General News
Scalability, Interface Offer 2go’s Uniqueness- Herson
Marc was previously an Executive in Residence at Softbank Capital in Boston; and a Partner at Hasso Plattner Ventures Africa. Prior to that Marc was with SONY BMG and Bertelsmann AG in New York and Munich as Senior Vice President of Strategy and New Ventures. Marc began his career as a corporate lawyer at Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs in Johannesburg. He holds a BA, LLB and a MBA from INSEAD. Marc has certifications in coaching and in mediation from Harvard Law School. Marc is a CPD faculty coach at Harvard Business School.
Overview of 2go
2go, a mobile social network and chat messenger that allows the users to communicate for free with friends and meet new people, is set to launch on the Android platform in the next weeks.
Today 2go is the largest social network in Nigeria with over nine million active users and is one of Africa’s largest mobile social networks, said Marc Herson, a director at the social network with offices in Cape Town, South Africa.
According to him, 2go is a fast trending network that users, primarily between the ages of 18 and 30, have become loyal users of. The median age of a 2go user is 23, many of which are university graduates or still at university. Herson adds that according to recent statistics the Nigerian population has remarkably a median age of 18, so the 2go user actually skews quite a bit older than the median age of Nigeria.
2go users hop on to the app to check in and chat with familyand friends for free, play games and meet people in chat rooms and discuss topics like football and music. 2go is a also cross-platform and allows users to chat with friends on Facebook and Google.
2go Success is Driven by the Users
2go’s success is due to a variety of factors.
First of all, it is about the product and the technology. Herson notes that “everything we do is focused around the product and the scalability of the platform.” We have minimal downtime, which with three million active users each day is absolutely critical. We are an app that scales.
Secondly, the app has a simple but beautiful user interface. The app is simple and easy to user, which is critical for users of feature phones. Far more than desktop-based users, users tend to be looking for an immediate hit of social connection so interfaces need to be fast and intuitive.
Thirdly, we are also focused on price sensitive users. The app is lightweight and offers users minimal use of data, thus providing savings on data costs. For instance, images are dramatically compressed, which enables users to share photographs a lot.
Mobile Ads
2go has a very powerful adverting platform and works with brands that include McDonalds, Stanbic IBTC, Guinness and host of others.
We have what we call ‘full-screen splash screen ads’. When someone logs on he views a full-screen ad for five seconds. The user can click on it to go to the brand’s own mobisite. Amazingly, up to 20 to 30% of the users click on the ads.
2go is a premium advertising platform and enables targeting of its audience by age, gender, location and other demographic characteristics. With 2go’s analytics platform brands can log on to track how their campaign is performing.
Free Music for 2go Users
When someone gets signed on to 2go there are various and interesting things that will keep him or her there.
In February this year, 2go entered into a partnership with iROKING to bring free music from the likes of Timaya, Flavour and 2Face to the phones of the millions of 2go users who use the mobile networking site to chat, make friends and share the things they love.
From Feature Phones to Smartphones
“Since inception, the success of 2go has been very much around feature phones which still make up about 90% of the market in Nigeria out of over 100 million mobile connections, said Herson, adding that, “The other ten percent are on smartphones, with 50% of those being on Blackberry.”
Feature phones still give people what they want, especially those who cannot afford smartphones.
“However, we are now also focusing on smartphones which is growing rapidly. In Nigeria it will grow from 10% to approximately 25% to 30% in 2016. Thus, we are moving fast. We are on Blackberry already; we now have hundreds of thousands of users of users on smartphones. Blackberry is important, but Android has even more promise,” he noted.
In a recent poll we ran to test smartphone purchase intend, 80% of our users said they intend to buy a phone in the next 12 months, and they said almost 90% of those new phones will be smart phones.
The director maintained that the team of 2go engineers have been working tirelessly, “We have developed a new Android application, which we are going to launch in matter of weeks.
We will first launch our Android app in Google’s Play Store and then Samsung’s App Store. Very shortly, you will see promotions with and 2go bundled data plan with some of the leading mobile networks and handset manufacturers.
2go gives more than 9 million Nigerians an honest, fun and expressive form of communication. “Watch this space” Herson says. “There is much more to come!”
The 2go platform is open to brands, marketers and others who wish to drive brand awareness and engagement to a mass market of Nigerians.
Generally, 2go is the platform to be on!
Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo has commended the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for expanding access to technology-driven skills with the inauguration of a Skills Acquisition Centre in Owerri.
L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi; First Lady of Imo State, Barr. Chioma Uzodimma; Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma; EVC/CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu and other dignitaries during the commissioning of the NASENI Skills Acquisition Centre in Owerri North LGA, Imo State yesterday.
The governor described the initiative as a strategic investment in youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and economic development.
The centre, established under the NASENI Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP) in partnership with the Senator representing Imo East Senatorial District, Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi, is designed to equip young Nigerians with practical and industry-relevant skills.
Speaking at the inauguration, Uzodimma said technology remained central to Nigeria’s economic growth and lauded NASENI for supporting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through initiatives that empower citizens.
He said the project would provide young people with practical skills needed to build sustainable livelihoods.
“This is not about giving people fish; it is about teaching them how to fish,” the governor said.
Uzodimma urged that beneficiaries of the programme be supported with start-up capital to enable them establish businesses and create employment opportunities for others.
He also commended NASENI for its continued developmental interventions in Imo and called on the host community and relevant stakeholders to protect the facility.
Responding, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr Khalil Suleiman Halilu, described the centre as another demonstration of the agency’s commitment to developing the human capital required to drive Nigeria’s industrialisation.
According to Halilu, the centre reflects NASENI’s conviction that industrial development begins with investing in people and equipping them with practical skills.
“The commissioning of this centre is not merely the opening of another facility. It is the opening of opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire practical skills that solve real problems, create businesses and generate employment.
“At NASENI, we believe our greatest investment is in the talent of our people,” he said.
Halilu said the centre would offer training in high-demand areas, including solar installation and maintenance, graphic design and printing, phone repair, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as other vocational and technology-based disciplines.
He explained that the project aligned with NASENI’s strategic focus on creation, collaboration and commercialisation, aimed at strengthening innovation, expanding local capacity and reducing dependence on imported technologies.
The NASENI boss commended Onyewuchi for partnering with the agency to deliver the project.
Onyewuchi said the centre was established to address youth unemployment through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.
He disclosed that beneficiaries would receive support to establish small businesses after completing their training, enabling them to become employers of labour.
The lawmaker said the initiative would contribute to economic growth by empowering young Nigerians with skills relevant to today’s economy.
The commissioning of the centre, according to NASENI, reinforces the agency’s commitment to equipping Nigerians with practical skills, fostering innovation and building the workforce required for Nigeria’s industrial and economic development.
Federal government has launched Credit for Laptops, Internet, Connectivity and Knowledge Digital Devices (C.L.I.C.K.D.), a new consumer credit initiative, to provide affordable financing for locally assembled laptops and other digital devices.
L-R: Mr Uzoma Nwagba, managing director and chief executive officer, CREDICORP, and Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, at the launch
The initiative by the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is aimed at equipping Nigerians with the tools needed to participate in the country’s growing digital economy.
During the launch, Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, described access to credit as critical to improving productivity and driving economic growth.
Dr Tijani said no nation could achieve sustainable development without a strong credit system that enables individuals and businesses to access resources needed to become more productive.
He noted that in today’s digital age, technology has become indispensable for education, innovation and wealth creation.
The minister explained that many talented young Nigerians possess the skills required to succeed in the digital economy but remain constrained by their inability to own computers and other digital tools.
Drawing from his personal experience, Dr Tijani recalled how his first laptop as a student in the university opened doors to international opportunities and eventually inspired him to establish one of Nigeria’s pioneering technology hubs.
He said the new programme would ensure that more young Nigerians are not denied similar opportunities because of financial barriers.
According to him, the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a one-trillion-dollar economy by expanding access to technology, boosting productivity and supporting local manufacturing.
Mr Uzoma Nwagba, managing director and chief executive officer, CREDICORP, described the programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future workforce and digital transformation.
Mr Nwagba said that while improvements in internet connectivity and digital skills training have positioned Nigeria for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, access to devices remains a major challenge preventing many young people from fully participating in the digital economy.
He explained that C.L.I.C.K.D. would bridge that gap by providing affordable consumer credit that enables beneficiaries to acquire laptops and other internet-enabled devices while they develop in-demand digital skills
Federal Government has announced the disbursement of about N333 billion to eight electricity generation companies (GenCos) as part of measures to resolve outstanding debts in the power sector.
The government also disclosed the issuance of a second bond valued at N729 billion to settle verified legacy obligations and improve liquidity within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The disclosures were made on Tuesday at an investors’ forum organised by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc in Abuja.
Government representatives said the latest bond issuance marked the completion of the initial phase of the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme, which was designed to address verified liabilities and attract private sector investment across the electricity value chain.
The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Mrs Olu Verheijen, said the implementation of the first series of the programme demonstrated the administration’s commitment to meeting its financial obligations and improving investor confidence.
Verheijen disclosed that the Federal Government in February 2026 allocated about N501 billion under the first tranche of the programme, comprising N300 billion in cash and N201 billion in non-cash bond instruments to offset verified debts owed to power producers.
She said N333 billion had so far been disbursed to eight participating GenCos operating 17 power plants.
According to her, the government also paid the first coupon of about N63.5 billion on the seven-year bond in full on July 14, 2026.
She explained that the payments had enabled generation companies to meet critical obligations to gas suppliers, lenders and operations and maintenance contractors, thereby improving their operational capacity.
“Markets do not reward promises; they reward performance. Capital follows credibility,” Verheijen said.
She added that the second bond series would further strengthen liquidity in the electricity market and create a more stable financial environment capable of attracting long-term private investment.
The Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme is part of broader Federal Government efforts to address challenges affecting electricity generation, distribution and investment in Nigeria’s power sector.
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