The multiple award winning, Africa’s number one distributor of cutting – edge technology solutions, TD Africa Limited, once again took the centre stage as it was decorated with multiple awards at the just concluded Huawei Connect 2024 which took place at the Sandton Convention Center, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The event which was themed: “Accelerate Industrial Intelligence,” attracted policy makers, tech enthusiasts and industry leaders to among other things celebrate outstanding partners in its distribution chain and unveil new additions of its solutions.

TD Africa’s honour was first, for its outstanding performance in unrivalled after-sales support services which engender customer satisfaction; second, for its exceptional distribution channel which reflects its understanding of the market, extensive network, and strong relationships across the continent; and third, for its unwavering commitment to skills development, equipping partners and resellers with the requisite knowledge and expertise to effectively sell and support Huawei’s products.

To these three, TD Africa bagged the awards for: Authorised Service Centre in Africa, Distributor Partner of the Year, and Training Partner of the Year, respectively.

These awards buttress the Nigerian company’s position as a trusted partner and a key driver of Huawei’s success in Africa as its dedication to service, distribution excellence, and skills development resonates with the broader themes of collaboration and capacity building that underscored the 2024 edition of Huawei Connect.

While Huawei emphasised its commitment to developing digital talent in Africa through various initiatives and collaborations to further unlock the region’s digital potentials, it also showcased its cloud computing solutions designed to empower businesses with scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency.

Buttressing this commitment, Mrs Chioma Chimere, the Coordinating Managing Director at TD Africa, said collaboration in driving digital transformation and bridging the digital divide cannot be over emphasised citing TD Africa’s existing “Technology as a Service (TaaS)” initiative, which enables SMEs to embrace digital transformation by converting upfront capital expenditures into manageable operational expenses.

Her words: “TDAFRICA is committed to empowering Africa through these initiatives and more and will continue to drive its commitment of empowering individuals and businesses on the continent, making transformational technologies accessible, affordable and usable through these initiatives.”

The solutions unveiled by Huawei at the event cut across public sector, finance, power and intelligent services and they include: Xinghe Intelligent Network Solution, Xinghe Intelligent Campus, Xinghe Intelligent Fabric, Xinghe Intelligent WAN and Xinghe Intelligent Network Security.

According to the company’s President, data communications product line, Leon Wang, “these comprehensive offerings leverage AI technology and the Net5.5G target architecture to address the evolving needs of businesses in the intelligent era.”

While experts at the conference critically looked into the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and manufacturing, the two-day conference also called on governments and employers of labour on the continent, to equip their workforce with requisite skills, such as TD Africa is doing, for a digital future.

To this, Panyaza Lesufi, the Premier of Gauteng Province, South Africa, tasked governments and businesses on embracing digital transformation with innovative solutions like those offered by Huawei to enhance service delivery to remain competitive in the global arena.

A Nigerian, Mrs. Eyitayo Iyortim, has been appointed as the new chairperson/president, Africa Top Level Domains [AfTLD].

Eyitayo Iyortim, AfTLD

According to a report by Techeconomy, AfTLD confirmed the appointment, by the Organisation Executive Committee, of Mrs Iyortim from Nigeria (.NG) as the Chairperson of the Executive Committee and President of the Organization.

She will be deputized by Prof Idrissa Sarr, vice president and the manager of the.SN ccTLD.

Mr Joel Karubiu from Kenya (.KE) continues as the Treasurer.

The newly elected Executive Committee members are Mr. Molehe Wesi, Chief Executive Officer .ZA Domain Name Authority (.ZA) and Deo Gratias Tonouhewa Manager JenySAS operator (.BJ).

Other members of the Executive Committee include Ms. Grace Ingabire, Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Information and Communications Technology Alliance (.RW), and Mr. Molupe Molupe, Manager of Lesotho Network Information Centre (.LS)

Who is Eyitayo Iyortim?

Eyitayo Iyortim is the immediate past chief operating officer of the qA).

She has a Masters in Organisational Psychology from the University of Manchester, UK.

Eyitayo has over 20 years’ experience in Project Management, Training solutions, Talent Management Solutions,  Organisational Transformation, Culture re-enginerring, IT Sales and Services.

She has worked for local and global brands which includes SAP, focus on the Family, Nigeria Internet Registration Association to mention a few.

She also consults on ERP, Digitalisation and HR projects.

Eyitayo has worked in project teams for many top-tier organisations in Nigeria including NNPC, FIRS, Dangote, UAC, NLNG.

She is a member of the British Psychological Society with CPDs in Employee Management, Relationships at Work and Assessment Centre Management.

She is also certified in Ability and Personality testing, Project Management and Life Coaching.

AFTLD

AfTLD is recognized as the representative of country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) managers from Africa.

It is an active participant in the ICANN ccNSO, and also actively participates in various Internet governance fora with the African continent and beyond, including the IGF, where it has run a number of workshops.

With collaboration in Internet governance and development a cornerstone of the bottom-up policy development processes that make the Internet truly a multi-stakeholder phenomenon, AfTLD works in collaboration and partnership with other Regional Top-Level Domain Organizations (RTLDOs), these being APTLD, CENTR and LACTLD.

In a concerted effort to address widespread complaints about data depletion, Nigeria’s Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have collaboratively launched a consumer sensitization campaign aimed at providing practical guidance for more effective data management. This initiative is designed to enhance consumer satisfaction by helping subscribers optimize their data usage.

In a unified statement, the MNOs highlighted several smart data usage behaviors that can help prevent data depletion. These include disabling automatic app updates, enabling data saver mode, and closing unused apps to prevent background data consumption.

To prevent unauthorized access and strengthen data security, the MNOs advised consumers to use stronger passwords and regularly update their hotspot and Wi-Fi passwords to prevent unauthorized access. For a seamless video streaming experience, users should ensure they have sufficient data and turn off auto-downloads to effectively manage content consumption.

With the advent of advanced network technologies like 4G, LTE, and the latest 5G, which offer ultra-fast data speeds and enhanced browsing and streaming experiences, the speed of data consumption and pattern have increased significantly. Consumers are encouraged to understand these changes and manage their data usage accordingly.

“It is important for consumers to familiarize themselves with the specific terms and conditions of their data plans,” the MNOs emphasized.

“Different plans cater to various needs, including weekend-specific plans, social media-only plans, and regular plans configured for night use only.”

For additional tips on smarter data usage and management, consumers should visit the NCC website at https://consumer.ncc.gov.ng or the official MTN website – https://www.mtn.ng/manage-data/