E-Business
Imo State @ #StartupSouth5 Uyo, Seeks Broadband Connectivity Partnership to Deepen Digital Economy

Imo State Government is exploring possibilities to deepen broadband connectivity across the state, according to Nze Meekam Mgbenwelu, the state commissioner for Technology Development.
Mgbenwelu, stated this while speaking at the just concluded #StartupSouth5 Conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.
#StartupSouth, Startup/Entrepreneurship ecosystem development project with a mission to educate, connect and attract investment to Startups in the South-South and South-East of Nigeria.
He said the ministry will initiate moves to replicate what MainOne had done in Edo, Ogun and Lagos in his state.
He reeled out what he described as ‘modest achievements’ of the current administration in Imo State to include – training of about 240 girls/women in coding (in partnership with Microsoft), training of over 5,000 Imolites in basic FinTech and the ongoing conversation with Google to make the state the Digital Economy capital in the South-East.
Speaking earlier in a keynote speech during the closing ceremony of the weeklong event, Ms. Funke Opeke, MainOne’s CEO, had highlighted the importance of broadband to economic development and stressed why Governments across Nigeria should pay attention to enabling broadband across their domains.
Quoting a World Bank report, she said “10% in broadband penetration would increase GDP per capita growth by 1.38%” and encouraged them to embrace creative approaches towards achieving the broadband goal while using her company’s deal with Edo and Ogun State as an example.
Responding to a question on why she attended the conference, Ms. Opeke opined that, “a tree can’t make a forest” and explained that “it is important for other states and regions in Nigeria to take advantage of the opportunities the digital economy provides because only then will Nigeria be able to maximise her true potential and attain assured prosperity for her citizens”.
Earlier, in a speech to declare the conference open, Dr. Iniobong Essien, commissioner for Science and Technology, Akwa Ibom State, said that the Government of Dr. Emmanuel Udom is interested in developing technology, while industrialising the state.
Also in a keynote titled, ‘Domesticating the Digital Economy’, Mr. Chinenenye Mba-Uzoukwu (Founding Partner, InfoGraphics and former Manager, West Africa, Microsoft) advised the South-South and South-East Governors to pursue regional collaboration. This he said will help to open up the opportunities in the region.
The 2019 edition of #StartupSouth conference featured over 100 speakers in 60 parallel sessions. The sessions covered six broad focus areas – Business, Technology, Lifestyle, Personal Development, Funding, Policy – which are geared towards providing participants the requisite intelligence needed to drive their businesses.
In his own remark during the ‘Doing Business in the South-South-East’ session, Sunkanmi Oriyomi, regional manager, South-South, at the Bank of Industry Ltd said that Startups can secure up to 10-million-naira loan through the Bank of Industry, without collateral.
Jay Alabraba, co-founder of Paga and an active angel investor, in his remarks during a fireside chat advised startups to focus on solving real problems and they would always find support. He also said that Paga was very proud to sponsor #StartupSouth5 because of the importance of the project to the region and Nigeria as a whole.
Reiterating Mr. Yinka Ogunnubi’s call in an earlier keynote, Salami Abolore, the CEO of Riby – a Cobanking platform for cooperatives, advised founders to explore Cooperative as an alternative source of funding stressing that there’s a lot of opportunity in the space that’s untapped.
Also speaking, vertran Nollywood Actress Shan George urged Nigerians to believe in Nigerian doctors. She narrated how she went against popular advice and placed her fate in the hands of Nigerian doctors at Brain and Spine Surgery, Abuja during her bout with Lumbar Spondylosis.
Dr. Abiodun Ogubo, founder of Brain and Spine Surgery, Abuja and Dr. Ubon Ekpene, Consultant Neurosurgeon, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, in their separate speeches lamented that Nigerians are making needless foriegn medical trips (otherwise known as Medical tourism) for issues that can be handled by Nigerian Doctors in Nigeria.
Other notable personalities that graced the event include Her Excellency, Barr (Mrs) Obioma Liyel Imoke, Wife of the Former Governor of Cross River State, vertran Cartoonist and Editor at BusinessDay – Mike Asuquo, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe – founder of Africa Film Academy and host of African Movie Awards – who spoke on “Unlocking the creative Goldmine in your Neighbourhood discussing opportunities in the movie and creative industry for young Nigerians in the region.
Others are Engr. Edward Onwule Jnr., Senior Special Adviser to Abia State Governor on ICT, Ukinebo Dare, Senior Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Job Creation, Chief Agu Ojukwu – CEO, Tiger Consulting, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu (who gave a keynote on Domesticating the Digital Economy), Mark Essien – Founder of Hotels.NG
The theme of this year’s conference was “Unlocking the Next 60 Million People” and it explored Making Broadband Accessible & Affordable.
In a statement, Uche Aniche, the Convener of #StartupSouth called on founders in the region to see the Eleven States as their primary market noting that there are about 60 Million People. He opined that doing this will help them attract support to scale across Nigeria and ultimately, Africa and the World. He also called on State Governments in the region to embrace #StartupSouth Conference as a platform to engage not only the organised Private Sector but the youths to feel their pulse. He said that the next edition of #StartupSouth will hold in a City where the State Government is willing to partner with the project.
The Conference saw a pitch by KR Foods – A palm oil processing startup led by Amajuoyi Ikechukwu Kingsley and GreenBox – a modular solar-inverter box for powering SMEs led by Innocent Unachukwu. KR Food won the Prize money of 150,000 Naira provided by Ibom LLC and currently undergoing talks with members of the SSE Angel Network for a possible investment. The two teams will benefit from WhogoHost’s hosting services as part of the Prize.
The Conference was supported by Facebook, MainOne, Paga, Ventures Platform, Riby, Bank of Industry, Hotels.ng, Ibom Hotels & Golf Resort, Goge Africa, Yadel Communications, BellaNaija, ConnectNigeria, Signal Alliance, TechCircle and several others.
E-Business
Attackers Target Employees with Fake HR Updates

Kaspersky has identified an advanced phishing campaign targeting employees with personalised emails and attached documents disguised as HR policy updates.
This campaign marks a significant escalation in phishing tactics, with attackers tailoring not only the email body, but also the attachments by addressing individual recipients, showcasing an unprecedented level of customisation. The goal was to lure the victim into entering their corporate email credentials.
The attackers likely prepared by parsing employee names to make the campaign targeted and more convincing.
The emails feature a deceptive body: a fraudulent “verified sender” badge to build trust, the recipient’s name, and an invitation to open the attached file to review remote work protocols, benefits administration and security standards. However, the whole email body is in reality just an image with no real text in it; this is done to bypass email filters.
The attached document, posing as an updated “Employee Handbook,” does not contain any actual guidelines – only a title page, a table of contents with the items that have supposedly been changed highlighted in red, a page with a QR code, supposedly for going to the full document and common instructions on how to read QR codes using a phone. The document features the victim’s name multiple times to convince that this document was created specifically for them.
If the victim scans the QR code and follows the link, they land on a fraudulent page where they are asked to enter their corporate credentials, which is what the attackers are hunting for.
“This campaign demonstrates a new level of sophistication in phishing attacks, and we may be seeing a new mailing automation mechanism that generates a separate attached document and a separate image for the email body for each recipient.
“This tactic allows to scale the attack and at the same time possibly evade traditional defenses. Organisations must prioritise advanced security measures and employee education to stay ahead of these threats,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.
E-Business
Temu Joins INTA to Combat Counterfeits and Elevate IP Standards Worldwide

Temu, the global online marketplace, has joined the International Trademark Association (INTA) as a corporate member and serves on its Anti-Counterfeiting Committee.
INTA is a global association that brings together more than 6,700 organizations, representing over 37,000 trademark professionals and brand owners across 181 countries. By joining INTA, Temu deepens its commitment to building a trusted online marketplace and advancing global IP protection through broader, cross-industry collaboration.
“INTA welcomes TEMU’s willingness to engage in anticounterfeiting initiatives, including in the Association’s annual Anticounterfeiting Workshop and Online Takedown Certificate Program which serve to share best practices and connect stakeholders,” said Alastair Gray, Director of Anti-Counterfeiting, INTA. “Constructive collaboration with these efforts can contribute to the protection of intellectual property rights for INTA members and support the removal of counterfeit products from the platform which ultimately protects consumers.”
At the 2025 INTA Annual Meeting held in San Diego in May, Temu participated in the Anti-Counterfeiting Committee Roundtable, serving as a moderator to facilitate discussions among brand owners, online platforms, and government officials on emerging technologies, best practices for collaboration, and strategies to strengthen global anti-counterfeiting efforts.
“Joining INTA and serving on its Anti-Counterfeiting Committee reflects Temu’s ongoing commitment to ensuring a trustworthy online shopping experience,” said a Temu spokesperson. “We value collaboration with industry peers and stakeholders and are dedicated to advancing collective efforts in intellectual property protection.”
Temu also participates in INTA-led online workshops, including the Online Platform Notice and Takedown Certification Program, which outlines the latest procedures and best practices used by e-commerce platforms and social media companies. These workshops aim to enhance the quality and accuracy of rights-holder notices, promoting more effective takedown processes and content moderation.
Since launching in 2022, Temu has made significant investments in IP enforcement. Its measures include comprehensive seller vetting and compliance training, 24/7 algorithmic monitoring with manual review, a dedicated IP protection portal and brand registry to streamline takedown submissions, and an internal enforcement team that handles claims with speed and accuracy.
E-Business
Huawei Unveils AI Computing System to Challenge Nvidia’s Flagship Product

China’s Huawei Technologies unveiled an AI computing system on Saturday that an industry expert said rivals Nvidia’s most advanced product, as the company aims to expand its footprint in the country’s booming AI sector.
The CloudMatrix 384 system made its public debut at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), a three-day event in Shanghai, attracting a large crowd to Huawei’s booth with its showcase of cutting-edge AI innovations.
The system has attracted significant interest from the global AI community since Huawei (HWT.UL) first introduced it in April. Industry analysts see it as a direct challenger to Nvidia’s GB200 NVL72, the most advanced system-level offering currently available from the U.S. chipmaker.
In an April article, Dylan Patel, founder of semiconductor research firm SemiAnalysis, stated that Huawei now possesses AI system capabilities that could surpass those of Nvidia.
Huawei staff at its WAIC booth declined to comment when asked to introduce the CloudMatrix 384 system.
A spokesperson for Huawei did not respond to questions.
Huawei has become widely regarded as China’s most promising domestic supplier of chips essential for AI development, even though the company faces U.S. export restrictions.
Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang told Bloomberg in May that Huawei had been “moving quite fast” and named the CloudMatrix as an example.
The CloudMatrix 384 system features 384 of Huawei’s latest 910C chips and, according to SemiAnalysis, surpasses Nvidia’s GB200 NVL72 in certain performance metrics, despite the latter using 72 B200 chips.
SemiAnalysis attributes this performance advantage to Huawei’s strong system design, which offsets the lower power of individual chips by leveraging a greater number of them and incorporating system-level innovations.
Huawei describes the system as utilizing a “supernode” architecture that enables ultra-high-speed interconnectivity between chips.
In June, Zhang Pingan, CEO, Huawei Cloud confirmed that the CloudMatrix 384 was already operational on Huawei’s cloud platform.
- E-Financial3 days ago
Union Bank Rewards Customers with ₦5 Million Each in Save and Win Palli Promo Season 4 Grand Finale
- E-Business3 days ago
Huawei Unveils AI Computing System to Challenge Nvidia’s Flagship Product
- E-Financial3 days ago
Edun, Finance Minister Inaugurates NDIC New Management
- Telecom2 days ago
Glo Boosts Network Capacity for Enhanced Customer Experience
- News3 days ago
Lawyers Drags NLS to Court for Alleged Election Fraud, Data Violation
- General News3 days ago
New Tax Law Empowers NRS to Fine Offenders up to N10m
- News2 days ago
Transcorp Power Posts Strong Half-Year Profit, Declares ₦11.25Bn Dividend
- Broadcasting3 days ago
Court Upholds AVRS Legal Rights to Licence Audiovisual Works in Hotels