News
Six Ways To Be More Productive in 2017

Is it just me, or does every year seem to go by faster than the one before? It feels like just yesterday we were kicking off 2016, and now here we are staring into the face of 2017.
With intelligent technology changing how the world does things, everyone is empowered to do more, and less. By harnessing intelligent technology to tackle some of life’s most mundane tasks, productivity means spending more time doing what you love and less time doing what you have to do.
Here are five ways you can be more productive this year:
Stay Organised And Prioritise
Begin by organising your workspace and clearing your desk and inbox as fast as possible. Artificial intelligence can help by automatically filtering spam with a tool like Clutter in Microsoft Outlook, and learn which emails are most important with Outlook’s Focused Inbox.
It’s also a good idea to use calendars to plan your time to ensure you don’t miss important meetings, and keep a to-do list and prioritise important activities each day.
Digital personal assistants like Cortana can help by reminding you about important tasks and deadlines.
Think Carefully Before Scheduling That Meeting
A study by Atlassian showed that employees attend an average of 62 meetings per month, and half of these are considered a waste of time – resulting in 31 unproductive hours spent in meetings each month.
If you do have to meet, consider cutting the meeting time in half, create an actionable agenda, and use tools such as Skype for Business for group chats and video calls to minimise travel time. You can even use Skype in-app integration to share your screen during the meeting.
Manage Your Time
The Pomodoro Technique, Eisenhower Method and GTD (Getting Things Done) method are all effective time management tools, depending on your personality.
The Pomodoro Technique uses a timer to break down your work into 25-minute intervals, with a five-minute break between each interval and a 30-minute break every four intervals.
The Eisenhower Method helps you evaluate your tasks based on their importance and urgency. Important and urgent tasks must be done immediately; important, non-urgent tasks are given a deadline; unimportant, urgent tasks can be delegated; and unimportant, non-urgent tasks should be dropped.
Lastly, GTD uses five simple steps that apply order to chaos and provide you the space and structure to be more creative, strategic and focused. Begin by creating a to-do list; clarify what action is required for each item on the list; organise your list in order of priority and type of action; review your list frequently; and take appropriate action.
Collaborate And Be Productive From Anywhere
Eighty-four percent of organisations now have a remote workforce, thanks to mobile technology. Interestingly, a study by Stanford University shows that remote workers are 14% more productive than their office-bound colleagues.
Cloud tools also enable you to continue collaborating wherever you are. Office 365, for example, offers a co-authoring feature across Word, PowerPoint and OneNote.
This allows you to see what your colleagues are typing and collaborate in one document in real time, despite being in different locations.
The ubiquity of technology and the cloud also means you can use otherwise “unproductive” time, like when you are standing in a queue, to catch up wherever you are. Simply log on to your connected device, and with a tool like OneDrive, access all your work synced and stored in the cloud.
Use Technology To Your Advantage
We are all looking for ways to boost our productivity levels at work. There are several tools, apps and add-ins that can help you be more productive. The trick is choosing the right ones.
For example if you are a fan of Microsoft’s digital note-taking app, OneNote, try the add-in Onetastic for OneNote.
This clever feature allows you to perform repeated tasks automatically, set up calendar views for OneNote pages and set up menus and tables of contents.
During the work day, emails often seem to bog us down. Kutools for Microsoft Outlook offers a number of features that streamline email-handling in Outlook, saving time. The add-in simplifies all the mundane tasks you perform every day, such as creating automatic “out of office” replies and CC and BCC customisations. It also sorts through junk mail with better filters. Another nifty tool is E-mail follow up which will make sure that you never forget to reply to important mails.
Make Time To Unwind
All work and no play won’t make you more productive. In fact, a study by Health Advocate found that one million workers miss work each day due to stress.
Equally important as hard work, is ensuring you get enough sleep, exercise and make time to relax and disconnect.
Not only is this good for your health, but will also improve your productivity and concentration.
In this vein, the American Psychological Association has found that exercising before work will give you a 15% productivity boost.
Productivity is about achieving more in less time, so you have time to do the things you want to do – which in turn helps improve your productivity. It’s a win-win. So here’s to being more productive in 2017 and taking time to enjoy whatever the next year has in store.
News
WHO Says Ebola Outbreak Worse than Reported

World Health Organisation (WHO) at the weekend declared the Ebola outbreak linked to the rare Bundibugyo virus strain a global public health emergency.

WHO said there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain of Ebola.
At home, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said there is “no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria” but had tightened surveillance against the deadly virus.
The outbreak, linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has already caused dozens of deaths in Congo and spread into Uganda, raising fears of wider transmission across the region.
In response, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said that the country remains on alert because of growing movement across African borders.
Jide Idris, director-general said the agency was “closely monitoring the situation” and working with the Port Health Services and other health agencies to strengthen preparedness nationwide.
He added that surveillance has been increased at entry points and within Nigeria’s health system.
According to the WHO, the outbreak has recorded more than 240 suspected cases and about 80 suspected deaths in Congo’s Ituri province, while imported cases have also been confirmed in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
The WHO said the outbreak is “extraordinary” because of uncertainty around the true number of infections and the lack of approved medical countermeasures for the Bundibugyo strain.
Health authorities advised Nigerians to maintain proper hygiene, avoid contact with infected persons and report symptoms such as fever, weakness, vomiting and bleeding to the nearest health facility immediately.
Nigeria was declared Ebola-free in 2014 after successfully containing an outbreak brought into the country by an infected traveler from Liberia.
News
Digital PayExpo 2026 to Convene Africa’s Most Influential Payments Leaders in Lagos

Africa’s digital payments ecosystem will take center stage as Digital PayExpo 2026 returns to Lagos on June 17–18, 2026, at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, under the theme: “Seamless Digital: Fostering Pan-African Market Expansion in the AI Era.”

At a time when artificial intelligence, cross-border commerce, and financial inclusion are redefining Africa’s economic future, the event is set to convene over 3,000 senior executives, policymakers, fintech innovators, and global technology providers.
The speaker lineup reflects a powerful blend of regulatory leadership, private sector innovation, and pan-African expertise.
Among the headline speakers:
- Dr. Rakiya Yusuf, Director, Payment Systems Supervision, Central Bank of Nigeria — a key architect in Nigeria’s payment system reforms.
- Dr. Folasade Femi-Lawal, Country Manager & Area Business Head (West Africa), Mastercard — a leading voice in digital payments expansion across Africa.
- Clara B. Arthur, Managing Director, GhIPSS (Ghana) — driving Ghana’s interoperable payment ecosystem.
- Wacera Maina, Chief Operations Officer, Kenwitch Kenya — an expert in East Africa’s payment infrastructure evolution.
- Akeem Lawal, CEO, Interswitch Group — a pioneer in Africa’s fintech growth story.
- Ngover Ihyembe-Nwankwo, Executive Director, NIBSS — shaping Nigeria’s core payment infrastructure.
The conference will explore:
- AI-powered financial services
- Cross-border payment systems and interoperability
- Cybersecurity and trust frameworks
- SME financing and financial inclusion
- Infrastructure for a unified African digital economy
With participation from banks, fintechs, telcos, regulators, and global payment networks, Digital PayExpo 2026 is positioned as a critical marketplace for ideas, partnerships, and investment flows. Register: https://digitalpayexpo.com/register
Sponsorship Enquiries: [email protected]
News
Only 1 in 3 Families Fully Secure their Devices, Kaspersky Study Reveals

On International Day of Families observed on May 15th, a global Kaspersky study* reveals that while 47% of respondents talk about online safety, only 33% secure all their family devices – highlighting the need for proactivity from Family Digital Managers.

As online threats develop and every generation joins the online space, cybersecurity habits have become an essential part of life for every family. Typically, in every family, one or two people become so-called Family Digital Managers, responsible for managing subscriptions, setting up new devices, or thinking about cyber protection. Kaspersky has conducted a survey to find out what measures modern families take to stay safe online.
According to Kaspersky’s data, a significant portion of respondents adopt an educational approach to cybersecurity within their families:
47% regularly coach elderly relatives and children on safe online practices
45% advise family members to adopt password manager solutions
42% encourage the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA)
An equal 42% actively review and adjust privacy settings on both family devices and critical online accounts
Although a growing awareness of the importance of proactive, family-focused digital protection can be observed, when it comes to the implementation of security solutions, the trend is slightly different. 10% of respondents take no measures at all to protect their loved ones online, rising to 21% among those aged 55+.
As for the parental control apps, 67% of families with children under 18 years use this tool to monitor and secure their kids’ online activity. Parental control, such as the Kaspersky Safe Kids solution, can help restrict children’s access to inappropriate content and also gently manage their online habits by limiting access to certain websites and apps, controlling their screen time, and even enhancing their physical security by tracking their geolocation.
The most worrying number is that only 33% of respondents – just 1 in 3 – install security solutions on all family members’ devices. Kaspersky experts highlight that the current threat landscape shows that mobile devices and tablets as well as PCs all require comprehensive cyber protection, as they are often targeted by cybercriminals.
According to the survey, only 30% of respondents set up new devices for their families. Setting up a new device is not often regarded as a step that contributes to cyber safety; however, some actions performed before the device is put into use can significantly enhance its security.
For instance, experts recommend installing a security solution first, to scan the device for hidden threats and make web browsing safe from the first queries. What’s more, reviewing privacy settings on a new device allows you not to share data that you would like to keep private with some applications and services.
The research also shows that the older generation (55+) is generally less included in family security habits. Around 1 in 5 (21%) of this age group globally do not take any measures to protect their family online and only a quarter (24%) install security solutions for family members. The most popular security measure among them turns out to be a password manager, as 40% of this age group recommend their family members to use it.
“We are now using a lot of gadgets and digital services, and with every new device and every additional hour spent online, the potential entry points for cybercriminals continue to grow, exposing us to a wider range of cyber threats. At the same time, not every generation adapts to these rapid changes with the same ease.
“That’s why having someone in the family take on the role of a ‘Family Digital Manager’ can be so valuable, especially when it comes to protecting kids and elder people from digital cyberthreats, give advice and help with the use of trusted security solutions,” comments Brandon Muller, Technical Expert at Kaspersky.
General News3 days agoWorld Bank Blocks Social Media Comments from Nigerians over Loan Backlash
E-Business3 days agoJumia Nigeria Records Strong Q1 2026 Growth as Technology-Led Strategy Drives Market Expansion
Telecom3 days agoNITDA, FMCIDE Deepen Collaboration on Nigeria’s Digital Transformation
Telecom3 days agoNigerians Lose N12.5bBn to Telecom-Related Financial Crimes – PwC
General News3 days agoLG Electronics Strengthens Household Energy Efficiency in Nigeria with Advanced Inverter Refrigerator Solutions
Telecom3 days agoNITDA Showcases Nigeria’s Startup Framework as Model for Angola
News3 days agoOnly 1 in 3 Families Fully Secure their Devices, Kaspersky Study Reveals
Telecom3 days agoUpperlink, ICANN, Others Rally Global Participation for UA Day 2026













