E-Business
Economies Built on Insight
Data has always been a silent, almost indiscreet part of our lives. In the very near future, it is going to define how we live, and the quality of the decisions that we take.
As much as 80% of all the data in the world has been created in past three years. I also read an article recently which said as much as 500 million DVDs worth of data is currently being generated daily.
The present challenge for today’s data and information professionals is how to extract value from the humungous and growing reservoir of data around the world.
Ongoing investments in technology assets, bank records and customer data need to be protected.
These are some of the enterprise-level issues companies and consumers are grappling with. IBM’s way of responding to these ‘business information management’ challenges in commerce and industry is to keep making organic investments in cloud, analytics and mobile technologies, in addition to strategic alliances and acquisitions in these areas.
Analytics will be key to the future growth of the African business environment. Having data and not being able to properly use and mine it to help you operate more efficiently will be dangerous because analytics will soon become the soul of every business.
Collating and consistently analyzing the traffic to a firm’s website, for instance, will be an instructive exercise.
Analyzing this sort of data for trends and insights on customer behavior and preferences will always be useful information for any company keen on retaining and growing its market share.
Big Data is no longer a reference for a growing pool of useless techno-junk – it’s fast becoming the single most effective way to drive your business forward.
Not a day goes by, in my job at least, when someone isn’t talking about Big Data. And whether or not that stands true for you, too, it’s certainly a trend that impacts everyone today.
Big Data has therefore become an extremely under-utilized phenomenon. I believe there are several reasons for this; one is that Big Data isn’t a technology we can pinpoint in the physical sense.
We can’t point to a single product and say, “that’s Big Data”. And in the same sense, we can’t listen to a customer’s issue and say, “why don’t you just have some Big Data”.
What Big Data really represents is equal measure of trouble and opportunity. The trouble is that we are producing an exponential amount of data – files, file copies, images, videos, admin, details, emails, etc. – and all of it needs housing.
Moreover, the pace of technology evolution means that we’re constantly looking to upgrade systems and devices, leaving us with a bunch of data that needs rehoming.
But on the other hand, while we’ve got this data lying around, we might as well use it. This surge of information is hiding endless insights that can benefit your business.
Let me give you an example: Many of us should by now be used to receiving cold calls and spam mail offering us several types of services weekly – sometimes daily.
You might get a call or email from your bank about a credit or debit card that you’re fully aware you don’t want.
You might tell them you’re not interested. At the same time, a different type of credit or debit card might be offered through a letter in the post, for those who still receive snail mail. At the same time someone else might call you to offer you a loan.
And at the same time, you might be searching the internet for the best mortgage, or for the best place to get a new or used car.
The constant barrage of unrelated and inconsistent information is enough to drive you away from your bank and seek new services.
However, imagine that your bank could analyze all the data gathered from your information, needs and concerns and consolidate that into a valuable chunk of insight.
That information could be used to personally serve you more directly. In fact, your bank would have the ability to see your mortgage concerns, your lack of interest in a debit or credit card and the fact that you had received countless letters regarding loans and cards that you’re not interested in. It could tailor-make a call or email designed just for you.
It could approach you with the sole purpose of offering you the ideal mortgage package, possibly gaining business, as opposed to frustrating you with wasted time and offers you’re not interested in.
This consolidation of information and data is exactly where Big Data services come in useful. And many companies are taking advantage of these by taking the necessary steps to crunch their unstructured data into tangible business insights.
This trend will most certainly push the economy forward, but only if it’s managed and used quickly and accordingly.
Unstructured data is building up at a scary rate, and it’s essentially inexplicable text. Letting that get the better of you and your company is going to cause a strain on your storage, management and effectiveness of business.
However, breaking it down and using it for business insights will offer up opportunities previously unheard of.
Otiti is Country General Manager, IBM West Africa
Microsoft is planning to unveil its new Maia 300 AI chip this fall, potentially as soon as next month, The Information reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the plans.
The company introduced its Maia AI chip in November 2023 but has lagged rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon in scaling up its in-house chip efforts as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Nvidia’s costly processors.
Google began recognizing revenue from direct sales of its custom AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units, in the quarter ended June, while Amazon has also seen growing adoption of its processors, including its Trainium chips.
Microsoft has been in talks with chipmaker TSMC to secure manufacturing capacity for more than 300,000 units of the chip for delivery in 2027, according to the report. It is also looking to significantly ramp up production and persuade major cloud customers such as Anthropic to adopt the chip.
Microsoft ultimately aims to secure capacity for more than 1 million Maia 300 chips, though component supplies and ongoing capacity negotiations with TSMC could constrain its plans, according to the report.
It unveiled its second-generation Maia 200 in January, built by TSMC using 3-nanometer technology.
Microsoft packed the chip with a significant amount of SRAM, a type of memory that can provide speed advantages for AI systems handling large numbers of user requests.
X has announced plans to discontinue its Revenue Sharing programme and introduce a new Original Content Rewards programme to reward creators for producing original content on the platform.
The social media company announced the changes at the weekend in a post on its X Creators handle, saying the new programme would reward creators who contribute original content.
“Today, we’re introducing the Original Content Rewards Program, a new way to reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, creativity, and commentary to X,” the company said.
X said it would stop accepting new enrolments into the Revenue Sharing programme from Friday, while existing participants would continue earning until September 7, 2026.
“Starting today, we’re no longer accepting new enrollments into Revenue Sharing,” it said.
According to the company, existing Revenue Sharing participants will receive three final payouts, with two scheduled for August 14 and August 28, while the final payment for earnings accrued through September 7 is expected around September 11.
X said existing Revenue Sharing participants would begin getting access to apply for the new programme from September 8, subject to meeting its eligibility requirements.
The first payout under the Original Content Rewards programme will be made on August 28, 2026, while existing Revenue Sharing creators who enrol in the new programme from September 8 will receive their first payment on September 25.
Under the new programme, eligible creators will earn from qualified impressions generated by their original content, with payments made every two weeks.
X defined qualified impressions as unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline feed, where at least 50 per cent of a post is visible.
On the other hand, “The following are excluded from qualified impressions: impressions from the same account counted more than once per post; paid, promoted, or artificially generated impressions; and fraudulent impressions,” it said.
To qualify, creators must be at least 18 years old, live in a country where the programme is available, maintain an account in good standing and have either a personal or vusiness account.
They must also subscribe to X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business, have at least 500 verified followers and record at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within the previous 90 days.
X said creators must also regularly post original content to remain eligible.
“We want to recognize creators who break news, share expertise, tell stories, create entertainment, and contribute meaningful perspectives to the conversation,” the company said.
The platform said original content could include threads, videos, memes, graphics, illustrations, reporting, analysis, commentary and reactions that add meaningful value to existing conversations.
It said creators who use content produced by others would need to add meaningful commentary, context, analysis, humour or creative transformation for such posts to qualify.
“Building on existing conversations is a core part of X, but simply reposting someone else’s content is not enough,” it said.
X said minor edits such as cropping, filters, borders, watermarks, speed adjustments or simple text overlays would generally not qualify as meaningful transformation on their own.
It also warned that content copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, content downloaded and re-uploaded from X or another platform without being the original author’s, automated content, disinformation and misleading content would be ineligible.
The company said accounts that violate the programme’s requirements could be temporarily or permanently removed from it, depending on the severity of the violation.
It added that creators would be responsible for ensuring they had the necessary rights, permissions or licences to use content created by others.
“Original content is content you personally create that reflects your own voice, perspective, expertise, or creativity,” X said.
The company said the new programme was intended to reward creators who make the platform more valuable by bringing original ideas and perspectives to its conversations.
“The Original Content Rewards Program is designed to reward the creators who start them, shape them, and move them forward,” it said.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has introduced so-called Nigeria’s Certified Cloud Register, regulatory framework developed under the agency’s National Sovereign Cloud Initiative to determine which cloud providers are authorized to handle sensitive data, such as banking records.
In effect, from October, NITDA requires banks, fintech companies and other regulated organisations to source cloud infrastructure providers from a national register of certified firms approved to host sensitive financial and government data.
The Certified Cloud Register, is expected to strengthen data sovereignty, improve regulatory oversight and support the implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) data localisation policy, which takes effect on January 1, 2027.
Under the framework, banks, fintechs, government institutions and other regulated entities will be able to verify whether cloud service providers, data centre operators, managed service providers and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure companies have met NITDA’s certification requirements before entrusting them with critical digital workloads.
The initiative is expected to provide regulated institutions with a standardised process for selecting cloud infrastructure providers that satisfy Nigeria’s technical, security and regulatory requirements.
According to NITDA, the framework establishes “a common national standard, an independent assessment process and a public register of approved providers that banks, fintechs and government institutions can rely on when selecting cloud infrastructure partners.”
The register is expected to become a key compliance tool ahead of the CBN’s directive, which requires all payment transaction data generated within Nigeria to be stored and processed locally, effective from January 1, 2027.
The policy applies to deposit money banks, microfinance banks, mobile money operators, payment service providers, switching companies and other financial institutions.
The certification regime is also expected to reshape Nigeria’s cloud computing ecosystem, making regulatory approval a major requirement for cloud providers seeking to handle sensitive data for regulated industries.
Figures cited by NITDA showed that Nigeria’s 10 largest banks spent about N177.91 billion on information technology in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 31 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year.
A sizeable portion of the investment currently supports cloud infrastructure hosted outside Nigeria, a trend the new certification framework is expected to address by encouraging greater utilisation of compliant local infrastructure.
NITDA said the certification programme will apply the same technical and regulatory standards to indigenous cloud providers and international hyperscale operators, creating a level playing field for all companies seeking to provide cloud services to regulated sectors.
The agency also disclosed that more than 85 per cent of Nigerian businesses currently rely on cloud services, with the majority using infrastructure hosted outside the country.
It said the new framework is aimed at improving confidence in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure while promoting local capacity and enhancing oversight of critical national data.
Speaking on the objective of the initiative, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director-general of NITDA, said the programme is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy rather than exclude foreign technology companies.
According to him, the initiative is intended “to redefine the terms under which Nigeria participates in the global digital economy rather than isolate the country from international technology providers.”
The Certified Cloud Register forms part of broader efforts by the Federal Government to deepen digital trust, strengthen cybersecurity and ensure that critical financial and public sector data are managed in line with Nigeria’s evolving data governance and sovereignty objectives.
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