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FG Directs NITDA, NCC to Establish National Cybersecurity Research Centre
Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has directed National Information Technology Development Agency and Nigerian Communications Commission to come up with the National Cyber Security Research Centre in Nigeria.
Prof. Pantami noted that the centre when completed would actively support the Nigerian participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“We are working every important component of the Fourth Industrial Revolution because we don’t want to be left behind. As at today, at least five African countries are part of the chase group that are chasing the developed countries and we have been displaying this in so many international events,” he added.
While decrying that African missed out in the previous three Industrial Revolutions, he expressed delight that the Fourth Industrial Revolution would usher in hope for Africa because it is a knowledge based revolution.
He said, “It is because of this we have been very proactive in Nigeria. The Nigerian Start-up Act, 2022 is to support our participation actively in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also my directive to NITDA for the renaming of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from NITDA Academy was to make us proactive in the fourth Industrial Revolution. And recently we have built the National Centre for Emerging technologies under NCC.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has inaugurated the Digital Economy Industry Working Group (DEIWG) to serve as an action group and Public Private Dialogue (PPD) platform to be formed by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) inaugurated the group on behalf of the Federal Government during the closing ceremony of Digital Nigeria International Conference held in Abuja.
According to him, the group will be saddled with the responsibility of mapping out government initiatives and policies that are affecting the private sector pertaining to the Digital Economy
He maintained that the group will harmonise and harness the work done by both the FMoCDE and the NESG to unlock the potentials of a fully Digital Economy and deliver benefits to the public, private and social enterprise sectors, with a view to supporting the delivery of the short, medium and long-term ministerial strategy for driving the growth of the Digital Industry in Nigeria.
The objectives of the group include; to establish a Public-Private Partnership Platform as communication link between the public and private sector to drive the Digital Economy Policies and Strategies; to create a framework for strengthening the immediate delivery of initiatives based on the 8 pillars as outlined in the Nigerian Digital Economic Policy and Strategy (2020-2030); to facilitate the creation of an Enterprise Programs Management Office (EPMO) and funding mechanism which will serve as a framework of funding for DEIWG Secretariat and to formulate, in partnership with the government, mechanisms that drive and catalyse growth and increase investments in the Digital Economy.
Other objectives of the group are to examine the current efforts by the Federal Government to digitally transform through policies, projects and programmes and co-create a private sector response plan; to facilitate leadership mindset that is digital-driven for shared prosperity and shared national vision and drive continuity of the policies to enhance the institutional arrangement that drives the Digital Economy and to call to action on private sector to take lead of the creation of the Nigeria Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.
Highlighting the composition of the group, the Minister noted that it comprises of the government representatives, the private sector and the academia adding that it is a model the ministry has adopted in the last three years. “We don’t formulate policies alone, we ensure that we bring together all stakeholders to work with us as part of the implementation model, we try to interact with other people from different sector, this is what we are promoting.”
The Minister also revealed that the ministry would soon present the Nigeria Data Protection Bill to the Federal Executive Council.
According to the him, the bill has been forwarded to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation for review and to give go ahead for it presentation to the council.
He said the bill will ensure confidentiality and privacy of Nigerians’ data when it comes to dealing with data and citizens’ information. He said Nigeria is one the countries to have data protection as a subsidiary law but it is now in the process of integrating the subsidiary law to a principal law.
Earlier, the NITDA’s Director Gerenal, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE has said as the conference comes to an end, the government has reviewed the potentials availed in the country and had learned from the global community what is happening in other countries and regions and understood that all these prosperity and wealth are not evenly distributed.
He stated this on the backdrop that the 2022 Digital Nigeria International Conference has not come to end and urged the participants to continue with the momentum. “We want to keep the tempo until the end of November, when President Muhammadu Buhari will officially close the digital Nigeria 2022 ceremony.”
While acknowledging that this year’s conference is very massive, he reiterated that there are a lot to learn from it. He noted that the government is a listening government and ready to work with the tech ecosystem to make Nigeria the most vibrant ecosystem in the world.
He said, “We are already leading in Africa, but if we can compete globally, why do we need to settle for Africa? We have all what it takes to be the global talent party, and we have you, the youth, you are the greatest resources of this country. When we talk about digital economy or innovation economy, your greatest resource is not what is lying underneath you, but it is what you have in your brains.”
He advised Nigerians have to understand what it takes to make wealth through innovation because it is the only way a nation can be lifted out of poverty.
“We have the brain; we have the government’s political will, and government has provided the enabling environment.
“What left is for you to use the opportunity; to use the legal framework, to use all what government is doing to complement it. Digital Nigeria is for all of us. Government is just one part of it and you are all critical stakeholders. And with you on board, nothing is impossible for us,” he declared.
News
AEDC to Disconnect Nigerian Police, Army Headquarters, Others Over Unpaid Debts – See List Below
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has announced plans to disconnect several major customers, including the Nigerian Police and Army Headquarters, due to unpaid electricity bills. This action is set to commence on Monday, June 3, 2024.
In a statement titled “Notice of power disconnection for customers with outstanding bills,” AEDC revealed that the move targets customers who have failed to settle their electricity debts. The release, obtained by SaharaReporters on Saturday, emphasizes the necessity of timely payments to maintain and improve the company’s infrastructure and service delivery.
The affected entities include:
- Nigerian Army Headquarters
- Nigerian Air Force Headquarters
- Defence Headquarters
- Nigerian Police Force
- Federal Capital Development Authority
- Kogi State Government
- Niger State Government
- Nigerian Army Barracks
- Power House
- SGF House I
- Head of Service
- Federal Ministry of Education
- Federal Ministry of Women Affairs
- Federal Ministry of Industry
- Federal Ministry of Trade
- Federal Ministry of Interior
- Federal Ministry of Water Resources
- National Stadium
- Goodluck Jonathan Athletics Hall
- Federal Ministry of Finance
- National Planning Commission (Budget)
- Federal Ministry of Works
- Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Abuja
The statement urged all customers with outstanding bills to clear their debts before the deadline to avoid disruptions in their power supply.
AEDC advised all indebted customers to contact their support services for further inquiries and payment options via phone at 08039070070, on social media @abujaelectricity, or through WhatsApp at 08152141414 or 08152151515.
MMS Africa, a provider of media management software solutions to broadcasters across Africa, has partnered with inq., a Convergence Partners company, to host its infrastructure, support its IT requirements and assist it with the software customisation on its broadcast solution.
“Since we opened our doors in 2017, the focus has always been on enabling the integration of multiple back-end software solutions for broadcasters who relied on these complex environments to fulfil their mandates,” says Abdul Mathee, Founder of MMS Africa.
“At the time, we partnered with international software vendors to deliver a solution, but it was still price prohibitive for many of the growing broadcasters across the continent.”
This was the catalyst for MMS Africa to begin developing its own software that would initially take four linear back-end broadcast processes to deliver a complete virtualisation solution. The company started working with several television and radio stations by taking care of their broadcasting software requirements for them to focus on the content.
“One of our first major contracts was that of the Namibian public broadcaster. With this deal in place, we had to invest more in infrastructure and wound up on the Teraco back-end. This enabled us to more effectively scale up to meet the demands of broadcasters as they began transitioning to a digital environment,” says Mathee.
It was at the end of November 2022 when MMS Africa approached inq. to assist it with its infrastructure and IT functions.
“Inq. did everything for us that was IT-focused. Inq. began with the hosting and supply of our infrastructure and the required support, as well as assisting us with the development and customisation of our software,” adds Mathee.
This comprehensive support was essential, given how the Namibian broadcaster was still heavily reliant on legacy systems and manual processes, which had not changed much since it split from the SABC in the early 90s.
“With the assistance of inq., we sit down with broadcasters like the one in Namibia, analyse their environment and identify the ways to improve workflows. It is about creating an ideal balance between people, systems and processes. Our focus is about relationships and using technology to automate, enhance and transition African broadcasters into a digital age,” says Mathee.
With the work done on creating a digital-first environment for the Namibian broadcaster, MMS Africa can now approach any broadcaster or media house in Africa and apply their learnings to customise the MMS’s platform to deliver on any requirement.
Assisting in the customisation of the MMS environment, the inq. team played a crucial role in enabling MMS Africa to take its solution to the next level.
“There was a significant amount of customisation required, but our team went the extra mile to assist MMS Africa to deliver on everything they needed,” says Ralph Berndt, Sales and Marketing Director at inq. SA.
According to Mathee, inq.’s presence across Africa contributed to the growth of their partnership.
“Thanks to inq., we are strongly positioned to expand into other markets and provide a complete multimedia solution without needing to spend years customising and adjusting anything. Much like Netflix can launch in 180 countries in one day, the work inq. has done with our team means we can effectively switch on broadcasters across the continent on our platform almost at the click of a button.
This has been an incredibly beneficial partnership for us and one we will look at enhancing even further in the coming months,” concludes Mathee.
Federal Government has secured a $500 million loan from the World Bank to address the problems faced by the 76 Distribution Companies (DisCos), the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has announced.
The funding approved by the World Bank Board of Directors, supports the Nigerian Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP} aimed at improving the financial and technical performance of the DisCos.
The Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP) is designed to enhance the financial and technical operations of the DsCos through capital investment and the financing of key components of their Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), which have been approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
According to a statement signed by Norninari Deezua, the Programme Officer and Public Communication Stakeholder and External Relations of BPE, the key areas where the loan would be largely deployed for improvement include: Bulk procurement of customer/retail meters and meter data management systems; Implementation of a Data Aggregation Platform (DAP); Strengthening governance and transparency within the DisCos; and Program Components.
Deezua stated that the DISREP comprises two main components: Program for Results (Pfork): Allocation: $345 million, Purpose: Support the implementation of selected PIP components and Implementatiion: Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE}, Investment Project Financing (IPF): Allocation: $155 million.
He said the Purpose is to finance the procurement of meters, a Data Aggregation Platform, and Technical Assistance.
The DISREP loan, especially the Investment Project Financing (IPF) component, is expected to significantly benefit the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) by closing the metering gap, reducing Aggregate Technical, Collection, and Commercial (ATC&C) losses, improving remittances and liquidity for the DisCos, enhancing the reliability of power supply, and increasing transparency and accountability within the DisCos.
The statement reads in part; “Significant progress has been made in the preparation of the DISREP Program, with several key milestones achieved, and approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on August 3, 2022. execution of the Financing Agreement by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning. and the World Bank, adoption of the Program Operations Manual (POM) by BPE and TCN. obtained Legal Opinion from the Attorney-General of the Federation. Execution of the Subsidiary Loan Agreement, effective declaration of the DISREP Program on January 31, 2023, inauguration of the DISREP Technical Committee on May 16, 2024.”
AEDC to Disconnect Nigerian Police, Army Headquarters, Others Over Unpaid Debts – See List Below
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