General News
How Telcos Can Rebuild Nigeria in Wake of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effect on all social and economic sectors. In just three months, the pandemic has left tears, sweats and blood on the people and the economy.
For Nigeria, the pandemic is an eye opener and a rude welcome to a new normal- knowledge economy.
Lagos state relies heavily on knowledge economy and that accounts for the success it is recoding in the fight against COVID-19.
Apart from the ingenuities by Lagos and a few other states, Nigeria’s overall response to COVID-19 has been less than satisfactory.
The new phases of recovery; and thriving- will be defining for the country; and as seen in this crisis, telecommunications are playing role in retaining any semblance of normalcy.
In recovery stage, telcos will also help manage the transition out of COVID-19 related stagnation as well as provide a resilient national infrastructure to stimulate GDP growth.
ABI Research, global tech market advisory firm, in its new whitepaper, “Telcos As a National Growth Accelerator”, identified several strategies that governments can utilize to invest in stimulating growth by strengthening the Telco position.
Locally, experts said Nigeria must leverage on the disruption to create a knowledge based economy.
To do this Stuart Carlaw, chief research officer at ABI Research, said that, “it could be argued that telcos could play a pivotal role in countries being able to rebound from the financial and productivity shock coming from COVID-19.”
ABI Research found that telcos have been invaluable in enabling some semblance of societal continuation during lockdowns due to COVID-19.
“In a very tactical way, they have enabled governments to track, trace, and manage the spread of the virus, communicate effectively and directly with people, and keep supporting society in a virtual, but valuable way. Without the investment and operational diligence of many telcos, the impact of COVID-19 would have been far deeper and more profoundly felt in all economies.” Carlaw stated.
For Olusola Teniola, president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the biggest recovery for Nigeria will be by the careful and full implementation of all recommendations in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-25.
“Secondly, for there to be an immediate impact, government needs to kickstart the e-Gov digital migration, which means the immediate development of e-systems in all the MDAs and web-portals in different languages (Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa as a minimum) with voice assistance for the physically challenged. This will refocus and redeploy government spending on creating jobs on the supply side for the youth and demand from the citizens interacting with the systems to fulfil different needs.” He added.
According to him, underpinning all this is the massive employment and retraining of our citizens to become more productive whether from home, office or in business centers in malls.
Also, Mohammed Rudman, managing director, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) said telcos could aid the recovery efforts through cost effective innovative data bundle for young entrepreneurs as well as lower bandwidth cost that will offer more data at lower cost.
“Telcos should ensure that their traffic is localised, that will help to reduce cost for them,” he added.
Nodding in agreement, Muyiwa Ogungboye, managing director / chief executive officer, eStream Networks, said that Nigerians now appreciate telecommunications service as important in the economy with the lockdown.
He urged telcos to improve on the quality of service and ensure robust network that will accommodate new discovery of the new normal to be driven by ICT.
Looking to the future, Carlaw concluded by saying that “They (telcos) will be key in enabling a new digital society. Beyond the obvious conclusions that we are likely to see, including more remote working, more virtual meetings, and more virtual teams (all of which will be enabled thanks to the connectivity supplied by telcos), a raft of new solutions could accelerate GDP growth and all will require a robust level of support from the telco community,”
Mrs Yetunde Ilori, President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), has commended the innovative and technology-driven solutions presented during the institute’s maiden Insurance Week Hackathon competition.
Ilori gave the commendation after the completion of the competition on Thursday in Lagos, held at the College of Insurance and Financial Management in Asese, Ogun, as part of the Insurance Week organised by the CIIN.
She described the solutions as crucial to the industry’s transformation and relevance in the digital age. “This shows that the future is bright for the Nigerian insurance industry.
We are transforming as an industry, and digital innovation is at the heart of that transformation,” Ilori said. She noted that 19 teams initially applied for the competition, but only six were shortlisted.
The competition, which targeted young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 29, engaged six finalist teams over a fourweek intensive innovation process, culminating in a demo day on Wednesday in Lagos.
The hackathon focused on real-world challenges in the sector, such as inclusive insurance, fraud detection, risk management, and improving customer experience.
It was designed to cultivate the next generation of insurance innovators, deepen insurance awareness, and promote financial literacy among Nigerians.
The teams that participated in the final stage of the competition were: Ifokanbale, Insurbridge, Insurvate, Team Aegis, Team Phoenix, and The Assured Team. Team Aegis developed “Hustle Guard,” a microinsurance solution for tricycle drivers covering health, life, and income, in an effort to demystify micro insurance in Nigeria.
The Assured Team presented “Kolo Plus by Card,” an unstructured savings plan with payment and interest features tailored to low-income earners. Team Insurbridge created “Smarter Claims,” a solution aimed at improving the insurance claims process.
Team Phoenix introduced “HerShield,” a solution focused on empowering women and building trust in the insurance sector. The Assured Team also developed additional ideas to drive insurance penetration in underserved and informal communities.
After an engaging pitch session before a panel of judges, Team Insurvate emerged as the overall winner with its solution, “Claim Central”, an end-to-end digital platform designed to streamline the insurance claims process from policyholders to insurers.
Team Aegis secured second place, while Team Phoenix came in third. The panel of judges included financial sector experts such as Norah Igwe, Tunji Andrews, Diana Mulili, Sakeenat Bakare, Ibraheem Babalola, and Prince Adeshina Adeyemi-Doro.
Also speaking, Mr Eddie Efekoha, Chairman of the Insurance Week, said the hackathon demonstrated a conscious effort to explore how technology can help distribute insurance products to all parts of the country.
“We believe this initiative will spark more interest among the youth to engage with insurance, not just as consumers but as creators and innovators,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Mr Odunayo Ojeremi, leader of Team Insurvate, described the competition as highly competitive and rewarding. “We are excited and grateful for the opportunity.
“We didn’t expect to win, but we are glad our solution was recognised. We hope to improve ‘Claim Central’ and make it a platform that ensures seamless claims processing,” he said.
Enugu State-owned commercial airline, Enugu Air, is set to officially launch its operations today Monday, July 7, 2025. The launch ceremony will take place at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, expected to attend alongside other dignitaries, according to a statement from the airline.
Dr Obi Ozor, Commissioner for Transportation, Enugu State, said Enugu Air is a key component of Governor Peter Mbah’s vision for a modern, integrated transportation system, aimed at positioning Enugu as a major aviation hub in Nigeria.
The airline will begin operations with a fleet of three Embraer jets, from the E170 and E190 series, chosen for their performance, passenger comfort, and suitability for regional routes.
The airline’s inaugural routes will form a strategic triangular operation connecting Enugu, Abuja, and Lagos, with plans to expand services to Port Harcourt, Owerri, Benin, Kano, and other key cities across Nigeria and beyond.
Ozor said, “With a strong foundation built on innovation and sustainability, Enugu Air is poised to transform regional air travel, boost state pride, and raise Enugu’s profile nationally and globally.”
The launch of Enugu Air is expected to have a significant impact on the aviation industry in Nigeria, providing more options for air travel and promoting economic development in the region.
With its modern fleet and strategic routes, Enugu Air is set to revolutionize air travel in Nigeria and establish Enugu as a major player in the country’s aviation sector.
In affirmation of its global standing, Cybervergent, a Pan-African technology company that leverages artificial intelligence to transform how organisations manage risk, governance, privacy, and cybersecurity, has been selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Technology Pioneers for 2025—a global cohort spotlighting companies transforming industries through breakthrough technologies and responsible innovation.
The WEF, an international organisation committed to improving the state of the world through public-private collaboration, brings together global leaders to shape economic, technological, and societal agendas. Cybervergent now joins this global community.
The company is recognized for its innovative approach to building digital trust, reimagining how organisations manage cybersecurity, risk, privacy and governance.
Commenting on the company’s milestone, Adetokunbo Omotosho, CEO of Cybervergent, said, “I am honoured that Cybervergent has been named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. This is more than an accolade — it’s a validation of our commitment to redefining cybersecurity, privacy, and risk management to build true digital trust.
“What makes this recognition even more meaningful is the fact that Cybervergent demonstrates innovation in AI and infrastructure can emerge from any region, challenging conventional perceptions.”
Some past recipients of the Technology Pioneer recognition, including Google, Spotify, and Airbnb have gone on to fundamentally reshape global industries.
As a member of the 2025 Technology Pioneers community, Cybervergent will be contributing to discussions shaping cybersecurity, AI, and cyber resilience across industries and the global digital economy.
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