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Ezekwesili Harps on Technology as Africa’s Lasting Solution to Problems
Oby Ezekwesili, Public Policy Analyst and Senior Economic Advisor, has said that technology is the solution to problems facing Nigeria and Africa as she called for investment in infrastructure that would aid emergence of digital services in rural communities.
Ezekwesili divulged this at the weekly GageLive Instagram platform organised by Gage Awards on the theme, “Using Technology to Shape the Nigeria of The Future,” recently.
“What the digital world can offer citizens is limited. This is because it is mostly within the urban city. Beyond the urban city, the grade of the physical infrastructure – the digital infrastructure, the backbone is still not at the level of solidity, strength, performance and efficiency as should happen.”
Continuing, the BBOG co-founder noted: “Even today, when you and I are in this kind of a programme, we are not optimised because the quality of our connection is still fragile – very poor.”
She warned, however, that until Nigeria, Africa invest in the digital infrastructure that would facilitate their interconnection and their reach, “We will not be able to say that we are at a place of efficiency”.
According to the analyst, in terms of speed – a function of productivity, as long as technology and digital format are not giving us the level of speed that is a global approach of internet speed, then we are way below it.
Her words: “From the last number I checked, we were significantly more than 80 per cent below global speed in terms of internet. That is something to deal with.”
While responding to questions on the live programme, Ezekwesili highlighted that a lot of citizens were still in rural communities. And the rural environment does not make market scale for the private sector to offer digital service.
She proffered: “When there is a market failure, it is the government that must step in. So, rural infrastructure should support the kind of backbone that we need in order to provide digital content to the rural community.”
Noting that the rural communities are abode other than urban poor, she expressed that the real poverty is within the rural communities of Africa.
“We need to invest massively in the kind of infrastructure that would support the emergence of digital services in the rural communities of the continent.”
Again, she stressed on digital platforms that carry the content of what one wants to convey. “Look at digital platform for commerce, example, they are still in novelty on our continent. Now that we see what COVID-19 can do, hopefully what is going to happen is that we are going to realise that a lot of our lives will depend online”.
She, therefore, urged Africans to build – whether they are at macro or micro level platforms that enable us to convey messages and the things that are not so to print, adding that that would help enormously to expand the scope.
Sadly, she bemoaned the poor level of digital financial inclusion. “Digital financial services is something that is lacking. In the time of orthodox banking, it was difficult for banks to establish their branches all over the country.
“Even when they were mandated, many times they would set a goal for how many branches that needed to be set up. But the banks were always underperforming.
Speaking further, she added that in the same way, now that “We are going digital and trying to use technology to create financial inclusion, we still have barriers to that”
The economist, however, described one of the key barriers; forms of identification, as the major problem of Africa. “And technology is the solution to that problem of identity”.
For her, the unique identity that enables a person to become at par with the digital financial services is something that Africa would need to invest in. “And we have not yet invested in it as much as we should”.
She decried another sad part. “There is a vast body of public policy that is very necessary. Public policy is at the heart of showing readiness to migrate from one level of understanding of issues of development to a higher level of things”.
“Our public policy is trailing technology. It is way behind the curve of the rapid expansion of technology. So, you have a situation where people who are technophobes are the ones making policies around issues of technology.
To upgrade to a global standard, Ezekwesili advised: “We are going to have a problem. They don’t see how important it is to be in a hurry. We must be in a hurry. Our policies and laws have to reflect that”.
Not forgetting the many laudable series GAGE Awards has put up for the Nigerian youths, Ezekwesili commended the CEO of Gage Awards, Mr. Johnson Anorh.
GAGE Awards is an internet award conceptualised to reward excellence in digital application and online presence. It’s weekly InstagramLive show is part of the GAGE Awards plans of using its platform to shine the light on those who have used the digital space ingeniously.
In the words of the CEO, “These people who have used the digital space ingeniously share their story and get to inspire those looking to do great things on that space.”
“We have GageLive on Instagram once every week. But since the lockdown we have been having it more frequently to get to inspire those at home to do great things, since we now have time on our hands,” Anorh noted.
Ghana has urged other African countries to boost investment in cyber security tools and capacity building.
Samuel Nartey George, minister for communication, digital technology, and innovation, made the call while delivering a lecture on Cyber security – Ghana’s Policy and Readiness at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College as part of the ongoing Defence Management Course 25.
In his presentation, he urged other African countries to establish cyber security resilience while acknowledging the financial and political trade-offs, but emphasised the long-term value of digital security in defending national sovereignty.
The Ghana minister’s call for increased investments comes as analysts argue that cyber security should not be considered as an afterthought, a compliance checkbox, or a last-minute technical fix.
They believe that politicians, technology leaders, and businesses must collaborate to develop governance frameworks that address Artificial Intelligence (AI)-specific threats, invest in secure-by-design solutions, and build local cyber security skills on a scale.
In the case of George, he gave a data-driven presentation on Ghana’s digital transformation agenda and cyber security readiness, stating that cyber security was the new frontier of national security and defence.
According to him, all traditional defence mechanisms today rely on secure digital infrastructure.
The minister’s presentation covered key thematic areas: the emergence of the digital economy; threats to the digital landscape, Ghana’s journey toward a secure and resilient digital future and a national roadmap for further advancement.
He also demonstrated how government digitisation efforts—such as e-parliament, e-justice, e-passport, e-procurement, e-immigration and smart workplace platforms—are reshaping governance, judicial processes, and public service delivery.
Additionally, George disclosed recent successes in cyber-intelligence operations involving collaboration with international partners like the FBI and INTERPOL, which led to arrests and asset recovery tied to transnational cyber-crime syndicates.
“Cyber fraud is real, and Ghana has made significant strides in arresting cyber-criminals through advanced digital forensics, AI tools, and coordinated intelligence sharing,” he said.
George also revealed ongoing work on updating Ghana’s cyber security laws to address emerging threats including AI abuse, terrorism financing, deepfakes, and online child exploitation.
To fellow African states, he cautioned: “Cyber security doesn’t win elections, but its absence can cost lives and state stability. We must prioritise it.”
George asked that they enhance their investment in cyber security.
Microsoft, will lay off nearly 4% of its workforce, the company said on Wednesday, in the latest job cuts as the tech giant looks to rein in costs amid hefty investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The company, which had about 228,000 employees worldwide as of June 2024, had announced layoffs in May, affecting around 6,000 workers. It was planning to cut thousands of jobs, particularly in sales, Bloomberg News reported last month.
The Windows maker had pledged $80 billion in capital spending for its fiscal year 2025. However, the soaring cost of scaling its AI infrastructure has weighed on its margins, with its June quarter cloud margin expected to shrink from last year.
Microsoft said on Wednesday it planned to reduce organizational layers with fewer managers and streamline its products, procedures and roles.
The Seattle Times first reported on the layoffs earlier on Wednesday. Separately, Bloomberg News reported Microsoft’s Barcelona-based King division, which makes the Candy Crush video game, is cutting 10% of its staff, or about 200 jobs.
Microsoft confirmed to Reuters that its gaming division was impacted by the layoffs, although not the majority of the unit, but did not provide further details.
Big Tech peers, which are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, have also announced job cuts.
Facebook parent Meta, earlier this year said it would trim about 5% of its “lowest performers”, while Alphabet’s, Google has also laid off hundreds of employees in the past year.
Amazon, has also cut jobs across its business segments, most recently in its books division. The company had earlier laid off employees in its devices and services unit, and communications staff.
Economic uncertainties and rising costs have triggered layoffs across sectors in Corporate America, as companies rush to streamline operations and hedge against further cost pressures.
It is expected that by 2028, more than 33% of households worldwide will be equipped with smart home systems. Voice assistants, kitchen robots, smart lights and many other intelligent devices have become an integral part of our everyday life, transforming the way we interact with our living space.
However, with the rise of smart technology comes the need for robust protection against potential vulnerabilities. Kaspersky shares useful tips on how to look after smart home devices’ security on a daily basis, to make your home not only comfortable, but also secure.
Why do we call it “smart”?
Smart home systems integrate various devices, creating a “living” environment, enabling seamless interaction between gadgets and users. Usually, it has a central hub or controller, which acts as the brain of the smart home.
Smart home systems can include a wide variety of devices and appliances such as cameras, sensors, actuators and multiple household gadgets such as fridges, toasters, washing machines and vacuum cleaners. These devices connect with each other and other systems via the Internet.
Users can choose between different options when interacting with their smart home:
- Mobile apps that allow users to control devices, set schedules, and receive notifications even outside the house
- Voice assistants, which enable voice commands to control devices
- Web Portals and online dashboards that provide access to device settings and monitoring afterloggingin to the user’s
Comfort and ease of use are the main advantages of a smart home system. Users can set specific times for devices to perform actions, for example, turning on lights at sunset. Devices can also be programmed to respond to specific events, such as turning on the thermostat when the user arrives home.
Even TVs with built-in AI technology, which can help you to discover dishes in shows as they appear on screen, find the recipe, and then compare the products needed for its preparation with those that are in your fridge and make a shopping list doesn’t sound like a fantasy anymore.
Despite the advantages that a smart home system offers, its Achilles’ heel is the Internet connection. Connectivity of all devices to a local Wi-Fi network as well as the need to log into personal accounts makes intelligent gadgets potentially vulnerable to hacking.
There are already examples when attackers gained unauthorised access to Ecovacs robot vacuums to spy on their owners and disturb them by making loud noises and uncontrolled moves. Even an Internet-connected mattress system in theory can be hacked, making the gadget potentially unsafe to use.
The vacuum cleaner is watching you
The idea that the regular household items surrounding you every day might be sharing personal data, overhearing, or even watching you, sounds terrifying. However, there is no need to stop using your favourite gadgets. Though examples of smart home device attacks are still rare, basic security rules are essential to safely enjoy the benefits of smart technology, preventing hackers from using them against you.
- Secure your Wi-Fi network. It’s highly recommended to change the system password that many Wi-Fi routers have by default to a more complex and secure one. Here are some tips on how to create stronger passwords.
- Monitor your network regularly. Look out for any suspicious activity on your local network or even consider using specific monitoring tools like Kaspersky Wi-Fi Security Check, which alerts you if Wi-Fi security settings are weak or if there are open ports that could allow unauthorised access to your Wi-Fi or smart home devices and Smart Home Monitor, which notifies you when a new device joins your Wi-Fi network so you can disconnect it.
- Track your device’s activity. Any device’s unusual behaviour might be a signal that somebody has access to it. If you notice suspicious activity it’s recommended to change your account password (if you are logged in on the device) and check your local network traffic.
- Review the settings regularly. Less is more. Disable any unnecessary features or services on your device that could pose a risk to your privacy or security. For example, you can disable access to a device’s camera and microphone if you are not currently using these functions.
- Make rational choices. The prospect of using as many smart devices as possible seems very tempting, but remember that every new gadget increases the potential risk to your security, so choose carefully and opt for responsible manufacturers.
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