E-Business
HP, T4 Education Announce Nigeria’s Simi Nwogugu as Africa Education Medal 2023 Winner
HP in collaboration with Microsoft and T4 Education, announced the winner of the Africa Education Medal 2023, the continent’s most prestigious education sector accolade. Simi Nwogugu is the CEO of JA Africa, a youth-serving NGO in Nigeria.
The Africa Education Medal was founded last year to recognise the tireless work of who are transforming African education.
UNESCO data shows that Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion in the world. Over one-fifth of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are out of school, with girls particularly disadvantaged.
However, tireless international efforts have seen Africa make great strides in boosting enrolment in the decades leading up to the pandemic. By celebrating the stories of those working every day to expand upon these vital gains, the Africa Education Medal aims to inspire others to follow in their footsteps and bring lasting change in African education.
Simini Nwogugu is based in Nigeria and heads up JA Africa, an NGO that is part of the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated JA Worldwide – one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs that prepares young people for the future of work.
For 25 years, Nwogugu has been leading JA’s efforts in various capacities as it embarked on a mission to help young people to generate and effectively manage wealth, create jobs for their communities, as well as apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace and skills that will secure their financial future. Her passion for strategy and innovation led to the development of many impactful programmes that are ensuring young Nigerians have the skillsets and mindset to succeed.
Nwogugu said, “I am so honoured to receive this accolade, but it is not just about me. This award is for all the fantastic staff at JA Africa, and for all the inspirational young people they have worked with, helping pave the way to a brighter future for our continent’s young. I want to thank T4 Education, HP and Microsoft for giving these people hope that together we can make a difference.”
The vital importance of Nwogugu’s work is highlighted by the fact that 60% of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa and about 37% of its workforce are under the age of 25. By 2025, Africa will be home to 25% of the world’s youth population.
Through the delivery of hands-on, blended learning in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, her organisation empowers young people to grow their entrepreneurial ideas, hone their work readiness skills, manage their earnings and secure better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Mayank Dhingra, HP Senior Education Business Leader for Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa, congratulated Simi on the fantastic achievement of winning the Africa Education Medal 2023.
“Her work at JA Africa is empowering the continent’s next generation to face the future with confidence. She is an inspiration to all of us at HP, where we have a bold goal to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people globally by 2030. Only by joining forces and aligning with NGOs, government, educators and businesses can we truly improve the education environment. The Africa Education Medal brings together all those who are changing the face of African education, whose vital work deserves to be celebrated”, he added.
Vikas Pota, Founder and CEO of T4 Education, commended Simi for dedicating her life’s work to upskilling Africa’s young people, equipping them with the tools to not only survive but thrive in the world they are entering. He adds: “Congratulations on winning the Africa Education Medal 2023. Your success will serve as a rallying cry for changemakers to come forward and help Africa unlock its potential.”
Nwogugu was first introduced to JA while working at Goldman Sachs in New York City. Impressed by the organisation, she quit her lucrative job at age 24 to bring JA to Nigeria, where it now reaches more than 100,000 young people annually, before going on to head up JA’s operations across the continent.
She is a passionate advocate for girls’ education and one of her unique initiatives includes the Leadership, Empowerment Achievement & Development (LEAD) Camp for Girls, which has inspired and empowered over 1,200 young girls to become high-achieving women leaders in society.
Another initiative she has championed is the Venture in Management Programme (ViMP), which is designed to empower young people in the different facets of managing a business, making crucial business decisions and developing skills for General Management and social responsibility.
Graduates of the programme have gone on to become founders of Nigeria’s leading businesses as well as leaders of the most impactful non-profit organisations on the continent.
She also built digital an out-of-school youth programmes that enabled her organisation to reach underserved populations in the North of Nigeria, even during the Boko Haram crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before becoming JA Africa CEO in 2020, she led JA Nigeria to impact the lives of over 1 million Nigerians in 5,000 schools. Among the many JA alumni who have gone on to become job creators and social entrepreneurs is Iyin Aboyeji, the founder of two unicorns: Andela and Flutterwave.
Nwogugu also serves as President of the governing board of the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Nigeria (HBSAN) and has been recognised by the school with numerous awards including the Bert King Award for Social Impact presented by the Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association.
She is currently a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Africa Leadership Initiative for West Africa (ALIWA) where she is pursuing her passion to empower and equip 10 million African girls to build thriving communities by 2050.
Simi Nwogugu was chosen from the Top 10 finalists for the Africa Education Medal:
- Mary Ashun, Principal of Ghana International School, Ghana
- Laura Kakon, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer of Honoris United Universities, Morocco
- Rogers Kamugisha, Country Director of Educate!, Rwanda
- Grace Matlhape, CEO of SmartStart, South Africa
- Mary Metcalfe, former policymaker and CEO of Programme to Improve Learning Outcomes (PILO), South Africa
- Martha Muhwezi, Executive Director of FAWE, Uganda
- Jean-Claude Nkulikiyimfura, Executive Director of Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Rwanda
- Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa, Nigeria
- Sara Ruto, Former Chief Administrative Secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Education and former CEO of PAL Network, Kenya
- Snehar Shah, CEO of Moringa School, Kenya
Nominations for the Africa Education Medal opened in February 2023 for individuals working to improve pre-kindergarten, K-12, vocational and university education who are either educators, school administrators, civil society leaders, public servants, government officials, political leaders, technologists, or innovators.
The winner was chosen by a Jury comprising prominent individuals based on rigorous criteria.
E-Business
Offset Communications Slams N50m Suit against Qore Technologies for Alleged Copyright Infringement
Offset Communications Advisory Ltd has dragged Qore Technologies Ltd before a Federal High Court in Lagos, demanding the sum of N50 million as damages for the alleged infringement of its copyright.
Pic credit….https://copyrightalliance.org
Offset, in the suit marked: FHC/L/CS/1994/2025, is claiming that Qore used content from a proposal it submitted in December 2022, without formal engagement, attribution, or a licensing agreement.
“The Defendant’s execution of the content of the proposal submitted to it by the Plaintiff without any formal engagement, attribution or a licensing arrangement… amounts to an infringement of the Plaintiff’s copyright,” Offset stated in its writ of summon.
The suit filed on September 29, 2025, by Jimoh Bamigbola and Omobolaji Idris, on behalf of the plaintiff has Qore as sole defendant.
Plaintiff, a Lagos-based communications firm, in its statement of claim said it a had previously worked with Qore on Public Relations (PR) projects and was later asked to prepare a communications strategy for the company, adding that the said proposal contained ideas on employee engagement, branding, and stakeholder management.
Offset however, alleged that Qore implemented elements of the proposal, including internal communication initiatives and branding concepts, without payment or agreement.
“The Defendant executed and integrated the propositions into its Public Relations and Communication Strategy without any formal engagement… with the Plaintiff,” the statement of claim read.
The plaintiff said it discovered the alleged infringement in April 2025 and subsequently notified the defendant, but efforts to resolve the dispute failed.
It is seeking, among other reliefs, a declaration that the defendant’s actions amount to copyright infringement, N50 million in general damages, N5 million in litigation costs, 29 percent post-judgment interest, and “an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the Defendant… from further infringing on the Plaintiff’s copyright.”
Qore Technologies, however, denied the allegations in its statement of defence, arguing that the plaintiff was only engaged for limited Public Relations support services on a project basis and was paid for those services.
“The Plaintiff merely provided routine and secondary Public Relations support services… for which the Plaintiff was remunerated,” the defendant stated.
Qore further argued that the ideas referenced by the plaintiff are not protected under copyright law.
“The alleged ‘ideas’… consist of generic corporate communication practices widely used by companies… and cannot constitute original copyrightable works under Nigerian law,” it said.
The company also maintained that no binding agreement existed regarding the proposal and that its branding and communication strategies were developed internally and by its consultants.
In addition, Qore challenged the competence of the suit, stating that “the Statement of Claim discloses no reasonable cause of action” and that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The defendant also filed a counterclaim, seeking N6.35 million as reimbursement for legal fees incurred in defending the suit, as well as N2 million in costs.
At the hearing on March 23, 2026, counsel to the parties identified their processes, and the court adjourned the matter to June 22, 2026, for further proceedings.
The case is expected to test the boundaries of copyright protection in Nigeria’s Communications and Public Relations industry, particularly regarding the ownership of proposals and business ideas.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) said it is carrying out an investigation into alleged data breaches involving Remita Payment Services Ltd., Sterling Bank and other entities.
A statement on Sunday issued by Babatunde Bamigboye, head, Legal, Enforcement & Regulations, NDPC, said in line with the Commission’s procedure, Notice of Investigation was duly served on the 1st of April, 2026.
Bamigboye said relevant parties and individuals have been providing information for the purpose of addressing the incident.
“The aim of the investigation is to ensure that data subjects are protected with appropriate technical and organisational measures.
“The investigation by NDPC covers, among others, the types of personal data involved, the nature and scope of the alleged breach, the risk to data subjects and the mitigation measures carried out where a breach is confirmed,” he explained.
Vincent Olatunji, Commission’s National Commissioner/CEO, has directed that organisations that employ digital payment systems without putting in place appropriate technical and organisational measures as mandated under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), will also be examined as part of a wider effort to ensure the integrity of the ecosystem.
Federal Government has unveiled plans to establish a National Cybersecurity Coordination Council, signaling a shift toward a more unified, intelligence-driven approach to defending the country’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
Conceived as a non-statutory, multi-stakeholder body, the proposed Council will enhance coordination, enable trusted information sharing, and guide government strategy on cybersecurity, risk management, and national response amid increasingly complex cyber threats.
The initiative, championed by Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, is designed to bring together government institutions, private sector players and technical experts into a single collaborative platform to strengthen the country’s cyber resilience.
Tijani noted that this initiative comes in response to a wave of recent cyber incidents that have disrupted operations across key private institutions and public sector.
In recent times, Nigeria’s financial system has faced mounting cyber pressure, reflecting global trends as cybercrime is projected to cost the world over $10.5 trillion annually, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
Analysts say these attacks are increasingly coordinated and sophisticated, prompting the government to recognise that fragmented, institution-specific approaches can no longer manage systemic cyber risks effectively.
Under the new framework, the government aims to promote a “collective defence” model, an approach widely adopted in advanced digital economies where threat intelligence is shared in real time across institutions.
The Council is expected to include chief information security officers, cybersecurity associations, the Nigerian Computer Society, global technology providers, researchers, law enforcement agencies and civil society groups, ensuring a broad-based and technically grounded response architecture.
Key priorities will include developing national threat intelligence-sharing systems, harmonised cyber defence protocols, and coordinated incident response, while strengthening capacity to close Nigeria’s cybersecurity talent gap.
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