E-Business
Philips Sales, Operational Revenues Hit EUR 6.036 in 3Q2014

Philips has reported third quarter 2014 sales of EUR 5.5 billion and operational results of EUR 536 million, a comparable sales growth flat, with sales in growth geographies up 2%.
The Company said that EBITA, excluding restructuring and acquisition-related charges and other items, amounted to EUR 536 million, or 9.7% of sales, compared to 11.4% in Q3 2013
EBITA amounted to a loss of EUR 7 million, primarily impacted by charges related to IP litigation and the voluntary production suspension at the Cleveland facility.
Net loss of EUR 103 million, compared to net income of EUR 281 million in Q3 2013.
Currencies negatively impacted sales by 1.7% and EBITA by 0.9 percentage points of sales.
Free cash flow of EUR 166 million, compared to EUR 122 million in Q3 2013, while it has started the process of creating two market-leading companies focused to capitalize on the HealthTech and Lighting solutions opportunities
Frans van Houten, chief executive officer of the Company, said that, “The successful execution of our Accelerate! program continues to improve operational performance in most of our businesses. We are very excited by the vast opportunities in the HealthTech and Lighting solutions markets that we will capitalize on with the creation of two dedicated market-leading companies.
“As we manage through a challenging 2014 and given a number of incidentals, we are not satisfied with our overall performance in the third quarter. We are facing sustained softness in a number of markets such as China and Russia. We were also confronted by an adverse jury verdict with a surprisingly high proposed award in the Masimo litigation, which we will appeal. On a positive note, production at our Cleveland facility is ramping up.
In Healthcare, he said, Philips was delighted to win four multi-year strategic contracts, thereby demonstrating that its integrated solutions are gaining momentum despite a very slow market.
“In Consumer Lifestyle, our focus on health and wellness products is yielding good results, as demonstrated by the solid performance of Oral Healthcare and Mother & Child Care, despite challenging conditions in some of our bigger markets. In Lighting, we improved the performance of Consumer Luminaires in Europe and achieved double-digit growth and market share gains in Lumileds, which helped to balance the decline in conventional lighting.
“As a few of the near-term headwinds start to abate and our Accelerate! program continues to improve our operational performance, we expect our adjusted EBITA in the second half of 2014 to be slightly below the adjusted EBITA in the same period last year and we remain committed to our 2016 financial targets.”
Reviewing the Q3 financial and operational, in Healthcare, he said, “We are making good progress in the remediation of the quality management system at our Cleveland facility. We have now also resumed production of the iCT and Ingenuity scanners, and production ramp-up will continue through the first quarter of 2015. This will contribute to improved performance in the fourth quarter and into 2015.
“More broadly, we are seeing good traction with our programs that address government and health system goals of improving population health and delivering quality care more effectively.
“This is illustrated by our new 15-year contract with the Reinier de Graaf hospital in the Netherlands, the 14-year contract with the Karolinska University Hospital and the Stockholm County Council, and the 10-year contract related to the 700-bed Philippine Orthopedic Centre in the Philippines, where our systems and consultancy will help improve operational performance.”
Healthcare comparable sales grew by 1% year-on-year.
The EBITA margin, excluding restructuring costs and various charges, was 12%, a decrease of 2.6 percentage points year-on-year. Currency-comparable equipment order intake declined by 1%.
On Consumer Lifestyle, Houten said, “In Consumer Lifestyle, we are continuing to expand our offering to help consumers make healthier choices every day and drive value from the ‘Internet of Things’. In the third quarter, we introduced a number of digital cloudconnected solutions, including an application to manage chronic pain treatment and an oral healthcare application that helps children to brush their teeth more effectively.
“Consumer Lifestyle comparable sales increased by 5%, with mid-single-digit growth in Health & Wellness and Domestic Appliances and low-single-digit growth in Personal Care. The EBITA margin, excluding restructuring and acquisition-related charges and other items, was 10.6%, compared with 11.1% in the same period last year. The margin decline was attributable to country and product mix”.
The company also launched a series of exciting new products.
On Lighting, the CEO added, “In Lighting, we are solving customer needs with exciting energy-efficient LED solutions, and our breakthrough range of Hue Beyond connected luminaires illustrates how well-positioned we are to drive profitable growth through leading LED innovations, connected ecosystems and professional systems and services. We saw encouraging wins, including a partnership in Indonesia to install LED lighting solutions in nearly 1,000 convenience stores and a contract to deliver LED pitch lighting for Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium in London.”
Lighting comparable sales declined 1% year-on-year. LED-based sales grew by 28%, offset by a decline of 14% in overall conventional lighting sales, among other overviews released on the company’s website.
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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

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.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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

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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