Broadcasting
How Low-code Development Can Help Small Businesses
By Hyther Nizam, President – MEA, Zoho Corp
No-code and low-code software development platforms are gaining popularity in recent times—especially among SMBs and SMEs—for their dynamic ability to quickly meet customisation and automation needs within limited budgets.
According to Gartner, the market demand for software application development will double by 2021, with low-code platforms accounting for more than 65 percent of application development by 2024.
What is low-code development? Designing and building web and mobile applications with little or no coding is called low-code development. Visual builders, intelligible code, snippets, and templates are all included to make business apps quickly and easily.
Because of the ease of use of low-code, they can function as a platform for small and medium businesses to automate and run their entire back-office operations. Anyone from a project manager to an IT specialist can create and deploy cross-platform apps for multiple functions like sales, marketing, finance, HR, internal administration, employee collaboration, etc. Further, low-code platforms can even help set up front-end applications like customer portal apps for users to log in and get access to information.
Benefits for using low-code are as follows:
1. It’s cost-efficient
Low-code platforms are naturally designed for business users. This allows Nigerian businesses to empower functional teams and users to build applications quickly, which without low-code can sometimes take months or years to develop. Moreover, low-code projects require minimum programming expertise and, because most platforms are cloud-based, organisations save money on overhead costs. Businesses that adopt low-code also save money that would otherwise be spent on hiring and training app developers.
2. It’s easy to use – for everyone
Low-code platforms allow business and IT functions to work together to meet organisational needs. The platforms utilize visual interfaces through flexible drag and drop features, making them user-friendly and accessible to professionals from varying proficiency levels.
3. Works for both simple and comprehensive processes
Low-code is suitable for both simple and complex solutions. The development platforms support not only one-off projects and ad-hoc needs, but also major strategic programs like ERPs that integrate with a company’s existing processes.
4. The options are unlimited
Companies can leverage low-code platforms to build applications that cover a range of uses. They can do everything from modernizing and automating processes, constructing process automation solutions, business process management applications, and more. Additionally, the flexibility of the low-code platforms allows business teams to stay ahead of changing market needs by modifying live applications and applying changes quickly.
5. Low-code facilitates growth
Low-code offers scalability, enabling businesses to adjust their processes, add new functionality, and remove existing ones as they grow and become more complex, all without having to migrate from one solution to another.
This allows you to begin by managing a small codebase and steadily progress at your own speed. The rapid roll-out of apps is made possible by a comprehensive ecosystem of intuitive visual builders, ready-to-use code snippets, form and report templates, and built-in connectors.
Grow at your own pace
In the past year, SMBs and SMEs have learned the importance of digitisation as well as being able to pivot and adapt at need. Adding low-code development platforms to their long-term digital toolkit will provide businesses the customization, flexibility, and resilience needed to thrive in unpredictable futures.
Small businesses can make low-code a formal, self-sustaining function, but to do that means crafting a vision, setting clear goals, and putting a plan in place to execute methodically. Even if businesses start small, over time those micro apps and apps built on the platform grow in scope and complexity and end up becoming a sustainable growth engine for business.
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has announced the postponement of its maiden annual Public Relations, Reputation, Ideas, Concepts and Excellence (PRICE) Awards and Prizes to January 25, 2026.
NIPR
The event, earlier scheduled for December 7, 2025, was deferred to accommodate stakeholders whose observance of Christmas festivities had commenced earlier than expected.
Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr. Israel Opayemi, urged stakeholders to note the new date and prepare to participate in the ceremony.
He said the awards would motivate professionals, practitioners and scholars, while enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness in the public relations ecosystem and strengthening brand equity for all stakeholders.
Opayemi reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to delivering a best-in-class award administration and ceremony, describing the PRICE Awards as a credible and enduring platform to identify, celebrate and elevate outstanding individuals, campaigns and organisations shaping the public relations landscape across sectors.
The development of the PRICE Awards peaked in September 2025 when the NIPR President and Chairman, Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, inaugurated a 12-man committee to organise the maiden edition. The inauguration followed the Council’s adoption of the report of a technical team tasked with establishing the awards.
Netflix has announced a landmark agreement to acquire Warner Bros. and HBO Max in a transaction valued at $82.7 billion, a move analysts say will reshape the global entertainment industry.
Netflix
The deal, which includes Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Games, was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies. Under the terms, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shareholders will receive $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in Netflix shares for each WBD share.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos described the acquisition as “a defining moment” for the streaming giant, noting that the company intends to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations while expanding its production capacity.
“By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies with Netflix’s culture-defining titles, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling,” Sarandos said.
The transaction is expected to close within 12 to 18 months, following the planned spin-off of WBD’s TV networks division, Discovery Global, in 2026. Netflix projects annual cost savings of $2–3 billion by the third year after completion and expects the deal to be accretive to earnings per share by year two.
Industry groups, including the Directors Guild of America and Cinema United, have raised concerns about the impact on movie theaters, while regulators are expected to scrutinize the deal over antitrust issues. Netflix has pledged to continue supporting theatrical releases, with Warner Bros.’ cinema commitments running through 2029.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hailed the agreement, saying it “combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love.”
Observers note that the acquisition comes 15 years after former Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes dismissed Netflix as “the Albanian army,” underscoring the dramatic shift in the entertainment landscape.
A major shake‑up rocks viewers and subscribers of DSTV/GOTV as many channels are set to shut down and be removed on January 1, 2026.
The trigger for the upcoming shut‑down is a breakdown in negotiations between the owners of multiple global channels and the pay‑TV operator.
As of December 2025, the deal between Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and DStv/GOtv has expired and the two parties have not reached a renewal agreement.
Without a new carriage/distribution agreement, the channels belonging to WBD risk being pulled off the DStv/GOtv line‑up.
This is the most significant content cutback the service has seen in years.
The affected channels are:
Discovery Channel
TLC
Cartoonito
Cartoon Network
CNN International
Food Network
The Travel Channel
TNT
Investigation Discovery
Real Time
HGTV
Discovery Family
Lagos Launches Tele-Vet, Nigeria’s First Veterinary Call Centre
NiDCOM Launches Diaspora Startup Challenge to Boost Nigerian Talent
PromoPrint Rekindles Nigerian Resilience @ 25th Anniversary
Nigeria Lacks AI-Ready Data Centres, Trails in Capacity – Nnamani
Anambra Leads Southeast in Digital Governance Under Soludo’s ICT Agenda
Kaspersky Introduces Cyber Pathways to Support Career Development in Cybersecurity
NITDA DG Tasks Youths to Drive Africa’s Digital Transformation
Firm Urges Organizations to Check Protection of their Websites Amid Search Engine Optimisation Attack Schemes
Hackers Breach Phones of Dangote and Otedola, Demand Ransom
FCCPC Sets Deadline for Digital Lending Regulatory Compliance
General News2 days agoManufacturers Block More Ransomware, But Data Theft Surges – Sophos Report
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Launches Y’ello Data Gifting Campaign as Digital Connectivity Shapes Festive Celebrations
News2 days agoPAPSS Cowry to Benefit Manufacturers, SMEs
E-Financial2 days agoCBN’s New Cash Policy: A Welcome Liberalisation or a Risky Retreat?
E-Financial2 days agoAccess Bank’s Digital Innovation Earns Top Financial Inclusion Award
Telecom2 days agoAfrica Must Build Its Own Cybersecurity Intelligence, Says Tizel CEO At AfriTech 5.0
Telecom2 days agoMTN Partners with SMEDAN to Drive Digital Growth and Job Creation Nationwide
News2 days agoAfrilearn Expands Drive to Make Quality Education Attainable for African Children