E-Business
HR – an Important Contributor to Business Longevity Through Acquisition and Partnerships
By Yewande Ayowole-Oso, HR Director, Anglophone West Africa at Schneider Electric
Business continuity and longevity remain a focal point for businesses in the constantly evolving world. In a time of emerging technologies, acquisitions, and an increasingly diverse and inclusive workforce, HR teams have emerged as all-important contributors to organisational business continuity.
The ever-transforming global workplace has triggered a rapid shift in how HR professionals around the world adapt to these changes. Indeed, the HR team’s role has moved beyond personnel managers to strategic business contributors. And like our counterparts across the globe, Nigerian HR teams are now focusing on delivering strategies for employee wellbeing, diversity, equity, inclusion, and talent retention – all to realise business continuity.
The focus now is on harnessing the potential of employees within the organisation, growing a pool of truly talented individuals who will contribute to organisational success whilst working in a nurturing, opportunity-abound environment.
Critical to the above, are HR professionals’ ability to understand the nuances of the organisations’ operations well enough to develop a strategy which contributes towards corporates’ focus on business success and longevity. The areas in which the HR function can contribute strategically are highlighted below.
Realising acquisition success
Acquisition and partnerships play in a vital role in ensuring business continuity. However, these are very sensitive processes in business growth and how this is managed can make a dramatic difference in the desired organisational growth.
HR teams play a pivotal role in organisations’ acquisition endeavours. Navigating cultural integration, especially during acquisitions, demands finesse and cultural awareness, which HR’s business acumen help achieve.
Whilst Nigeria might not experience acquisitions frequently on a local level, it is safe to say that if you are part of global HR team, your role, like your global counterparts, will be to ensure that the process runs smoothly.
When going through an acquisition process, HR’s role starts early, even before the ink dries, as the team is responsible for establishing a clear and transparent communication path amongst the stakeholders.
The ability to conduct cultural due diligence becomes paramount, ensuring a smooth transition by identifying potential clashes and differences whilst identifying existing similarities and areas of strength.
Importantly, it is HR’s role to assist employees, both existing and from the acquired entity, to ease into newly merged organisation by integrating and redefining the culture and corporate values of the newly evolving organisation.
Fundamental to a successful business growth is ensuring that the merging companies develop a shared vision, mission, and strategy. The HR team remains critical in building trust and solidifying relationships during and after the acquisition process.
In summary, the first step is unpacking the merging organisation’s existing culture by discontinuing current practices, attitudes, and behaviours. The second stage is transition which involves familiarising the workforce with new concepts based on a desired culture. The final stage is establishing the culture by reinforcing new practices, attitudes, and behaviours.
Also, decision-making processes, collaboration tendencies, communication styles, and organisational concepts are also critical factors that will contribute to establishing an integrated plan that allows for a seamless transition and the realisation of a new organisational culture.
Additionally, change management remains a continuous process within organisations particularly during new acquisitions and partnerships. HR can play a dual role here by both initiating and leading the change and serving as a facilitator for the changes initiated by the other stakeholder. Stakeholder concerns should also be addressed, and the relevant solutions communicated to foster a successful partnership.
Technology also has an innovative role to play in smoothing the acquisition and transition process. It acts as an enabler, simplifying and streamlining processes, tasks, and enhancing productivity.
Technology and digital HR systems provide the tools with which the HR team can analyse data and provide valuable insights into changing workforce demographics, employee knowledge, skills and abilities landscape which is particularly beneficial when working with diversified and expanding workforce.
There is no doubt that HR professionals play an integral role in company’s acquisition and partnership processes. HR teams are responsible for the organisation’s most important asset, its people. HR has and can truly solidify its role as strategic business partner in organisations when acquisitions and partnership are adapted as a means of enhancing business longevity.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued an urgent cybersecurity warning about a serious Microsoft Office vulnerability (CVE-2026-21509) that attackers are actively exploiting.
This advisory, shared through Nigeria’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERRT.NG), highlights the risks of this flaw and recommends immediate action to protect systems.
Microsoft has released quick security updates to fix this vulnerability, which has a severity score of 7.8, showing it is a serious risk. Attackers have already used it in targeted attacks.
CVE-2026-21509 affects multiple versions of Microsoft Office, including Office 2016, Office 2019, Microsoft 365 Apps, Office 2021, and later versions.
This flaw allows attackers to bypass security features meant to stop harmful Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) controls. OLE is an older Microsoft technology that can be used to embed links or content, but it has often been exploited by malware.
By exploiting this flaw, attackers can create specially designed Office documents.
When a user opens these documents, they can run malicious code or gain further access to the system.
Exploitation requires user interaction, meaning attackers often trick people into opening harmful Word, Excel, or other Office documents. Common methods include using email attachments or files from untrusted sources.
Because Microsoft confirmed that the vulnerability is being actively exploited, they have made emergency security updates available outside their usual schedule. Users and organisations should:
- Install the latest Microsoft Office security updates for all affected versions.
- Restart Office applications for Office 2021 and later to ensure that the updates take effect.
- Use registry-based settings for protection if updates can’t be applied right away.
- Follow good cybersecurity practices, like using endpoint protection and filtering emails.
Microsoft’s updates for Office 2021 and newer versions are automatically applied, but need a restart of the applications to be active.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has commenced an investigation into over 1,000 education institutions across the country over compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act), 2023.
The move affects federal, state and private universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and technical colleges, marking one of the largest sector-wide compliance checks since the enactment of the law.
In a public notice issued on Thursday by Babatunde Bamigboye, head, Legal, Enforcement and Regulation, the Commission said the probe forms part of its ongoing sector-by-sector enforcement drive aimed at safeguarding the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects, as well as strengthening the legal foundation of Nigeria’s digital economy through the trusted use of personal data.
The NDPC directed the affected institutions to submit, within 21 days, evidence of filing their 2024 Data Protection Compliance Audit Returns, proof of designation or appointment of a Data Protection Officer including relevant contact details and a summary of technical and organisational measures adopted to protect personal data within their establishments.
It also requested evidence of registration as a Data Controller or Processor of Major Importance as required by law.
The Commission warned that failure to comply with the notice may result in the issuance of enforcement orders, imposition of administrative fines and possible criminal prosecution in accordance with the provisions of the NDP Act, 2023.
It stressed that compliance is mandatory and not optional for institutions that process large volumes of personal data
The education sector remains one of the biggest handlers of sensitive personal information in the country, including students’ academic records, admission details, biometric data, financial information and staff records.
With increasing digitalisation of admissions, online learning platforms and electronic documentation systems, concerns over data breaches and weak privacy safeguards have grown in recent years.
The Commission maintained that the investigation is in line with its statutory mandate under relevant sections of the Act empowering it to monitor, investigate and enforce compliance across sectors.
Chams Holding Company Plc, (Chams Holdco), digital payments and verification firm, has created a new subsidiary which is expected to strengthen the push for Africa’s digital transformation.
The creation of the new subsidiary, ChamsCorp Plc, which took effect from February 1, was made known in a filing to the Nigerian Exchange Limited , according to an announcement.
Chams said that the new subsidiary, which is its 5th, will give a new dimension to its more than 40 years of work in building the digital ecosystem not only in Nigeria, but across the continent and the rest of the world.
The newly created company will focus on three major aspects, namely the manufacturing of digital devices and development of digital infrastructure and services; data center design, construction and operations, and the development and implementation of AI infrastructure and intelligent systems.
It will also contribute to its parent company’s digital ID, digital verification, and trust services offering.
“For nearly four decades, we’ve enabled trust in transactions and identity. Now, we go furthe”
Chams is expanding into AI, data centre infrastructure, and intelligent systems, building the backbone for Africa’s digital transformation,” the company wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“We are not just participating in the future. We are engineering it,” the message added.
According to the Chams announcement, a decision of its Board of Directors appointed members of the pioneer board of ChamsCorp Plc, with renowned banker Mohammed Bashir Yunusa designated as Chairman.
He is described as a well-known finance expert who specializes in deal structuring, corporate and retail finance, business strategy, digital transformation, and Islamic Finance and Banking.
With more than 10 years of experience in the financial services industry, Yunusa currently serves as head of Consumer and Digital Banking for Non-Interest Banking Retail at Sterling Bank Nigeria, and will also serve as a non-executive director on the board.
“Chamscorp is designed to take our most ambitious ideas to market at speed and scale. As Africa’s digital economy evolves, we are focused on delivering transformative solutions that empower governments, businesses, and citizens alike,” Femi Oyenuga, CEO, Chams, commented on the development.
Chams has over the years played a major role in contributing to Nigeria’s digital ID ecosystem development to facilitate access to financial services.
In 2023, the company Group Chairman publicly stated that in providing such digital services to the Nigerian government, it had incurred debts estimated at $100 million and were planning to change their business model as a result.
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