General News
NCC, Zoho, Digital Encode, Galaxy Backbone, others for AfriTECH 2.0

Stakeholders will gather in Lagos, Nigeria, on 09 November 2022 for another edition of Africa Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTECH 2.0) sponsored by Zoho Corporation, Digital Encode, Galaxy Backbone Limited, ESET, Layer3Cloud; including partners drawn from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), and InnovationBed.Africa.
Taking place both virtually and (physically) at Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, this year’s theme is: ‘Sustainability and the Company of the Future’ and will convene an array of industry leaders, and tech-entrepreneurs, decision-makers, and tech ecosystem players from across the continent.
Delegates can expect two days of expert panel discussions, keynote addresses, case studies, live-demo experiences, and networking with leaders in the private sector, government, civil society, investors, and academia – all with their unique insights around ‘Harnessing Digital Identity for Digital Economy Agenda’; ‘Creating Sustainable Future through Connectivity’; ‘Blockchain & Cryptocurrency – The Future of Money’; and ‘Cloud Computing in 5G Era – Everything-As-A-Service’.
Chike Onwuegbuchi, Co-Founder of TechCastle Foundation says: “Africa Tech Alliance Forum, now in its second year, is an annual event that brings together stakeholders from different sectors of Nigeria’s economy to share ideas, trends, opportunities around technology, innovation and entrepreneurship development in Nigeria and Africa at large.
“The Forum promotes the need for Africa to become more innovative and apply technology to drive her economic growth and sustainable development using emerging technologies and trends, research, development, entrepreneurship, commercialization and investments as key drivers. AfriTECH also creates awareness and encourages innovation in the private and public sectors”.
He expressed excitement about the Forum, adding that it will culminate in an awards ceremony which aims to celebrate and reward companies and individuals on the African continent that have demonstrated excellence in the areas of innovative product/service development, policy/regulations, amongst other areas.
He said that attendees can look forward to a robust presentation by the Professor Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and a keynote address by Mr. James Agada, the Immediate Past CEO of CWG PLC and Founder of IxzdoreLab, as well as an in-depth discussions by Malam Kashifu Inuwa, Director General, National Information Technology Agency (NITDA); Professor Muhammad Abubakar, MD/CEO, Galaxy Backbone Limited; Kehinde Ogundare, Country Manager for Zoho Technologies Nigeria; Dr. Adewale Peter Obadare, Co-Founder/Chief Visionary Officer of Digital Encode Limited; Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde, Co-Founder/CTO of Digital Encode Limited; Professor Adesina Sodiya, President, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS).
The keynote speaker, James Agada, is notable for solving technical challenges. Helping customers use technology to solve their problems and grow is the ultimate icing on the cake for him. Agada inspires youth and others to do a lot better than they think possible.
Before establishing Ixzdore Laboratories he was the CEO, CWG PLC., where he played majors in developing the company’s growth and sustainability plan. Agada’s rise to a top chief executive followed years of hardwork, resilience and demonstration of understanding of the business climate in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.
Meanwhile, a session will be dedicated to Innovators for the UN World Summit Awards 2022 led by the Programos Foundation. Mr. Emmanuel Amos will also enlighten the Forum participants on the World Summit on Information Society process towards 2025.
Commenting on the importance of AfriTECH 2.0, Peter Oluka, the Editor of TechEconomy, says: “AfriTECH2.0 will delve into the nitty-gritty of ‘Sustainability and The Company Of The Future’; adding that top on the list of lessons from COVID-19 pandemic is ‘build back better’, where businesses and governments must reflect on what to do differently and what to stop doing altogether’ to move the economy forward.
AfriTECH 2.0 is also supported by media partners; Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, TechTrends.Africa, TechBuild.Africa, ITPulse.com.ng, TechnologyMirror, Ravenewsonline.com, DigitalTimesng.com, ITRealms.com.ng, ITNewsNigeria.ng, DigiVation Network, TechandBiz and GrassRoots.ng.
Participation in AfriTECH 2.0 is FREE but you need to register ahead of the date; 09 November 2022, using the link here. https://africatechallianceforum.africa/index.html
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General News
NOTAP Urges South Eastern Entrepreneurs to Embrace Franchising as Business Model

Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, director general and chief executive officer, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), has advocated Franchising as a sustainable business model for the South East entrepreneurs.

Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, DG/CEO, NOTAP
She made this call during a one-day sensitization and unveiling of the NOTAP Franchising Guidelines for south east stakeholders and entrepreneurs for a successful franchising business.
The DG who was represented at the event by Mr. Emeka Orji, head of Department Corporate Planning (CP) Department, NOTAP, said that franchising business model had globally been proven to be successfully sustainable due to low business risks associated with it.
She defines franchising as a contractual business relationship between a licensor (the franchisor) and a licensee (the franchisee) that allows the business owner to use the licensor’s brand and methods of doing business to distribute products or provide services to consumers.
She added that in essence, the franchisee pays the franchisor for the opportunity to use his established business model and brand name in running his business.
Dr. Amadiobi said the essence of the workshop was not just organised to explore the possibility of adopting franchising as a strategic platform to transform local dreams into national and global business realities.
She described the programme as an opportunity for business owners and intending entrepreneurs from the Zone to latch into the huge and untapped potentials provided by franchising business models in becoming business and brand ambassadors.
With over 800,000 franchise establishments across the globe, generating trillions in revenue, she described Franchising as a pathway to economic empowerment.
General News
FG Launches Online Citizenship, Business Management Portal to Enhance Transparency, Service Delivery

The Federal Government has launched a new Online Citizenship and Business Management Platform, in a bid to boost transparency, operational efficiency, and service delivery. The initiative, unveiled by the Ministry of Interior, is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The platform is designed to simplify and accelerate the processing of citizenship and business-related services, allowing individuals and corporate entities to carry out transactions seamlessly from anywhere in the world.
According to a statement issued by Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the digital platform represents a significant milestone in the Ministry’s ongoing reform agenda.
It noted that the new system would drastically reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, enhance user experience, and improve turnaround time for applications. “The Ministry is committed to promoting a more efficient, transparent, and secure framework for citizenship administration.
“This digital transformation is a testament to our resolve to improve public service delivery through the use of technology”, the statement reads.
Members of the public, private organisations, and other stakeholders can now access the platform through the Ministry’s official website: https://interior.gov.ng, or directly via the portal: https://candb.interior.gov.ng. For technical support or inquiries, users can contact: candb-support@interior.gov.ng.
The Ministry emphasised that the launch of this platform is just one of several digital initiatives aimed at transforming the nation’s administrative processes and aligning them with global best practices.
Observers believe the platform could become a game-changer in reducing red tape and promoting a more investor-friendly environment in Nigeria, particularly in areas involving citizenship acquisition and business operations.
General News
NITDA DG says its Community IT Centres Should be a Catalyst of Change

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said that the 18 community IT centre the agency has built in the past two years are meant to be a beacon of calls and catalyst of change in those communities where they are cited.
He sated this at the commissioning/handing over of IT centre at Akesan area in Lagos. He noted that the IT centres, Innovation hubs among others are part of digital literacy programme of the agency.
“This center is designed and build to help Akesan community to be part of the digital economy, because the President is big and loud when it comes to national prosperity and inclusivity.
“Our target is to build more than 1600 across the country. We want every community every Nigerian to be part of this national prosperity and inclusivity when it comes to digital economy.
“Today, we are here to commission it, to ensure and encourage you to put it in a good use, because we call it a community center means that we want everybody to be part of it. We don’t want it to be suited in a school where the school will lock it for only students and the staff.
“That’s why we located it in the community. Schools can be part of it. Our senior citizens can be part of it. Our religious centers also can be part of it to learn.
“We want it to be a beacon of call as well as a catalyst of change in this community. We want to see more information technology gurus coming from Akesan community. So, I want to encourage you to also come with a sustainability model so that the center will be on. It is on because when you invest in this kind of infrastructure, we don’t want to be called when there are small things that we should come and fix it. That’s why we are handing it over to the community so that the community can put it in a good use. The community can find a way to make it self-sustaining,” he said.
Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, the NITDA Community Centre in Lagos, a space that is more than just a building. It is a strategic extension of our national mission – a bridge between the Federal Government’s digital economy policies and the unmatched energy, ingenuity, and innovation that Lagos represents.
The minister who was represented by Mr. Johnson Bareyei, director, e-governmance in the ministry, added that his ministry is committed to promoting inclusivity through capacity building initiatives like the 3MTT programme.
“We are also developing the National Digital Economy & e-Governance Bill, which is a robust legislative framework that will help guide our everyday engagement online.
“Our work at the Ministry also includes Project BRIDGE, our ambitious effort to improve interconnectivity by deploying 90,000km of fibre-optic cable across Nigeria. This is a critical imperative as we work towards making Nigeria a $1trillion economy powered by innovation, infrastructure, and inclusive growth,” he said.
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