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FG Approves Tax Reliefs & Other Incentives for Startups

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The Federal Executive Council approved a plan to incentivise and further harness Nigeria’s digital innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, during its meeting on 18th May, 2022.

This followed the presentation of a memo by Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

The approval will enable the implementation of strategies to encourage and support the development and growth of more Innovation-Driven Enterprises (IDEs), which have the potential to create millions of additional jobs in the country.

This will also help to develop innovative solutions to societal problems, and rapidly grow, as well as diversify the Nigerian economy, in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.

A number of the proposed strategies resulted from recommendations that were made at an interactive forum held on 22nd February 2022, where the Honourable Minister led a Federal Government Delegation on a working visit to the Lagos digital innovation ecosystem.

The delegation included the Director-General of NITDA, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Post Master General and the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone Plc.

The visit provided a useful platform for open and interactive discussions on the ecosystem’s pertinent challenges and interventions required from the government to enable the ecosystem achieve its full potential. The forum was attended by 143 ICT and Startup Companies.

The delegation also paid a visit to 3 selected tech startups, namely: Flutterwave (currently valued at US$3 billion), Treepz (with a current funding of US$3.1 million) and Reliance Health (with US$48.3 million in funding). It is worthy to that under the able administration of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria became home to 5 of about 8 Unicorns (startup companies valued at over US$1Billion) on the African Continent.

Furthermore, Nigeria’s startup ecosystem attracted about 35% (estimated at US$1.4Billion) of the over US$4Billion raised by African startups, which is the highest raised by any startup ecosystem on the continent.

Most importantly, it has created a significant number of jobs. For instance, Jumia, an indigenous e-Commerce company, provides over 3,000 direct jobs according to Jobberman’s 2020 Digital Sector Report. The report also asserts that the Nigeria’s Digital Economy has the potential to create an average of 1.3million tech-enabled jobs across industries in 5 years (i.e. by 2025).

To further strengthen the ecosystem, the Federal Executive Council approved the following recommendations, in line with the Executive Order 003 and Presidential Order 005: that the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) should prioritise the granting of Tax Reliefs and other Incentives such as the Pioneer Status Incentive (PSI) Scheme to the technology and innovation ecosystem; that the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the Trademarks Registry, and the Patents and Designs Registry should work with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in developing an Intellectual Property (IP) framework for the technology and innovation ecosystem within two (2) months; and that the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) should work with NITDA to develop a framework that will ensure the involvement of technology innovation startups in government procurement processes to encourage ideation, innovation and design of solutions to solve development challenges within two (2) months.

The Nigeria Startup Bill (NSB) was earlier approved by the Federal Executive Council and forwarded to the National Assembly and the process is about 90% complete.

The approval of the incentives at the Council will consolidate the gains recorded for far in the NSB process. The implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) emphasises the importance of the innovation and startup ecosystem to the development of an indigenous digital economy.

The Ministry will continue to position Nigeria to develop this ecosystem in order to transform Nigeria into a country with a sustainable and thriving digital economy.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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9PSB Empowering Women Entrepreneurs, SMEs Owners With Agent Banking Opportunities

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9 Payment Service Bank (9PSB), Nigeria’s digital payment service bank, focused on financial inclusion has reiterated its support to Nigerian women entrepreneurs and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises through its agent banking business opportunities that will scale up their revenue base and improve their standard of living at the 2024 South-West Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Emerging Market Emerging Market Summit and Expo.

 

The event themed: Women Entrepreneur as Catalyst for Sustainable Development and Economic Growth held at Lagos State Co-operative Federation (LASCOFED) aimed at training and empowering over 500 women participants on entrepreneurship skills and fostering market link and economic growth, had in attendance women entrepreneurs and SMEs owners across South-West region who have been using their skills and resources to make purpose driven contributions to the society.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer, and Managing Director, 9 Payment Service Bank, Branka Mracajac, represented by the Head of Sales Distribution and Strategic Partners, 9 Payment Service Bank (9PSB), Kunle Isiaka commended the women for their resilience and viable contributions to their communities through the various initiatives and businesses.

‘’I am indeed very thrilled to see these amazons who have been breaking all barriers without limitation in all strata of the society, women are truly the bedrock of the society, when a woman is trained, a nation is of course trained, we cannot over emphasize the need for the women the be financially included, empowered, and given the required support to thrive.

It is understood that a reasonable number of the women folks lack the basic financial knowledge, and many are financially excluded from the formal financial system, this has impacted to an extend their means of doing business.

A report by EFInA states that at least thirty-eight million (that is, 36%) Nigerian adults still do not have a bank account but majority of them have phones, it also shows that four out of every 10 Nigerians are financially excluded, and they are mostly females.

In Lagos State, there are at least eight million adults between the 18 years and above who live in Lagos and more influents daily. Out of this number, 54% of adults are business owners or traders and 28% of them receive payment digitally. With this statistics, 9 Payment Service Bank is working and consolidating on these areas.

“In addition, 91% of Lagos adult females are currently financially served, 6% of women in Lagos have access to credit facility, while we focus on the 8% excluded Lagosian, although our license does not permit us yet to give out loans, but we are doing everything possible to ensure we support the women through our agent banking training geared towards women empowerment,” Kunle added.

“As a bank providing services to the banked and underbanked, we dwell on strategic partnership with other players in the industry because we cannot do it all alone, we have the mandate to drive financial inclusion and ensure that every household is financially included. Also, a robust agent network spreading across the country to facilitate financial transactions have been of tremendous progress.

“We have empowered over 18,000 agents out of which over 45 per cent of them are women. As we make progress in this journey, our Service Location Partners will continue to engage you at your various locations with necessary support to thrive as a merchant in the payment services industry,” he remarked.

 


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Tariff Hike Threat: NCC Urges Telcos to Reduce Operating Cost

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Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged telecommunications operators in the country to embrace infrastructure sharing to reduce their operating cost.

Tariff Hike Threat: NCC Urges Telcos to Reduce Operating Cost

Aminu Maida, executive vice-chairman of NCC,

This is coming on the heels of calls by both Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) for cost-reflective pricing model after 11 years.

But during the 2nd edition of the West African Telecoms Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition at the weekend in Lagos, Aminu Maida, executive vice-chairman, NCC, said operators in the telecommunications sector could reduce their cost and enhance service delivery through partnerships.

Maidan was represented by Mr Victor Adoga, head, Next Generation Technology and Standards at the NCC.

He said the short-term remedy is public-private partnerships, infrastructure funds, and innovative financing models like Infrastructure as a Service.

He said, “Today, we boast of over 219 million mobile subscribers and a burgeoning tech-savvy population eager to harness digital technologies.

“However, while our growth has been remarkable, it has not been without its challenges. Issues such as uneven service distribution, infrastructural deficits, and regulatory uncertainties have occasionally hindered our progress.

“Yet, each challenge also presented a unique opportunity for growth and innovation.”

The NCC boss also advised the operators to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to optimize network management, predict maintenance needs, and enhance customer service through automation, and advanced analytics is also necessary.

“Another strategy is developing smart infrastructure, because as cities become smarter, telecom infrastructure must evolve to support an array of smart city applications, from traffic management systems to public safety solutions,” said the EVC.

 

 


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Wale Owoeye Shines among Nigeria’s Top 50 Digital Economy Leaders

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Wale Owoeye, the Managing Director/CEO of Cedarview Communications Limited, a leading ICT firm based in Lagos State, has been honored as one of Nigeria’s 50 most influential personalities in the digital economy.

He received this prestigious recognition at the recent “50 Most Valuable Personalities in Nigeria’s Digital Economy” event held in Lagos.

Organised by IT Edge News Africa, the event brought together key stakeholders from various sectors, including prominent industry associations such as the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), and the Association of Licensed Data Protection Organisations of Nigeria (ALDAPCON).

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner/CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Ike Nnamani, CEO of Digital Realty Nigeria, and Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, a distinguished scholar and politician, delivered keynote presentations.

Olatunji emphasized the crucial role of data protection in the digital economy, while Yilwatda outlined essential steps for Nigeria to maximize opportunities in the digital economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Nnamani, whose presentation focused on the “Myths and Realities of the Nigerian Digital Economy,” underscored the accelerated digitization of both consumer and enterprise sectors in Nigeria, driving demand for digital skills and data center capacity.

Gathering recognizes Owoeye’s exceptional contributions to Nigeria’s digital economy

The gathering recognized Owoeye’s exceptional contributions to Nigeria’s digital economy. With a remarkable career in Nigeria’s ICT/telecoms sector, Owoeye has successfully steered Cedarview Communications to expand its presence to Port Harcourt and Abuja, offering a wide range of Value Added Services (VAS) in the telecoms market.

Cedarview has also established strategic alliances in Asia, Europe, and the US to facilitate growth in its operational areas. Additionally, Owoeye serves as the VAS Coordinator for the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), further solidifying his impact on Nigeria’s digital economy.

Published since 2009, IT Edge News Africa is one of Africa’s leading technology and business publications.


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