Telecom
Women Entrepreneurs: NITDA Reaffirms Commitment to Create Enabling Policies and Foster Economic Growth
Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment as the nations apex IT regulatory body towards creating enabling policies for the development, use and adoption of Digital Technology in supporting and enhancing the living standard of women entrepreneurs across the country.
The DG said this at the first edition of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) Women and Youth Leadership Symposium which held in Abuja.
Inuwa who was represented by Dr Amina Sambo Magaji, Deputy Director, Digital Economy Development Department of the Agency, noted that given NITDA’s mandate, the organization is deeply drawn to developmental initiatives which explains the importance the Agency attaches to the symposium.
“NITDA supported the symposium with Technology Tools that will help enhance Entrepreneurship especially amongst Women and Youth in general”.
According to the NITDA Boss, the inability of a country to create digital presence in today’s dynamic digital world translates to having a nonexistent Nation.
“Technology is an enabler that many people around the world leverage on to create their digital presence. Without the right technological tools, we will not be able to advance as a country, economically and politically. In the light of this, NITDA is very interested and supportive of this symposium”.
Outlining the Agency’s several opportunities that support Women and Youth Entrepreneurship, Inuwa said a subsidiary was specifically established and named Office of the Nigeria Digital Innovation (ONDI), primarily to foster the growth of Technology and Innovation in Nigeria.
The President of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), Filimena Viera, while observing that whereas, women and youths constitute the significant percentage of the world’s population, their continued deprivation in virtually all areas of affairs has increasingly become a source of concern; attributed the factors responsible to their age, gender, limited opportunities and assumed lack of political experience.
Viera noted that among the major reasons for African continent’s backwardness is the fact that Women and Youth have not been given their rightful places in governance.
“Youths are the future, hence the need for the creation of relevant platforms where they can exchange ideas, experiences and amplify best practices.
“To address the menace of Women and Youth marginalisation, effective policy framework mechanism has to be in place, so as to ensure equity and to guarantee a sustainable society where basic human rights are recognized. Platforms that will inspire, mentor and avail the Women and Youth training on the required kkill set cannot be over emphasized”.
Meanwhile, as part of it’s contribution towards guaranteeing the development of Women and Youth Entrepreneurship as championed by the Sub – regional Parliamentarians Association, twenty laptop computers were donated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) is an umbrella body of all Female members of the ECOWAS Parliaments; primarily established to assist Parliamentarians from the Sub – region use their legislative mandates to empower Women through qualitative legislation.
NITDA’s presence at the event further underscored the parastatal’s immense regards for women empowerment and efforts toward inspiring both Women and Youth Entrepreneurial skills in Nigeria, through the Agency’s mentorship guidance and technical support.
Ayotunde Coker, chief executive officer of OpenAccess Data Centre has described Open Access fabric, the company’s Africa-led interconnection platform as key driver of a digital economy, offering a range of virtual connectivity services from Open Access Data Centres (OADC) facilities.
Empowered by West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), extensive digital backbone, OAfabric offers enterprises and service providers access to diverse digital ecosystems, supporting user-to-service, user-to-user and site-to-site connectivity.
Coker stated this during a tour of Open Access Data Centre facility in Lagos by some journalists recently.
According to him, “designed as a future-ready foundation, OAfabric unites cloud and local connectivity with OADC’s market-leading colocation solutions, establishing an innovative, scalable African infrastructure platform that addresses both local and global digital transformation demands.
“OA fabric offers a reliable, adaptable interconnection platform to support Africa’s growing digital needs and hybrid infrastructures for local and global providers
“Enabling secure, direct cloud connections, OA fabric supports data sovereignty and fosters local provider growth, OA fabric provides IX peering, virtual interconnection, and tailored IP services for Africa’s digital landscape.
“It’s not about a particular service provider, it’s about everybody. Once you have a network and you are able to route traffic, even if you are not live yet, and you are hoping to come in the future, we are waiting for you to come on board. So, that platform converges everybody.
“With Open Access fabric, everyone is expected to interconnect. You are collaborating with the government. You are collaborating with the banks. We are collaborating with all these guys to interconnect everyone, Microsoft, Google, all the cloud companies connect into it, because we already have the connectivity business”.
He noted that, “Through OA fabric, all the other connectivity providers have access to any content on OA fabric, so SMB, SMEs, MSMEs, who probably doesn’t have a registered business, but on social media, selling clothes and things like that, can have cost effective access to resources on the internet.
Speaking on Metro fiber project which OADC is partnering with WBT, Coker explained that they have covered over 5 million homes in Lagos. “The job of the Internet Service Provider or MNO in the project is to maintain relationship with the residents of that area, make sure that the infrastructure is secured”.
Telecom
MTN Nigeria and Pan-Atlantic University Invite Media Practitioners for 4th Media Innovation Programme
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, have announced a call for applications from qualified media practitioners (including content creators) to participate in the 4th edition of the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MTN MIP-4).
The programme commences on May 19, 2025, on the Main Campus of the Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
In collaboration with the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, MTN Nigeria launched MIP in 2022 to enable media practitioners gain deeper insight into the ever-evolving media landscape.
The six-month fully funded certificate fellowship, which includes a study visit to the University of Johannesburg, South Africa is open to media practitioners across all strata of the media industry including print, electronic and online platforms. The programme is also open to social media content creators.
“When we launched MIP in 2022, our goal was to enhance media professionals’ reporting capabilities and deepen their understanding of the technology sector, empowering them to become true media innovators. Seeing the impact of the programme over the past three years has been both inspiring and humbling.
“We are proud to continue this initiative and invite all eligible media professionals and content creators to seize this opportunity by applying for the fourth cohort,” said Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria.
Speaking on the impact of the programme, the Dean, School of Media and Communication (SMC), Pan-Atlantic University, Dr Ikechukwu Obiaya, said that the programme continues to improve and evolve.
“Given the challenges of today’s fast-changing media space, there is an ever-greater urgency to cultivate a new generation of media professionals who will drive innovation and excellence to meet today’s media needs.
“SMC will leverage its extensive experience in training media professionals to equip this next cohort. And we will do this with our usual emphasis on creativity and ethics.”
At the end of the training, the 20 successful applicants, who will qualify as Fellows, will have been trained on Nigeria’s technology sector, the relationship between media and technology and improved content creation opportunities. They will also be equipped with the skills to adapt to the changing realities that guarantee career and financial success in their professional practice. Fellows will also have access to professional resources and mentorship from PAU’s erudite faculty.
Interested journalists, bloggers and content creators can apply at https://bit.ly/MTN_MIP2025
Applications open on Monday, March 24 and close on Monday, April 7, 2025.
A new study commissioned by Visa reveals a rise in consumer awareness and proactive security measures for digital payments across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA).
The ninth annual Stay Secure study, which surveyed 5,800 adults across 17 diverse CEMEA markets, found that 98% of consumers now actively take precautions to secure their online transactions, showcasing increased savviness as digital payments gain momentum.
While 64% of respondents in Nigeria acknowledge their vulnerability to scams like phishing, the increased adoption of security measures and preference for stronger authentication indicate a positive shift in consumer behavior since the last edition of the Stay Secure study in 2023. Consumers are now actively spotting red flags and verifying the legitimacy of online interactions, showing a marked increase in awareness.
Other key insights emerging from the research bode well for the continued acceleration of digital payments across the region, with over three-quarters of all respondents stating that they mostly or completely trust digital payments, regardless of the threat of fraud. 86% of consumers across Nigeria anticipate that they will increase their use of digital payments over the next year.
“The digital payments landscape is evolving rapidly, and consumers across Nigeria are embracing its convenience while becoming more vigilant about security,” said Andrew Uaboi, Vice President & Head, Visa West Africa.
“Consumer education is our best defense against fraud, and industry collaboration makes this possible. As scams grow more sophisticated, the battle for security never stops. Consumers increasingly trust partners who take tangible steps to protect them.”
The ‘Stay Secure’ study highlights evolving consumer preferences, which could offer Visa’s stakeholders actionable intelligence for trust-building strategies and inform the creation of educational materials to empower consumers against fraud.”
Key Findings of the Visa Stay Secure Study:
– 94% surveyed in Nigeria utilize e-commerce payment methods.
– 82% surveyed in Nigeria are more likely to trust payment programs run by the government (e.g., instant payments, local cards, etc.) if they partnered with a well-known brand like Visa.
-51% surveyed in Nigeria feel more secure using digital payments.
-56% surveyed in Nigeria leverage online credit or debit card payments.
– 54% surveyed in Nigeria note that news about cyber fraud (e.g., data breaches, email scams, phishing, etc.) has impacted their use of digital payments.
– 43% rank Boomers (60-78) as most likely to fall victim to online scams.
Visa’s Commitment to a Secure Digital Future
Visa has been at the centre of AI in payments, investing $3.3 billion in our AI and data infrastructure over the last decade. In 2024, it introduced three new AI-powered risk and fraud prevention solutions, as part of the Visa Protect suite, that are designed to help reduce fraud across immediate A2A and card-not-present (CNP) payments, as well as transactions on and off Visa’s network.
As the world’s largest SaaS platform, Visa combats cybercrime by deploying cutting-edge tools, expertise, and processes to help identify and mitigate fraud. The impact is undeniable: In the past year, Visa blocked $40 billion in fraudulent payment value, prevented 80 million fraudulent transactions, and averted over $122 million in estimated e-commerce fraud through malware detection.
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