process and a centralized unique identification system for Nigeria and legal residents.”

In his presentation on “Duties of Desk Officers in Nigeria Digital ID4D project Implementation,” the project’s Communications Manager, Dr. Walter Duru described the desk officers as the bridge between their respective public institutions and the project, urging them to take their roles seriously.

Also, in his presentation on “Understanding the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project,” Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the Project Implementation Unit, Dr. Emmanuel Akogun, highlighted the project development objective to the desk officers, even as he urged them to support the project to succeed.

The project’s Change Manager, Ibrahim Salifu, Data and Integration Architect, Sheriff Balogun, Social Safeguards Officer, Seun Adebayo, Grievance Redress Manager, Atana Okon, Legal Desk Officer, Adetunrayo Alao and Stakeholders Engagement Manager, Helen Nkemakolam-Ekeh, took turns to explain the activities of their respective work streams, while seeking the collaboration of the desk officers.

Olufemi Fabunmi, Director, Database at NIMC, while responding to questions from the desk officers said “NIMC will increase its server capacity to 250million from 100 million after a service upgrade.

Highlights of the event were: paper presentations, remarks, interactive session, questions and answers sessions and agreement on next steps.

The Nigeria Digital ID4D is a project, jointly funded by the World Bank, European Investment Bank, and the French Development Agency.

The Project Development Objective is to increase the number of persons with a National Identity Number (NIN), issued by a robust and inclusive foundational Identity system, that facilitates their access to services.

 

Dr. Walter Duru delivering a Paper on Duties of Desk Officers during the Roundtable


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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Paradigm Initiative Warns of AI-Driven Hate Speech, Urges Global Tech Reform

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As the world commemorates the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Paradigm Initiative (PIN) is calling on big tech companies to intensify their efforts in combating online hate speech and ensuring respect for fundamental human rights.

PIN’s 2024 Londa report highlights the widespread prevalence of hate speech online. In Angola, for instance, at least 25 content removal requests were made in connection with hate speech, harassment, and political misinformation. Globally, the consequences of unchecked hate speech have been severe—ranging from incitement to violence and heightened ethnic tensions to the targeting of vulnerable communities, including minorities, women, and foreigners.

Nigeria witnessed a tragic example in 2018 when a Facebook post showing a massacre in Plateau State was viewed more than 11,000 times, triggering ethnic conflict and resulting in fatalities. In South Africa, inadequate content moderation has worsened the problem, while in Ethiopia in 2021, a false Facebook post led to the killing of a man wrongly implicated in a scandal. India saw a surge in hate speech during its elections.

PIN notes that actors behind hate speech are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence to boost visibility. Meanwhile, existing moderation systems—especially for non-English content—struggle to keep up.

Bridgette Ndlovu, PIN’s Partnerships and Engagements Officer, said, “Hate speech online is a direct attack on the dignity and safety of individuals.” She urged technology companies to adopt transparent and effective moderation strategies and to prioritize human rights in their operations.

The spread of hate speech raises complex challenges for lawmakers. Governments are trying to regulate harmful content such as misinformation and harassment while protecting freedom of speech. However, PIN warns that hate speech laws should not be misused to arbitrarily detain human rights defenders or stifle dissenting voices.

To address these concerns, PIN recommends that tech companies invest more in moderating non-English content to reflect local nuances, improve transparency around government takedown requests, promote digital literacy—particularly in underserved regions—and conduct regular human rights due diligence, aligned with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.


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Moniepoint Deepens Commitment to Africa’s Future Through Education and Innovation

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Moniepoint Inc, one of Africa’s leading financial institutions partnered with the Mega Impact Foundation to support the 5th edition of the NextGen Connect Interschool Oratory Competition in Asaba, Delta state. This collaboration showcases Moniepoint’s unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and human capital development across the African continent.

The competition, which was held commemoratively to celebrate this year’s International Day of the Boy Child, brought together SS2 students from across Delta State to address the critical theme: “The Role of Financial Inclusion and Technology in Shaping a Brighter Future for Young People in Africa.” Moniepont has received critical acclaim over its core mission of advancing financial inclusion through innovative digital financial technology solutions and payment services..

The oratory competition showcased exceptional talent among Nigeria’s youth, with Otovo Praise of Crystalloid International School emerging as the champion. His outstanding performance earned him a full-year scholarship through the Tosin Eniolorunda STEM Foundation, reflecting Moniepoint’s philosophy of investing in educational excellence. Second-place winner Audi Innocent of St Patrick’s College received ₦300,000, while third-place winner, Asher David of Glorious Kids Academy was awarded ₦200,000.

“At Moniepoint, we believe that driving sustainable innovation begins with future-proofing and expanding the talent pool by empowering the next generation with the tools that they need to succeed especially basic literacy skills which remain fundamental pillars in socio-economic development,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO Moniepoint Inc.  “These young voices represent the future of African leadership, and their insights into financial inclusion and technology demonstrate the remarkable potential that exists within our communities. Through our various educational and developmental initiatives such as the CAD/CAM lab we donated to OAU last year or the Moniepoint DreamDevs programme, we are betting big on an investment in Africa’s future.”

The initiative extends beyond monetary rewards, creating meaningful platforms for young people to express their ideas on a global stage. Through its support of the NextGen Connect Conference and Tech-In-School conversations, Moniepoint is fostering an environment where youth can develop critical thinking skills, build confidence, and engage with pressing societal issues.

In her remarks, Founder, Mega Impact Foundation, Florence Ogonegbu said that “we reaffirm our commitment to building an Africa where every young person has simplified access to sustainable education, capacity building, and empowerment. By leveraging technology and local initiatives, we are creating platforms that enable our youth to thrive and transform their communities.

“Together with partners like Moniepoint, we are not just shaping futures—we are driving a movement for social development that will resonate globally. Every boy, every young person, deserves the opportunity to unlock their full potential and drive lasting impact across our continent.”

The competition received additional support from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Delta State, highlighting the collaborative approach required to nurture young talent effectively.


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Zoho Unveils Zia Hubs to Harness AI Insights from Unstructured Business Data

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Zoho, a global technology company, today launched Zia Hubs, a solution within Zoho WorkDrive that brings new forms of unstructured business data into the company’s broad portfolio of applications and AI services. Using Zia Hubs, organisations can now present any type of business content to Zoho’s powerful capabilities and services—including agentic AI, comprehensive analysis, and accurate, unified search—regardless of file format or structure.

“According to IDC, 80 percent of business data is unstructured,” said Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head, Zoho Nigeria. “Most unstructured data is text-based, meaning pertinent information lives within email conversations, social media posts, word processor documents, or audio and video transcripts. With Zia Hubs built into the full product suite, Zoho can provide customers with a deeper integration than any comparable software platform and nearly limitless potential uses for their data.”

Deeper Intelligence Accessing More Customer Data

Launching as part of Zoho WorkDrive, Zia Hubs brings content intelligence to the company’s unified content management and collaboration platform. Designed with a high level of user control over what content AI is allowed to access, Zia Hubs enables users to organise project or task-specific content into dedicated hubs within WorkDrive. Each hub serves as a focused space where Zia, Zoho’s flagship AI, can understand and act on the content stored within. This includes a wide range of formats such as PDFs, documents, videos, and audio files.

Zia Hubs automatically organises uploaded content by grouping related information—such as section headings, supporting text, and visuals—to preserve context. For video and audio files, Zia generates transcripts and links key moments to relevant topics, making it easier to pinpoint exactly where something was said.

With Zia Hubs, users can surface the most relevant answers when asked a question, even across different content formats. Each response includes clear citations that link back to the original content, whether it is a document, spreadsheet, image, or a specific moment in an audio or video file.

Organisations can also create custom workflows with Zoho Flow, automating document storage processes for particular projects or specific teams. This ensures that Zia always has access to the latest necessary documents automatically.

Furthermore, content from third-party software—such as Docusign PDFs, RingCentral call logs, Zoom video files—are all readable by Zia, and can be automatically placed into a hub by building a workflow with Zoho Flow.

From Intelligent Content to Intelligent Action with Zia

Zia Hubs is a foundational element of Zoho’s long-term AI strategy. It lays the groundwork for a future where intelligent agents can act contextually on content across the company’s entire product suite. With full ownership of its technology stack spanning more than 55 products, Zoho is uniquely positioned to help organisations unlock deeper value from their business content compared to competitors.

Potential use cases for Zia Hubs include: a legal team’s content hub hosting a case’s relevant files: court files, correspondence, and research, allowing a lawyer to have Zia provide summaries with citations without having to manually scan lengthy files to gain insights; a company’s support center placing call logs into a hub, then querying Zia to identify trends, like, “Have we received an increase in calls regarding specific issues?”

Future updates to Zia Hubs will enable it to identify structured information within unstructured files and trigger specialised agents tailored to specific business needs. This will further establish Zia Hubs as the central content intelligence layer that activates AI-native workflows across the full Zoho ecosystem.


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