E-Business
Localisation of IT for Development: Imode, UNN Example
By Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata
The National Information Technology Policy (NITP) received a boost with two recent events; one at Imode Community, Kwara State and the other at University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State. NITP seeks to make Nigeria an IT capable country in Africa and a key player in the information society by using IT as the engine for sustainable development and global competiveness.
So, it was an emotional day on September 30, 2017 as Imode Community in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State commissioned as a 40 computer- capacity Digital Literacy Center (DiLiCe).
No doubt, this smart move will definitely bequeath the community a ‘digital smart community’ status in no distant time, delivering a decent living and respectable future to its people, irrespective of their social status.
Imode Development Association (IDA) deserve commendation for its vision to make the community dwellers, especially the youths, become IT complaint and ‘netizens’ in the information society by using IT as the engine for sustainable development and global competiveness. The most interesting part is that it was a wholly community initiated, sponsored and executed project. A project of such magnitude with less than N10million is rare these days, but that is the way to go is we are serious about digital literacy.
Speaking at the recent public presentation of the solar-powered excellent Digital Literacy Center (DiLiCe), equipped with modern ICT infrastructure to support the education and curiosity of every citizen within and around the community, the President, Imode Development Association (IDA), Pastor Joseph Babatunde, said the project, were to assist the students imbibe the IT culture as the world has gone digital. I dare to say that this must not be limited to the students alone. Digital Literacy has become a right, hence every ruralite deserves to know what goes on in the world of information (and communication) technology.
Babatunde actually gave little insight to what prompted this project. He said, “I recall with joy that the idea of the provision of a modern IT Centre for our school came to me a couple of years ago when one of my children did the post-JAMB exam in University of Ilorin (Unilorin). The students were all given computers to do the exams. While she breezed through the exams, most of the other children were just starring at the device until the time was over. I felt challenged there and then, to give every child that needed opportunity”.
So disappointing! How come the organisers of these examinations care-less about the computer competences of the students? This reflects the challenge faced by students in over 744 local governments in Nigeria. You will be making mistake to think every student in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt is exposed to digital knowledge. We must do the needful by equipping the local communities with digital tools and centers; that is if the national IT policy is something we are serious about.
I am particularly impressed with further explanation given by Reverend Sunday Folayan, IDA’s Vice President, who stated that “Imode ICT Vision- will be achieved by reliance on technology, carefully backed up with traditional methods that are functional. A significant number of indigenes will continue to live outside the community or the country, and their needs and requirements to stay connected to their roots will continue to inform the community’s development policies. ICT will be used to solve practical problems, such as educational deficiency as well as the security of lives and properties”.
If I understand Folayan’s statement, most aspects of the community’s engagement activities will be conducted electronically towards widening access and participation especially with its citizens in the diaspora, using appropriate technologies. In other words, members of the Community will come to accept a high standard of up-to-date facilities, ease-of-use and reliability, richness of information, integrated services and excellent support. What is more heartwarming than this!
The icing on the cake was the IDA’s contact with Paradigm Initiative (PI) to conduct training and capacity building. I urge every community based association in Nigeria to borrow a leaf from this laudable project, even as I encourage IDA to adequately capture the depreciating cost of the centre, so as to ensure that the spirit called lack of maintenance culture is defeated.
…UNN, Crestsage Commission Lion Laptop Assembly Complex
Good news! University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) scored another first on October 6, 2017 with the commissioning of Nigeria’s first indigenous (university) laptop assembly complex.
This is a significant project, as the Complex with a capacity to produce 100,000 laptops a year will deliver jobs for not less than 500 people.
Why am I excited here? This was not delivered by a foreign firm, rather an alumnus of famous tertiary institution- Engr Charles Emembolu, the CEO of Crestsage Limited, a Lagos-based indigenous Technology company under a management arrangement with BOC (Benefitting Our Community) Innovations Limited, initiated and delivered the project.
This is a boost to 2015 conceived ‘one laptop per student’ initiative set by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, in his bid to ensure 21st century compliant learning for the university students.
Though, this initiative was threatened by the recent high foreign exchange rates hence the vision of this production project, however, Engr Emembolu has demonstrated the ‘die-hard’ spirit of a Nigerian Entrepreneur.
Lion laptop project is critical project due to the ability to deliver local content in the billion-naira industry by value substitution of components with locally available materials and labour.
It will be recalled that Emembolu and some other University Alumni delivered the Roar Nigeria business incubator and technology hub at University of Nigeria in December 2016.
The Lion laptops meets the needs of the Nigerian student matching quality with affordable cost and capacity to produce bespoke specification for different school and government initiative across the country.
Speaking at the event Engr. Emembolu confirmed that the complex will employ about 500 people when producing at full capacity and affirmed the complex offers an on-campus manufacturing and learning environment for the university community, students and researchers.
The strategy is such that the ultra-modern complex will serve as an avenue to empower the youth with much needed applied technology skills to take a leadership role in Nigeria’s economic emancipation.
Yes. We keep saying that Nigeria’s youthful population is an asset that needs to be prepared for a prosperous future of Africa and the world. This a practical step to make this happen, even as this initiative is in line with the vision of the University’s founding fathers, “To restore the dignity of man”.
With these two projects commissioned almost at the same time, it is my hope that we don’t end there; rather it should challenge both government and private entities to innovate and make our nation proud.
Kaduna State Government, in partnership with Google and Data Science Nigeria (DSN), introduced the inaugural “AI for Beginners in Hausa,” marking the first instance of artificial intelligence (AI) training in a local language.
In Northern Nigeria, various challenges can impact access to tech education and career opportunities. These include diverse socio-cultural dynamics, infrastructural limitations, and language barriers. Photo: @Gov Uba Sani X handle
Sen. Uba Sani, Kaduna State governor, expressed profound gratitude to the partners for building support for women to use technology in harnessing the socio- economic development of the state and the country as a whole.
Represented by Dr Hadiza Balarabe, deputy governor, at the launch of Arewa Ladies for Tech and the mural unveiling of the AI for Beginners Learning Video series, Sani, said AI is not just the future; it’s the present.
According to him, Google pledged a $1.5 million grant to empower 20,000 Nigerian women and youths from underserved communities with essential 21st-century skills. This includes a plan to train 5,000 women and girls in areas such as data science and artificial intelligence through the Arewa Tech4Ladies initiative.
Mr. Olumide Balogun, director of Google in West Africa, said in his welcome address that Google’s mission was to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Balogun said that this initiative was a commitment to enhance the representation and inclusion of women in the tech sector.
Dr Bayo Adekanmbi, chief executive officer of DNS, explained that by making AI education accessible in Hausa, the partnership was creating opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and social impact.
Presenting a paper tagged, “AI in Education”, Dr Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said a lot had been missed because AI was not being taught in the local language.
The DG was represented by Dr. Ahmed Tambuwal, head of the Digital Literacy and Capacity Building Department of NITDA.
Chowdeck, Nigeria’s on-demand delivery service, has secured $2.5 million in seed funding to optimize its operations and support expansion into more cities across the country.
The seed funding round included investment from YCombinator, Goodwater Capital, FounderX Ventures, Hoaq Fund, Levare Ventures, True Culture Funds and Haleakala Ventures. Simon Borrero and Juan Pablo Ortega (co-founders of Rappi – Latin America’s largest online delivery platform), Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi (co-founders of Paystack – one of Africa’s leading fintech companies. Acquired by Stripe for $200m), Sudeep Ramani (Sportybet), Ayo Arikawe (Thrive Agric) and Karthik Ramakrishnan (Amazon) also participated as angels.
Since launching in October 2021 after the COVID-19 lockdown in Lagos, Chowdeck has acquired more than 500,000 users and more than 3,000 riders (typically earning the same as senior civil servants in Nigeria) that serve 8 Nigerian cities (Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Port-Harcourt, Ilorin, Benin City, Abeokuta and Asaba).
This new funding will enable Chowdeck to double down on its market leadership in these cities and lay the groundwork for further expansion into other Nigerian cities.
Driven by a combination of increased smartphone and internet penetration, improved payment systems, evolving consumer preferences and a range of other factors, there has been a significant growth in on-demand delivery services in Nigeria in recent years.
For example, heavy traffic in major cities makes it challenging for people to shop for groceries, meals, or other goods, increasing the attractiveness of delivery services that can save time.
This growth trajectory is poised to continue as many of the challenges that hampered previous attempts at providing on-demand delivery services are fixed.
Chowdeck is the fastest delivery service operating out of Africa today, allowing consumers to buy food and have it delivered to their doorstep in 30 minutes, on average.
The startup has built an effective logistics operation that food vendors can leverage to seamlessly deliver meals to customers while also providing consumers with an easy platform to order meals from their favourite restaurants in their city.
The startup has also partnered with a wide range of leading quick-service restaurants such as Chicken Republic, Burger King, Bukka Hut and more to drive sales, provide logistics infrastructure and other services to enable enhanced customer experiences.
Femi Aluko, CEO and co-founder of Chowdeck, said, “We know that Nigerians love good food, and we just want to make it as easy as possible for them to access the food they desire.
Chowdeck was birthed to fulfil this purpose and we are committed to delivering truly excellent experiences for our customers, vendors and riders. We are pleased with the success we have achieved to date and excited to have raised these funds that will enable us to replicate that success in more parts of Nigeria, and add value to our customers, vendors, and riders in as many ways as we can.”
Shola Akinlade, CEO and co-founder of Paystack said, “Chowdeck is not only addressing the crucial need for an efficient and reliable on-demand delivery service in Nigeria, the team embodies innovation and a commitment to excellence.
It is a privilege to be part of their journey and I look forward to celebrating more success with them in months and years to come.
Apart from investing financially into the company, our experience with building Paystack puts us in a great position to provide a lot of practical support and I am excited to see what it is to come from the Chowdeck team.”
June Angelides, Partner at Levare Ventures, said “Chowdeck has quickly become a household name across Nigeria, priding itself on very high standards of execution. They are addressing a large and complicated problem, especially in Africa, delivering goods at record speed.
I am excited that they have proven that the opportunity is there beyond restaurants and supermarkets. The team have secured landmark partnerships with Shoprite, Chicken Republic and KFC, a sign of their grit. Their customers love them, their riders love them. There’s so much more to come and I’m excited to be with them on the journey”.
Konga, Leading e-commerce giant has announced its highly anticipated Konga Tech Month starting from Wednesday, May 1, until Friday, May 31, 2024. This good news is not only for tech enthusiasts and bargain hunters but also for home appliance lovers, as this year’s edition goes beyond gadgets to feature home, office and lifestyle essentials.
Konga Tech Month has become a major event in the Nigerian shopping calendar. This annual sales extravaganza is widely regarded as one of the biggest gadget sales in the country. It offers a treasure trove of tech devices at unbeatable prices, attracting a massive audience eager to snag incredible deals on a wide range of products.
This year’s Konga Tech Month boasts an impressive selection of devices across various categories. Whether you need a reliable laptop, phone or a professional upgrade to your office and household with authentic appliances, Konga Tech Month has something to suit every need.
Throughout May, Konga’s customers will stand the chance to take advantage of special discounts on original printers, dependable power solutions and generators from companies like iTEC and iPower Inverters, mobile phones, refrigerators, inverters, and much more at up to half the price. Many freebies and deals will also be on offer for the fastest fingers in the Konga Flash Sale.
“Konga Tech Month is a testament to our commitment to providing Nigerians with access to high-quality yet affordable tech products,” said Mr Nnamdi Ekeh, CEO of Konga. “This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better than last year, so we are thrilled to get started. Thanks to Konga Tech Month, we can accomplish our mission of making cutting-edge technology available to everyone no matter their budget.”
The competitive pricing and special deals offered during Konga Tech Month are available for students, institutions, and organizations. Whether it’s outfitting a computer lab, updating office technology, or providing students with affordable laptops, Konga Tech Month offers a cost-effective solution.
A satisfied shopper from the last edition shared her excitement saying, “The Konga Tech event last year was incredible! I was able to get the high-performance laptop I’d been eyeing for months and at a price I couldn’t believe. The discounts were amazing, and the selection was huge. Plus, being able to choose between online shopping or visiting a Konga store was convenient and made shopping easier. I’m looking forward to Tech Week this year. I’ve been eyeing a new microwave and phone, and I know Konga will have the finest deals in town.”
Konga Tech Month offers a smooth shopping experience for everyone. Customers can browse the extensive selection of discounted tech products online at the Konga website (https://www.konga.com/) or visit any Konga retail outlets nationwide to experience the deals firsthand.
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