Telecom
ICT Accounts for 1% of Nigeria’s Total Employed Populace – Report
According to UNCTAD, there are only about 479 000 people employed in Nigeria’s ICT sector, despite the west African country being one of the economies with rising ICT and telecom sectors.
These employees account for about 1% of Nigeria’s total employed populace. The UNCTAD report cites Sierra Leone as one of the African countries where there has been strong growth in mobile connectivity.
The report also finds that while an increase in mobile and internet penetration in certain African countries is boosting trade in telecommunications and e-commerce, mobile connectivity is not robust enough and employment in specialist ICT areas remains subdued.
These are key findings from a new report Information Economy 2017, released by the United Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) this week.
The Report identifies Senegal and Tanzania as the African countries with the most notable economies where “telecommunications accounted for 85% of ICT services exports”.
ICT platforms and services are boosting Africa’s economies as e-commerce emerges.
However, “the Central African Republic, Eritrea and South Sudan, have not increased as much” in terms of robust growth in mobile cellular services.
“Mobile cellular services in (this) group reach less than a third of the population, and the telecommunications markets are yet to be liberalised,” said the report.
However, for countries such as Rwanda and Zambia, a rise in mobile subscriptions has boosted imports and trade in communications equipment.
The UNCTAD report did not provide specific details regarding the value of imported communications equipment in the two countries.
“Rwanda and Zambia, the rise in mobile subscriptions occurred simultaneously as the rise in imports of communications equipment,” it said.
In Rwanda, mobile subscriber numbers reached 8.5 million in August this year after rising by 1% from the July numbers according to the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority.
MTN controls about 42% of the mobile market share in Rwanda; Tigo has about 39% while Airtel Rwanda has about 19%.
Zambia’s Communications Minister, Brian Mushimba said in May that the country had about 12 active mobile phone subscribers as at the end of 2016, while the country is reportedly keen to add a new mobile operator.
The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has also confirmed that there are about 5.2 million mobile internet subscribers in the southern African country.
African countries have also lagged other global peers in terms of posting cloud computing jobs online, with the cloud still emerging as an important aspect of ICT services.
“In Africa, most countries have not yet posted a single one (cloud vacancy). Even relative tech hubs, such as Egypt and South Africa, accounted for only 0.5 percent each of the announced vacancies,” said UNCTAD researchers.
Spacecoin, US-based, has announced the signing of recent agreements with local authorities and operators to launch satellite connectivity pilot projects in Africa.
The initiatives, focused on Kenya and Nigeria, aim to serve areas where terrestrial networks remain limited or unavailable.
n Kenya, Spacecoin has obtained a transmission license from the Communications Authority, allowing it to test satellite-based solutions for connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas with limited internet access.
According to the Kenyan regulator, internet penetration remains below 50% of the population, despite mobile penetration exceeding 130%.
In parallel, the company is continuing operations in Nigeria under an existing license issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
This authorization supports initiatives aimed at delivering affordable broadband connectivity to isolated and underserved communities.
Spacecoin’s approach is based on a decentralized satellite network using nanosatellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Combined with blockchain-based protocols, this architecture is intended to offer more flexible and cost-effective connectivity services than traditional networks, while also enabling the integration of IoT solutions for a range of uses, from smart agriculture to infrastructure monitoring.
These projects are part of a broader strategy to help narrow Africa’s digital divide, where a significant share of the population still lacks access to reliable internet services.
Satellite technology is increasingly viewed as a complement to terrestrial infrastructure, particularly in hard-to-reach areas where deployment costs and geographic constraints remain high.
Beyond Africa, Spacecoin is also running pilot projects in Asia, working with local partners to test the viability of its model across different regulatory and geographic environments.
According to the company’s management, growing interest from regulators reflects a shift toward solutions capable of reaching populations that have long been excluded from internet access.
AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, today announces the appointment of Khaled Salah, 37 years old, as Vice President of Africa.
Khaled Salah
In this new role, he will be responsible for about 30 employees to ensure the successful implementation of AVEVA’s growth strategy. Khaled Salah will report directly to Jesus Hernandez, SVP of the EMEA region.
A 15-years + career across different industries and domains
With a MBA in management from the Warwick business school, UK, and a master’s degree in engineering from Ain Shams university in Egypt, Khaled Salah is an active advocate for driving sustainable progress in the industrial sector. With Sustainability in mind, Khaled is keen on making a positive business impact, while fostering progress for people and the planet.
He started his career at Schneider Electric, in 2013 in the global supply chain and evolved through various roles such as Europe procurement and supply chain strategy Manager, and Global Commercial strategy Director for the industrial automation business. Khaled Salah has developed a strategic understanding of all those fields.
After 12 years in Schneider Electric, Khaled joined AVEVA in 2022 to lead AVEVA and Schneider Electric global strategic partnership, across all industries managing a team of 30 people.
He has led the introduction of new AVEVA software solutions to initiate and develop significant growth areas across all Schneider Electric verticals.
Ambitious plans for AVEVA in Africa
In addition to his current role as AVEVA and Schneider Electric partnership Vice-President, Khaled now takes over the management of AVEVA’s activities in Africa.
Jesus Hernandez, SVP of the EMEA region says: “Africa is a strategic region for AVEVA. In this major industrial market, customers, world leaders in the fields of Energy, Metal & Mining, Chemicals, and Water, are looking for AVEVA’s expertise to accelerate and drive their digital transformation and sustainability strategies, as well as their energy transition projects.
“Khaled Salah’s qualities of leadership in a global environment will benefit his team spread across 12 countries including Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.”
Motivated by the prospect of capitalizing on the talent of his team to strengthen AVEVA’s presence in Africa in the years to come, Khaled Salah says: “Helping my team realize their professional potential is close to my heart.
“We will work together to support and accelerate the digital transformation of industries in Africa, in particular through CONNECT, our industrial intelligence platform, with the support of our ecosystem of partners. »
A Google-Ipsos report reveals Nigerians topping global AI usage at 88%, surpassing the 62% worldwide average, with sharp rises in education and business applications.
“Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the hands of more people” shows 93% of Nigerians using AI for learning complex topics versus 74% globally, 91% for work assistance, and 80% for new ventures—nearly double the 42% global rate.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, stated: “Nigerians are creatively using AI to unlock opportunities for learning, growth, and economic empowerment, shaping their future with technology.”
Key findings highlight 91% viewing AI positively for learning access, 95% expecting benefits for students and educators, and strong optimism—80% excited versus 20% concerned, compared to global 53%-46% split. Frequent users show 90% excitement
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