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Ericsson’s 21st CSR Report Hints on Core Accomplishments

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Ericsson has published its 21st Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility report summarizing its performance during 2013. 

Highlights include: a solidified approach to responsible business including rigorous compliance processes; energy efficient solutions from the company’s product portfolio; and extended reach in providing access to communication for all, including refugees and students in remote areas.

As a lead telecom partner in the Millennium Villages project, Ericsson began a long-term commitment to demonstrate that connectivity could play a decisive role in fighting poverty in Africa. Since joining the initiative in 2007 mobile connectivity has been brought to more than 500,000 people in 12 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, improving access to health education and boosting livelihoods, among other benefits.

Hans Vestberg, president and chief executive officer, Ericsson, said, “Sustainability is increasingly integrated into our business strategy. I firmly believe that our commitment to sustainability and CR enhances our competitiveness, and the actions we take today will enable positive business outcomes in the future.”

From the perspective of responsible business, Ericsson is the first in the industry to conduct a full human rights impact assessment in line with the new United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The assessment in Myanmar resulted in prioritized action areas but also helped to create a solid foundation that is now operational with recently-won business in the country.

In light of recent international developments related to Iran, Ericsson has decided not to phase out business there.

The intention is to engage with existing customers while evaluating the human rights situation.

The Sales Compliance Board decided to conduct a new Human Rights Impact Assessment based on this foundation.

The emphasis on conducting business responsibly takes a full value chain perspective.

It begins with supply chain and extends through Ericsson’s own operations including the sales process, where the sales compliance board examined more than 200 cases during 2013.

The anti-corruption program is in focus and some 85,000 employees have taken a training course outlining the company’s policies and standards.

Elaine Weidman-Grunewald, head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility said, “This area continues to gain importance to all our stakeholders and we are focused on building a strong foundation for corporate responsibility within the company. This does not mean incidents can never happen, but it means when they do, we have strong operational processes in place to handle them.”

In energy and environment, Ericsson reports improvements in its own activities and products in operation.

Ericsson set a target to reduce CO2e emissions by 30% per employee by 2017.

The full-year reduction for 2013 was 10% per employee.

Examples from the portfolio include the Ericsson Psi Coverage Solution, introduced last year, and Ericsson Radio Dot System.

Psi Coverage Solution uses a single radio unit to provide the same 3G coverage as an ordinary base station equipped with three radio units.

Psi Coverage Solution has been deployed across 11 markets during 2013 and has proven to reduce power consumption by 40%.

Ericsson Radio Dot System, which revolutionizes indoor coverage, reduces power requirements by more than 50% compared to traditional Distributed Antenna Systems, and prolongs battery life of end-user devices used in enterprise environments.

Technology for Good programs, which aim to increase access and affordability to communications, have reported significant progress in 2013.

Fredrik Jejdling, head of Ericsson Sub-Saharan Africa, added, “Education is a cornerstone for reducing poverty, enabling development, and fostering better lives. By deploying mobile broadband and cloud solutions, combined with hands-on training in ICT, students from Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Senegal, as well as Ethiopia and Rwanda have been able to access quality education resources enabled by our cloud-based solutions”.

Another program aims to assist in the global refugee crisis, which affects 42 million people according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. 

“At the end of 2013 there were 250,000 people registered on the Refugees United mobile platform that helps refugees search and find each other.

“In response to the current humanitarian crisis in Syria and neighboring countries, Ericsson recently announced the launch of the service together with three mobile operators: Zain in Jordan, Avea in Turkey, and Asiacell in Iraq.  

“Ericsson has set an objective to positively impact 2.5 million people directly through our Technology for Good initiatives by 2016.

“Weidman-Grunewald concludes: “At the end of the day a sustainability report is only a snapshot of performance.  It will fall short without the people, processes and governance behind it. Building the robustness of our programs has been a big focus for us in 2013, in all areas of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.”


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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.

GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.

In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.

Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).

GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.


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Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”

Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.

A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.

Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”

Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.

“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”


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Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG's Website Performance Ranking

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.

The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.

He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.

This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.

GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.

The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”

As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.

With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.

 


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