News
UNESCO Seeks Digital Documentation to Help Preserve, Restore Culture
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) yesterday said digitally documenting the heritage and culture of Africa would help the preservation and restoration for future use.
Mr. Benda Fackson, the Programme Specialist for the Memory of the World (MoW), UNESCO, said this at the preparatory meeting with stakeholders on the Documentary Heritage for Sustainable Development in Africa in Abuja.
UNESCO’s Memory of the World programme is an initiative to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against amnesia neglect, the ravages of time and climatic conditions and deliberate destructions of valuable archival materials.
The meeting was part of the activities toward an international conference to be hosted by Nigeria on ways to implement the UNESCO’s recommendations concerning the preservation and access to documentary heritage including in digital form.
“Digital documentation helps for preservation of culture, so to afford universal access to them; it will help people enjoy them as widely as possible given the fact that with new technologies there is access.
“Documents are histories, lives of ancestors and the lives of the people. By digitising them you are preserving them and in some cases restoring them.
“We need to sensitise people on the importance of digitisation not only as a medium which can give rise to new digital documents but also as a medium that can be used to preserve analogue documents.”
Fackson said that documenting Memories of the World should not be seen as a tourist venture, rather a development initiative and a way of knowing people and their cultures.
He said that Nigeria was keen on the MoW programme, adding that the country was part of the international advisory committee on the world programme.
“We believe that Nigeria has the capacity to host a conference of this type. It is entrenched in rich documentary heritage across institutions of the country both in public and private sector.
“We have held conferences of this sort in Nigeria and they have been successful and UNESCO member states are focusing on implementing the report on the 2015 Cultural heritage.”
He, however, commended the country for its political commitment toward MoW programmes and hosting the conference.
He called on the Federal Government to support the conference as a way of increasing the documentation level of African heritage and revamping the region’s committee on MoW.
The officer said that over 25 countries of sub-Saharan African countries are expected to be at the conference which would hold from June 25 to June 27.
Prof. Folarin Shyllon, the Chairman, Nigeria Committee on Memories of the World, said that the National Archives of Nigeria was underfunded and these had contributed to its setbacks.
“There is the need to pay attention to documenting the heritage of Africa through implementation of policies on cultural heritage.’’
He said that stakeholders were committed to ensure the sensitisation of culture centres in Africa for documentary heritage.
Some of the stakeholders at the meeting include Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, National Council of Arts and Culture, National Library of Nigeria and they pledged their commitment toward the success of the conference.
This year’s Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership lecture will focus on Governance, Standardization and cybersecurity in artificial intelligence era.
The lecture which will herald Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Awards (ABoICT Lecture 2025) hold on May 24, 2025 at Four Points by Sheraton and will be delivered by Prof. Adewale Obadare, Chief Visionary Officer, Digital Encode – Cybersecurity and GRC Expert.
The sixteenth edition of the award ceremony according Ken Nwogbo, editor-in-chief of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek the organizers of the event, “is a special edition to recognise and celebrate organizations and individuals in the ICT industry that have contributed to the growth of the sector.
“Most of these organizations and individuals have consistently being voted by our readers as leaders in their areas of operations and we have decided to reward them in this special edition, tag: ‘ICT Growth Edition 2025’ he said,”.
He added that, an AI governance framework outlines policies, principles, and practices to guide the ethical and responsible development and deployment of AI technologies, ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness.
“In the AI era, cybersecurity faces both new threats and opportunities, as AI’s capabilities are used by both defenders and attackers to launch sophisticated attacks and defenses.
“This requires a proactive approach, including AI-powered security tools, robust data security, and ethical AI development, emphasizing real-time monitoring, threat intelligence, and collaboration among cybersecurity professionals and AI researchers.
“Artificial intelligence transforms cybersecurity by automating responses to risks, detecting unusual activity, and even foreseeing possible dangers before they occur.
“While AI has various perks, such as better efficiency and faster risk identification, it also has challenges. Without proper oversight, these systems can be misused or make errors. Strong governance and ethical frameworks ensure AI technologies are used responsibly and effectively.,” he said.
The Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished (ABoICT Lecture 2024) is designed to explore efforts to put Nigeria on the global Information and Communications Technologies map.
The lecture series however is reserved for distinguished achievers in the ICT sector.
Past lecturers included Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, then executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Uche Orji, managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodu Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre Limited; Peter Adedayo Arogundade, managing director and chief executive officer, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde, founder, Hyperspace & NeuraL AI and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Prof. Isa Pantanmi, minister of Communications and Digital Economy; among others.
Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and president of Dangote Refinery, has insisted that the ‘cabal’ in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector is still fighting against the success of his 650,000 barrels per day plant.
Aliko Dangote
Dangote disclosed this, according to Semafor, a global news platform, at an investor forum in Lagos at the weekend.
He said, “For a very, very long time, those that have made a lot of money from government-subsidised oil imports into Nigeria were the ones trying to sabotage the $20 billion worth of refinery situated in Lekki, Lagos.”
He further stressed that “those groups have funded resistance to the Bola Tinubu government’s removal of petrol subsidies and are opposed to the refinery operating easily in the country.”
However, Dangote was confident that the battle between him and the groups would be won, priding himself on being a long-time fighter.
“We’re fighting, and the fight is not yet finished. But I have been fighting all my life, and I am ready and 100 percent sure I will win at the end of the day,” he was quoted.
Recall that Dangote Refinery kicked off the sale of petrol in September 2024, which had led to a significant drop in fuel imports into Nigeria.
In May 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy during his inauguration speech.
Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has welcomed the decision of the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCT) upholding the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Inc. by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
In a statement signed by its President, Mal. Kabiru A. Yusuf, and General Secretary, Mrs. Angela Emuwa, NPAN described the ruling as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to enforce digital accountability and protect the rights of its citizens.
“The decision affirms the importance of compelling global digital platforms to adhere to Nigeria’s laws and respect the rights of users,” the association said.
NPAN noted that the fine, resulting from a 30-month investigation spanning 2021 to 2023, was imposed due to Meta’s alleged unauthorized data sharing and discriminatory practices affecting Nigerian users.
The association also emphasized that Nigeria’s regulatory action aligns with global trends, citing similar penalties imposed on Meta in Europe, as well as actions against other tech giants such as Amazon, TikTok, Google, and Apple.
As an advocate for media freedom and fair digital practices, NPAN reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding intellectual property and ensuring fair remuneration for publishers in the evolving digital landscape.
It further urged sustained collaboration among government agencies, civil society, and industry players to strengthen Nigeria’s digital regulatory environment.
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