General News
Zarttech Reaffirms commitment to Foster Digital Skills Among Nigerian Youths

As part of its goal of promoting digital literacy in Nigeria, Zarttech has held its yearly Zarttalent Summit aimed at empowering young people to take up and explore opportunities inherent in the Technology sector.

Group picture of participants at the Zarttalent Summit held on Thursday in Lagos.
This year’s summit themed: “How To Win With Tech” was held at the firm’s brand-new state of the art office located at Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos.
Mr. Nelson Ajulo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Zarttech, speaking at the event said that the aim of the summit is to help young Nigerians acquire digital skills needed to become self-reliant as well as give them the opportunity to compete favourably with their contemporaries in the global tech ecosystem.
According to him, the summit is part of Zarttech’s ongoing commitment to driving social impact and fostering innovation among Nigerian youth, with the purpose to catch them young.
He said that the programme in its fifth year is to create awareness on the future of labour force in Nigeria and globally.
“And part of the biggest problem that I have seen within the Nigerian economy, also for my PhD research is that these children or the average Nigerian, does not even know what they need to study.
“They don’t know what the economy or what the employer wants, or what the job market needs in the labour market, so they go to school to study without even knowing the end result.
“Which would be that they are able to obtain a certificate that actually says that they are an amazing employee to be hired.”
According to him, when they go and invest the time, invest the resources of their parent on an unintentional intent, and then they also learn something that was not It’s not of great value, then it is redundant, like wasted time and wasted resources.
He noted that it’s really crucial that children and youths are aware of this understanding and that the Summit has created that awareness.
During a panel session titled: “Navigating Tech Career from the Inside” experts majorly from Zarttech team stressed the need for young Nigerians, particularly secondary school students to take up digital skills irrespective of what they aim to study in school.
Oreoluwa Adesanya, Zarttalent Data Analyst Tutor, encouraged students particularly those at the summit to embrace tech as a career. She narrated how she transitioned from studying medical laboratory science in school to becoming a data analyst.
Also, Babatunde Shodeinde, Head of Design at Zarttech, who also transitioned to tech sector after graduating in a different background in school charged the students to start now, adding that their young age is a huge advantage for them to achieved whatever they set their minds to in the ecosystem.
According to him, “you are still very young and there’s no limit to what you can achieve. If there’s better time to start, it’s now. Trust me I know people younger than you people here, I know seven-year old’s learning programming, learning design, learning data and so on. The age in which you’re in right now there’s just so much information out there, so much resources for you to experiment with.”
Speaking at the summit, Mrs Sonia Fajusigbe, Policy Advisor Entrepreneurship Youth Employment and Healthcare Consulate General of the Netherlands in Lagos encouraged youths on the effective and efficient use of technology to their advantage.
Fajusigbe said that there are so many opportunities in the technology ecosystem for the youths to harness as entrepreneurs and innovators.
According to her, our climate in Nigeria is very interesting and with limited opportunities but one can make the best opportunity out of it.
“Data is gold, you have phones, install Britannica it is for student in high school and elementary schools basically for research, it will help you.
“If you do that, you will not go out of scope and remain within the scope, and I would like everyone to take this with them.
“It says self-discipline is what separates winners and the losers, when you are not disciplined, you are just among the crowd.
“It is when you are self-disciplined, you have a goal in front of you and focus on it.”
Fajusigbe said that youths should try as much as possible to ensure consistency in that discipline and when consistency is mixed with discipline one would achieve a whole lot.
General News
FG Plans N50m STEEM Grant to Support Student Innovation in August

In a giant stride to support innovation, entrepreneurship and economic transformation, the Federal Government is set to unveil a N50 million grant for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences (STEEM) students in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The project, which is referred to as the Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG), is a pioneering initiative designed to empower the students towards building the next generation of scalable, job-creating ventures.
According to a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Education, Folashade Boriowo, Friday, the initiative will be formally unveiled in August by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
Boriowo stated that the minister made the disclosure during a stakeholders’ engagement session held in Abuja in the presence of vice-chancellors, provosts, rectors, student leaders, academic staff, and development partners, and will chart a collective course for nurturing student-led innovation.
The statement noted that the grant targets full-time undergraduate students in STEMM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences), specifically those in 300 level and above.
“Each selected student-led project will be eligible to receive startup funding of up to N50 million, along with access to mentorship, incubation services and business development support.
“The initiative will be implemented in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI) to ensure financial transparency, impact measurement and effective project execution.
“S-VCG is not just a grant. It’s a launchpad for bold, young innovators to lead Nigeria’s industrial and technological transformation,” said Alausa.
Speaking at the session, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, described the grant as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s knowledge economy.
“We’re building a stronger, more competitive future by supporting innovation from the ground up,” she said, adding that the programme’s design was informed by months of consultation with students, faculty and institutional leaders.
Participants at the event welcomed the STEMM-Up Grant as a timely, strategic and high-impact initiative that will drive youth innovation, tackle graduate unemployment, and position Nigeria as a hub for student-led entrepreneurship in Africa.
General News
UK Businesses Look to Africa As Strategic Growth Partners

New research by UK-based Strategy Management Partners reveals that a growing number of British businesses are identifying Africa as a key strategic growth region – drawn by structural reforms, demographic momentum, and rapid digital transformation across the continent.
The research, based on a survey of senior decision-makers from 250 large UK-based companies, finds that 50% are already active in African markets and planning to expand further.
An additional 28% are considering entry, signalling a clear uptick in long-term interest from international businesses with the resources to scale regionally.
The findings challenge outdated perceptions of Africa as a high-risk or secondary market. Instead, they highlight key drivers behind renewed commercial interest: • 61 per cent of UK leaders cited Africa’s large and growing consumer markets as a major draw. • 61 per cent pointed to the continent’s rapid pace of digital and technological adoption. • 50 per cent highlighted the potential of Africa’s young, skilled, and digitally native population.
The study also suggests that Africa is no longer viewed simply as a market for philanthropic initiatives or shortterm gain. Only 20 per cent of respondents cited philanthropic motives, while most are focused on building commercially viable, long-term operations.
Initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), are also laying the groundwork for significant economic growth.
With 23 countries already implementing preferential tariffs, the framework is expected to facilitate smoother intra-regional trade, enable market scale, and support more efficient supply chains.
These structural improvements are making Africa more attractive to global firms with the ambition to operate at scale.
However, despite rising optimism, significant operational and policy challenges remain. The top four barriers to investment cited by UK business leaders were: political and country risk (68%); safety and security issues 66.4%); regulatory barriers and tariffs (60.4%); and the complexity of cross-border transactions (60%).
Addressing these issues will be crucial to unlocking Africa’s full potential for UK investment. UK companies are showing the most interest in sectors that align with Africa’s core strengths, such as natural resources, agriculture, a young and expanding population, and infrastructure development.
These areas are seen as the backbone for long-term commercial growth, offering opportunities to build local supply chains, expand digital services, scale manufacturing, and meet rising consumer demand.
However, for companies looking to invest or expand into Africa, success also depends on key enabling conditions. According to business leaders surveyed, the top factors supporting investment are: • The size of market and consumer demand (49.6%) • Reliable and consistent energy supply (48.4%) • Access to affordable, educated and capable talent (44.8%) • Efficient transportation networks, such as roads, ports, airports (38%) • A favourable macroeconomic environment: low interest rates, low inflation, stable exchange rates, and seamless cross-border transactions and repatriation of earnings(38%).
“UK businesses are increasingly seeing Africa as a strategic growth market, driven by structural reforms, digital adoption, and the momentum behind the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” says Muibat Ijaiya, Partner at Strategy Management Partners.
“But real progress will depend on practical cooperation with African governments. The AfCFTAis a pivotal step forward – what’s needed now is a deeper alignment between public policy and private investment to address trade, regulatory and infrastructure barriers, and unlock long-term, sustainable growth.”
General News
Experts Champion Sustainability at Lagos Green Economy Forum

Lagos State’s transition to a greener economy is gaining momentum, with female leaders from top corporations taking the lead and the state government beginning to record early wins from its plastic bag policy.
At the Lagos Green Economy Forum held on July 23, senior executives from MTN Nigeria, IHS Towers, TechnoServe, and other large organisations highlighted the role of corporate innovation in advancing sustainability.
The all-female panel also emphasised the urgent need to integrate Nigeria’s thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into the country’s green transition.
“We’re not just here to share strategies,” said Temilade Olabanji, Senior Manager, Sustainability and Shared Value, MTN Nigeria. “We are here to build local resilience. Our Project Zero is not only helping us cut emissions but also equipping our suppliers with the knowledge to do the same.”
MTN’s Project Zero aims for net-zero emissions by 2040, with a 50% reduction target by 2030. The company is already powering base stations and data centres with renewables, while training suppliers to understand carbon footprints and adopt circular practices. MTN has pledged that by 2026, 80% of its top suppliers will align with its sustainability goals.
Titilope Oguntuga, Director of Sustainability, IHS Towers, reinforced this approach, noting that the company’s Project Green is decarbonising its over 16,000 tower sites across Nigeria by switching to renewable energy. “Project Green is enabling all sites to run effectively with more renewable sources of energy rather than the typical fossil fuels,” she said. IHS also runs Clinic Without Walls, a free micro-health insurance scheme for underserved communities.
From the nonprofit sector, Juliet Ezeani, Senior Business Advisor of TechnoServe, explained how the organisation supports vendors through environmental impact assessments, sustainability training, and responsible procurement.“For all our projects, we look at how the project runs and especially how it affects the environment,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government provided an update on its green policy efforts, especially the plastic bag ban introduced two months ago.
“All of what we have done so far is towards making the economy of Lagos or the quality of life of the average Lagosian much better,” said Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, General Manager of the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), who represented the Honourable Commissioner, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab.
On the plastic bag ban, he added: “What that [the ban] has also done is to free up our drainage from the plastic waste. In some way, we have reduced flooding, reduced pollution, and reduced the headache and the cost of maintaining drainages and labourers.”
Dr. Ajayi emphasised that green transition is not just a compliance issue for SMEs but an economic opportunity. “It helps them drive their engines, their entire businesses in a more sustainable manner.”
As Lagos accounts for nearly 30% of Nigeria’s GDP, the increasing alignment between corporate leaders and public policy towards a greener economy is positioning the state as a model for inclusive, environmentally responsible development.
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