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IBM Identifies How Nigeria Will Benefit from Data Innovation
By peter oluka
As technocrats and private sector leaders celebrate Nigeria’s 145th position on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report for 2018, the Nigerian government’s ongoing efforts to reform its business environment, revamp and harmonize its data management capabilities with regards to public administration of the nation’s human and material resources has been commended as a step in the right direction by Mr. Dipo Faulkner, IBM’s Country General Manager.
“Accurate data and information management is the backbone of any reform programme,” Faulkner said, making the point that technology utilization will continue to drive improvements in the business and investment climate.
Nigeria moved up 24 points from the 169th position on the 2017 ranking. According to the World Bank, Nigeria alongside El Salvador, India, Malawi, Brunei Darussalam, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Zambia and Djibouti are the top 10 improved countries worldwide, after carrying out numerous reforms to improve their business environments.
“These rankings reflect that the country is making appreciable progress on its ease of doing business credentials, nevertheless, we desperately need to move towards becoming a society driven by data and other advanced technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT),” Faulkner said.
“Data is increasingly becoming the world’s new natural resource and this ‘big data’ phenomenon has begun to change everything. Right now, we have over one trillion connected objects and devices on the planet generating data. Data is driving the concepts and strategies behind the Internet of Things (IoT) which is bound to affect all industries. It is important for companies and government institutions in Nigeria to know that the world is now moving into a new era of the cloud and cognitive computing environment, driven by data,” Faulkner said.
“Government’s recent pronouncements in this regard is a step in the right direction, and one which all agencies of government should take as a clarion call to invest in modern business management tools and technology,” Faulkner opined, as he observed that there was no better time than now, as the economy was recovering from a recession, for increased private and public-sector investments in technology.
Technology industry analysts observe that data mining and e-governance efforts in Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest economies by GDP, have at best been a debacle.
As one of the largest employers of labour, government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) generate a significant portion of Nigeria’s data traffic. Banks have disparately collected Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and bio-metric information of their customers for years.
Government-owned enterprises also collect pretty much the same data for a plethora of reasons. This has resulted in the proliferation of biometric-based identity systems in the country, with banks, telecom operators, the police and immigration services collecting pretty much the same citizens information and data.
Business and Technology industry analysts agree that this scenario needs to be fixed if Nigeria is to fully tap into the many benefits of the global big data economy. Data is a key ingredient for innovation, they emphasized.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has recently instructed relevant government agencies to fix the nation’s “data management” syndrome.
He has set up a data harmonization programme to ensure that all MDAs align their existing infrastructure as data collection agents to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which manages the nation’s National Identity Database (NIDB).
The plan to integrate public sector -owned databases into the NIDB will begin with the nationwide Bank Verification Number (BVN) scheme, managed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card registration exercise of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC); the driver’s licence scheme by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the National Identity card scheme by NIMC.
“Apart from being unwieldy, the cost of operating multiple discordant databases and infrastructure is untenable and not security smart,” said Acting Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mrs Habiba Lawal, recently in Abuja while inaugurating the Governing Board of the NIMC.
“As a nation, we must act speedily to revamp and replace manual, paper-based administrative systems and processes with computerized systems. This is a clarion call for a collaborative mindset and partnership between our public and private sector firms,” Faulkner says. “We must not only harmonize our efforts to drive up efficiency levels, we must also ensure that technology is at the core of our efforts to innovate.”
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Legit.ng, Shade of Life Foundation Partner to Advance Autism Awareness in Nigeria
Legit.ng recently joined forces with the Shade of Life Foundation to become a voice of autism, and drive advocacy for improved media support during Autism Awareness Month.
Conversations around media support exploration was led by Joseph Omotayo, head of Department for Human Interest Stories at Legit.ng, and Dr. Eziafakaku Nwokolo, founder and CEO of the Shade of Life Foundation,
This partnership is a response to the concerns raised by organizations like the Shade of Life Foundation about the level of support received from the media in discussing autism as a disability.
While other disabilities may receive attention, autism, with its critical developmental implications often lacks adequate representation in mainstream media.
Recognizing the importance of addressing these concerns, Legit.ng took proactive steps by integrating itself into the essence of autism awareness.
It facilitated a one-hour workshop with Dr. Nwokolo, the founder of the foundation, to deepen our understanding of autism, its various spectrums, and the language boundaries associated with it.
Other steps we took in advocating autism awareness in the media, can be seen in our attached press release.
Legit.ng believes that by amplifying the voices of autism and advocating for better media representation, we can contribute to creating a more inclusive and accepting society for all.
News
As Nigeria Struggle, Tanzania Turns off Power Plants Due to Excess Supply
While 85 per cent of Nigeria is in darkness, Tanzania, an African country has shut down five hydroelectric stations in a bid to reduce excess electricity in the national grid.
Kassim Majaliwa, prime minister, Tanzania, has said the main plant, Mwalimu Nyerere Hydroelectric Station, alone generated enough electricity to power major cities, including Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial hub.
It is the first time Tanzania, which suffers chronic power shortages, has closed hydroelectric stations due to excess production.
“We have turned off all these stations because the demand is low and the electricity production is too much, we have no allocation now,” an official from state-run power company, Tanesco, said.
The 2,115MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Dam is said to be almost filled with water following heavy rains that started early this year.
Meanwhile, while the country has an installed capacity of 1,938MW and the grid installed capacity of 1,899MW, Nigeria which has an installed capacity of 13,000MW is struggling to electrify 85 per cent of its electricity consumers.
News
President Tinubu Appoints Jim Ovia as Student Loan Fund Chairman
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Jim Ovia, renowned banker and businessman, as the Chairman, Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
Ovia’s appointment is contained in a State House statement titled, ‘President Tinubu appoints Jim Ovia as Chairman of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund,’ and issued on Friday by Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the President, Media & Publicity.
The statement noted that “Ovia is the founder of one of Nigeria’s leading banks and a respected business leader, with a surfeit of efforts and benefaction towards nurturing and empowering young Nigerians.
“He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana.”
The National Student Loan Programme is a pivotal intervention that seeks to guarantee sustainable higher education and functional skill development for all Nigerian students and youths.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the implementing institution of this innovation, demands excellence and Nigerians of the finest professional ilk to guide and manage.
“The President believes Mr. Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience and professional stature to this role to advance the all-important vision of ensuring that no Nigerian student suffers a capricious end to their pursuit of higher education over a lack of funds,” the statement partly read.
Ovia’s appointment will also ensure “that Nigerian youths, irrespective of who they are, have access to higher education and skills that will make them productive members of society and core contributors to the knowledge-based global economy of this century.”
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