E-Business
Why Services Are Vital to The Next Age of Business
By Emmanuel Asika
It seems like it’s the end of work as we know it, given the significant transformation and changes in recent years. The growing need for hybrid working environments has led businesses to explore new ways of securely linking systems and staff.
Emmanuel Asika
Meanwhile, many institutions are wrestling with a shortage of IT personnel brought about by the widespread phenomenon of the ‘Great Resignation,’ which is rapidly growing around the worldI.
The latter is even worse in Nigeria, where a great number of IT professionals are resigning daily and heading to countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, in search of the proverbial ‘greener pastures’, a phenomenon known in local parlance as ‘Japa’, a Yoruba word that simply means ‘to run away’ or ‘escape’.
Apart from the medical field, the Japa syndrome seems to have hit the IT sector the most, with many tech developers either leaving the countryII in search of better paying jobs or working remotely for foreign companies.
While IT costs around the world are on the rise, interest in managed services is equally increasing. Such a scenario may appear staggering, but it shouldn’t. As these changes are reevaluating the way people and businesses work, IT as an industry is reacting with inventive solutions for the majority of the urgent challenges faced by organisations.
The increase in all-inclusive services for hardware, software, and amongst others helps businesses to adjust, grow, and constantly renew themselves to be able to provide customers with capabilities they desire. This is because services will not only propel the subsequent business revolution, but they will also be the base for their growth.
New Age, Fresh Tests
Research firm Gartner estimated that by the end of 2023IIIII, 48% of knowledge workers around the world – engineers, accountants, and writers – will work either fully remotely (9%) or in a hybrid arrangement (39%).
So, it is important to build robust IT structures and solutions that will empower these hybrid staff to be productive, wherever they will be working from. It is equally important to obtain an emerging blend of remote gadgets, cloud-based software solutions, and on-premises hardware.
Yet, achieving the goal of acquiring the perfect IT personnel proves to be a challenging task. Despite the long-standing global demand for IT workers, the increasing shortage of skilled personnel in the industry has become a cause for concern in recent times.
A Nigerian business surveyIIIIII showed that 58% of IT decision makers in Nigeria view a shortage of personnel with IT skills as one of the main threats to their business. The survey also found that 34% of tech decision makers in Nigeria were planning to move to a new region, and 33% into a new country.
Expectedly, it’s all about more money, more flexibility, reduced stress, and new experiences. Numerous organizations in Nigeria and Africa are anticipated to face challenges related to tech skills, and these issues are expected to intensify in 2024 and the years to come.
These undercurrents are a disaster for IT units, many of them already under-staffed, and at a time when businesses really need them most. Luckily, the right services can deal with such growing obstacles.
Help is Here
Over time, HP has been researching different kinds of innovations that can assist companies around the world to traverse this new era, and managed services and solutions are top of the list. In contrast to total gadget possession, these end-to-end options, just like HP’s Managed Print Services, are convenient, flexible, scalable, secure, and manageable.
Personalization is rapidly becoming the new thing. Today, to be successful, businesses need bespoke solutions that fulfil the changing expectations of consumers as effortlessly as they enable access to competencies.
We are convinced that this is where the future generation of managed services will come into play – narrowing the skill gap, and at the same time delivering solutions needed to empower and protect a hybrid staff.
For instance, the HP Device as a Service (DaaS) assists IT units cut the rate and intricacy of running devices during their lifespan of gadgets, delivering gadgets, repair services, and AI-driven analytics in a formularized payment. We also provide bespoke offerings for special needs and budgets.
Future-proofing IT
Fully managed services strengthen IT units, delivering the know-how and materials that organisations require to prevail over present uncertainties.
Managed services enable organisations to double up and grow to satisfy the present needs and be ready for future expansion. Having access to extra capability and up-to-date solutions helps businesses to easily transform digitally, thus decreasing the danger and price of doing so.
What’s more, digital services enable businesses to grow competencies in step with changing consumer demands – all the while not being obliged to update technology.
HP’s acquisition of Teradici in 2021 presents a supportive set of cloud-based and remote experiences to products like HP workstations, presenting consumers with faster computing and the suppleness of simulated access that will satisfies their personal requirements.
Emmanuel Asika is Country Head, HP Nigeria
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has clarified that all its verification service platforms remain fully functional and accessible to all authorized partners, including security agencies.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, DG, NIMC
In a statement on Thursday, the Commission firmly denied claims that it had denied the Police Service Commission (PSC) access to its verification server.
Dr. Kayode Adegoke, head of Corporate Communications, NIMC, described the reported “inability of the Police Service Commission to access the NIMC verification server” as misleading and inaccurate.
He suggested that any challenges faced by the PSC may be due to internal issues within the commission itself, not from NIMC’s end.
The statement reads: “To set the record straight, the NIMC granted verification access to all Nigerian Police formations for the verification of the National Identification Number (NIN). The NPF, PSC and other security agencies have been enjoying uninterrupted verification services for over five years.
“NIMC has provided top-notch verification services for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force, as conducted by the PSC and at no time have there been any complaints or issues regarding NIN Verification by the NPF or PSC.
“The Commission has a robust and harmonious working relationship with the Nigerian Police Force and the Police Service Commission. The Information Communications and Technology (ICT) department of the Nigeria Police Force is actively managing the long-standing verification and integration service between the NIMC and all Nigeria Police formations.Entertainment tourism packages
“NIMC will continue to provide flawless verification services for the purpose of recruitment, security mapping, cybercrime control, and any other security matters.
“The framework by which NIMC provides services to the security agencies was recently restructured for standardization and effective implementation, following consultation with the Office of the National Security Adviser, and NPF has confirmed the verification services have continued to be available. We therefore believe that any service interruption experienced by PSC may be due to internal matters.
“NIMC is committed to providing excellent verification services to the PSC, NPF and all its partners but the terms and conditions inherent must be adhered to for uninterrupted flow of service.”
Nigerian government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity and clean up the nation’s cyberspace.
Recognizing that cybercrime knows no borders, Nigeria also reaffirmed its commitment to fostering stronger global partnerships within the cybersecurity ecosystem.
This announcement was made during a press conference before the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Abuja from July 9th to 11th, 2025.
Sa’ad Abubakar, national cybersecurity coordinator from the Office of National Security Advisor, said fighting cybercrime must take the whole of society and the whole of the government approach.
According to him, “Apart from the deterrent approach whereby government agencies such as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrest individuals, take them to court and prosecute them, the youth can be nurtured into better citizens who can showcase their capacity in better ways and be useful to the country.”
Similarly, Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general, NITDA, also stressed the need for collaborative efforts in fighting cybercrimes.
According to him “Then, in addition to that, we also want to build a stronger global collaboration with the global cyber security ecosystem, because when you look at cybercrime in general, it doesn’t respect the borders.
“Someone can commit a crime from Ghana using a Nigerian ID in the US. So you can look at him physically in a different jurisdiction, pretending to be in another jurisdiction, committing the crime in another jurisdiction.
“So without that kind of synergy and working together, it will be difficult to address these challenges. The third one is challenge. The third one is getting an alternative to cybercrime for our kids in Nigeria. We have this as a major challenge.”
Inuwa further highlighted the upcoming conference’s importance, noting that it would tackle key issues through workshops, discussions on emerging threats, cross-border cybersecurity collaboration strategies, and training programmes.
He also announced that the National Cybersecurity Conference 2025 would feature the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, recognising top contributions in the field.
The DG extended an invitation to global partners to collaborate with Nigeria in building a safer digital future.
The press conference was attended by notable figures, including Ahmad Sa’ad Abubakar, National Coordinator of, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC); Hanniel Jafar, Representative of the President, of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN); Ankit Shukla, Managing Director, QNA Marketing Management LLC and members of the press and other stakeholders.
XIAN Telecom has acquired an 8% stake in pan-African e-commerce company Jumia Technologies, citing the platform’s fintech and logistics strengths as key drivers of its backing.
This marks the first major telecom investment in Jumia since MTN Group’s exit in 2020.
AXIAN, a fast-growing telecom and digital services provider with operations across Africa, disclosed the purchase in a Schedule 13D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
While the financial terms were not disclosed, AXIAN Telecom CEO, Hassan Jaber, described the move as a strategic alignment with Jumia’s growth trajectory and digital ecosystem.
“Jumia’s achievements in digital retail and fintech, particularly through JumiaPay and its logistics network, make it a very attractive investment for us. We believe in Jumia’s potential to promote financial and economic inclusion, which aligns with our core values,” said Jaber.
Once dubbed the “Amazon of Africa,” Jumia became the first African-founded tech company to list on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019.
But years of underperformance, leadership changes, and competitive pressures dented investor confidence.
In October 2020, South Africa’s MTN Group offloaded its 18.9% stake for $138 million, well below the $698 million value it once held post-IPO.
Since then, Jumia has undergone a significant transformation. Under CEO Francis Dufay, appointed in 2022, the company exited low-performing markets like South Africa and Tunisia, cut costs, and doubled down on core markets – Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.
The firm is now focused on high-growth verticals, including everyday essentials and digital financial services.
Jumia’s regional CEO for East Africa, Vinod Goel, recently revealed plans to scale up international brand offerings and open its logistics network to third-party businesses.
Jaber underscored that AXIAN Telecom’s investment signals renewed confidence in Jumia’s long-term potential.
The telecom firm’s CEO said the company views Jumia as a key player in advancing Africa’s digital economy, aligning with AXIAN’s mission through its fintech and digital infrastructure brands such as Yas and Mixx by Yas.
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