E-Business
Eminent Nigerians Highlight opportunities in ICT @ Launch of Konn3ct
Prominent Nigerians from all walks of life, Wednesday, praised the creative ingenuity behind the development of Konn3ct, Africa’s first online meetings and conferences solution, saying its historical launch will be the watershed for technological revolution in Nigeria and the continent.
Developed wholly by Nigerians, Konn3ct is a suite of web-conferencing solutions that cover a range of applications used for meetings, conferences, webinars, live-classroom, syndicate events, and remote cinema among others.
Its formal launch on Wednesday signaled the entry of the first company of African origin into the fast-growth global online meetings business that analysts project to be worth more than $78 billion in the next 10 years.
Leading eminent personalities at the launch, which held at a meeting room in konn3ct.com was the Director General of the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi – represented by , who was optimistic about a company in the Nigerian ICT sector making it to the exclusive list of the Forbes 500 companies in the future.
Abdullahi, who said the launch of the new meetings app represents a milestone development during his tenure as the DG of NITDA, added that with the unique features built into the new solution, Konn3ct will strongly fare better against competing solutions in the market.
“Konn3ct boasts of the most robust security architecture in the industry; it has an amazing video experiences and, in a continent, where broadband costs and penetration are still major challenge, the low data consumption cost and other conferencing options that have been built into this solution has all the makings of a world-beater,” he said.
Former Managing Director, Wema Bank PLC said Konn3ct is challenging the statuesque. “Konn3ct is challenging the forerunners. This is a bold initiative from Konn3ct”.
He praised the efforts of NewWaves Ecosystems in giving Africa its first online meetings app, saying that the development falls in line with the agenda of the Federal Government towards encouraging indigenous Nigerian content in the information and communication technology sector.
Citing the role played by online meeting solutions in facilitating government activities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021, he expressed the belief that the arrival of an indigenous solution will be of greater benefit to the government and people of Nigeria.
Prof Adeshina Sodiya, President, Nigerian Computer Society, said Nigerians do not need to look outside for software. “Any software you need you can get it in Nigeria. Konn3ct has proved this fact. It is adequate for our needs as a nation and for the world. Whatever product NITDA puts its stamp on is always good. With Konn3ct we will not need to use our foreign exchange on foreign products. Let us accept this product. IT products globally have room for improvements. There will always be new versions of Konn3ct”.
In His goodwill message, Prof. Charles Uwadia – President and Chairman-In-Council (Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), linked the innovation behind the building of the Konn3ct meetings solution to the power of the indefatigable Nigerian spirit that, according to him, had earlier manifested during the financial technology revolution that was then, inspired by the banking sector.
Referring to its 3.16 percentage contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at a time of national and global economic lockdown, Prof. Uwadia was sure that the ICT holds strong promise in the economic revitalization of Nigeria.
“I am proud of this feat by NewWaves Ecosystem in developing such an amazing solution that will rival any solution in the world today. I congratulate the DG of NITDA for shining the light for innovation to thrive in Nigeria and the birth of another testament of success in the Nigerian project,” he concluded.
The CEO of NewWaves Ecosystems and lead innovator behind the Konn3ct meetings app, Mr Femi Williams, highlighted the value propositions in the new solution that differentiate it from all other solutions in the market.
He said the Nigerian Local Content Act was a major inspiration behind the project, saying the law convinced him and his team of the possibilities and opportunities for enterprises and innovations of Nigerian origin.
“The Local Content policy of the Nigerian government gives Konn3ct its backbone. Konn3ct is therefore a testament that the policy is not just something borne out of nationalistic ego, but designed to enhance the technological growth of Nigeria and our capacity to provide solutions on home soil with home resources,” Mr. Williams, who also worked for Chams Nigeria Ltd, stated.
“Konn3ct is the first fully featured web-conferencing solution developed in Nigeria and Africa. This gives Konn3ct the pioneer status and puts Nigeria in the leadership role we have always provided on the continent.
“This leadership statement is best proven with Konn3ct’s adoption by large corporate organisations and governmental institutions, and its commercial success. This gives the technological edge to every African country as well as her people to thrive on.”
Williams explained that Konn3ct is an enterprise solution with features and management modules that makes it suitable for highly structured and sequenced environments. It is one of the largest online conferencing rooms in the world with capacity for a peak of 250 participants in a meeting and an unlimited number via livestreaming.
He added that it boasts of top-quality audio and video interface for smooth conferencing experience there is also a recording option that makes for documentation and sharing of meeting proceedings.
According to him, another unique feature of Konn3ct App is the capacity for break-out sessions. “This apes brick and mortar conferences where delegates and teams and enables time-outs for strategic group sessions within the same meeting.
“Users are allowed as many as eight break-out meetings within the larger meeting. The feature allows for private chats and group chats during the meeting, enabling the harmonisation of positions of interest groups even while the meeting is going on”.
He harped that Konn3ct has two security features: the Secure Socket Layer Encryption (SSL Encryption) a process undergone by data under the SSL protocol in order to protect that data during transfer and transmission by creating a uniquely encrypted channel that gives the user a private communication link channel over the public Internet; the other is the Transport Layer Security, which primarily provides privacy and data integrity between two or more communicating computer applications.
Amazon’s management on Wednesday said that it expects that artificial intelligence software will reduce the number of office workers at the world’s largest online retailer.
Andy Jassy, chief executive, Amazon
“We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs,” Andy Jassy, chief executive, Amazon wrote in an email to employees.
He said it was difficult to predict how the overall workforce will evolve, but in the next few years, it is expected that AI efficiency gains will lead to a reduction in the number of office workers.
According to earlier reports, Amazon employed around 1.5 million people worldwide, with approximately 350,000 office employees in various roles.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the company does not anticipate further large-scale layoffs, as seen in 2022 and 2023, in the near future.
Instead, it expects that vacant positions will not be refilled.
However, layoffs are not ruled out, according to sources familiar with the matter.
“Amazon is focusing on so-called AI agents, software capable of independently performing tasks. These agents could, for example, summarise information from the web and data sources, write software, translate languages and automate many time-consuming tasks,” Mr Jassy explained.
“Agents will be teammates that we can call on at various stages of our work,” he added, urging employees to experiment with AI whenever possible.
The impact of AI on the job market has been a concern for many years.
Recently, Spotify, the leader in music streaming, announced that teams requesting additional staff would first need to prove that AI could not perform the tasks.
The creators of the language-learning app Duolingo plan to gradually replace external workers with AI.
Dr Adebowale Adedokun, director-general, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), has reaffirmed the bureau’s commitment to data protection in Nigeria.
He disclosed this in a statement at the weekend by Zira Nagga, head of Public Relations, BPP, following a courtesy visit by a delegation from the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Adedokun stressed that data protection is vital to Nigeria’s economy and development, particularly in areas such as demography, health, education, and other key sectors.
He emphasised that no country should leave its data unprotected, as it plays a crucial role in future planning and national development.
“Data governs the world. It is essential to technological progress and must be protected for a country or business to be taken seriously,” he said.
Adedokun described the visit, aimed at fostering partnership on data policy implementation and protection, as timely and aligned with national goals.
He said the BPP would collaborate closely with the NDPC to boost data development, capacity building, and enhance the procurement system.
“The BPP will support compliance as part of the ‘Nigeria First’ Policy, although it is not a core procurement eligibility requirement,” he explained.
He suggested a hybrid training model to help build strong capacity in data protection, privacy awareness, and policy understanding.
According to him, a dynamic training approach will reduce logistics costs and improve public confidence in data safety and privacy.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, CEO, and national commissioner, NDPC, praised Adedokun and the BPP for supporting data protection initiatives.
He said the partnership supports President Bola Tinubu’s vision and will strengthen data privacy across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“The collaboration will create awareness and train BPP staff to ensure a firm grasp of data protection principles and policies,” he stated.
Olatunji said the NDPC would establish a working group to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding beneficial to both institutions.
He added that President Tinubu signed the NDPC into law on 12 June 2023 to uphold citizens’ rights and protect national and business data.
Olatunji also noted that strict legal measures were in place to enforce data protection and ensure full compliance nationwide.
Both agencies agreed to form a team to sign the MoU and focus on capacity building and data management in procurement and beyond.
President Bola Tinubu said that his administration has initiated a project to install fibre optic cables across the country, aimed at enhancing the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
His plans were contained in a speech he delivered at a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of Democracy Day on Thursday, June 12.
He said the fibre optic layout is part of other projects being embarked on.
“In addition, we have embarked on an ambitious project to lay fibre optic cables across the nation, a transformative step toward bridging the digital divide and fostering greater connectivity.
“This initiative promises not only to enhance the speed and reliability of internet access but also to revolutionise how businesses operate, how students learn, and how communities stay connected,” Tinubu stated.
He maintained that by extending this critical infrastructure, his government is empowering entrepreneurs, enabling digital education, and providing the tools for our youth to compete in a globalised world.
In a most recent report on Internet connectivity, The ICIR pointed out how Nigeria has faced setbacks in its deployment of fibre optic cables and needs a transformation.
The challenges revolve around vandalism, inadequate coordination between road construction and telecom infrastructure, and varying right-of-way (RoW) charges across states.
Among industry experts, these issues impact network outages, increase repair costs, and hinder broadband expansion efforts.
It has also further threatened the digital economy, leading to slower Internet speeds, dropped calls, and unreliable connectivity among others.
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