News
Austin Okere to Keynote as Tunde Coker Chairs MoDiTECH 2019
Mr. Austin Okere, Founder & Vice Chairman, CWG Plc, will present the keynote at the maiden edition of Mobile & Disruptive Technology Forum (MoDiTECH 2019) holding on October 24, 2019 in Lagos State, Nigeria.
ModiTECH’19 is being organised by TechEconomy.ng in collaboration with Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, as a platform for inter-sectorial review of economic impacts of technologies; giving particular attention to the disruptive potentials of emerging solutions supported by the Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Robotics, FinTechs and mobile phone economy around retail and service provision
The event under the theme: “The Power of Digital Services”, holds at Victoria Crown Plaza Hotel (VCP), 292B, Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos under the chairman of the Managing Director of Rack Centre, Dr. Ayotunde Coker, while the Chairman, Connect Technologies & Africa Chair for IEEE, Chris Uwaje (Oracle), is the co-chairman and will moderate a session on digital disruptions.
Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Communications, is the special guest of honour. Other special invitees expected at the Forum are Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director General of the National Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Tony Ojobo, the President, African ICT Foundation (AfICTF), Mr. Muhammed Rudman, President of NiRA, among others.
Other speakers include, Dr. Obadare Peter Adewale, the Co-Founder/COO, Digital Encode; Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde, Co-founder/CTO, Digital Encode; Dr. Babatunde Obrima, the Chief Operating Officer, FinTech Association of Nigeria (FinTechngr); Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, Founder Rise Labs; Debbie Michael, Nigeria’s First AI powered Learning, Research & Work Readiness Centre; Engr. Frank Ogochukwu, Chief Technology Strategist, Consulting & Board Member Global Advisory Council, EC-Council; Tunde Ogungbade, Managing Director of Global Accelerex Limited, amongst others.
The Keynote Speaker
Mr. Okere is a respected personality in the Nigerian IT/ICT industry, Africa and indeed the world. He is also the Entrepreneur in Residence, Ausso Leadership Academy. Austin is a member of the World Economic Forum Business Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship.
He serves on the Board of the National Competiveness Council of Nigeria and Initiative for Global Development.
He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Directors of Nigeria.
Austin is a graduate of Computer Science from the University of Lagos and holds an MBA degree from the International Graduate School of Management (IESE), Navara, Spain. He possesses an unprecedented flair for visioning, strategy and branding.
He is a member of several professional and leadership bodies, including ICT Advisory Board, Nigerian Competitive Council and Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce.
Austin has been recognized and honored locally and internationally with many awards in recognition of his contribution to the Information and Communications Technology world. He was named ICT Personality of the year 2014 by the Nigerian Computer Society and ICT Man of the Decade by ICT Watch Africa Digital Network in 2012.
His most recent recognitions are; 2016 NCS Presidential Award for promotion of ICT in Nigeria, Announced as member of the Global Business School Network Advisory Board and was named as one of Nigeria’s Top 50 Tech-Titans at the Titan of Tech Awards 2016.
He is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Legatum Centre as well as Columbia University, New York.
Chairman of the occasion
Dr Ayotunde Coker has over 30 years’ international experience across Europe, USA, Asia and Africa. He was born in Nigeria, went to school in Lagos, and university in the UK.
His distinguished career of 28 years in the UK, included roles as Management Consultant Cap Gemini UK, Director Egg Bank the first European Internet Bank, Global Applications Director BP, CTO UK Criminal Justice, IT Director, Ministry of Justice.
He returned to Nigeria in 2009 as Group CIO of Access Bank, and then MD/CEO of Emerging Markets Payments, West Africa. As MD/CEO, he has led Rack Centre to become a household name in Nigeria, leading brand in Africa with global recognition and numerous international awards. He is Secretary General of the Africa Data Centre Association.
He is an award-winning post graduate alumnus of Cranfield Institute of Technology UK, Fellow Institute of Directors (UK), Fellow British Computer Society, Honorary Senior Member Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.
He holds a PhD (Honoris Causa) by ESCAE University, Republic of Benin.
He was recently identified in the Power 200: The Worlds Most Influential Data Economy Leaders by the Data Economy Magazine in the UK
MoDiTECH 2019
The Forum sponsored by Digital Encode, Global Accelerex, Medallion Communications and hosts of others has been endorsed by, ATCON, InnovationBed Africa and ALTON, FinTechNgr and AfICT.
It will feature C-Level executives including CEOs/CFOs/CROs/CCO/CIO; Directors and Heads of trading, operations, research, analytics, investment, strategy, digital, compliance, risk and data analysts; and senior regulators and policymakers; drawn from the FMCGs, Financial Industry including Fintechs, Banks, Insurance Companies, etc., AgriTech, Logistics, Cyber security companies, amongst others.
Interested corporate/individual participants can register via next.techeconomy.ng or contact the organisers via email: [email protected] : Chike – 08033800291 or Peter- 08184346261 for sponsorship and exhibition space reservation.
A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that Meta Platforms must face a lawsuit alleging that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram prefers hiring foreign workers to pay them less than American workers.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco stated that three U.S. citizens who accused Meta of refusing to hire them despite their qualifications may proceed with a proposed class action.
The plaintiffs—information technology worker Purushothaman Rajaram and software engineer Ekta Bhatia, both naturalised U.S. citizens, and data scientist Qun Wang—claimed they applied for several Meta jobs between 2020 and 2024 but were rejected due to Meta’s “systematic preference” for visa holders.
Meta, in a statement, called the allegations baseless and vowed to vigorously defend itself.
In seeking dismissal, the Menlo Park, California-based company argued there was no proof of discriminatory intent or that the plaintiffs would have been hired if they were not U.S. citizens.
However, Judge Beeler cited statistics showing that 15% of Meta’s U.S. workforce holds H-1B visas, compared to 0.5% of the overall workforce.
She also referenced Meta’s October 2021 agreement to pay up to $14.25 million, including a civil fine, to settle federal claims that it routinely refused to consider American workers for jobs reserved for temporary visa holders.
“These allegations support the plaintiffs’ overall complaint that they were not hired because Meta favours H-1B visa holders,” Beeler wrote.
The government had sued Meta in December 2020, seven weeks before President Donald Trump ended his first White House term.
Daniel Low, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, expressed hope that the lawsuit would address the favouritism towards visa workers prevalent in the tech industry, stating that fully addressing the issue would require additional enforcement or legislative reform.
Beeler had dismissed an earlier version of the lawsuit, which named only Rajaram as a plaintiff, in November 2022.
A divided federal appeals court revived the case last June, citing a Civil War-era law, Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which bars discrimination in contracts based on “alienage” and protects U.S. citizens from bias.
Many conservative groups have used this law to challenge workplace diversity initiatives, which Trump also opposes.
The case is Rajaram et al. v. Meta Platforms Inc., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 22-02920.
A mysterious illness killed more than 50 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with most victims dying within 48 hours of showing symptoms, health officials have reported.
Pic Credit: Daily Sabah
The outbreak, first reported on January 21, has resulted in 419 cases and 53 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as a significant public health threat, citing concerns over its rapid progression and fatality rate.
Suspected origin and early cases
Authorities believe the outbreak started in the town of Boloko, where three children reportedly ate a dead bat.
The children developed severe symptoms and died within two days.
Medical experts suspect the illness is a form of hemorrhagic fever, which can cause fever, internal bleeding, headaches, and joint pain.
“That’s what’s really worrying,” said Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital in the DRC, referring to the disease’s speed and severity.
Ebola, one of the most well-known hemorrhagic fevers, has not been detected in this outbreak, according to initial testing.
A second wave of cases emerged in the town of Bomate on Feb. 9. Authorities have tested samples from 13 patients, all of which returned negative results for Ebola and Marburg virus.
However, some samples tested positive for malaria.
The WHO reported that the fatality rate of the illness is 12.3%, significantly higher than the early fatality rate of COVID-19.
Experts warn that the outbreak could spread further due to the region’s remote location and fragile healthcare system.
National Population Commission (NPC), has alerted the public to a fraudulent website https://npc-career.allprogram.site/job created by individuals with malicious intent.
Erelu Taibat Yemi Oloruntoba, director, Public Affairs, NPC, said in a statement that the fake site falsely claims to facilitate recruitment for the 2025 Population and Housing Census, aiming to defraud unsuspecting citizens.
“We want to state unequivocally that the Commission is not currently conducting any recruitment for Ad-hoc staff related to the upcoming census. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has stated that a committee will be established to align the census budget with the government’s present financial situation before issuing a proclamation for the conduct of the upcoming biometric Population and Housing Census,” the statement outlined.
It, therefore, warned Nigerians to be aware that when there is a date for the census and it becomes necessary for the commission to recruit ad hoc staff for the exercise, it will be officially announced through national media outlets, as well as the NPC’s verified social media platforms and website.
It urged the general public to disregard the fake website and its misleading information to avoid falling victim to scams.
The statement avowed that NPC is actively investigating the creators of this fake website, adding, “we encourage everyone to seek accurate information regarding the NPC’s activities from our official social media handles and website.”
According to the statement, NPC is committed to keeping the public informed about developments concerning the first biometric Population and Housing Census in Nigeria.
“We appreciate your support in ensuring a successful census exercise,” the statement said.
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