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Nigeria’s Future is Mobile- Experts
Experts in mobile communications technology have stressed the need for educators in Nigeria to be up to speed with modern reality if the country would meet her millennium develop goals (MDGs) target and beyond.
After a thorough analysis of Nigeria’s market leadership position in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), in only about a decade since mobile telephony was introduced, various speakers at the conference tagged “MobileWeb West Africa” agreed that the country’s education system was not in sync with present reality.
Alex Dadson, managing director, Qualcomm West Africa, who spoke to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek exclusively stated that the education system in Nigeria would need a general overhaul to meet the market reality.
Dadson stated that multinational ICT firms usually have to retrain local graduates to fit into the workplace because of the gap between what is taught in the Universities and the work-place environment.
And as a practical demonstration of filling-in-gap, the leading global US chipset manufacturers organized a special training workshop for about 30 young Nigerian application developers at the MobileWeb conference.
It also introduced a new product into the market called Augmented Reality.
Dadson stated that Augmented Reality. is a special app that identifies images and augment the users’ experience in the mobile ecosystem.
Tunde Kehinde, a young and leading under 30 mobile online entrepreneur concurred with Dadson that Nigeria’s education system need major innovative overhaul to meet market reality.
“I attended primary and high school in Nigeria, but went abroad for post secondary education. Yes, there is a need for some major overall in our education curricula to fit into the advancing technological trend,” said Kehinde.
Kehinde’s Jumia is rated ahead of Amazon and eBay in global search engines from Nigerian searches for online shopping.
He believes Nigerian have the capacity to excel, but need the education to match their counterparts in other markets across the globe.
Several other experts also spoke on the emerging mobileweb space as next big thing in online entrepreneurship.
Elo Umeh, CEO of Twinpine Mobile Advertising reiterated that mobile web advertising is design as a veritable tool for big multinationals and local SMEs to explore and promote their businesses to their prospective clients.
Umeh, added that busineses can set value at the long run, for money invested to the business, by advertising on mobile platforms which relate to return on investment.
Specifically, he stated that this is done by showcasing products and services to both prospective and existing customers. Mobile web advertising is possible through website posters, SMS platforms on mobile phones.
The Twinpine executive stressed that their big push is a 30 million customer target by 2014, with services cutting across all sectors of the Nigerian economy including news, entertainment, gossips and sports.
Mrs. Harey Oyindamola Ogundeyi, industry manager, Google, stated that there was a huge market to be discovered in mobile branding opportunities for brands to reach their customers.
These platforms include the use of mobile video (which is in vogue) amongst music lovers, through mobile phones or the internet.
She noted that this can be harnessed by using it at people’s convenience, either at home, work or on the move, describing it as a unique feature.
Ogundeyi stressed further that this devices has created a platform of opportunities of freedom for people to part into civilized world. She declared that the platform makes “advertising on the net easy, through the process of search and display.”
Olusegun Martins, head technology at Insight Communication, shared similar views with Mrs. Ogundeyi.
He noted that the modern day technological advancement and innovation means mobile users are connected to various sectors of activities on the World Wide Web (www), for gathering and dissemination of information.
Martins added that this technological techniques makes brands a believable character, in any story message it delivers to its audience. He added (unscientific) that well over 25 percent on Nigerian mobile phone users are on the smartphones segment, turns it into life companionship.
“This trend enables people to sleep and wakeup with their phones even at night and early hours of the morning.”
Martins describes the emerging lifestyle “as emotional connection, media hub, shopping companies and personal assistance tools to life.”
Mr. Deepanker Rustagi, general manager, VCconect.com X-rayed the importance of the mobile web platform in helping to develop the small medium entrepreneur to grow their business by assisting them to design good strategies, to enable their prospective customers, which will go a long way, for them to have value for their investments.
The Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) and the Association of Corporate Communication and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB) have enjoined banks to further deepen and prioritize financial inclusion, women’s empowerment and sustained growth through strategic mandates and frameworks, aimed at closing the financial gap and empowering more small, and medium enterprise (MSME) owners.
Both organisations made this call during a courtesy visit to the newly invested 24th President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr. Dele Alabi, Ph.D, FCIB, as part of plans to congratulate him on his investiture as well as seek a stronger alliance between both bodies.
The visit followed Alabi’s investiture where he unveiled his “IMPACT” Vision, themed “Consolidating Our Local Impact, Enhancing Our Global Relevance.”
The vision rests on six pillars: Inclusion across geographic, gender, and generational lines; Membership growth and quality; Professionalism and ethics; Accountability; Competencies and skills development; Technology, automation, and innovation. Other areas of shared interest, include women empowerment, financial inclusion and literacy, as well as MSME clinics, all of which are top on his agenda.
Alabi explained that under him, the institute will be prioritising financial inclusion and women empowerment, because of its realisation that women are often the primary financial managers and caregivers in families. Access to savings, micro-credit, and insurance acts as a safety net during crisis and allows them to significantly improve living conditions.
He added that CIBN would be happy to drive joint knowledge sharing and exchange sessions with CBN and ACAMB across various platforms. “Educating the public through public awareness programmes, with ACAMB as the rallying point, is central to what we do,” he noted.
ACAMB President, Jide Sipe, who led the delegation, spoke in unison with the CIBN president, as he noted that, closing the inbalances in financial access help economies grow faster, reduces inequality, and encourages greater civic participation by all.
Lagos State has become the first sub-national government in Nigeria to establish a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Registry, a move aimed at strengthening climate governance, improving emissions accountability and accelerating the state’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Lagos State Greenhouse Gas Registry (LGHGR) was unveiled at the Central Business District, Alausa, Ikeja, at a ceremony attended by Prof. Akin Abayomi, commissioner for Health, members of the State Executive Council, representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment, development partners, TPHG Technologies, the diplomatic and business communities, academics, civil society organisations and the media.
Describing the initiative as a landmark achievement in the state’s environmental sustainability drive, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, general manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), said the Registry marks a defining moment in Lagos’ climate action journey and reflects Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to building a resilient, climate-smart and environmentally sustainable economy.
According to Ajayi, the digital platform will enable the state to accurately measure, monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions across key sectors, providing credible data to guide environmental policies and climate interventions.
He said the Registry would strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve transparency and accountability, support national and international climate reporting obligations, unlock carbon market opportunities and boost investor confidence in Lagos’ environmental initiatives.
Ajayi also commended TPHG Technologies for providing the technical expertise that made the pioneering project possible.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Abayomi described the Registry as a major milestone that positions Lagos at the forefront of climate governance and emissions accountability in both Nigeria and Africa.
He noted that climate change has evolved into a significant public health and governance challenge, stressing that access to reliable emissions data would enable the state to formulate evidence-based policies, attract climate financing, strengthen resilience and accelerate its transition to a low-carbon economy.
Providing insights into the technical framework of the project, Dr. Mofoluso Fagbeja, lead consultant and chief executive officer, TPHG Technologies, explained that the Registry was developed from the greenhouse gas inventory jointly undertaken by LASEPA and TPHG Technologies in 2022, using 2019 as the baseline year for emissions assessment.
He said the platform is designed to close critical emissions data gaps, particularly within the industrial sector, while supporting effective climate policy implementation, emissions management and sustainable development.
Fagbeja also disclosed that the greenhouse gas inventory estimated that poor air quality contributes to about 35,000 premature deaths annually in Lagos, underscoring the urgent need for stronger emissions control measures and cleaner environmental practices.
In a goodwill message, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, minister of Environment, represented by Mrs. Adenaike Olunimpe Oludunni, federal controller of Environment in Lagos, commended Lagos State for pioneering the initiative, describing it as a significant contribution to Nigeria’s climate commitments.
He said the Registry aligns with the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and supports the Federal Government’s Energy Transition Plan, while reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to deeper collaboration with Lagos State on climate governance and environmental sustainability.
A recently released Henley Passport Index 2026, showed that Nigerian citizens can travel to at least 20 destinations outside the African continent where entry is allowed either visa-free, with a visa on arrival (VOA) at no extra cost, or via an e-visa.
This expanded access opens doors for Nigerian travellers to experience countries in the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond with greater ease.
Below is a comprehensive guide to countries outside Africa which Nigerian passport holders can visit without a traditional visa.
Visa-Free Countries outside Africa for Nigerian Passport Holders:
Barbados
Cambodia – Visa on arrival
Comoros Islands – Visa on arrival
Cook Islands
Dominica
Fiji
Haiti
Iran – Visa on arrival
Kiribati
Lebanon
Maldives – Visa on arrival
Micronesia
Montserrat
Niue – Visa on arrival
Palau Islands – Visa on arrival
Samoa – Visa on arrival
St. Kitts and Nevis
Timor-Leste – Visa on arrival
Tuvalu
Vanuatuul
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