General News
ZinoX Boss Says Women can Lead 21st Century ICT industry
Women entrepreneurs can lead today’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry with the right mix of innovation, business focus, accountability and ambition, according to Leo Stan Ekeh, chairman of Zinox Group.
Ekeh, guest speaker at an interactive breakfast meeting for Women in ICT organized by Technology Distributions (TD) at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, who reeled out a number of statistics to buttress his point, also stated that women can relegate their male counterparts to the back seat.
He made specific reference to global ICT giants like IBM which now has Ginni Rometty, a female as its CEO.
The Zinox boss also cited the increasingly pivotal role women in the corporate sector are playing in the global arena and urged the participants to become more ambitious in growing their business and targeting bigger ventures.
“Women are naturally more structured, trustworthy, less greedy and more prayerful than men. These innate qualities have strategically endowed women with the basic ingredients for leadership. As entrepreneurs, all you need to do is combine these innate qualities with absolute commitment, capacity for innovation, credibility and sound digital knowledge and very soon, the male folk will be struggling to keep pace with the women in the industry.
“ICT is a business of the future, one that you can bequeath to your children and unborn generations. It is an industry of constant innovation, requiring a sound business model and structure. Hence, I encourage you to enhance your knowledge in the digital business and build capacity which will in turn enable you accommodate the short term business shocks and eventually take charge of the digital economy.” Ekeh added.
Urging women to see themselves as equal partners with men, Ekeh urged the participants to leverage on the emerging force of E-Commerce and M-Commerce which has the potential of laying a foundation for women to control the wealth and leadership of nations in the third quarter of the century.
While assuring the women ICT entrepreneurs of the utmost support from Technology Distributions in their respective roles as business partners, the Zinox Boss cautioned against excessive borrowing and emotional decisions which he says are two factors capable of negating business success.
Also speaking at the event, Mrs. Chioma Ekeh, chief executive officer (CEO) of Technology Distributions Limited, urged the women entrepreneurs to break out of the outdated stereotypes that have long held them back and take their rightful place in the scheme of things, especially with regards to driving the revolution in the ICT industry.
Noting that women are credible, balanced, emotionally intelligent beings, proven masters of crisis and opportunity management as well as great managers of resources; Mrs. Ekeh challenged the participants to borrow a leaf from Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, who has urged women to seek leadership roles and own their success.
“It is no accident that women make up over half of the world’s population. Why then are there so few women occupying positions of authority? It is high time for us to unleash our potential and begin to take charge of things happening around us. There is a growing trend of more women in ICT which is quite encouraging and despite the challenges in the system, we must capitalize on this to lead the revolutions in the industry,” she enthused.
The Women in ICT event was organized by Technology Distributions, one of the largest ICT distribution companies in Africa with over 65% spread of ICT products distribution in the West African sub-region. The company also boasts of a strong gender-sensitive structure, with over 80% of women occupying managerial positions in the company.
Nigeria has reaffirmed its dedication to deepening its collaboration with Ericsson, Swedish technology firm with Vice President Kashim Shettima promising swift implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier in 2024.
The vice president made this statement during a courtesy visit from a delegation representing Ericsson, led by Mr Patrick Johansson, its senior vice president and head of Market Area for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The meeting took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
During the engagement, Vice President Shettima described Ericsson as a key player in Nigeria’s technological journey, acknowledging the company’s early role in establishing a foundation upon which other major tech firms have since built.
He praised Ericsson for remaining a reliable ally in Nigeria’s developmental narrative, particularly commending its current initiatives such as the creation of innovation hubs and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
According to him, these actions serve to strengthen an already enduring partnership.
Encouraging Ericsson and other foreign investors to take advantage of the country’s vast potential, Shettima highlighted the vitality and promise of Nigeria’s youthful population.
“We cherish our relationship with Sweden and your company, and I must urge you to harness our manifest destiny. We are a large nation with a tech-savvy population. We are making efforts across different fields. A good number of the unicorns that we have in Africa are Nigerian-based. The future is Nigeria,” the vice president stated.
Mr Patrick Johansson echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of reinforcing ties between Nigeria and Ericsson by championing local innovation and entrepreneurship.
He noted these as key priorities for the company’s engagement in the region.
Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) has urged courier or logistics service providers to register with the service or face the wrath of the law.
Dr Chris Ashiedu, state postal manager, Enugu State, made the call while speaking on Tuesday at the ongoing 36th Enugu International Trade Fair.
The 10-day Fair, which kicked off on April 4, is themed: “Developing Nigeria Industrial Sector/SMEs for Economic Advancement and Global Recognition”.
Ashiedu said that any company or venture who failed to register as well as their workers would also be liable to legal sanction of fines, imprisonment or both.
He said that NIPOST had so far registered 29 courier/logistic service providing companies or ventures in Enugu State, while hunting for others operating under hiding.
According to him, we are succeeding in pushing to get them notwithstanding that they are dodging NIPOST officials but we are determined to get every courier/logistic service provider in Enugu State under our regulatory control and guidance.
Ashiedu said that the Agency was already developing a technological App to track those operating in the secret and get their locations.
He said: “NIPOST is a Federal Government agency constitutionally charged with the regulation and licensing of all courier and logistics services in Nigeria.
“We clamped down on all unregistered courier and logistics service companies or providers last month in Enugu, and we will keep on chasing them until they do what the law demands.
“We will also compel them to do their annual re-registration.
“It is made easier for them since NIPOST has categorised courier/logistics services into international, national, regional and state and bulk of the couriers/logistics fall into state category to pay very less for registration and annual re-registration.”
The manager explained that any movement of item, be it food or even fruit on a motorised equipment (vehicle or motorcycle) from one location to another in terms of delivering is doing courier service.
General News
Sofia Zab, PalmPay CMO Highlights Strategies for Driving Digital Payment Adoption in Africa
At the recent Tech Unite Africa 2025 conference in Lagos, PalmPay’s Chief Marketing Officer, Sofia Zab, shared valuable insights on accelerating the shift from cash to digital payments in Africa, as the company introduced its latest innovation: the PalmPay Debit Card.
During a panel discussion, Zab addressed the critical barriers hindering digital payment adoption encountered by PalmPay when the company launched in Nigeria: reliability and cost. She noted that in 2019, many Nigerian consumers and merchants avoided digital payments due to frequent transaction failures and high fees.
To overcome these challenges, PalmPay developed a robust infrastructure ensuring a 99.95% transaction success rate and pioneered a user-friendly model with zero rated bank transfers, fee-free bill payments and cashback rewards.
“Once users experience the benefits, they don’t want to return to cash,” Zab stated. “The key to shifting consumer behaviour is making digital payments more convenient, more rewarding, and less stressful than using cash.” As consumers adopted cashless payments, they began seeking out merchants that would accept payment with transfer, driving digitisation in retail payments organically.
Zab also highlighted PalmPay’s inclusive approach to building a cashless ecosystem, especially in areas with unreliable internet access. Beyond its smartphone app, Nigerians can transact through PalmPay’s nationwide network of mobile money agents, who are equipped with multiple devices and SIM cards from various providers and can transact on behalf of users if a particular network is experiencing an outage.
In 2024, PalmPay went a step further by introducing a USSD code (*861#) for users without data access, and with the new PalmPay Debit Card, its customers now have another access point and can withdraw cash from ATMs or point-of-sale terminals when digital transactions are not feasible. “For us, the key is about meeting people where they are, rather than waiting for the perfect infrastructure to arrive”, Zab emphasized.
In alignment with its mission to drive financial access, PalmPay unveiled the PalmPay Debit Card at the conference. Developed in partnership with Verve, Africa’s largest domestic card scheme, the card offers zero maintenance fees, easy in-app application with nationwide delivery, and integration into PalmPay’s full suite of financial services – including cashback, merchant rewards, and high-yield savings. This initiative marks a significant milestone in PalmPay’s evolution into a comprehensive digital banking platform.
With over 35 million users on its smartphone app and a MSME network of 1.1 million agents and merchants across Nigeria, PalmPay continues to build one of the continent’s most dynamic fintech ecosystems, dedicated to redefining digital banking to be more personalised, comprehensive, and accessible to everyone.
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