E-Business
Data Scientists to Transform Ibadan to Data Economic Hub
A newly released report has placed the largest city in the South West and the third most populous city in Nigeria, Ibadan as the next city that set to control the data economy in the region.
The report which was released yesterday by Infoprations Limited, Lagos, Nigeria is titled “Ibadan Data Economy and Emerging Data Scientists.”
According to the report, it was established “that 98% of the emerging data scientists believe that the city remains one of the cities in the South-West region that would continue to witness massive development in learning and use of data to solve numerous socioeconomic and political problems.”
Importantly, the report canvasses coordination of skills and knowledge management between universities and industries. To effectively do that, “professional courses should be flexible and responsive, and training may need to be industry- approved and accredited.”
In his foreword, Professor Ndubuisi Ekekwe noted: “In our universities and companies, we already know that data is the new oil. That should not end it, as only nations with the modern refineries of data systems would have the capacities to refine data.
“Our data efforts must not mimic the petroleum sector where the multinationals run the upstream leaving the (less lucrative) downstream for us.
“This book – Ibadan Data Economy and Emerging Data Scientists – examines this global redesign within Ibadan (Oyo State, Nigeria) by looking at the fundamental redesign of the economy, which is morphing into a Data Economy. More so, the book looks at how an amalgam of data scientists is seeding that economic transformation.
“The message is evident: data will play a significant role in the advancement of Ibadan, and deepening the capabilities through the productive knowledge base, will be catalytic, not just for the city, but for Nigeria and Africa in general. Indeed, if Ibadan can make sense, and refine the numbers of Nigeria, a new aspirational trajectory would be created, and that can unlock new wealth vistas in the nation.”
Recounting his experience on the project, one of the co-founders of the data consulting company, Mutiu Iyanda Lasisi, says: “We discovered that some of the trained students and corporate learners (at AI Saturdays and Ibadan Artificial Intelligence Meetup Group) are already contributing to the growth and development of private businesses and public establishments in Ibadan.
“For example, CropsCash, an agritech startup company, is connecting farmers and their crops to the end purchasers through artificial intelligence-based software. With the activities of players and artificial intelligence ecosystem, the city is no longer relying on Lagos’ data scientists before issues are solved and needs are catered for in the public and private sectors.”
Visa, global payment services giant, has announced plans to establish a data centre infrastructure in Nigeria.
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications (office of the vice-president) on Friday, Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, spoke during a courtesy visit to Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the presidential villa in Abuja.
“This is in addition to its investments of over $1 billion in the country, including a substantial technological partnership with @moniepoint to foster digital payment solutions, a $200 million investment in Interswitch, and a partnership with @thriveagric to empower smallholder farmers and enhance food security in Nigeria,” the statement reads.
During the meeting, Torre said the plan to establish the data centre infrastructure aims to bring new technologies into the Nigerian market that would bolster the nation’s growing digital economy.
“Visa has been making investments and will continue to make these investments in Nigeria,” he said.
Responding, Shettima welcomed Visa’s expansion efforts, assuring the delegation that the partnership between Visa and the Nigerian government would continue to flourish.
The vice-president commended the company for investing in ThriveAgric, noting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is deeply committed to repositioning the agriculture sector, which remains a top priority in its 8-point agenda.
“Nigeria is where the action is. Of the 10 fintechs in Africa, about eight are in Nigeria, with moniepoint as the newest addition,” Shettima said.
“Agriculture is key to the 8-point agenda of the present administration. President @officialABAT is really keen on repositioning the agriculture industry here, and we have to invest in technology, we have to invest in modernisation.”
On January 23, Moniepoint, a Nigerian fintech company, announced it secured investment from Visa to support the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has approved N242.8m for the procurement of a Microsoft 365 licence for its Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) as part of efforts to digitise the service’s operations.
Mr Michael Ango, acting executive chairman of FCT-IRS, disclosed this after the FCT Executive Committee meeting chaired by Mr Nyesom Wike, the minister of FCTA, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ango said that the FCTA was making significant investments in technology to enhance revenue generation and collection.
“So, this is also one of those investments in technology that the FCT is undertaking.
“The licence, if procured, will enhance our ability to move most of our manual processes into automated processes.
“It will enhance our ability to communicate within our offices,” he said.
The executive chairman added that the move would also reduce the use of paper and ensure better record-keeping through the storage of information and documents in the cloud.
According to him, “The licence will essentially enhance our operations and assist us in generating revenue for the development of the FCT under Wike’s leadership.”
Rack Centre, West Africa’s Tier III Carrier and Cloud neutral data centre, has welcomed Olla Cloud Service, a new private cloud service by Olla Systems Limited, a leading provider of innovative technology solutions, to its facility.
Hosting at Rack Centre, Olla Cloud Service runs on a state-of-the-art, cloud-enabled infrastructure for enterprise applications across diverse platforms, including mission critical application, web applications as well as containerised applications using Kubernetes.
Lars Johannisson, CEO, Rack Centre, welcoming Olla Systems, noted that the partnership with Olla Systems Limited would reflect the company’s commitment to providing African businesses with high- quality cloud computing services.
He noted that Olla Systems would enjoy Rack Centre’s 13.5MW data centre campus facility, designed to meet the highest international standards and offering scalable solutions to Hyperscalers, Enterprises, and Cloud service providers.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, the facility is equipped with energy-efficient systems, advanced cooling technologies to mitigate environmental impact and an optimally-designed feature to handle high-density workloads with precision.
According to Johannisson, “With Olla Cloud Service hosting at Rack Centre, clients will experience fast performance and low latency, enabling businesses in Africa to access world-class cloud computing services within a secure and compliant local infrastructure.”
Also speaking, Olusola Adenuga, chief executive officer, Olla Systems Limited, expressed enthusiasm about hosting at Rack Centre, noting that Olla Cloud remains a groundbreaking private cloud solution for businesses.
While highlighting the benefits of the partnership between Rack Centre and Olla Systems, Adenuga disclosed that “subscribing to Olla Cloud Service is cost-effective to customers because of its local currency payment advantage.”
She also noted that the partnership between the duo, provides businesses the opportunity to meet regulatory requirements of data residency, while enjoying world-class infrastructure as a service (IaaS) locally.
“Other benefits of hosting with Olla Cloud include: 24/7 support, unparalleled performance, scalability and agility.” she added.
Nigeria to Launch $40 Million Fund for Tech Startups
NAFDAC Destroys over N1 Trillion Fake Drugs in Anambra
Visa to Establish Data Centre in Nigeria to ‘Boost Digital Economy’
Nigeria, Kenya among Nations Running out of HIV Drugs – WHO
Nigeria Still Open Crypto Business despite $80Bn Lawsuit against Binance – FG
E-Financial2 days agoUBA Launches Afrigo Card to Revolutionise Domestic Payments
E-Business2 days agoFirm Offers Steps to Prevent a WhatsApp Account from being Hacked
E-Financial2 days agoCourt Slams Zenith Bank with N30m Damages over Fraudulent Debits in Customer’s Account
News2 days agoEmpowering Women in STEM: Tosin Eniolorunda Foundation Hosts Financial Literacy Workshop @OAU
E-Financial1 day agoFIRS Partners Flutterwave for Digital Payment Collection
Broadcasting1 day agoPublic Outrage, Legal Threats as Abuja Council Demands N500, 000 as TV Levy
Telecom2 days agoSamsung Unleashes AI, Introduces New Galaxy A56 5G, Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A26 5G
- E-Business2 days ago
FCTA Approves N242.8m for Microsoft 365 Licence to Digitise FCT-IRS