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Angst as Nigeria Sits @ Outskirts of $10Bn Software Industry

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Chris Uwaje, national president, ISPON
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A cross section of software experts have returned a damning indictment on the federal government, accusing her of “paying lip-service to software development”, and insisting that the government didn’t really care about the sector, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can report.

The experts, who waxed worriedly at the weekend, said that the government was ignorant of the potentials of the software industry to “cheetah-pole-vault” the economy.

Chris Uwaje, national president, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), said that in other countries, software or the knowledge technology is promoted by the number one citizen and that Nigeria seems to be doing the opposite.

 “It also has legislation requirements. For instance, we are going ahead with the legislation on cyber security whereas, we have not legislated on the software industry.  This is an anomaly, because everything about cyber space is about software. I think, it is a confused state and for whatsoever reasons, professionalism for software has been abandoned. That is why we are not relenting in advising the federal government and, even the national assembly” Uwaje added.

Nodding in agreement,  Agboola Toheeb, chief technical officer, ITRDN Technologies Limited, said that Nigeria is sitting at the outskirts of the $10 billion software industry.

Toheeb, also said, that local industry loses close to $2 billion yearly to software importation.

He said that “There is no doubt that this is as a result of an undefined policy framework and investment strategy on the side of government. So there has been no significant inflow of investment into the local software industry in Nigeria, what we have had so far is IT companies buying rights to resell software licenses”

Commenting, Tobi Asehinde, chief executive officer, Vibe Web Solutions Limited, urged Nigerian banks and financial institutions in the country to sack all foreign information security workers on their payrolls.

 “Since banking is based highly on trust, security issues will remain a special and major concern.  It is important for banks to develop local talents to combat information security issues as this will not only build trust amongst customers in Nigeria but will attract those in Diaspora and foreign investors to grow valuable relationships with the banks that can foster economic growth” he added.

Latching on that, Uwaje insisted that “all the important indices for rating countries in the knowledge economy are anchored in the software domain.  That is why telecom is thriving in Nigeria, but the rating about Nigeria has been very low in the IT environment”

The ISPON boss added that “In fact, Nigeria has been going down because we have not been able to get it right in the indigenous software ecosystem. That is why ISPON has been championing and promoting software in Nigeria for the past 14 years”.

Elsewhere, Asehinde warned that “It would be unhealthy and unwise for banks to have their information security knowledge bases and technology dominated by foreigners “

 Corroborating him, Tohheb said that “My fear however is that the government is not doing enough to grow the local software industry or should I say not sincere because government institutions remains the largest consumer of these imported software – let’s take INEC as a case study and the amount the electoral body spends yearly for voters registration using software imported from abroad.”


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Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.

GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.

In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.

Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).

GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.


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Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”

Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.

A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.

Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”

Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.

“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”


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Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG's Website Performance Ranking

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.

The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.

He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.

This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.

GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.

The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”

As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.

With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.

 


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