E-Business
Impact of Digital Skills in Africa
In spite of the giant stride in the evolution on innovations of web-based businesses, etc., in the technology ecosystem in Africa, the impact of digital skills is still very low due to many extraneous factors.
Last year, Google, therefore, took it upon itself to train one million youths in Africa in digital skills. How has this impacted on the youths of the continent and lots more, was the thrust of the discussion I had with Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, the Country Manager of Google Nigeria recently.
Juliet has been involved in the development of youths on digital skills in Africa in the past one year.
On how the digital skill initiative of Google has been achieved in the past one year, Juliet said it has been very exciting. She stressed that Google committed to this in April 2016, although, it knew it was a daunting task because of its target which was the training of one million youths in one year, it was amazing to note that it achieved this in ten months.
As at today, she noted, about a year after, Google has trained over one million youths in digital skills across various countries in Africa.
Reacting to the impact of the progress for an emerging continent like Africa, Juliet stated that since technology has affected the way we everything these days, such as how we live, socialize, communicate, work, the emerging digital economy on the continent as well as having about 29% of the African population online, which is growing at a fast rate, this creates opportunities in the digital world.
The above, she stressed that the above reasons, therefore, makes it important or young Africans to acquire the right skills to enable them participate in the emerging digital economy to be able to build businesses, create new opportunities for themselves and become digital entrepreneurs.
Juliet further stressed the importance of this against the background that unemployment is a problem on the continent, where we have about 60% of the unemployed being youths, who must be taught how to fend for themselves and acquire skills which they can put in to generate income opportunities, etc.
Juliet stated that measuring the impact of the program has been a priority for it as they have stayed in touch with participants and have recorded a number of success stories of people who have been able to get jobs as well as those who have been able to start their own businesses through attending the training, such as Vanessa Morris and Segun Abodunrin respectively. Google, she said, has, therefore, seen the impact of the program in terms of people creating opportunities, expanding existing businesses, etc.
While reacting to a question as to the number of female participants in the program, Juliet said, among other things, that female to male participation in the program so far is about 47% to 53%. The idea, she said, is to maintain gender balance.
On what the reception was by the female gender to technology, which is erstwhile seen by them as a challenge, Juliet is of the view that the female gender are seriously taking to technology now as most success stories are from them.
Projecting on the next step to be taken by Google, Juliet said it will continue to train the youths because of the impact it is generating, but it is deliberately not announcing a new target for now because, although, digital skills will still be taught, the focus is being shifted to impact, thus, re-engaging with people that it has trained, supporting them along the way as well as to grow, looking at opportunities of matching people to jobs, etc.
Speaking on the number of Nigerians accessing the training through online or offline means, Juliet said that about 97% of attendees accessed the training offline while about 3% accessed from online.
She, however, stressed that many of those who were trained offline are quick to go online to acquire more training to deepen their experience.
As access is a bit of a challenge for online users in this clime, Juliet was asked if this sort of training can be accessed without the use of the internet, she responded by saying that Google is conscious of this, hence, it has ensured that it optimizes the portal so it can perform well a low bandwidth environment and also ensured that the courses are light online so they can be viewed on mobile phones.
Some of the videos, she said, are also transcribed to make access easy. Offline packs are also being produced that people can use, she stressed.
Stating what those who want to benefit from the training now should do, Juliet said they should visit the portal, g,co/digitalskills and choose from the available modules. It is completely free and if they successfully complete the training, they will receive a certificate which they can use to update their CV’s and use in obtaining jobs. Information on the classroom training are also available on the portal, she added.
Juliet encouraged everyone to take advantage of this free initiative by Google, because, in today’s world, one cannot really go far without having digital skills. “Digital literacy today, is what basic literacy was to the society, centuries ago”, Juliet concluded.
CFA is the Founder, www.CFAtech.ng & Co-producer/Presenter,Tech Trends on Channels Television
Nigeria has emerged as one of Africa’s most regulated online gambling markets, even as illegal operators continue to dominate the continent, according to a new report by Gaming Compliance International (GCI).
The report, the first comprehensive assessment of online gambling across all 54 African countries, showed that Africa’s online gambling Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) reached $23 billion in 2025.
However, only $5.2 billion (23 per cent) was generated by licensed operators, while $17.8 billion (77 per cent) remained in the unregulated market.
In West Africa, total online gambling revenue rose to $4.8 billion in 2025 from $4.3 billion in 2024. Of the 2025 figure, regulated operators accounted for $1.5 billion (31 per cent), while $3.3 billion (69 per cent) flowed to unlicensed platforms, highlighting the region’s persistent enforcement challenges.
Nigeria stood out as the region’s strongest performer, recording the lowest unregulated market share at 56 per cent, compared with the West African average of 69 per cent and the African average of 77 per cent.
The study also found that online gambling participation across Africa increased from 198 million people (13 per cent of the population) in 2024 to 215 million (14 per cent) in 2025.
Despite this growth, GCI estimated that illegal operators deprived African governments of about $3.55 billion in tax revenue in 2025. The number of unlicensed gambling platforms targeting African consumers also rose to 4,129, up from 3,644 in 2024.
Commenting on the findings, Matt Holt, chief executive officer, GCI, said the report provides regulators with the first continent-wide benchmark for strengthening oversight and consumer protection.
Ismail Vali, president, GCI, urged governments to develop competitive and well-regulated markets that encourage consumers to patronise licensed operators, boost public revenue and attract greater investment.
Online gambling in Nigeria is regulated by the Nation Lottery Regulatory Commission.
At the height of the Northern Hemisphere tourist season, demand for communications and mobile Internet services rises sharply. Kaspersky’s security experts have uncovered scams that target anyone purchasing mobile connections or SIM cards worldwide.
Fraudsters create counterfeit websites that look like the portals of major regional and international telecom providers to trick users into revealing their phone numbers, personal details or banking information.
Kaspersky is sharing several examples of these fake login pages that mimic legitimate telecom operator sites and giving recommendations on how not to be deceived.
In the first case, scammers exploit the brand name of an international telecommunications company operating services in Asia, Africa and Europe. Fake authentication pages encourage users to put in their phone number and credentials.
While the first example shows the different design, the second scam site closely mimics the original log in page, making it hard for users to tell the difference and spot a fake. Entering authentication or payment data on fraudulent web sites may result in money or data loss and become a reason for more frequent spam and fraudulent calls.
Another example is a scam page which poses as another international communications company, working in North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In this scheme scammers encourage users to top up their mobile data/Internet plans by entering their personal information and bank cards details.
Kaspersky experts have also identified a scam when cyber criminals suggest users enter their personal data to check and pay a bill inquiry. Such scam schemes are usually aimed at gaining victims’ personal data for further fraud or account hacking and stealing money.
“Because of the active use of AI, scammers can now create fake pages with ever increasing accuracy and speed, targeting the most popular user interest areas. We constantly see scams revolving around sports events, music concerts, seasonal sales and holidays. Unfortunately, the telecoms industry is no exception.
To keep your data and money safe, be vigilant when purchasing mobile or Internet plans online. Using an eSIM – purchased through an official app – is one way to avoid fake telecom sites, as it eliminates the need to enter personal details on questionable web pages.
If you’re unsure about a site’s legitimacy, search for the brand name directly in a search engine and enable a security solution that blocks phishing links for you,” comments Tatyana Kulikova, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky.
In a strategic push to bridge the gender digital divide, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has partnered with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) to advance women’s digital inclusion and drive the nation’s transformation agenda.
Dr Aristotle Onumo and some NITDA staff, pose for a group photograph with the President of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Comrade Aisha Ibrahim, and members of the delegation following a strategic engagement at the Agency’s Headquarters in Abuja.
The partnership was cemented during a courtesy visit to NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, by a NAWOJ delegation led by National President Comrade Aishatu Ibrahim, who introduced the agency to the forthcoming Women in Security (WINSEC) Summit & Awards 2026.
Inuwa, represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, the Director of the Stakeholders Management and Partnerships Department, assured the association that NITDA would not only participate in the conference, but also support the success of the conference.
Inuwa hailed the NAWOJ for creating a platform for peacebuilding, dialogue on security and women’s inclusion, which he described as one of the critical areas NITDA is focused on to ensure that more women obtain digital literacy and skills under the National Gender Inclusive Strategy.
Beyond NITDA’s plan to participate in the conference, the DG noted that a robust partnership between the organisations would engender meaningful opportunities and initiatives through which many more women can access digital literacy.
“Inclusivity is the key to everything we do at NITDA. We clearly defined that 40 per cent of our programmes must recognise the issue of gender. We ensure that women are adequately represented and positioned to benefit greatly from the programmes that we organise in the agency.
“We graciously accept to participate actively in that conference. Apart from acquiring skills among journalists themselves, partnership with NAWOJ will also serve as a platform through which we can also reach out to various women’s groups across the federation,” Inuwa said.
Earlier, Comrade Ibrahim commended the DG for his visionary and transformational leadership which has continued to position NITDA as the catalyst for Nigeria’s digital economy through its various programmes.
She explained that the Women in Security (WINSEC) Summit and Awards 2026 is an initiative of NAWOJ designed to promote collaboration among government institutions, security agencies, technology experts, the media, and other stakeholders to address contemporary security challenges.
According to Comrade Ibrahim, the association also aims to recognise outstanding individuals and institutions that have demonstrated excellence in security, governance, and innovation while fostering meaningful dialogue on the role of technology in building a safer and more resilient Nigeria.
“We deeply appreciate your exemplary leadership, passion for innovation, and unwavering commitment to building a digitally empowered Nigeria. We respectfully invite the agency to partner with NAWOJ in making this landmark initiative a success.
“We look forward to establishing a long-term partnership with NITDA that will empower women journalists with cutting-edge digital skills, support digital inclusion and contribute to innovation, digital literacy, and human capital development,” the NAWOJ president added.
Both organisations expressed optimism that the meeting would lay a solid foundation for a rewarding partnership agreement with specific and clearly defined objectives that will support digital inclusion and contribute to innovation, digital literacy, and human capital development.
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