E-Business
Financial Bankruptcy Forced Nokia’s Acquisition by Microsoft-Analyst
Francisco Jeronimo, research director, European Consumer Wireless and Mobile Communications, IDC EMEA, has said that Tuesday’s announcement on Nokia’s acquisition by Microsoft signals the end of an era for both companies.
However, financial challenges on the part of Nokia forced it to embrace the purchase by Microsoft.
Both Nokia and Microsoft, Jeronimo said, have now embraced different strategies to be able to better compete in a completely different landscape where mobility is the driver.
“While Microsoft realized that it wouldn’t be possible to succeed without controlling the entire value chain, Nokia has realized that it needed a stronger ally with the financial muscle to continue driving its Lumia smartphones.
“The market has moved from a product to an ecosystem battlefield. In this new world, phone makers need to excel in the hardware and design, but more importantly they need to excel in the user experience, as well as services and content offering, which is extremely cash demanding.
“Moreover, as smartphone penetration continues to grow, manufacturers will only be able to increase their sales by attracting users from competitors, which requires huge investments.
Nokia realized it didn’t have the financial resources to become the third alternative to Apple and Samsung in the smartphone segment. Instead of waiting to see whether that would change and eventually risk running out of cash, it decided to sell itself to the only company really keen to invest in Windows Phone,” he said.
The IDC research director added that despite the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft on the operating system side, it was clear that both companies were moving at different speeds.
Since the agreement was closed in 2011, Nokia has been able to launch several Windows Phone devices quickly; addressing the lower price points the market needed and launching services across the range of devices to differentiate from other players.
He said: “On the other hand, the development of the operating system has been slow and far behind other operating systems. The Windows Phone OS hasn’t been able to attract the same number of developers and consequently it failed to attract users, who preferred other platforms due to the availability of more apps, more features, and more devices. Microsoft was relying on Nokia to make Windows Phone successful and Nokia was relying on Microsoft to grow the ecosystem. Now it is time for Microsoft to take onboard its own destiny.
“The tiny Windows Phone success has been driven by Nokia’s strong product development capabilities and the “blind” support from operators expecting to see much stronger support from Microsoft so they could have an alternative to Android and iOS. Therefore today’s (Tuesday’s) agreement will be well received by mobile operators as Microsoft will align the software and hardware development, speeding up the Windows Phone operating system, but more importantly it will give operators access to Microsoft’s deep pockets, which it will use to promote Windows Phones.
“We will probably see more agreements like this one in the future. The time for pure-play vendors has ended and the remaining ones haven’t understood that yet. The market will become more concentrated as economies of scale are important to survive in a market where profits will come from several slices of a pie rather than one single business, particularly if that business is hardware.
Jeronimo Mobile phone vendors will realize that the only chance to succeed is by merging with content providers, with bigger manufacturers, or less likely with an operator or a large retail chain. Whatever form it takes, concentration is key to survive as margins will continue to be squeezed by the dominant players.
While Nokia has realized that and is taking action, others will continue to see their financial situation deteriorate and will take the same decision when bankruptcy is a reality.
“Although Microsoft is buying the entire Nokia Devices unit, it is still unknown what the company will do with this segment. Feature phones continue to represent a significant percentage of worldwide shipments, but that will drastically change in the next few years. In the long term there is a small market opportunity in the segment, but in the short term it is important that Microsoft keeps the segment alive and profitable,” he maintained.
The IDC research director added that this will give Microsoft access to markets where feature phones are still the dominant segment and where the Nokia’s brand is still strong.
These markets will see an explosion in smartphones in the next few years and users will likely replace their basic phones with a smartphone from a make they already know and trust.
Attracting this first wave of smartphone adopters is crucial for Microsoft’s growth in these regions.
E-Business
Jumia Replatforms its Retail Media Program to Mirakl Ads to Enhance Marketplace Advertising

Jumia, e-Commerce platform in Africa, has partnered with Mirakl to elevate its marketplace advertising capabilities by deploying Mirakl Ads, a retail media solution uniquely designed to optimize performance for both first-party and third-party sellers.
This move strengthens Jumia’s efforts to deliver more value to its sellers, enhance the customer experience, and unlock profitable and sustainable new sources of revenue. Retail media is a rapidly growing sector within the e-commerce industry, expected to reach $204 billion by 2027 with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.2%.
Jumia’s adoption of Mirakl Ads positions the company at the forefront of digital advertising innovation in Africa, unlocking significant opportunities to increase revenue generation. With growing usage across its platform, Jumia is well-placed to capitalize on this momentum by delivering improved advertising tools to sellers and more relevant, personalized product recommendations to customers.
“Advertising is a key growth lever in our marketplace strategy, and this partnership with Mirakl allows us to accelerate that journey with speed and scale.
“By integrating Mirakl Ads, we’re empowering our sellers with smarter tools and delivering a better, more personalized experience to our customers. It also positions us to unlock new revenue streams while deepening engagement across our platform. Importantly, this partnership supports our ambition to grow gross profit and accelerate our path to profitability,” said Francis Dufay, CEO of Jumia.
The collaboration is a testament to Mirakl’s ability to rapidly deploy enterprise-grade solutions, with Jumia launching Mirakl Ads in just two months. This showcases the platform’s ease of integration and fast time-to-value. Now live, the solution equips Jumia’s advertising ecosystem with advanced automation, AI-powered optimization, and seamless campaign management.
With Mirakl Ads, all advertisers – from the biggest brands to the smallest marketplace sellers – can now boost their sales by leveraging advertising campaigns in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Ivory Coast.
“Jumia’s decision to replatform to Mirakl Ads is a powerful validation of our platform’s ability to deliver immediate and measurable impact for leading marketplaces. By combining Mirakl’s cutting-edge retail media technology with Jumia’s deep market reach, we are enabling sellers to grow faster and customers to benefit from a more relevant, engaging experience. This partnership is a true milestone, not only for Jumia and Mirakl, but for the future of digital commerce across Africa.” said Adrien Nussenbaum, cofounder and co-CEO of Mirakl.
Through this partnership, Jumia is taking a decisive step in accelerating monetization, improving customer engagement, and advancing its long-term financial performance and profitability.
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone, Rural Electrification Agency Commit to Deepening Digital and Energy Access Across Nigeria

In a major step towards deepening Nigeria’s digital and energy infrastructure, Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a brief but impactful ceremony held in Abuja.
The MoU signals a collaborative effort between both agencies to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda by integrating reliable energy solutions with cutting-edge ICT infrastructure, especially in higher institutions, Government institutions, underserved and rural communities across the country.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim A. Adeyanju, described the partnership as “a landmark moment in Nigeria’s journey towards a digitally empowered, sustainably powered, and inclusively connected nation.”
“This partnership exemplifies what is possible when two visionary government institutions come together, united by shared goals and driven by the desire to improve the lives of Nigerians everywhere,” he said.
Professor Adeyanju emphasized that while Galaxy Backbone’s core mandate is to provide secure digital infrastructure that powers government operations, reliable and sustainable energy particularly in rural areas is essential to fully actualize digital transformation.
Major highlights of the MoU include:
- Solar electrification of some of GBB’s Metro Fibre sites in Abuja by the REA.
- Powering Hostels of Higher Institutions across the country through the Fibre to Hostel Project being driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE).
- Support for the rollout of the 774 Local Government Digitization Initiative, beginning with six pilot Local Government Areas.
- Provision of LANs, access points, cloud services, colocation infrastructure, and temporary connectivity to enhance REA’s operational facilities nationwide.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency Mr Abba Aliyu, in his remarks, expressed optimism that this collaboration will further bridge the digital and energy divide across Nigeria. He noted that by combining REA’s achievements in expanding energy access with GBB’s robust ICT backbone, both agencies are poised to create lasting impact across governance, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.
This partnership is also in direct alignment with the Renewed Hope Digital Transformation Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which envisions an inclusive digital economy powered by innovation and sustainable energy.
The ceremony was attended by top management from both organizations as well as members of the media.
With today’s signing, Galaxy Backbone and the Rural Electrification Agency have set the tone for stronger, smarter, and more inclusive public service delivery powered by strategic inter-agency collaboration.
E-Business
NIMC Says NIN Services Back Online

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced the restoration of its National Identification Number (NIN) verification services nationwide.
This, according to the commission, follows the completion of a system maintenance exercise.
In a statement issued on Friday, the NIMC confirmed that all previously disrupted services have resumed.
“NIMC wishes to inform the general public that the recent technical maintenance has been completed and all services have been restored,” the statement read.
The NIMC urged Nigerians seeking to enroll for NIN to visit the its official website to locate the nearest enrollment centers.
The agency also encouraged individuals to make use of its self-service portal for tasks such as data modification, including name changes.
To further ease the verification process, the Commission recommended downloading the NIMC NameAuth app (oath.app) from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store for quick and secure NIN authentication.
NIMC expressed appreciation for the public’s patience during the service disruption, which had impacted banks, telecom providers, and government agencies that rely on NIN verification for their operations.
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