News
GBB Bags Public Sector Connectivity Services Provider Of The Year
At the just concluded annual Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecoms Awards 2020, Nigeria’s foremost Shared Services Infrastructure & Network Connectivity organisation, Galaxy Backbone (GBB), received the Award: Public Sector Connectivity Services Provider of the Year.
This recognition is coming at a critical time when the world and indeed Nigeria is still going through the Corona Virus pandemic which has in many ways affected the economy and political operations of the country.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, GBB rose to the task and met the challenges of the time, by providing the platform and personnel that enabled the smooth operations of government and by extension, the public sector.
At the last count, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which is the apex making decision body of the nation has just had their 22nd Virtual FEC meeting on the Network Connectivity & Unified Communications platform provided, managed & supported by GBB.
In recognizing GBB for this award, the organisers explained that Galaxy Backbone has played a critical role in accelerating digital transformation and adoption of modern technologies within a short time especially in the public sector and this has further strengthened the goal of the Digital Economy drive agenda spear-headed by the Honourable Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami. Dr. Pantami also bagged the Digital Leader of the year Award at this event.
In receiving the award, an elated Prof. Muhammad Abubakar, Managing Director/Chief Executive of Galaxy Backbone, thanked the organisers for this recognition given to Galaxy Backbone; ‘On behalf of the Management & Staff of Galaxy Backbone, I would like to thank Instinct Wave & the Association Of Telecommunications Of Nigeria (ATCON) for this award. We will continue to live up to our name as the digital platform for Network & Connectivity services in the nation’s public sector’.
Galaxy Backbone (GBB) is the Digital Infrastructure and Shared Services Provider to public institutions in the country. GBB has covered 13 states in the Federation with its own Fibre connectivity. This has given those states an opportunity to experience high speed connectivity services.
The organisation continues to expand the frontiers of its services to cut across different agencies and across different states of the Federation, while maintaining the international service standards that guide its operations.
EFCC
The African Development Bank Group last week approved an investment of €6.5 million in the Saviu II fund in order to support technology start-ups through their seed phase and first institutional fundraising, mainly in French-speaking Central and West Africa.
The Bank will invest €4.5 million as equity and €2 million as a first-loss hedging tranche on behalf of the European Commission, under the Boost Africa Programme.
This participation of the Bank Group will enable the Saviu II fund to give priority to companies with a strong technological or digital component.
Saviu II, the second investment vehicle of Saviu Partners, plans to invest between €500,000 and €3 million in about 20 technology or technology-oriented business-to-business start-ups in the seed phase or carrying out first institutional fundraising.
The Saviu II venture capital fund aims to make at least 60% of its commitments in the French-speaking countries of West and Central Africa: Côte d ‘Ivoire, Cameroon, Benin, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso and Mali.
The fund can also co-invest in promising technology companies in East Africa that have a strong team and business model, and whose strategy includes entering the market in French-speaking West African countries and establishing a strong presence there.
In addition, the fund will devote a dedicated envelope to pre-seed investments, focusing on minority equity investments, usually in co-investment with studios, incubators or other ecosystem partners.
Nigerian Government has signed a $1.3 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) via the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) to fund an alumina refinery, national geoscience mapping, and a strategic investment vehicle for mining growth.
Special Assistant to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, said the refinery will process one million tonnes of bauxite yearly using a modern Bayer process, powered by an on-site gas-fired cogeneration plant.
Minister Dele Alake called it a transformative milestone boosting GDP, aligning with reforms that improve investment climate, regulations, and licensing to attract private capital. He directed agencies to fast-track permits.
The 20-year project at 95% utilization eyes 19 million tonnes total output, $1.2 billion annual GDP addition, $25 billion economic impact, and $8 billion forex earnings, per feasibility studies.
SMDF Executive Secretary Fatima Shinkafi termed it the agency’s biggest funding deal, supporting value-addition policy.
The partnership extends to geoscience mapping for mineral data, de-risking exploration, and a joint vehicle for mining assets.
Permanent Secretary Engr. Farouk Yabo praised the reforms. Shinkafi signed for government; AFC’s Franklin Edochie for the corporation, witnessed by AFC CEO Samaila Zubairu.
Tomori positioned it as Nigeria’s largest private mining investment and FDI magnet.
GCR Affirms Afreximbank’s International Scale Ratings of A, A2
SmartCash Launches ‘No Be Cho Cho Cho’ Campaign to Boost Digital Banking in Nigeria
MTN Nigeria Non-Executive Director Mazen Mroue Quits to Focus on Group Role
Google Adds Yorùbá, Hausa to AI Search, Boosting Access for Millions of Nigerians
MultiChoice Shuts Down Showmax After 11 Years Amid Streaming Wars
Dr. Cairo Ojougboh Foundation Bolsters Nigeria’s Education Drive with ₦2.7m Student Support
Kaspersky Brings more Transparency to Threat Detection with New Hunt Hub
NDPC Commits to Balancing Data Privacy, Protection Information
PwC Reveals AI Scaling Gap Slows Africa’s Digital Transformation
Firm Reviews the Evolution of Phishing Threats in 2025
E-Financial2 days agoNRS Targets N40trillion in Tax, Royalty Revenue in 2026
E-Financial2 days agoSEC Revokes Registration of Kensington Agro Trading Limited
General News2 days agoPurple Woman 3.0 Is Back, to Empower Women in Tech this IWD 2026
News2 days agoEFCC Arraigns Two FSDH Bank Officials Over $307k, €50k Fraud
Telecom2 days agoKonga Launches ‘Berekete Sales’ with Up to 50% Discounts Across Major Categories
E-Business2 days agoNDPC, 60 DPAs Collaborate on Enforcing Privacy Rights in the Use of Al
General News2 days agoNCDC Raises Alarm over Lassa Fever Ravaging 18 States in Nigeria
E-Financial1 day agoBinance Cuts Illicit Activity Exposure by 96%, Leads Global Crypto Compliance Push