General News
Huawei Committed to Better Connected Nigeria, Skills Dev- Li
Qualitative health and education as critical sectors of Nigerian economy can be raved up with technologies, especially now the country is transforming to a digital economy.
Huawei as a company believes that with continued support from the Government, ICT industry will continue to transform other sectors, said Mr. Frank Li, managing director of Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited, in an interview with Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, during the commissioning of Huawei Customer Solution Innovation & Integration Experience Centre in Lagos, recently.
e-Education
“Education, for example we saw a lot of teachers are limited by facilities at their disposal. Knowledge is out there they would want to share from others in developed economies, but it has not been easy for them.
This is part of reason we established innovation and experience centre in Lagos. The digital platform offers users connectivity to technologies and innovations across the globe.
This platform also enables the user to have first-hand practical know-how about their field and even exchange their own ideas, thought, visions and motivations with the outside world. Looking at some rural areas; the classrooms, it is not easy for our teachers to have access to sufficient resources.
“Now, with what Huawei is doing through cloud technology; as the programmes are packaged, they can remotely access the contents. In other words, they can remotely access the e-education and tap into the knowledge and better equip the students with the latest technology.
If we flash back to when President Muhammadu Buhari visited China, there are twenty students who have joined our e-education programme, telling the President their experiences. They were excited about the platform telling the President that at home-base it was impossible.
e-Health
“Also, in health sector, there are issues with the Doctors still attending to health matters in the ‘traditional’ way. It has not been easy for them. Thus, we are initiating an e-health programme so that one can remotely access health solutions. Presently, a patient will first visit the hospital, obtain a card and join a very long queue.
This can be transformed digitally, leveraging mobile phones to attend to health documents and other matters.
The interesting part of the solution we are bringing is that through video chat you can remotely book an appointment with the doctor, and not to presently be there to book.
This will increase efficiency and quality, reducing cost of services too. It will enable the government serve the people more efficiently. Huawei’s major focus is on building a better ecosystem for our clients, and mostly, offer quality services to the citizens of Nigeria while working with the Government.
Technologies and Business Transformation
“This is where the changes have occurred in tremendous ways. In the previous times, the GDP was rated based on the traditional industries’ contributions.
But, nowadays, the global connecting index (GCI) report shows that for every twenty per cent increase in the ICT industry leads to over one per cent increase in the GDP. We do see that ICT domain is globally driving the digital economy.
Before now, raising capital was the main focus for businesses, because it is critical in value creation. But today, capital would become of no effect without knowledge. Knowledge fertilizes capital for growth.
For example, our lives have changed since the advent of mobile internet. Yesteryears, we walk outside to flank down taxies, but look at what companies like Uber, jiji, are doing. With your smart mobile it got easy to book for a taxi through an app; sell and buy online, saving costs and time. This is the way the digital economy has totally changed our lives.
ICT for Agricultural Transformation
As typical example of how the ICT industry changes the whole system in Nigeria. There is this ‘direct project’ that connects the Galaxy Backbone and the datacentre for the Federal Government. If we focus on the farmers at the rural areas, again, we see they lack access to predictions about the future economy; the kind of period to farm or carry out their functions.
But with the kind of projects we are collaborating with the government, these challenges are getting solved. Suffice to say that ICTs have become business enablers; for government to become e-government.
Now, they can have the e-platform in rural areas for farmers to have access to the internet. That means, ICT tools create more job opportunities, values and enhance lives.
Our innovation and experience centre is also a response to the Nigerian government’s call on driving digital economy; therefore, we are assisting the government and out partners to create that ecosystem to build a better connected Nigeria. It will not be long for the initiatives to begin to yield even more results and grow the GDP.
Huawei and Government’s Collaboration to Better Lives of the Citizens
“To me, the government shouldn’t relent on working with Huawei and other partners to have better understand the principles of digital economy.
They shouldn’t discontinue in the quest to understand what is digital transformation, digital economy and the benefits.
Another thing is having the policy to encourage partner-companies to form an ecosystem, because Huawei cannot do it alone. For example, if such policy to encourage more enterprise to embrace the technologies we have, then more private and public organisation will open their doors to more innovations.
Skills Development
“Talent is also key in this industry. We believe that government can open more channels to develop the ecosystem.
Huawei believes that the innovation centre we launched will go along way to showcase the technology we have to as many as would want to improve on their skills.
We are focused on practical realities. That is why we are partnering with universities like the University of Lagos (Unilag).
With government’s support, we have more programmes to train ICT-inclined individuals for skills development in the industry. In this transformation time, the sector needs more time and support to rave up the economy”.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery is reportedly nearing completion of a $2.5 billion private placement that values the company at about $40 billion ahead of its planned public listing.
Private placement is the direct sale of company shares or bonds to pre-selected investors instead of the general public and it is used to raise money quickly while avoiding strict public reporting rules.
People familiar with the transaction said investors acquired as much as 6 per cent of the refinery, according to a BusinessDay report.
The reported terms would value the business at approximately $40 billion.
Neither Dangote Group nor the refinery has publicly announced the final amount raised, the identities of most subscribers or the precise percentage sold.
The figures should therefore be treated as transaction details supplied by unnamed sources rather than confirmed company disclosures.
The reported $2.5 billion total is nevertheless significant as it indicates strong demand for exposure to a privately controlled refinery that has rapidly become central to Nigeria’s fuel supply and an increasingly important exporter of petroleum products.
The placement was said to have attracted more demand than the available shares, allowing the company to secure substantially more than the amount initially associated with the fundraising exercise.
Femi Otedola, chairman, First HoldCo, is the only major participant publicly identified in the report.
He reportedly committed $100 million to the transaction and sold his investment in Geregu Power Plc to finance the acquisition.
Nigeria’s pension industry was also reportedly cleared to participate.
Access to more than $17 billion in retirement assets would broaden the refinery’s potential investor base beyond wealthy individuals and conventional institutional buyers.
Participation by Pension Fund Administrators would, however, require careful attention to valuation, liquidity and portfolio-concentration limits.
Retirement funds must balance the attraction of a large Nigerian industrial asset against their responsibility to protect contributors’ savings.
The implied $40 billion valuation represents investor expectations about the refinery’s future earnings rather than only the physical cost of constructing the facility.
Its ability to process 650,000 barrels of crude daily gives it a central role in supplying Nigeria and other markets, but its commercial performance remains connected to crude availability, product prices, exchange rates and regulation.
The refinery has struggled to obtain all the Nigerian crude it requires under the government’s naira-for-crude arrangement.
It has consequently purchased some feedstock internationally and recently moved local petroleum-product pricing into dollars to align sales revenue more closely with its foreign-currency expenses.
Those constraints will be important during any public offering.
Prospective shareholders will want greater clarity on crude-supply contracts, debt, operating margins, export revenue and the company’s relationship with Nigerian regulators.
It is also unclear whether the private placement involved newly issued shares, a sale by existing owners or a combination of both.
That distinction determines whether the reported $2.5 billion becomes fresh capital for the refinery or proceeds received by selling shareholders.
The transaction could provide a useful price reference for the planned initial public offering.
Federal government will next month launch Nigeria’s first national organized crime strategy to strengthen the country’s response to terrorism, cybercrime, human and drug trafficking, kidnapping, illicit financial flows, and other forms of organized crime.
Major General Adamu Laka, national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser, disclosed this in Abuja during the validation of the strategy document.
He said the strategy provides a coordinated national framework for tackling organized crime through improved intelligence sharing, stronger collaboration among security agencies, and closer cooperation with the criminal justice system, civil society organizations, and international partners.
Major General Laka explained that the document was developed through a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United States Government, and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Cheikh Toure, UNODC representative, said the strategy would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to combat transnational crimes, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, kidnapping, and illicit financial flows.
Also speaking, Douglas Grane, acting director of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, reaffirmed the U.S. government’s support for Nigeria’s efforts to tackle organized crime through stronger inter-agency and international cooperation.
Representatives of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, and the National Cyber Security Centre also endorsed the initiative, describing it as a major step towards improving Nigeria’s fight against organized crime.
FATE Foundation, with funding from the Citi Foundation, has launched the Youth Entrepreneurship Incubation Programme to equip young people in Nigeria with financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills.
Delivered through free, safe, and accessible platforms, the programme supports the incubation and scaling of youth-led enterprises, enabling income generation and job creation.
In October 2025, FATE Foundation was selected as a recipient of Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge to Accelerate Youth Employability. Joining the cohort of 50 organisations globally, the Foundation will receive $500,000 over two years to advance its youth employability initiative.
“We are excited to be selected for Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge,” said Ayomide Akindolie-Igwe, Executive Director of FATE Foundation.
“This support enables us to equip young entrepreneurs in Nigeria with the financial literacy and skills needed to build and scale sustainable businesses.”
The programme addresses youth employability by tackling Africa’s growing jobs crisis. By 2030, the African continent will be home to 40% of the world’s youth, and with one in three under 35 already unemployed, this initiative will support Nigerian youth with a two-phase approach. It begins with financial literacy training before progressing to entrepreneurship development, incubation support, and access to tools needed to build viable, job-creating businesses.
“Through this innovative initiative, FATE Foundation is supporting low-income Nigerian youth to develop essential financial and entrepreneurial skills using accessible platforms.
“This support is not just helping individuals to succeed; it is building a solid foundation for sustainable enterprises that will drive job creation and contribute significantly to our nation’s economic vitality. This initiative is empowering and investing in the future of Nigeria, one youth at a time,” said Nneka Enwereji, MD/CEO Citibank Nigeria Limited.
Dangote Refinery’s Private Placement Reportedly Hits $2.5Bn
FG, UNODC Plan National Strategy against Organized Crime
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
CBN to Monitor Every Dollar with FXBT, Forex Tracker
NCC, NDLEA Partner to Fight Piracy and Drug Trafficking
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Tokenization, Blockchain Technology will Transform Financial Institutions – IMF
News1 day agoEFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
General News2 days agoNigeria Facing Rising Cybercrime Losses – Report
Telecom2 days agontel Plays Down Calls and Data Services, Moves to BET Agenda
News2 days agoFAAN to Replace Physical ID Check with V-Pass Biometric Verification
Telecom2 days agoAirtel Delivers Free Employability Training to Young Nigerians @ World Youth Skills Day
General News2 days agoTotalEnergies Inaugurates Africa’s Largest Hybrid Renewable Project
News2 days agoCAC Begins Removing 100,000 Companies from Register Over Regulatory Non-Compliance
News2 days agoCBN Introduces Digital Tracker to Monitor BDC Forex Transactions