E-Business
NOTAP Launches Software for EO5 Implementation
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), has launched locally developed software that would establish a database of Nigerian professionals for the implementation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Executive Order 5 (EO5).
Speaking at the event which was held in Lagos recently, NOTAP Southwest Zonal Director General, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, said the Order is aimed at engaging indigenous professionals in execution of government jobs for improvement of indigenous skills and also to protect and encourage the development of local capacities.
He noted that the EO5 was intended to give preference to Nigerian professionals in the execution of government contracts and projects in science, engineering and technology, to gradually develop their technical skills well enough to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.
Dr. Ibrahim said the Order was a government’s initiative to set the nation on the path of viable and sustainable economic growth, using the instruments and platforms of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)
Decrying the enormous amount of foreign currency spent to procure foreign technologies, especially in the area of software by Nigerians entrepreneurs, the DG said it became necessary to encourage the development and utilization of indigenous skills.
“NOTAP, therefore, engaged an indigenous Information Technology (IT) company, Cogewox Dot Net limited for development and deployment of a robust database that captures, stores, analyses and reports profiles of Nigerian professionals,” he noted.
He noted that where expertise was lacking, procuring entities would give preference to foreign companies and firms that have demonstrated clear and verifiable plans for indigenous skills development prior to the award of such contracts.
“With the signing of Executive Order, companies with the intention of employing foreign nationals on long term work authorisation and requires the grant of expatriate quota will undergo additional extensive scrutiny.
“The Order, companies would be required to employ Nigerians to understudy their foreign experts to enable them acquire the requisite skills for the eventual takeover of the expatriate positions by a Nigerian counterpart.
“Although this has always been the case, it is our opinion that there would be stiffer scrutiny and monitoring of this requirement for proper implementation,” he said.
In his presentation titled, ‘Database of Experts for Policy Formulation,’ the former President and Co-founder of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Dr. Chris Uwaje said NOTAP had demonstrated competence and willingness to launch the country into a technology dependent nation through the encouragement of software development in the country.
He expressed confidence that NOTAP would religiously implement the Order and turn Nigerian into a technology hub, even as he urged the Federal Government to give all support and encouragement to the agency to ensure the actualisation of its mandates.
He described the software as a robust and interactive app that provides platform for the Nigerian professionals to easily engage in registration, so long as they have a smart internet enabled devices, stressing that Nigeria is blessed with an array of relentless researchers and software developers that could seamlessly compete with their foreign counterparts if given the opportunity to exhibit their competencies.
He commended NOTAP for trusting in the ability of the Nigerian software developers to develop software that would drive the implementation of EO5, adding that the only way to develop indigenous skills was by believing in the operators of the sector and through patronage.
Visa, global payment services giant, has announced plans to establish a data centre infrastructure in Nigeria.
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications (office of the vice-president) on Friday, Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, spoke during a courtesy visit to Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the presidential villa in Abuja.
“This is in addition to its investments of over $1 billion in the country, including a substantial technological partnership with @moniepoint to foster digital payment solutions, a $200 million investment in Interswitch, and a partnership with @thriveagric to empower smallholder farmers and enhance food security in Nigeria,” the statement reads.
During the meeting, Torre said the plan to establish the data centre infrastructure aims to bring new technologies into the Nigerian market that would bolster the nation’s growing digital economy.
“Visa has been making investments and will continue to make these investments in Nigeria,” he said.
Responding, Shettima welcomed Visa’s expansion efforts, assuring the delegation that the partnership between Visa and the Nigerian government would continue to flourish.
The vice-president commended the company for investing in ThriveAgric, noting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is deeply committed to repositioning the agriculture sector, which remains a top priority in its 8-point agenda.
“Nigeria is where the action is. Of the 10 fintechs in Africa, about eight are in Nigeria, with moniepoint as the newest addition,” Shettima said.
“Agriculture is key to the 8-point agenda of the present administration. President @officialABAT is really keen on repositioning the agriculture industry here, and we have to invest in technology, we have to invest in modernisation.”
On January 23, Moniepoint, a Nigerian fintech company, announced it secured investment from Visa to support the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has approved N242.8m for the procurement of a Microsoft 365 licence for its Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) as part of efforts to digitise the service’s operations.
Mr Michael Ango, acting executive chairman of FCT-IRS, disclosed this after the FCT Executive Committee meeting chaired by Mr Nyesom Wike, the minister of FCTA, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ango said that the FCTA was making significant investments in technology to enhance revenue generation and collection.
“So, this is also one of those investments in technology that the FCT is undertaking.
“The licence, if procured, will enhance our ability to move most of our manual processes into automated processes.
“It will enhance our ability to communicate within our offices,” he said.
The executive chairman added that the move would also reduce the use of paper and ensure better record-keeping through the storage of information and documents in the cloud.
According to him, “The licence will essentially enhance our operations and assist us in generating revenue for the development of the FCT under Wike’s leadership.”
Rack Centre, West Africa’s Tier III Carrier and Cloud neutral data centre, has welcomed Olla Cloud Service, a new private cloud service by Olla Systems Limited, a leading provider of innovative technology solutions, to its facility.
Hosting at Rack Centre, Olla Cloud Service runs on a state-of-the-art, cloud-enabled infrastructure for enterprise applications across diverse platforms, including mission critical application, web applications as well as containerised applications using Kubernetes.
Lars Johannisson, CEO, Rack Centre, welcoming Olla Systems, noted that the partnership with Olla Systems Limited would reflect the company’s commitment to providing African businesses with high- quality cloud computing services.
He noted that Olla Systems would enjoy Rack Centre’s 13.5MW data centre campus facility, designed to meet the highest international standards and offering scalable solutions to Hyperscalers, Enterprises, and Cloud service providers.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, the facility is equipped with energy-efficient systems, advanced cooling technologies to mitigate environmental impact and an optimally-designed feature to handle high-density workloads with precision.
According to Johannisson, “With Olla Cloud Service hosting at Rack Centre, clients will experience fast performance and low latency, enabling businesses in Africa to access world-class cloud computing services within a secure and compliant local infrastructure.”
Also speaking, Olusola Adenuga, chief executive officer, Olla Systems Limited, expressed enthusiasm about hosting at Rack Centre, noting that Olla Cloud remains a groundbreaking private cloud solution for businesses.
While highlighting the benefits of the partnership between Rack Centre and Olla Systems, Adenuga disclosed that “subscribing to Olla Cloud Service is cost-effective to customers because of its local currency payment advantage.”
She also noted that the partnership between the duo, provides businesses the opportunity to meet regulatory requirements of data residency, while enjoying world-class infrastructure as a service (IaaS) locally.
“Other benefits of hosting with Olla Cloud include: 24/7 support, unparalleled performance, scalability and agility.” she added.
Nigeria to Launch $40 Million Fund for Tech Startups
NAFDAC Destroys over N1 Trillion Fake Drugs in Anambra
Visa to Establish Data Centre in Nigeria to ‘Boost Digital Economy’
Nigeria, Kenya among Nations Running out of HIV Drugs – WHO
Nigeria Still Open Crypto Business despite $80Bn Lawsuit against Binance – FG
Broadcasting3 days agoPublic Outrage, Legal Threats as Abuja Council Demands N500, 000 as TV Levy
E-Financial3 days agoFIRS Partners Flutterwave for Digital Payment Collection
Telecom3 days agoNigeria Charts New Course to Bridge Gender Digital Divide at UN’s CSW69
General News3 days agoNIN Enrolment Hits 117.3m – NIMC
General News2 days agoNigeria, Kenya among Nations Running out of HIV Drugs – WHO
News2 days agoNAFDAC Destroys over N1 Trillion Fake Drugs in Anambra
E-Financial3 days agoZuriel Oduwole, Sterling One Foundation, and Sanwo-Olu Champion Gender Equality and Youth Empowerment
E-Financial3 days agoBOI Launches N10Bn GLOW Fund for Female Entrepreneurs