E-Business
Ekeh, Zinox Boss Calls for Action Plan on Youth Empowerment
Mr. Leo-Stan Ekeh, chairman, Zinox Group, has called for an action plan on ICT youth empowerment and knowledge economy for Imo State to stem youth unemployment.
Speaking at the just concluded Imo Youth Summit, Ekeh, said that the global recession of 2008/2009 revealed that youth unemployment was a major threat to economic growth and political stability.
He mentioned the Arab Spring as one uprising that proved that the unemployed youth of the world had become too restive.
At the national level reference was made to the instability in the oil producing Niger Delta, the religious riots of the North, the high crime rate and kidnapping in the South East.
Ekeh said that the greatest problem facing leaders today all over the world was how to find gainful employment for the teeming population of unemployed youth.
The Zinox chairman, who has won many accolades for spearheading IT revolution in Nigeria, argued that Imo State should put in place a plan designed to build a generation of young Imo citizens empowered with ICTs to actively participate in the Information Society and consistently contribute to the development of the State.
The plan would aim at exploiting the potential of ICT, and to find effective and innovative ways to put this potential at the service of Imo Youths.
He recommended a number of activities that would achieve the set objectives – officially establish Imo Youths ICT4D Network and align it to other youth networks in the country and continent; establish youth training and information centers and support existing training centers for youth e-skill development; design and setup ICT Youth incubation centers in at least 10 LGA’s of the State; establish youth incubation funds for the 10 centers and providing opportunity for youth in research and development; establishment of ICT Centers that guarantee a multi-media exposure , preferably in Igbo – digital centers, community radio, cinema houses, and information centers.
Lamenting the disconnect between today’s education and the real needs of the society and industry, Ekeh, honored by President Obasanjo as an Icon of Hope for the youths, called for the mainstreaming of ICTs in the education sector and reforming of the education system to produce job creators and not job seekers.
He advised the promotion of ICTs for both formal and informal education. He stressed the need to raise special strategies to address the issue of school dropouts and target those youth with ICT equipment ownership and skills acquisition.
Ekeh laid emphasis on the need to build youth capacities, especially in entrepreneurship by giving incentives to youth to create small-scale enterprises: tax exemption, special ICT investment funds, micro-credit, subsidies, tax reduction on equipment and free software.
He said that a good plan should aim at opening up parks and malls to ICT youth activities, i.e. converting Heroes Square and all facilities like it to special ICT parks for youths.
He said that every graduate of Imo State origin from a University, Polytechnic or College of Education should own a subsidized laptop.
Finally, he recommended that within the next two years Imo State should set up a Ministry of Communications and Information Technology saddled with the responsibility of articulating policies and strategies that would use ICT to drive development and create hope for the youth.
Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance framework as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) officially assumes control of the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA) infrastructure.
The handover ceremony held in Abuja, marks the culmination of a high-level partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
This transition signals a shift from fragmented IT projects to a unified, disciplined approach to national digital investment.
The NGEA initiative forms a core part of the e-Government Masterplan 2.0 (Ne-GMP 2.0), aimed at establishing a unified and structured approach to managing government IT investments and digital resources.
The framework is designed to ensure that technology deployment across public institutions aligns with national priorities while improving efficiency and accountability.
With the system now operational, government agencies are expected to adopt more integrated digital processes, allowing seamless data sharing and interoperability.
This is anticipated to reduce duplication, strengthen risk management, and translate policy objectives into measurable digital outcomes.
Over the past two and a half years, Nigerian technical experts worked closely with their Korean counterparts to develop the architecture framework, create reference models, and execute pilot programmes in key institutions.
These include the National Identity Management Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and NITDA.
Officials say the NGEA represents a shift from fragmented digital efforts to a more coordinated, citizen-focused system.
The infrastructure is hosted by Galaxy Backbone Limited, providing a secure and reliable platform for nationwide deployment.
Looking ahead, NITDA is expected to work with government stakeholders to expand and sustain the system, while the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will provide policy guidance to ensure its adoption across the country.
Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has said the government is shifting focus from expanding access to ensuring “meaningful connectivity” that drives economic growth and inclusion.
Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
The minister made the statement on Friday while addressing stakeholders at the inauguration of board members of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Abuja.
He said that although Nigeria had made significant progress since the introduction of GSM services, millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved communities, remain either unconnected or unable to fully benefit from digital services.
Dr Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic network and nearly 4,000 telecom towers nationwide.
He said initiatives under the USPF had improved access through projects such as rural connectivity and digital facilities in schools but stressed that the next phase must prioritise effective usage.
“It is not enough to connect a community. We must ensure that schools can teach with digital tools and that small businesses can access market opportunities,” he said, citing a pilot project in the Kura community where connectivity has enhanced access to communication, education and healthcare.
Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also called for a shift towards meaningful connectivity, noting that while data usage had grown significantly, it remained concentrated in urban areas.
According to him, recent data shows that telecom usage has increased by about 160% over the past two years, largely driven by urban demand.
“When we drill down, we see that a lot of that growth is actually in urban centres. So, the gap between those who are not connected or not meaningfully connected is growing,” he said.
Dr Maida added that the trend underscored the need for the USPF board to intensify efforts to bridge both access and usage gaps across the country.
Both officials emphasised the importance of collaboration, sustainable investment models and improved digital literacy to ensure that connectivity translates into real economic benefits for Nigerians.
A jury in Los Angeles has found technology companies, Meta and Google liable for contributing to a young woman’s social media addiction, in a case being described as a landmark ruling.
The 20-year-old woman, identified only as Kaley, argued that she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram from an early age due to their attention-driven design features.
According to her testimony, she began using YouTube at the age of six after downloading the app on her iPod Touch to watch videos about lip gloss and online games.
Kaley told the court that she joined Instagram at nine, bypassing parental restrictions put in place by her mother, and spent extended periods on social media.
The trial, which lasted about a month, with arguments and evidence from both sides.
Jurors also heard testimony from Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive, Meta and Adam Mosseri, Instagram head.
However, Neal Mohan, YouTube chief executive, did not testify.
The jury found that the companies were negligent in the design of their platforms and failed to adequately warn users about potential harms. Meta and Google were ordered to pay the woman $3 million in damages.
Jurors also recommended additional punitive damages, including $900,000 against YouTube and $2.1 million against Meta, according to company spokespersons.
The jury apportioned 70 per cent of the responsibility to Meta and 30 per cent to YouTube.
Kaley was present in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered, alongside parents of other teenagers who say they were harmed by social media use. Both companies said they plan to appeal the decision.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online”, a Meta spokesperson said.
José Castañeda, Google spokesperson, said the case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.
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