E-Business
Exclusive Networks Africa Opens Office in Nigeria
Exclusive Networks Africa, which represents the continental arm of this global, trusted cyber security specialist for digital infrastructure, is continuing its expansion into Africa, building presence within the sub-Saharan region in recent months, including the opening of a formal office in Lagos, Nigeria. This adds to the existing offices in South Africa, Kenya and Mauritius.
Because Africa is seen as a growth market by the group, it is widely recognised as an important investment destination, allowing for a strong focus on the company’s vendor partners, both current as well as potential.
This is according to Anton Jacobsz, Managing Director of Exclusive Networks Africa, who clarifies: “Having previously operated in a number of countries across Africa with the support of representatives there, as well as from Head Office in Centurion, Gauteng wherever required, the company was very pleased recently to extend its footprint more formally with increased resources on the ground in Uganda, Madagascar and Nigeria.
“This is in line with our vision to become a pan-African cyber security specialist and upgrade our regional presences with formal offices in every country within which we operate.”
As the African entity of a global company that is listed on the Paris stock exchange, Euronext Paris, the Ugandan and Madagascan employees were appointed, and the Nigerian branch established, following extensive due diligence which evaluated current and future business trends in the central African, Indian Ocean Islands and West African areas respectively.
“Our business has been doing extremely well this year,” says Jacobsz, “with significant growth and very pleasing recent financial results. The branch in Lagos, Nigeria will be able to service the growing West African market in a consolidated manner.
As part of the growth strategy across the continent, it was decided that opening a dedicated branch in Lagos made business sense due to its geographical location and position in the heart of the thriving West African region.
“Having been operational in Nigeria for some five years already, we were really pleased to be able to register a formal entity and open up Exclusive Networks Nigeria. The office has been set up and the new team members have moved in. This bodes very well for our expansion plans across Africa.”
In its quest to become a significant presence across the key areas in Africa, Jacobsz explains that Exclusive Networks Africa’s approach involves identifying the key growth regions.
“We’ll start by putting feet on the ground to service those regions, with the team developing the channel and servicing the market,” he explains. “Thereafter the goal is to have in-country offices, with the ultimate vision being to open a branch across every country in Africa that we service, across the vast majority of the continent.”
Jacobsz believes that countries across the continent should be willing and enabled to tap into each other’s markets in order to grow businesses and, accordingly, profits, to the greater economic benefit of the entire region.
“Put very simply, we in Africa, across different countries and regions, need to start interacting with each other intra-country and across borders in the same the way that business entities across Europe interact with each other across regions,” he notes.
Jacobsz adds that the strategy includes distinct elements, such as the growth of existing vendors across existing markets; existing vendors into new potential markets; onboarding new vendors, and finally services.
“The Exclusive Networks Africa services business is a very strong enabler for territories where partners are unable to invest heavily in their own resources, and our footprint across the continent can relieve a great deal of business pressure,” he says.
“We offer access to 43 countries on the continent where Exclusive Networks has the footprint, and the ability, to be the partner of choice in taking away the burden of administrative issues such as import functionality, handling of VAT, service operations and so on.
“At Exclusive Networks, we proudly offer market-leading brands across the cyber security sphere and differentiate ourselves further with our world class service. We are excited to see our presence in these areas consolidated and look forward to growing our presence in additional targeted countries, in a ‘hub-and-spoke’ relationship, in due course,” Jacobsz concludes.
South Korean authorities have temporarily blocked new downloads of the DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) app, citing concerns over the company’s handling of user data.
The country’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced the decision on Monday, saying that the Chinese AI startup had failed to fully comply with South Korea’s data protection laws.
According to PIPC, DeepSeek recently appointed legal representatives in South Korea and admitted to partially neglecting regulatory considerations regarding user privacy.
“The Chinese startup appointed legal representatives last week in South Korea and had acknowledged partially neglecting considerations of the country’s data protection law,” the PIPC said.
The commission added that the app’s service would resume once the company implements improvements in accordance with national privacy laws.
According to Reuters, when asked about South Korea’s move, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said the Chinese government prioritises data privacy and security, ensuring compliance with legal standards.
The spokesperson also said China does not require companies or individuals to collect or store data in violation of laws.
The ban follows similar actions by other governments.
On February 4, Australia prohibited the use of DeepSeek on government devices due to security concerns.
Italy’s privacy regulator recently blocked the AI service, citing the company’s failure to address data policy issues.
Taiwan has also warned about potential risks related to cross-border data transmission and information leaks.
Also, regulators in Ireland and France have launched investigations into DeepSeek’s data-handling practices.
DeepSeek gained global adoption for its advanced human-like reasoning capabilities and open-source model.
In January, it surpassed OpenAI’s Chatgpt as the most downloaded free app on the Apple store.
The African Union (AU) has officially designated Nigeria as the Digital Trade Champion under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol, citing the country’s leadership in digital enterprise and innovation.
The endorsement came at the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, which concluded on Sunday in Addis Ababa.
Nigeria’s proactive role in advancing the digital trade protocol, adopted in February 2024, was a key factor in the decision.
The AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol encompasses eight annexes covering crucial areas such as rules of origin, digital identities, cross-border data transfers, online safety, and financial technology. The protocol is expected to provide a robust framework for Africa’s digital economy.
According to a statement issued on Monday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, former President of Niger Republic and AU AfCFTA Champion, Mahamadou Issoufou, praised Nigeria’s leadership, particularly for convening the Digital Economy Roundtable in January.
“No organization, region, or continent has negotiated or adopted such a comprehensive legal instrument on digital trade, positioning the African continent to benefit from the digital economy for innovation and job creation,” Issoufou said in his progress report to the AU Assembly.
He also highlighted Africa’s growing influence in digital innovation, particularly in mobile banking and financial technology, and noted that the protocol would create an enabling environment for young African entrepreneurs.
“The AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade will establish a conducive environment for these young people to fully participate in Africa’s digital economy,” Issoufou added.
Reflecting on the roundtable in Abuja, he commended President Bola Tinubu and his administration for facilitating discussions with key stakeholders.
“The Roundtable was attended by young pioneers in Fintech, mobile banking and other areas of the digital economy. It was evident from the discussions that young people are eager to take advantage of Africa’s digital economy through the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade”, he said.
Speaking at the AU summit, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, described the AU’s endorsement as a milestone in Africa’s economic development.
“Africa has demonstrated global leadership by pioneering the first-of-its-kind AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade—establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework,” Dr. Oduwole stated.
She emphasized that the protocol is a “game changer” for the continent, predicting that it would generate millions of jobs, contribute billions to Africa’s GDP, and attract significant investments in digital infrastructure.
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO has expressed concerns about the extreme risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue states.
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO
He warned that nations such as North Korea, Iran, and Russia could adopt AI technologies to develop weapons capable of causing significant harm, including biological weapons.
Schmidt urged governments to oversee private tech companies, emphasising, “The real fears I have are not the ones most people discuss about AI, I talk about extreme risk.”
“I’m always worried about an ‘Osama Bin Laden’ scenario, where truly evil individuals take control of some aspect of modern life to harm innocent people,” he added.
With private companies driving AI advancements, he stressed the need for careful government monitoring and regulation. “It’s really important that governments understand what we’re doing and keep their eye on us,” he said.
His remarks followed a two-day AI summit in Paris, where the UK and the U.S. declined to sign a communiqué outlining the future direction of AI. The declaration on “inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence for people and the planet” was endorsed by 57 countries, including India, China, the Vatican, the EU, and the African Union Commission.
The UK justified its decision, stating that the agreement lacked “practical clarity” on global AI governance and national security concerns.
Schmidt supports U.S. export controls restricting the sale of advanced AI microchips to certain countries, aiming to slow adversaries’ progress in AI research.
He also highlights the importance of international collaboration on AI safety, suggesting that cooperation with nations like China is essential to addressing global AI challenges.
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