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Bekele Gets Lifetime Award for Inspiring Change in Telecom

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He is a revolutionary; he stunned Nigeria by demonstrating that telephone is for everyone.
At the beginning of the telecommunications revolution in Nigeria, he did the unthinkable by adopting the now popular mass marketing approach.
As the then chief executive officer of Reliance Telecommunications Limited now rebranded Zoom Mobile, he pressured the management of the company at that time to offer its phone lines at a modest N14, 000 as against the market price at the time of over N50, 000.
That is the story of Bekele Tadesse, born in Ethiopia and blossomed in the United States of America.
Bekele is a man of  remarkable accomplishment and had his name etched in gold in Nigeria.
That is how IT and Telecom Digest, Nigeria’s most respected ICT magazine described Bekele, a talent and fervour.
Bekele, currently the head of Harris Stratex in Nigeria, had his first true contact with the communications style of his African continent as a researcher with the old Harris Microwave Communications when he discovered that with the long talking hours of Africans, to deploy a telephone network, an operator could actually make quicker market entry by giving phone lines almost at no cost to a subscriber.
Unbelievable as it sounded initially, more Nigerians became owners of a telephone line, even though it was predominantly fixed wireless lines. Sticking out his neck and ready to resign his job if his permutation failed, Bekele achieved a feat and because of his courage in the face of daunting obstacles, the many hitherto unconnected Nigerians became owners of functional phone lines.
This daring move forced other operators to reduce the prices of their telephone sets and lines. Like a guardian angel, Bekele provided an answer to the prayers of numerous Nigerians who had before then pleaded for a reduction in price.
This singular action of a dedicated man brought change to the face of the telecom sector and to date, the effect remains infectious. Bekele designed the organisational framework of Reltel, its business plan for the GSM and CDMA network, and documentation for the company’s eventual CDMA licence.
Unfortunately, Bekele had to leave Nigeria when it was least expected and that marked the end of the first revolution as Bekele himself will describe it. In what may appear a second missionary journey, this man who loves Nigeria as well as his native Ethiopia recently returned to this country as head of Harris Stratex Networks, the result of a merger between Harris Microwave Communications and former Stratex Networks.
A graduate of the Haile Selassie University in Addis Ababa and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, USA where he obtained a Master of Arts degree in Industrial Economics; in Ethiopia, he aided in the design and execution of development schemes to support small business enterprises. He was later appointed as the managing director of the World Bank Coffee project and he truned around the fortune of the project through intricate planning, re-organisation and computerisation.
Married with two children, Bekele as an industrial engineer is proficient in IT and in computer fields such as microcomputers for development, international marketing management and microwave wireless products.The Board of Trustees of Nitta recognised the contribution of this man and honoured him with the Lifetime Award for Inspiring Change in Telecom.        

 


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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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