E-Business
Global Development Initiatives: USAID’s Experience in Africa

Global development initiatives are increasingly becoming prominent in improving technology, especially, in the African ecosystem. I recently had a chat with Jill Moss, the Technical Adviser, Global Development Lab of USAID and she shared what the GDL is doing in West Africa, the impact of these deeds as well as what it intends to do to further assist Nigeria in 2017.
On the Global Development Lab’s, (GDL), role in the development of the African ecosystem, she stated that she works for USAID that provides donor assistance and is currently in charge of the West African operations.
The GDL, according to Jill, tries to stimulate and nudge its various Bureaus and Missions around the world, to utilise Science and Technology, innovations and partnerships more. This is because of the recognition of Science, research and data-driven evidence helps in pushing the impact of their efforts.
Jill maintained that technology is a way of the future and we are currently experiencing a lot of technological advances that we should be adopting in our various development works.
The Global Development Lab, she says, also works to promote partnerships, such as public-private partnership and government to government partnerships because, the organisation recognises that global development dollars goes a lot further when it works in partnership.
She further stressed that she visits West Africa regularly to meet innovators working with the Mission to nudge for rapid development enterprise, using Science, technology, innovations and partnership.
Speaking on the receptiveness of the West African governments to innovation and technology, Jill claims that all the governments in West Africa are eager to embrace innovations as a means to stimulate economic growth. Most of them also partner with the USA in creating an environment for stability in development advancement such as with Liberia in health issues during the Ebola crisis. Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ghana are also doing well in this regards. According to her, Ghana has made significant and rapid interest in the use of Digital Financial Payments and Mobile Money.
On Nigeria, Jill stated that she is impressed with what the country is doing in the regulatory aspect of the ecosystem to encourage innovation as well as to convene and create ecosystems that allows for entrepreneurs to identify economic opportunities. In summary, she stressed that she has been impressed with the marked improvement she has noticed in these West African countries every time she comes around.
On why she is interested in Security and privacy issues, Jill stated that the interest was borne out of the fact that she was a former employee of the Voice of America, (VOA). VOA, she opined, falls under the control of a government agency known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, (BBG).
The BBG has an internet censorship, internet freedom program which she worked on for a number of years. The BBG, she stressed, provides tools in technology to deliver content to denied cyber environment due to blockages and censorship. This means that the BBG provides users proxy networks or VPN to areas where there are blockages on certain portals such as it was with Facebook in China.
The import of this is that BBG gives users access by circumventing blockages and censorships where there are blocks or censorship around content as the USA believes that people should have access to content.
On her experiences with the start-ups she has met, Jill said that since 2013 when she last came to Nigeria and did an assessment of the ICT environment, she has seen considerable improvement in the Nigerian ecosystem. Such changes that she has noticed include more ubiquitous connectivity in certain urban environments, and the presence of more ICT incubators that are necessary for innovations to grow.
Jill was particularly fascinated to meet the innovators at GE Garage, an incubation outfit leveraging 3D printing for the manufacture of goods that could ultimately, over time, replace imports to Nigeria.
She was also fascinated to meet a female content innovator to provide a better user-experience, using Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality Content. This, she sees as a growth space in Nigeria.
Speaking on the prospects of partnerships between USAID and Nigerian government coming up any time soon, Jill disclosed that an initiative called “Geeks on the plane” will be coming up in Lagos in March 2017.
It is an initiative that came from President Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit event. The “Geeks” coming to Lagos are Silicon Valley-based investors, venture capitalists, high-valued individuals. She, however, maintained that these sets of people will want to know more about the Nigerian ecosystem, what kind of innovations are generating and percolating in Nigeria as well as where there are opportunities and potentials for them to invest in.
I must say that my discussion with Jill Moss was quite an interesting one and I assure you all that I will bring the activities of the “Geeks” from Silicon Valley to you when they arrive at the shores Nigeria in March 2017.
CFA is the Founder, www.CFAtech.ng & Co-producer/Presenter, Tech Trends on Channels Television
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.
E-Financial3 days agoBanks to Impose N50 Stamp Duty on Transfers of N10,000 and Above from January 1
E-Financial2 days agoFIRS Rebrands as Nigeria Revenue Service, as New Tax Laws Take Effect
E-Financial3 days agoHow Nigeria’s New Tax Law Could Redefine Risk in the Banking Sector
Broadcasting3 days agoHow to Use the Correlation of Gold with Other Trading Assets in the Forex Market
E-Business2 days agoGalaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone
General News2 days agoNigeria Police suspends tinted glass permit enforcement over court injunction
E-Financial14 hours agoFidelity Bank Appoints Onwughalu as New Chairman After Chike-Obi’s Tenure
Broadcasting14 hours agoDStv Offers Instant Package Upgrade for Customers from January to February










