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…That Nigerian Start-ups May Survive

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Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, presenter of Tech Trends on Channels Television
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Start-ups in Nigeria have always been viewed as veritable vehicles for kick-starting and sustaining technological advancement in the country.

How has these start-ups fared in Nigeria in terms of being empowered to achieve this? I recently had a robust discussion with Mohammed Mega, the Founder of start-ups in Nigeria.

Mohammed is a foremost tech start-up motivator in Nigeria.

On why he it is so difficult to be a start-up in Nigeria, Mega is of the opinion that the government is not encouraging start-ups enough in Nigeria because so many of them struggle in the system.

This is due, for instance, to lack of government patronage of these start-ups for local content that can assist them to grow. He opined that many start-ups, such as Vougepay, decided to look for support outside the country when support is not coming from within, hence, this high level of struggle to survive by start-ups in Nigeria. Jega is, however, optimistic that, if the government creates the enabling environment, start-ups in Nigeria will thrive.

Responding to a question on what constitutes enabling environment for start-ups to survive, Mega stated that these includes encouraging solutions, ideas and innovations that are coming up.

In our Clime, however, he noted that our young start-ups bring forth solutions, ideas and innovations but they are not encouraged as they are always looking for capital to drive their start-ups.

Government, he said, needs to go out there and identify these talents that are scattered all over the country and support them, domesticate their solutions, link them with the ecosystem that can assist them and turn their start-ups to global solutions. For Mega, looking inwards is the at for the government to go in order to achieve local content input.

On where he is going with ‘Start-up Arewa’, Jega stated that his goal is to identify talents, build capacity and mentor them from the ideas stage through to start-up and incubation stages as well as assist them to become blue chips.

He stated that Start-Up Arewa is in partnership with sine Hubs in Abuja and across the Northern part of Nigeria to serve as breeding grounds for these identified start-ups. The outfit, Jega further said, is interested in seeing that these start-ups acquire the technological depths to become developers, programmers as well as come up with ideas.

This is because, if properly managed, these young start-ups can come up with solutions to solve our day to day problems.

To stem the challenges of not making profit by most start-ups, Jega said Start-Up Arewa is in collaboration with stakeholders that are already successful within the ecosystem that can support these start-ups and show them the way to go.

He stated further that hardcore developers were also brought in from Lagos to teach these start-ups on the right tools to use so they can be sustainable.

Regarding the current high rate of unemployment in the country today, Jega is of the view that technology can play a prominent role in stemming and reversing the scourge because, every young person is passionate about technology and people cannot do without technology today.

Government, he said, should use this knowledge to help the youths by teaching them how to develop apps, write programs, etc., so that they can deliver the ideas and solutions to solve our everyday problems.

On what support pillars he would like to see for the tech ecosystem to be sustainable and to help it grow beyond our wildest imagination, Jega posits that it still boils down to the government taking the initiative by looking inwards to help develop the tech ecosystem to grow, especially at the grassroots level.

The government, he also said, should look out for local stakeholders and plug in to their platforms and networks to solve our everyday problems. This way, he said, the government will be patronizing local content. On a final note, he is of the opinion that government should assist start-ups in raising capital through institutions such as the NIPC and the Bank of Industry, so that they can have funding for developing prototypes that can solve problems.

CFA is the Founder, www.CFAtech.ng & Co-producer/Presenter,Tech Trends on Channels Television

 


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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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