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IT Steers Middle East, Africa’s Manufacturing Sector Growth

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IT spending by manufacturers in the three core manufacturing countries of the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, is set to grow almost 40% over the next five years, according to newly released data from IDC Manufacturing Insights.

The growth will be highest in 2015, at 8.0% year on year, with a very solid compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8% forecast for the 2013–2018 period.

Lower IT spending growth in the hardware segment will be offset by accelerated growth in IT services and software segments, which will expand at CAGRs of 9.4% and 9.3%, respectively, over the same five-year period.

The key factors shaping this forecast were a favorable outlook for GDP growth; the pace and pattern of adoption for 3rd Platform technologies; increasing awareness of IT security threats and a shortage of skilled IT professionals in the MEA region.

“These three MEA countries continue to exhibit mostly positive trends in their manufacturing sectors,” said Martin Kuban, lead analyst at IDC Manufacturing Insights, CEMA. “A steady flow of IT spending will be delivered by a core group of large process-oriented manufacturing industries. However, the more interesting part of the market to watch will be the range of smaller and younger sub-industries that are in pursuit of progressive manufacturing and IT strategies. These will represent fresh spirits and deliver additional dynamics to the overall manufacturing IT market.”

The traditionally strong base of process manufacturing in the region is going to deliver the decisive volume of IT expenditure. However, higher IT spending growth rates will generally be found in the discrete manufacturing industries, most visibly in South Africa.

Automotive hubs in Turkey and South Africa are forecast to prosper and significantly increase their IT investments, while the strategically important aerospace and defense industry is seeing dynamic growth across all three countries.

Also, pharmaceutical industries, including life science, are experiencing boom in the MEA region, despite being relatively small in size.

3rd Platform technologies are becoming increasingly popular in the MEA manufacturing sector and are shifting the spending patterns of local companies.

Mobility and Big Data/analytics will be the two IT forces having the most decisive impact on MEA manufacturers over the coming five years.

The adoption of mobility will help most in improving workforce productivity and flexibility, and will become a major factor in gaining competitive advantage.

Interest around investments in Big Data-related technologies is expected to be highest in process manufacturing (i.e., asset-oriented and brand-oriented manufacturing value chains).

In addition, cloud computing will be the main trend for small and medium-sized manufacturers. It will become a greater overall priority towards the end of the forecast period when connectivity and market offerings improve to handle large scale implementations.

In terms of social technologies, the focus will mostly be on external third-party tools.

Of the three core countries, Turkey has managed to develop the highest share of advanced manufacturing, so far generating significant added value.

For instance, the country’s automotive and hi-tech industries have already grown large and mature, but they still offer very good growth prospects and are rather IT intensive. Saudi Arabia’s manufacturing sector is dominated by oil/gas processing and a very well-developed chemical industry.

However, the country’s leadership is pushing for greater diversification of the manufacturing sector. Consequently, new sub-industries will evolve quite dynamically in Saudi Arabia, leading to demand for new technologies and instigating a number of specific IT opportunities.

In South Africa, meanwhile, a number of issues have impacted the country’s primary manufacturing sector, which is strongly focused on the processing of natural resources.

This has led to reduced IT investment over the past few quarters and has also contributed to slower GDP growth.

On the other hand, this situation has helped stimulate initiatives that should accelerate transformation of the local manufacturing sector and bring about a new wave of technology investments in the future.


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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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