E-Business
Osun’s ‘Opon Imo’ Tackles Educational Woes
Osun State government has come up with ‘Opon Imo’ ideology, which is ‘Tablet of Knowledge’, to aid students’ preparation for internal and external examinations, in line with best global practices.
According to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Osun State’s Governor, the computer tablets are preloaded with lesson notes on 17 subjects offered by students in the WASSCE and NECO (SSCE) respectively and contains six extra-curricular subjects including sexuality education, entrepreurship, Civic, Computer Education, Yoruba History, and Traditional Religion.
The Governor who was represented by Mrs. Titi Laoye Tomori, the deputy governor, said the fit would affords students unfettered access to textbooks, makes teaching and learning exciting to teachers and students and has practice questions in the text zone and past questions and revision notes for 10 years.
The Deputy who doubles as the State Commissioner for Education added that the present administration in the State inherited an educational system in abysmal state.
“On assumption of office of the Aregbesola administration public schools educational system had collapsed and was at the lowest level; school infrastructure had collapsed, the buildings were dilapidated and students’ performance in examinations was abysmal as only 3% was “matriculable’.
“School fees were prohibitive in tertiary institutions, with grants insufficient to schools for basic education, bursary was not realistic, and elementary school pupils were malnourished and poorly dressed for school, demoralized and uninspired staff”.
In view of the deplorable state of educational sector in the State, Tomori noted that The State Government convened an Education Summit in February 2011, where the findings, reports and recommendations of the Summit have since become the education road map for the State.
‘Opon Imo’ ideology is an offshoot of the Summit. Under the scheme, Osun State Government plans to unleash 150,000 Copies of Opon Imo, teachers would receive their copies, there are 63 text books in the e- library, revision notes for ten years, a mock test center and an MOU already signed with the Chinese manufacturer for the establishment of the production factory in the State of Osun.
The Computer tablet is solar powered. Power outage should not hinder academic endeavours.
It is easy to carry, could be used anywhere and at any time. This system of learning has improved academic performance in developed countries. Computer Tablets is produced for high school students. Virtual learning Center pre-loaded with lesson notes for SS I-III. The teacher in the virtual classroom introduces the subject for the Day.
She added that the State’s New School System is now structured into Elementary, Middle and High Schools. The Elementary school comprise of pupils between the ages of 6-9 years, with daily academic activities would span 8am – 2pm. “This categorization is currently known as Primary 1-4 and would henceforth be known as Grades 1-4. There are Infrastructural Facilities designed to accommodate 900 pupils and 10 Elementary Schools would be delivered by the end of July.
“The middle school is made of pupils between the age ranges of 10-14 years, whose daily academics activities is between 8am – 3.00pm. This categorization is currently known as Pry. 5, 6, JSS 1, 2 and 3. They would henceforth be referred to as Grades 5-9 and an example of a middle school has been built at Alekuwodo, Osogbo, ready for commissioning,” she said.
Others in the high school who are to benefit from the ‘Opon Imo’ are students in the age range of 15 and 17. This category is currently known as SSI- SSIII and would hence forth be known as Grades 10 -12. The Infrastructural facilities designed to accommodate 3000 with facilities like libraries, food court, football pitch, laboratories &examination Halls
“The new system aims at exposing pupils/students to modern facilities in form of standard classrooms, boarding facilities, libraries, science/ ICT Facilities,” the State Commissioner for Education noted.
Meanwhile, the State Government said it is spending millions of naira to provide enabling educational system comprising of feeding, uniform, provision of infrastructure, among other developmental agenda.
E-Business
Kaduna, Google Launch First AI Training in Hausa Language
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.
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.
E-Business
Chowdeck Secures $2.5M Seed Funding to Optimize On-demand Food Delivery in Nigeria
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”.
E-Business
Konga Launches Tech Month with Incredible Discounts
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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