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E-Business

CWG Makes History as First Firm to List on X-Gen

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l-r: Austin Okere, Founder and CEO, CWG making a point to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, minister of Finance at the Economist conference, Nigeria at Eko Hotels, Lagos
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Computer Warehouse Group Plc (CWG) will make history on November 15, as the first company to be listed on X-Gen, the new trading engine being unveiled by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

X-Gen is the same engine that is used on the NASDAQ.

The listing of the shares is expected to boost the market capitalisation of the NSE with about N14 billion, while CWG would be the highest capitalised security in the ICT sector of the exchange.

The NASDAQ and the NYSE have also recently witnessed a boom in Technology listings with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn. Twitter has also recently revealed her listing plans.

This seems to be the golden age of technology companies, as the stocks have done outstandingly well post listing. For instance, Google’s shares have gained a whopping 773% post listing while LinkedIn and Facebook have gained 160% and 29% respectively (as at October 04, 2013). Twitter seems set to follow in this trend with quarterly revenues up 105% to $139m from a year ago.

Here in Nigeria, CWG’s story has not been different. With seed capital of about N160,000 in 1992, CWG received a valuation of N6.97billion in 2009 from Vetiva Capital for her private placement.

The issue was oversubscribed; with Private Equity firm Aureos Capital LLC taking up a major chunk, defying the gloomy atmosphere of the global economic downturn at that time.

The valuation resulted in an increase in invested capital of 4,400 times, meaning that an initial investment of $1000 in 1992 would have yielded a whopping $4.4m within just 20 years.

This achievement put the company in the bracket of the one of the best global value creators.

CWG seems to be on track to repeat this feat on her listing, at a target share price of N5.48, almost doubling her private placement price of N3.40 in 2009 albeit in a very difficult environment characterised by significant slowdown in global economic growth.

It is therefore not surprising that that the Ministers of Finance, Trade and Investment and Communication Technology recently joined hands with the CEO of the Nigerian Stock Exchange to aggressively canvas for more Technology listing towards achieving the goal of the NSE to reach a market capitalisation of $1trillion within a decade.

Austin Okere, CWG’s founder and chief executive officer, confidently declares that “our best is yet to come”, amidst comment from sceptics that all previous Technology listings on the Nigerian Stock Exchange have lost significant value.

He said “the value of the stock is affected by performance and perception of potential. The stock also reacts negatively to swings in revenue, preferring predictability in forecasts”.

“CWG has over the years built a large proportion of her turnover into annuities from deploying her own Intellectual Property (IP), to enable financial inclusiveness in Mobility, such as the recently announced Yello Diamond Account, which will bring banking services to over 55 million Mobile phone subscribers, and the MTN XaaS product, which will provide Financial services in the cloud for the over 1000 Microfinance banks and their customers on a pay as you use basis”. He added.

The product rides on cloud computing to bring competitive advantage to relatively smaller banks which would otherwise have been disenfranchised.

According to him about 12 of the large banks in Nigeria run on the Finacle Core banking Application, which CWG jointly promotes in West Africa with the application developers, Infosys of India, processing over 60% of all financial transaction in Nigeria and used by the likes of FBN, UBA, Stanbic IBTC, Fidelity and FCMB amongst others.

CWG has taken advantage of her early mover status in the surge in ICT outsourcing demands to provide the service for the largest telecommunication company and the largest Downstream Company in the Oil & Gas sector in Nigeria.

This further assures annuity income that smoothes revenue swings and brings predictability to income.

According to Austin, about 80% of the company’s revenue is from repeat business, and new customers are more likely to be from referrals.

CWG is a strong player in the ATM business, providing and supporting over 30% of the country’s ATM installed base in conjunction with Wincor-Nixdorf of Germany, global leaders in the field.

Being a skills intensive business, CWG has set up an Academy to train brilliant youngsters to boost her talent pool.

Currently, the CWG Academy trains over 200 graduates per year in Nigeria and Ghana, and is set to start in Uganda by mid next year.

The company currently employs over 650 people, of which about 80% are engineers, with extra certifications in Cisco, Oracle, IBM and other Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) platforms. The Company is ISO 9001:2008 certified across all her operations.

The stellar performance of the Company has been rewarded by her peers and regulators with such awards as Top 50 Technology Business Companies in West Africa, ICT Solutions Provider of the year, ICT Company of the year, and the CEO as ICT Personality of the year 2012.

CWG has garnered a track record over the years as one of the most admired companies in Africa.

In 2009, the Columbia Business School in New York published a case study on the Company and appointed Okere as an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), while in 2012, the Legatum Entrepreneurial Center of MIT Boston, published a video and written case study on the Computer Warehouse Group as well.

For the second year in a row, CWG was awarded the Most Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Technology Company of the year in 2012.

The company has continued to support her host communities by ingraining social responsibility as an integral part of her business model, with focus on the education sector.

In the quest to be the leading Pan African ICT Company, CWG has actualised her geographical expansion plans with operation in four African countries; Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Cameroon, and virtual operations in 17 other countries. The Company has 18 offices and support centres across Nigeria, including Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt.

The company seems well set to achieve her vision of being the number one IT Utility enabler in Africa by 2015.


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NIMC Denies Blocking Police Commission from Verification Server

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has clarified that all its verification service platforms remain fully functional and accessible to all authorized partners, including security agencies.

NIMC Denies Blocking Police Commission from Verification Server

Abisoye Coker-Odusote, DG, NIMC

In a statement on Thursday, the Commission firmly denied claims that it had denied the Police Service Commission (PSC) access to its verification server.

Dr. Kayode Adegoke, head of Corporate Communications, NIMC, described the reported “inability of the Police Service Commission to access the NIMC verification server” as misleading and inaccurate.

He suggested that any challenges faced by the PSC may be due to internal issues within the commission itself, not from NIMC’s end.

The statement reads: “To set the record straight, the NIMC granted verification access to all Nigerian Police formations for the verification of the National Identification Number (NIN). The NPF, PSC and other security agencies have been enjoying uninterrupted verification services for over five years.

“NIMC has provided top-notch verification services for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force, as conducted by the PSC and at no time have there been any complaints or issues regarding NIN Verification by the NPF or PSC.

“The Commission has a robust and harmonious working relationship with the Nigerian Police Force and the Police Service Commission. The Information Communications and Technology (ICT) department of the Nigeria Police Force is actively managing the long-standing verification and integration service between the NIMC and all Nigeria Police formations.Entertainment tourism packages

“NIMC will continue to provide flawless verification services for the purpose of recruitment, security mapping, cybercrime control, and any other security matters.

“The framework by which NIMC provides services to the security agencies was recently restructured for standardization and effective implementation, following consultation with the Office of the National Security Adviser, and NPF has confirmed the verification services have continued to be available. We therefore believe that any service interruption experienced by PSC may be due to internal matters.

“NIMC is committed to providing excellent verification services to the PSC, NPF and all its partners but the terms and conditions inherent must be adhered to for uninterrupted flow of service.”


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Nigeria Strengthens Cybersecurity, Launches National Cleanup Plan

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Nigerian government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity and clean up the nation’s cyberspace.

Nigeria Strengthens Cybersecurity, Launches National Cleanup Plan

Recognizing that cybercrime knows no borders, Nigeria also reaffirmed its commitment to fostering stronger global partnerships within the cybersecurity ecosystem.

This announcement was made during a press conference before the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Abuja from July 9th to 11th, 2025.

Sa’ad Abubakar, national cybersecurity coordinator from the Office of National Security Advisor, said fighting cybercrime must take the whole of society and the whole of the government approach.

According to him, “Apart from the deterrent approach whereby government agencies such as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrest individuals, take them to court and prosecute them, the youth can be nurtured into better citizens who can showcase their capacity in better ways and be useful to the country.”

Similarly, Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general, NITDA,  also stressed the need for collaborative efforts in fighting cybercrimes.

According to him “Then, in addition to that, we also want to build a stronger global collaboration with the global cyber security ecosystem, because when you look at cybercrime in general, it doesn’t respect the borders.

“Someone can commit a crime from Ghana using a Nigerian ID in the US. So you can look at him physically in a different jurisdiction, pretending to be in another jurisdiction, committing the crime in another jurisdiction.

“So without that kind of synergy and working together, it will be difficult to address these challenges. The third one is challenge. The third one is getting an alternative to cybercrime for our kids in Nigeria. We have this as a major challenge.”

Inuwa further highlighted the upcoming conference’s importance, noting that it would tackle key issues through workshops, discussions on emerging threats, cross-border cybersecurity collaboration strategies, and training programmes.

He also announced that the National Cybersecurity Conference 2025 would feature the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, recognising top contributions in the field.

The DG extended an invitation to global partners to collaborate with Nigeria in building a safer digital future.

The press conference was attended by notable figures, including Ahmad Sa’ad Abubakar, National Coordinator of, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC); Hanniel Jafar, Representative of the President, of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN); Ankit Shukla, Managing Director, QNA Marketing Management LLC and members of the press and other stakeholders.


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AXIAN Telecom Invests in Jumia Post-MTN Era

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XIAN Telecom has acquired an 8% stake in pan-African e-commerce company Jumia Technologies, citing the platform’s fintech and logistics strengths as key drivers of its backing.

This marks the first major telecom investment in Jumia since MTN Group’s exit in 2020.

AXIAN, a fast-growing telecom and digital services provider with operations across Africa, disclosed the purchase in a Schedule 13D filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

While the financial terms were not disclosed, AXIAN Telecom CEO, Hassan Jaber, described the move as a strategic alignment with Jumia’s growth trajectory and digital ecosystem.

“Jumia’s achievements in digital retail and fintech, particularly through JumiaPay and its logistics network, make it a very attractive investment for us. We believe in Jumia’s potential to promote financial and economic inclusion, which aligns with our core values,” said Jaber.

Once dubbed the “Amazon of Africa,” Jumia became the first African-founded tech company to list on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019.

But years of underperformance, leadership changes, and competitive pressures dented investor confidence.

In October 2020, South Africa’s MTN Group offloaded its 18.9% stake for $138 million, well below the $698 million value it once held post-IPO.

Since then, Jumia has undergone a significant transformation. Under CEO Francis Dufay, appointed in 2022, the company exited low-performing markets like South Africa and Tunisia, cut costs, and doubled down on core markets – Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.

The firm is now focused on high-growth verticals, including everyday essentials and digital financial services.

Jumia’s regional CEO for East Africa, Vinod Goel, recently revealed plans to scale up international brand offerings and open its logistics network to third-party businesses.

Jaber underscored that AXIAN Telecom’s investment signals renewed confidence in Jumia’s long-term potential.

The telecom firm’s CEO said the company views Jumia as a key player in advancing Africa’s digital economy, aligning with AXIAN’s mission through its fintech and digital infrastructure brands such as Yas and Mixx by Yas.

 


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