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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone’s i-Gov.net Integrates Government, Citizens

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Caption L-R: Lab Director & Head of Cyber security, MAG Tech, Omer Shony Kenhi;  CTO, MAG Tech & Former Commander Cyber Technology unit – Israeli Police,  Nadav Arbel; CEO, MAG Tech, Rami Arad, and CTO, CWG PLC, James Agada during an information security session recently in Lagos
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Galaxy Backbone Plc, the integrated information communication technology company for federal government, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), has reiterated its determination to support the Federal Government in bridging the gap between government and the citizens of Nigeria.
 
Gerald Ilukwe, managing drector of Galaxy Backbone, made the pledge last week at the opening of the Social Media Week held at the e-Learning Centre, Lagos. He informed the audience that its i-Gov.net platform facilitates improved engagement between the federal government, MDAs and the people of the country.
 
Amara Nwankpa, Head of Marketing, Galaxy Backbone, said the i-Gov.net has about 4,000 nodes that provide connectivity to over 350 government ministries, departments and agencies.
 
“A key objective of i-Gov.net is to facilitate efficient and effective service delivery to the citizens of the country. From prompt processing of travelers at the Immigrations’ desk or issuance of drivers’ licenses, to prompt payment of workers’ salaries, to efficient conduct of the Federal Executive Council deliberations, Galaxy Backbone is enhancing e-government and good governance in Nigeria,” said Nwankpa.
 
“We are also supporting the Petroleum Equalisation Fund to track the movement of petroleum products from the various depots in the country, facilitating accountability in ensuring the uniform pricing of these products across the nation”, he further said.
 
He stated that the current initiatives on the i-Gov.net platform most relevant to the social media discussions were the Government Contact Center (GCC) and the National Single Window Portal (SWP), which will provide electronic channels for citizens and other stakeholders to access information and services being provided by the various ministries, departments and agencies. Galaxy Backbone is managing the execution of these soon-to-be launched initiatives on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology.
 
In addition, he explained that Galaxy Backbone’s services also help improve Government’s internal efficiency – helping it to be more effective and responsive. Examples of initiatives that facilitate this include the Electronic Documents Management System/Council Chambers Automation System (EDMS/CCAS) that is transforming the mode of preparing council memos from manual to digital; and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) that has revolutionized the payroll system to reduce incidence of fraud and time spent on computation of workers’ salaries.
 
Social Media Week is a worldwide event exploring the social, cultural and economic impact of social media. According to the organizers, the event is to help people and organizations connect through collaboration, learning and the sharing of ideas and information. The Social Media Week Lagos brings together thought leaders, creative people, entrepreneurs and everyday citizens from Nigeria to explore how people and organizations can connect with one another to share new ideas and information.


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E-Business

FG Mulls Fibre Optic Layout to Bridge Internet Gaps

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President Bola Tinubu said that his administration has initiated a project to install fibre optic cables across the country, aimed at enhancing the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

FG Mulls Fibre Optic Layout to Bridge Internet Gaps

His plans were contained in a speech he delivered at a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of Democracy Day on Thursday, June 12.

He said the fibre optic layout is part of other projects being embarked on.

“In addition, we have embarked on an ambitious project to lay fibre optic cables across the nation, a transformative step toward bridging the digital divide and fostering greater connectivity.

“This initiative promises not only to enhance the speed and reliability of internet access but also to revolutionise how businesses operate, how students learn, and how communities stay connected,” Tinubu stated.

He maintained that by extending this critical infrastructure, his government is empowering entrepreneurs, enabling digital education, and providing the tools for our youth to compete in a globalised world.

In a most recent report on Internet connectivity, The ICIR pointed out how Nigeria has faced setbacks in its deployment of fibre optic cables and needs a transformation.

The challenges revolve around vandalism, inadequate coordination between road construction and telecom infrastructure, and varying right-of-way (RoW) charges across states.

Among industry experts, these issues impact network outages, increase repair costs, and hinder broadband expansion efforts.

It has also further threatened the digital economy, leading to slower Internet speeds, dropped calls, and unreliable connectivity among others.


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African Startups Raised $345m in Funding in May

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African startups raised more than $345 million across 65 deals in May, more than double the amount raised in the same period of last year, according to a report by Briter, a research and business intelligence firm.

The report disclosed that both the number of deals and participating companies declined, confirming a growing trend of fewer companies raising funds in larger sizes.

It said fintech attracted the highest share of funding in May, accounting for 34 percent of the total, while cleantech followed closely, driven by a debt deal from Sun King. The company raised $80 million (in local currency) to expand clean energy access in Nigeria.

“Equity remains the primary instrument in terms of total value. There’s no doubt about it; in fact, equity deals with disclosed amounts captured more than half of the total funding volume in May.

“However, debt financing is increasingly proving its weight. Although it accounted for only 8 percent of all deals, it represented 32 percent of the total funding, highlighting the typically larger size of debt transactions. With the rise of specialised vehicles targeting early-stage businesses, debt is becoming an increasingly important part of Africa’s innovation funding landscape,” it said.

Briter’s report added that grants continued to play a vital role in early-stage support, especially in the education technology (EdTech) sector. The Mastercard Foundation led the pack in grant activity, funding a new cohort of EdTech innovators in Nigeria and Kenya. Each selected startup is set to receive $100,000 in grant funding, in addition to mentorship and business development support.

Multilaterals also made a strong showing in May, it said. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a World Bank Group member, issued a $179.6 million guarantee to CleanTech firm KOKO Networks. The support will help scale its clean energy solutions across Kenya.

“This deal not only demonstrates growing international confidence in African climate ventures but also signals a promising pathway for other asset-intensive startups in clean cooking, agriculture, and renewable energy,” the report said.

From a geographic perspective, Egypt emerged as the continent’s fundraising powerhouse for the month, contributing 51 percent of all funding raised. The country recorded 12 deals across equity, debt, and bond instruments. Notably, FinTech platform MNT-Halan raised $50 million through a bond issuance, further illustrating the diversification of capital-raising mechanisms in the region.

Outside Egypt, funding was distributed across Africa’s three other key markets, which are Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya, with limited activity recorded in countries such as Ghana, Tunisia, Morocco, and Uganda, each registering between one and three deals.

In terms of exits, the African tech landscape continues to mature. Three companies—Baobab+, Qardy, and Shopa—were acquired in May, bringing the total number of exits this year to 22. This already surpasses last year’s count for the same period. Qardy was acquired by Catalyst Partners Middle East (CPME) in a disclosed deal valued at $23 million, the report added.

 


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Human Hacking: When Cyber Criminals Target You

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By Nancy Werteen

When you get anti-hacking advice, you’ve probably heard “Don’t use a simple password,” or “Don’t plug in that USB you found on the ground.”

Human Hacking: When Cyber Criminals Target You

But there’s one form of hacking that doesn’t always require a computer, and it costs businesses about 4.88 million dollars a year.

Modern hackers aren’t trying to get into your computer; they’re trying to get into you.

“They’ll try to learn about you a little bit, and they’ll try to use that information against you to try to get you to complete some action, maybe to send somebody some money,” said Kevin Moran, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Cyber Security and Privacy Cluster, University of Central Florida.

IBM calls this human hacking, because it exploits human error instead of system error.

“With people just being busy and maybe not very carefully checking some of the emails or the phone calls that they get, can be something unfortunately that people can fall victim to,” said Moran.

Also known as social engineering, this often takes the form of phishing, where the hacker tries to “fish” the information out of you by impersonating family, friends, or even your bank.

There’s also baiting, where the hacker baits you with something of value. Remember the Nigerian prince scam?

That’s a famous example of baiting. There’s also pretexting, where the hacker will claim the victim has already been hacked, and that the hacker can fix it if you just send over your passwords. So, what can you do?

“Just as a rule of thumb, instead of clicking on links and emails, just go to the website yourself. And that will prevent, a lot of these types of attacks from happening,” explained Moran.

Phishing can take many forms.

Spear phishing targets people with access to confidential information, often to get access into an entire business, and whale phishing targets CEOs or political figures.

Search engine phishing is when hackers create fake websites promising services or goods you’ll never receive.

Angler phishing is when hackers create fake social media accounts impersonating famous people or companies.

Finally, vishing and smishing is phishing done through phone calls and texts respectively.

 

 

 

 

 


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