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FG, Microsoft Partner to Empower 100 Youth, Development Officers Nationwide
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) and the Digital Bridge Institute have commenced an entrepreneurship development capacity building programme for some selected 100 Youth and Youth Development officers in the country, as part of a broad Microsoft effort to increase access to technology and technology skills, the software giant in collaboration with`
Holding at the Digital Bridge Institute, Abuja, the training is coming under the auspices of Microsoft’s Public Institutions Capacity Development programme and is designed to train participants on IT-based youth development programme, prepare them to become facilitators for entrepreneurship development as well as facilitate the development of a model youth development programme for the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.
Speaking on the collaboration, Senator Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, minister of Youth Development, who was represented by Ms. Anne Ene-ita, permanent secretary of the Ministry, , said Public Private Partnership is fundamental in effectively advancing the use of ICT tools, while emphasizing that the training ties in with the Ministry’s mission to reduce unemployment in the country using ICT education as a catalyst.
He thanked Microsoft saying, “This cooperation is an example of a Private Public Partnership that can affect real and tangible change. He acknowledged the fact that participants would surely benefit from the programme and similar initiatives between his ministry and Microsoft.
The curriculum focuses on ICT entrepreneurship, ICT businesses, setting and running of small scale enterprises, finance and procurement, sales and marketing, e-Mentoring, and ICT for small scale enterprises among others.
High ranking instructors were drawn from CITAD and they include Y. Z. Ya’u, executive director of CITAD and Mr. Rima Shawulu, secetrary general of ITAN, , an IT entrepreneur, Ahmed A. Yakasai, Enigneer Kamal Umar, Umar Farouq Uthman, a beneficiairy of DFID supported youth mentorship programme, and Isyaku Garba.
Y. Z. Ya’u introduced the class first to the prospects of ICT-based enterprises in Nigeria. He enumerated the various factors accelerating the demands of ICT goods and services in the country which could only be met by getting people to establish ICT-based enterprises.
Rima Shawulu facilitated the module on ICT-based businesses, taking the participants through various types of small scale IT business. In doing this, he also identified the requirements and the processes for setting up these businesses.
The module on Small Scale entrepreneurship was facilitated by Y. Z. Ya’u, taking the participants in a participatory manner through topics such as developing business idea, translating this idea into a business through developing a business plan, determination of business set up needs, sources of support, managing the business, communication and financial management, etc.
The module on ICTs for small scale business focused on how young entrepreneurs could use ICTs in setting up and running their enterprises, using for financial management, administration, communication, marketing and business promotion. This was taken by Isyaku Garba.
Engineer Kamal Umar and Umar Farouq Uthman took the participants through various IT skills such as advanced internet uses, digital editing, virtual office space, etc so as to deepen the appreciation of the participants of the various skill sets needed for the new IT-based businesses.
Trainees also had opportunity to peruse the functions and workings of business and ICT regulatory agencies such as SMEDAN, NITDA, NCC and CPN to enable them know the specific requirements for setting up small scale enterprises in the sector.
Explaining the motivation for the programme, Dr. Jummai Umar-Ajijola, citizenship manager, Microsoft Anglophone West Africa said, “Nigerian youths have the potential to perform at optimum capacity but for a number of factors which include lack of proficiency. With the right skills that this capacity training will afford participants, we are confident that they would be able to effectively deploy work tools that will enhance their performance.” She enjoined participants to make the best use of the opportunity.
A trainee, Ms Helen Taghtegh from the Ministry of Youth, Benue State, commended Microsoft’s efforts at encouraging technology penetration.
As part of the project, the partners have developed an appropriate training content that would be made available to ministries and other stakeholders that are interested in running youth development programmes.
Participants for the 10 day event which commenced on the 3rd of May 2010, and will end on the 14th of May 2010, were drawn from the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the National Youth Council of Nigeria and other youth. Nominations also came from all state Ministries in charge of youth development while some youth focused NGOs were also represented.
The training is one of the several partnership initiatives currently being run by Microsoft. Another is the Partners in Learning under the Unlimited Potential Programme which aims to transform education, foster local innovation and create jobs and opportunities. There is also the Youth Employability Programme which Microsoft has supported through a number of NGOs including CITAD, which have trained thousands of youths in ICT and life and employability skills over the last three years in the country.
News
Legend Internet Repays N10Bn Commercial Paper

Legend Internet Plc has announced the full and timely repayment of its Series 1 Commercial Paper under its N10bn multi-layered issuance programme, marking a key milestone in the company’s engagement with Nigeria’s debt capital market.

Aisha Abdulaziz, chief executive officer, Legend Internet Plc,
The repayment, completed on schedule and in full, underscores the company’s financial discipline and its continued commitment to maintaining strong investor relations in a tightening funding environment.
The Series 1 issuance had earlier attracted significant demand, recording a 119.7 per cent oversubscription at launch, reflecting strong investor appetite and confidence in the company’s credit profile, operational performance, and long-term expansion strategy.
Speaking on the repayment, Aisha Abdulaziz, chief executive officer, Legend Internet Plc, said the outcome reinforces the company’s credibility and operational strength.
“The successful repayment of our Series 1 Commercial Paper demonstrates Legend Internet’s unwavering commitment to meeting its financial obligations and maintaining the trust of the investment community.
This milestone further reinforces the strength of our business model, operational discipline, and long-term vision for building resilient digital infrastructure across Nigeria,” she said.
She added that investor confidence has remained central to the company’s funding strategy, saying, “We remain deeply appreciative of the confidence shown by our investors, advisers, issuing houses, and market partners during the issuance and throughout the tenor of the programme. Their support continues to position Legend Internet for sustainable growth and expansion.”
The Commercial Paper programme forms part of Legend Internet Plc’s broader capital strategy aimed at supporting broadband infrastructure expansion, strengthening working capital efficiency, and accelerating investment in Nigeria’s digital connectivity.
Legend Internet Plc operates as a digital infrastructure and broadband services provider, with a focus on fibre connectivity, enterprise solutions, and next-generation digital services designed to expand access and support economic inclusion across Nigeria
News
FG Unveils AI Public Services Platform

Federal government has launched GovGuideNigeria, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital platform designed to streamline access to public service information through WhatsApp and the web.

The platform consolidates information from more than 35 federal ministries and over 60 government agencies, marking a significant step in Nigeria’s drive to expand AI-enabled public infrastructure and digital government services.
According to Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, the initiative aims to simplify interactions with government services, particularly for underserved communities that often face challenges navigating complex public-sector systems.
Developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Meta, and Publica AI, GovGuideNigeria uses conversational AI to provide real-time responses via WhatsApp and a web interface in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
Sade Dada, head of public policy at Meta, said the multilingual rollout highlights the growing use of natural language processing within African public institutions to improve digital inclusion and broaden access to services.
Ignatius Willie, chief executive of Publica AI, said the platform demonstrates how Africa’s next generation of digital public infrastructure can be developed locally using African languages.
GovGuideNigeria is intended to address longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s public information system, where citizens often struggle to access reliable guidance because of fragmented government websites, poor communication channels and the expense of travelling to physical offices.
Through AI-driven automation, users can obtain information on immigration procedures, documentation requirements, public programmes and agency-specific services through chat-based interactions.
The launch also reflects Nigeria’s broader ambition to integrate AI into digital governance, while strengthening partnerships between government agencies, global technology companies and local AI startups to modernise public service delivery.
News
Elon Musk to Become First World’s Trillionaire with SpaceX Historic IPO

Elon Musk is poised to become the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX, his company, confirmed plans to go public.

Elon Musk
Because Musk owns the majority of the shares, it could push his net worth over the trillion dollar mark.
The entrepreneur is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI.
Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since 2025; as of May 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth to be $788 billion.
SpaceX has filed for a blockbuster public listing in the United States, paving the way for what could become the largest stock market debut in Wall Street history.
The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, announced plans to begin trading under the ticker symbol “SPCX” as early as next month.
The listing values SpaceX at about $1.25 trillion, with Musk’s majority ownership potentially worth more than $600 billion alone.
Combined with his existing holdings in companies including Tesla, the IPO could push Musk’s personal wealth above the $1 trillion mark.
The long-awaited filing also offered investors a rare look into SpaceX’s finances.
The company reported $18.6 billion in revenue last year but recorded a net loss of $4.9 billion. In the first quarter of this year, SpaceX generated $4.7 billion in sales while posting a $4.3 billion net loss.
Financial disclosures showed the company holds $102 billion in assets, including rockets, launch infrastructure and satellite systems, while carrying debts totalling $60.5 billion.
Despite the losses, analysts suggested investors were unlikely to be deterred given SpaceX’s dominance in commercial space launches and satellite internet services.
Ruth Foxe-Blader, managing partner at Citrine Venture Partners, described the planned flotation as “extremely exciting.”
“SpaceX is just an absolutely sprawling, enormous project with so many different selling points, and so many points that really point to the future,” she said.
SpaceX operates the Starlink satellite internet network and also owns Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI.
The IPO filing revealed that xAI recently reached a major commercial agreement with rival AI company Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot.
Under the arrangement, Anthropic will reportedly pay $15 billion annually to access data centre infrastructure linked to xAI operations in the American South.
The filing also disclosed that SpaceX expects to incur more than half a billion dollars in legal costs from multiple ongoing lawsuits and regulatory disputes.
Among the cases listed were claims alleging that xAI’s chatbot Grok had been used to create sexualised deepfakes of women and girls, alongside patent infringement disputes, music copyright claims, data breach allegations and investigations into compliance with European Union content moderation rules.
Musk has previously said he plans to dissolve xAI as a standalone company and pursue his AI ambitions directly under SpaceX.
The filing came shortly after Musk lost a high-profile legal battle against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman.
Musk had accused OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit mission after shifting towards a commercial model, but a jury dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that he had waited too long to bring the claims.
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