E-Business
NigComSat-1R, Still an Opportunity to Explore
Recently, the revolution in the world’s weather condition has caused a lot of changes in the atmosphere of orbit, which has led to satellite failures most especially in 2008. This development has caused a lot of worry in the satellite industry which experts attribute to weather, gravitational pulls, uncertainty in the space environment and many others. The latest casualty is Astra 5A, a communication satellite operated by Swiss Space Corporation (SSC) and SES Astra which suffered ‘technical anomaly’ on 20 January, 2009.
Astra 5A was built by one of the world’s best satellite manufacturers, Thales Alenia of Italy. Presently, an investigation is on by a technical team from Thales Alenia, SSC and SES to unravel the cause and to initiate a possible safety action. The satellite was positioned at orbital slot of 31.5 degree east. The spacecraft has operated for nearly eleven years until 22 October when it experienced a lost control but was recovered fifteen days later (November, 2008). With just a year and few months to complete its mission in space, the unexpected happened putting it to final rest.
Other spacecrafts have experienced these similar situations. A cursory look revealed that EchoStar-2 satellite with orbital location at 119 degrees West longitude built at the cost of $250m including construction, launch, and launch insurance, had a power system failure and experienced a total loss in July last year. In the fleet of EchoStar are EchoStar-3 located at 61.5 degree east, EchoStar-5 orbiting at 110 degree east while it future satellite which it has already secured an orbital slot located at 148 degree east will be orbiting soon. These mechanisms are put in place to address the uncertainties in the orbit.
Also Kazsat-1 in October regained a twelve hour outage which service was later restored. There were many others that suffered the same fate but could not be recovered. For Echostar-2, it was a total loss due to power failure. This means that there was no hope of recovery for this at all like NigComSat-1. Eutelsat- W5 reputed to be amongst the best operated satellite in the world also lost one of its two solar arrays owing to motor malfunction.
A chronology of satellite failures has revealed that KoreaSat-5 also lost power for than twelve hours, but service was restored afterward. It is the fifth satellite in the fleets of Korean satellite operators. Already the Korean government has concluded plans for the launch of KoreaSat-6 to be built by Arianspace in the second half of 2010. Korean space agency press release last year revealed that the Arianspace has another Korean satellite on its launch manifest, COMS-1, a multi-mission satellite for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KAR).
Meanwhile, NigComSat-1 which was launched on 13 May, 2007 was put on a safe mode after a power failure which occurred on November 8, 2008 forcing the operators to terminate its mission to avoid colossal damage to other satellites in the orbit.
Though different ‘experts’ have spoken on the otherwise viability of the bird in the sky, however, considering the benefits derivable from it, which in recent time has overwhelmed many of us, it is a venture worthwhile. The telecom industry is now a major revenue earner after oil, it is pertinent therefore at this point to draw the attention of policy makers to distinguish between politics and mere rhetoric. The saying that charity begins at home must start with us. We have observed with dismay when a Middle East satellite operator was accorded the privilege of obtaining a licence to venture into the downstream, an issue which has generated heated argument between NIGCOMSAT Ltd and the regulators on the propriety of it and in defiance of a presidential directives to that effect.
Meanwhile some schools of thoughts also believed that with the enormity of infrastructural inadequacy in the country, going into space is a luxury for Nigeria. But the telephones couldn’t be as effective as they are today if not for a major project like the communications satellite. The Direct-to-Home pay TV will not be possible in the comfort of our homes without the satellite. The number of football followers which has blossomed recently most especially followers of foreign clubs, is made possible because of communications satellite beaming to our various homes. If a census of pay TV is to be carried out, it will be amazing to realize the number of pay TVs subscription especially in our rural communities competing with those in the urban cities because of the love for the round leather, all these are made possible by the bird in the sky.
The tele-medicine project aimed at reaching the vast majority of our sick rural populace to address the issue of health will not be realistic if our own satellite capacity continues to elude us. Even the internet which is one of the convenient ways of connecting people to the world as a global village will not be feasible.
Considering the huge capital flight from Africa and Nigeria in particular for purchase of bandwidths, our own satellite capacity is a most. It is rather ridiculous that in a jet age some Nigerians still don’t have enough fate in Nigeria to successfully run a satellite company or go to space.
Taking a cue from Astra 5A, immediately the spacecraft mission was declared ended by the unfortunate circumstance; customers including a German cable operator on the satellite were transferred to another SES Astra satellite located at 23.5 degree east. This was in contrast to NIGCOMSAT Ltd quest for more satellites (2 and 3) in the event of such calamity to enable it also do same by transferring its customers conveniently and quietly to the redundant ones which was rebuff by those believed to understand the satellite business better. The authorities of NigComSat Ltd were rather left with the option to buy capacity from other satellite service providers to meet with customers’ demand. This again placed it at a very difficult and disadvantage position because the revenue which could have accrued to it from the sales of bandwidths and transponders will not be feasible immediately because the company is now forced to source for money to maintain the existing customers on its transponders before replacement or most of its customers will look elsewhere to maintain their businesses. The comparative advantage with its competitors is further deepened as the market will be available for satellites operators with backups in the orbit as they make their ways into the Nigerian telecom market.
Proponents against the take off of NigComSat-2 and 3 to serve as a backup insisted that the capacity on NigComSat-1 must be fully utilized or exhausted not minding the possibility of failure or the harsh space environment. NigComSat-1 unlike Astra 5A with fleets of satellites will do much to address the inconveniences of settling its customers on other satellites. Astra 5A was obviously more prepared and understood the benefits than the government of Nigeria. This is exactly what Nigerians need to know most especially from space experts and not mere expression of sentiments.
As China prepares to replace the failed satellite (NigComSat-1R), it is pertinent for Nigerians to give very strong support to the realization of this laudable project. Federal government on its part must remain resolute most especially in the pursuit of the seven point’s agenda to facilitate the quick endorsement of the NigComSat 2 and 3 because this will expand our technological revolution. From the analysis above, it is crystal clear that the satellite adventure is a serious business and one satellite alone cannot give adequate guarantee in this respect not to even talk of global coverage. Since Nigeria is on the verge of divesting its revenue generation from the oil, the telecom sector remains a viable alternative. The rat race for orbital slots is high and Nigeria cannot afford to lack behind. Nigeria’s presence is required not only to save it from embarrassment of lacking behind in the technological order but African continent from the clouts of the western dominance in the space industry.
The senate misgiving about China’s capacity to handle NigComSat-2 &3, though genuine as it may sound, it is my strong conviction that management of NIGCOMSAT Ltd will give a thorough consideration to an open bidding to consider the best capable hands. However, from the analysis above, even satellites manufactured from the so call best hands have failed at one point or the other. Our prayers should be to have a satellite that will serve the country and the continent well.
My recent encounter at the Lagos Business School has revealed a lot to me. I was taken aback when a staff of Chevron mentioned to me how the company was greatly affected when NigComSat-1 crashed. Also the recent strike embarked upon by staff of NITEL and the subsequent shut down of SAT 3 which is presently giving cause for concern to both internet users and the effect on poor quality of telecomm services is an eye opener for Nigerians to give the desired supp
In 2025, nearly 8,500 users from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) globally faced cyberattacks where malicious or unwanted software was disguised as popular online productivity tools, Kaspersky reports.
Based on the unique malicious and unwanted files observed, the most common lures included Zoom and Microsoft Office, with newer AI-based services like ChatGPT and DeepSeek being increasingly exploited by attackers. Kaspersky has released threat analysis and mitigation strategies to help SMBs respond.
Kaspersky analysts explored how frequently malicious and unwanted software are disguised as legitimate applications commonly used by SMBs, using a sample of 12 online productivity apps. In total, Kaspersky observed more than 4,000 unique malicious and unwanted files disguised as popular apps in 2025. With the growing popularity of AI services, cybercriminals are increasingly disguising malware as AI tools.
The number of cyberthreats mimicking ChatGPT increased by 115% in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reaching 177 unique malicious and unwanted files. Another popular AI tool, DeepSeek, accounted for 83 files. This large language model launched in 2025 immediately appeared on the list of impersonated tools.
“Interestingly, threat actors are rather picky in choosing an AI tool as bait. For example, no malicious files mimicking Perplexity were observed. The likelihood that an attacker will use a tool as a disguise for malware or other types of unwanted software directly depends on the service’s popularity and hype around it. The more publicity and conversation there is around a tool, the more likely a user will come across a fake package on the Internet.
To be on the safe side, SMB employees – as well as regular users – should exercise caution when looking for software on the Internet or coming across too-good-to-be-true subscription deals. Always check the correct spelling of the website and links in suspicious emails. In many cases these links may turn out to be phishing or a link that downloads malicious or potentially unwanted software,” says Vasily Kolesnikov, security expert at Kaspersky.
Another cybercriminal tactic to look for in 2025 is the growing use of collaboration platform brands to trick users into downloading or launching malware. The number of malicious and unwanted software files disguised as Zoom increased by nearly 13% in 2025, reaching 1,652, while such names as “Microsoft Teams” and “Google Drive” saw increases of 100% and 12%, respectively, with 206 and 132 cases.
This pattern likely reflects the normalisation of remote work and geographically distributed teams, which has made these platforms integral to business operations across industries.
Among the analysed sample, the highest number of files mimicked Zoom, accounting for nearly 41% of all unique files detected. Microsoft Office applications remained frequent targets for impersonation: Outlook and PowerPoint each accounted for 16%, Excel for nearly 12%, while Word and Teams made up 9% and 5%, respectively.
The top threats targeting small and medium businesses in 2025 included downloaders, trojans and adware.
Phishing and spam
Apart from malware threats, Kaspersky continues to observe a wide range of phishing and scam schemes targeting SMBs. Attackers aim to steal login credentials for various services — from delivery platforms to banking systems — or manipulate victims into sending them money through deceptive tactics. One example is a phishing attempt targeting Google Accounts.
Attackers promise potential victims to increase sales by advertising their company on X, with the ultimate goal being to steal their credentials.
Beyond phishing, SMBs are flooded with spam emails. Not surprisingly, AI has also made its way into the spam folder — for example, with offers for automating various business processes.
In general, Kaspersky observes phishing and spam offers crafted to reflect the typical needs of small businesses, promising attractive deals on email marketing or loans, offering services such as reputation management, content creation, or lead generation, and more.
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has credited a series of strategic reforms under the national Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Financing of Terrorism, and Counter-Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) framework, behind Nigeria’s significant strides toward exiting the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist, marking a critical milestone in the country’s fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, and financial crimes.
In a statement, Chief Executive Officer of NFIU, Hafsat Bakari, praised the collective efforts of government agencies and stakeholders. “Congratulations and a job well done as Nigeria comes closer to exiting the FATF grey list. The results achieved as part of the strategic reforms must be applauded,” she said.
She said the NFIU, serving as the Secretariat of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on AML/CFT/CPF, spearheaded the development of a comprehensive roadmap to address deficiencies highlighted in Nigeria’s 2021 mutual evaluation report. She explained that the roadmap was recently reviewed and endorsed at the FATF Plenary in Strasbourg, France, where it was acknowledged that Nigeria has completed the implementation of its Action Plan within the agreed deadline—a rare achievement among listed jurisdictions.
Bakari emphasised the pivotal role of political leadership in this success: “The clear focus and leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, provided an enabling environment for the reform processes. His dynamic leadership, alongside the support of the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly, has been a critical success factor.”
She also highlighted the crucial contributions of the Judiciary, which has demonstrated the effectiveness of Nigeria’s legal framework in combating financial crimes. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and the Minister of Interior, who led the Inter-Ministerial Committee, were credited for providing strategic direction.
“The commitment of these key officials, along with support from the National Security Adviser and various ministers, has been instrumental in driving the reforms forward,” Bakari noted.
A broad coalition of agencies formed the backbone of the national effort, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Police Force, and many others. Their coordinated efforts have strengthened Nigeria’s defenses against illicit financial activities.
Despite the progress, Bakari cautioned that key steps remain before Nigeria can officially exit the greylist. “A critical upcoming milestone is the onsite assessment by the FATF in the next few weeks. This assessment is an opportunity to demonstrate Nigeria’s highest political commitment to sustaining the reform programme and to showcase the impressive results achieved by both public and private sectors in preventing, detecting, and disrupting serious crimes.”
She reaffirmed the NFIU’s dedication to the ongoing fight: “The NFIU remains committed to supporting and working with all stakeholders in strengthening our collective defenses against money laundering, terrorist financing, and other serious crimes.”
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is strategically positioning Africa to tap into a $712 billion digital trade market by 2035, leveraging key partnerships and trade-enabling infrastructure to deepen continental integration and economic sovereignty.
Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, made this known on Wednesday at the 2025 Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM2025) in Abuja.
According to him, the Protocol on Digital Trade is central to AfCFTA’s strategy for unlocking the potential of Africa’s growing digital economy.
“We intend to harness this significant market, which is estimated to be over $712 billion by the year 2035, presenting opportunities for young entrepreneurs, investment in data centres, the commercialisation and movement of data, and the development of digital public infrastructure,” Mene said.
He emphasised the critical role of Afreximbank in providing the financial architecture required to support the AfCFTA’s implementation, especially in reducing and eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers.
“Without the support of Afreximbank, the AfCFTA will not succeed. It requires trade finance tools, support for industrial development, green trade, and green industrialisation,” he added.
Among the tools introduced in collaboration with Afreximbank is the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), which enables intra-African payments in local currencies, reducing dependence on the US dollar and lowering transaction costs. Mene stressed that trading in foreign currencies like US dollar between African countries is no longer sustainable.
“We must use our own currencies. We must ensure the economic sovereignty of our continent and guard ourselves against ever-shifting global geopolitical tensions that affect payment systems,” he said.
He also disclosed that $10 billion has been mobilised under the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund to support countries implementing the agreement, with an initial ZIP package of $1 billion. Furthermore, a $1 billion AfCFTA Automotive Fund has been established to support component manufacturers and vehicle assembly on the continent. The sector, if well-supported, could generate $46 billion by 2035.
Additional initiatives include the AfCFTA E-Tariff platform, the Rules of Origin Manual, and the soon-to-be-launched Transit Guarantee System, which are all geared towards simplifying trade procedures and boosting intra-African trade.
“We have moved beyond political aspirations to establishing a functional and legally binding multilateral African trading system. This includes protocols on investment, competition policy, and digital trade,” Mene said.
Despite these milestones, he warned that numerous challenges persist. These include inefficient customs systems, high trade costs that limit SME market entry, political instability, and persistent food insecurity which blocks smallholder farmers from accessing markets. He called for continued collaboration between political leaders and development finance institutions to address these obstacles.
“We should be proud of what we have achieved, but also mindful of the difficult journey ahead. Conflict and instability, particularly in rural regions, continue to prevent millions of farmers from accessing markets. We must tackle these issues with urgency if the full potential of AfCFTA is to be realised,” Mene said.
During a question and answer after the launch of African trade and economic outlook report, Yemi Kale, Group chief economist and managing director of Research and Trade Intelligence at the African Export Import Bank, said between May 2024 and 2025 transaction volume through Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) increased by over 1,000 percent, reflecting increased adoption of the payment system.
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