General News
Looking in to 2014: Need for Speed in e-Commerce World

As we are leaving 2013, heading for 2014, e-commerce is under heavy expansion in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
A growing number of online consumers will put pressure on e-commerce sites’ functionality. Web performance expert Sven Hammar, CEO of Apica, gives his best advice on how to avoid being the e-retailer who throws the customers out on the street in 2014.
New technology has put e-commerce in a constant growth. Feeling more secure and accustomed to shopping online, more consumers are turning online for their essential shopping. Increased creativity and the rapid development among e-commerce retailers with expanding loyalty programs and promotions also play an important role in this process.
Forrester predicts that the average shopper will spend $1,738 annually by 2016, compared with $1,207 in 2011.
The same institute also claims that the estimated increased figures in sales will largely be contributed from existing online shoppers.
Increased promotional sales and the fact that each consumer makes more transactions will not reduce the pressure on the e-commerce sites.
On the contrary. This leads to increased pressure on e-commerce sites. E-commerce companies really need to take in to consideration what impact on the web sites’ performance and functionality a sudden growth of visitors and transactions may result in. An ill-prepared e-shopping site could lose customers very quickly.
Picture yourself doing a supposedly quick online shopping errand during lunch. When something that should take a few minutes ends up taking your entire lunch hour because of a slow website, you lose patience quickly. You would probably regard it as unacceptable, as probably most of your customers. But that situation can easily be avoided. Here are six ideas on how ro to optimize desktop and mobile website performance:
1. Minimize or remove Flash. Flash is bulky and is often not worth the added limited benefits. Flash is also incompatible with most mobile devices so a big chunk of your visitors may be unable to view the content anyway. If you cannot eliminate it completely, minimize it.
2. Optimize images. Keeping images in their full size consumes a lot of bandwidth as they load so resize them whenever possible.
Also, change the format and optimize them for the web. Sometimes there is extra space or padding around graphics to separate it from text or other elements, but consider cropping that out and using CSS to create the padding.
Fine-tune image settings in programs with that option because reducing the colour palette from 256 to 32 greatly reduces file size. And finally, decrease the quality setting, since reducing them to 80 or 90 percent will not show any significant difference from the original.
3. Do not embed external media. Eliminate links to videos hosted on other sites because your pages will only run as fast as theirs.
If it is really good and beneficial to reference, host it on your own site whenever possible so you are not relying on another website’s performance.
4. Consider utilizing a content delivery network. A CDN is a system of servers networked across the Internet and designed to serve up content closer to end users, shortening the delivery cycle and decreasing page load times.
This improves scalability and efficiency but more importantly, it provides a better user experience for your site visitors. When users abandon sites after waiting a mere two seconds or less, it is an option worth considering.
5. Choose the best web host for your business. Do not stick with a host provider overloaded with thousands of other sites, slowing yours down, just because you have been with them for a long time.
Your host needs to understand your organization and its requirements, including performance, availability, security and more, so in order to keep up with business demands and continually evolve, make sure they are continually delivering on their promises.
6. Conduct load testing and monitor your site regularly for performance dips and spikes. Address the dips with code and content changes.
If you have a proactive load testing and monitoring plan in place, you have a better chance of avoiding the site abandonment issue described earlier.
by Sven Hammar, CEO, Apica
Sven Hammar is founder and CEO of Apica, a provider of load testing and performance monitoring for cloud and mobile applications and one of Europe’s fastest growing technology companies (Deloitte’s ”Fast 500” list). Mr. Hammar is a serial entrepreneur who has founded several successful IT companies. See http://www.apicasystem.com/
General News
Enugu Air Commences Operations Today

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.
General News
Cybervergent Selected as World Economic Forum’s 2025 Technology Pioneer Company

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.
General News
Moove Plans to Raise $1.2Bn Debt Round for US Autonomous Vehicle Expansion

Moove, an African mobility fintech startup, is on a quest to secure a $1.2 billion debt financing round to support the rollout of a fleet of autonomous vehicles.
This is in partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo in the United States, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the matter.
The startup has since attracted backing, including from Uber Technologies Inc., and entered a strategic partnership with Waymo in December 2024 to provide financing for self-driving cars.
Ladi Delano, co-founder of Moove, noted that the company has a solid financial track record.
“Moove has built strong relationships with some of the world’s leading lenders. We have also fully repaid our first-ever debt facilities, which signals our maturity and marks a key milestone that demonstrates the strength of our platform as we enter the next phase of global autonomous-vehicle infrastructure deployment,” he said.
The round is reportedly oversubscribed, with strong participation from private credit firms and banks.
Waymo has also not made any official statement regarding the funding round. While final details are expected to be concluded in the coming weeks, the deal will mark a significant milestone for the firm as it ramps up its global ambitions.
Founded in 2020 by Nigerian entrepreneurs, Ladi Delano and Jide Odunsi, Moove began by providing vehicle financing for ride-hailing drivers in Africa’s largest cities.
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