E-Business
Harnessing the Power of Mobile- “Let’s Talk”

In 2009, mobile effectively became the most pervasive mass medium in South Africa, surpassing radio and TV.
Yet the reality is that the marketing community has yet to harness the power of this incredible medium.
That’s the truth according to Marc Herson, director of 2go, an Africa-focused mobile social network that allows users to set up a personal profile, talk to friends, share files and picture, play games and meet new people in chat rooms, for free.
Since its launch in 2007, 2go has amassed a user base of over 10 million Africans, primarily due to its insightful and premeditated decision to support over 800 feature phones, which are still the primary mobile device in Africa.
Herson was speaking at the annual Habari Media Tuongee (Swahili for ‘let’s talk’), which was held on August 15 and 16 at Zebula Lodge, attracting 90 delegates from the cream of the local digital crop.
Herson was one of three digital gurus on the mobile panel, joined by Angus Robinson from Native, and Tim Bishop from Deloitte Digital.
According to Herson, the primary reasons behind the lagging spend remains the same as ever: a lack of understanding of the medium and its platforms on the part of advertisers and their agencies.
“The major problem is that that advertisers and agencies are not themselves using many of the mobile platforms out there, and as a result, they are not always sufficiently familiar with specific mobile platforms, and their potential in terms of creating and driving brand awareness and engagement,” he said.
Herson believes that the responsibility to educate marketers about the potential of the mobile market lies not only with publishers such as himself, but also with agencies.
“Agencies need to help brands understand mobile platforms and the benefit that each audience can bring to the table,” he says. “And it’s high time they also showed how often mobile applications can deliver superior results to traditional above-the-line advertising!”
In explaining the benefits of the mobile medium, Herson compared mobile devices to traditional media radio and TV:
“The mobile medium is the only medium that consumers carry with them. In many ways it beats traditional media such as TV and radio for pure reach, because the vast majority of people are not only economically poor but also time poor – they either do not have a television, or if they do, they seldom have the time to watch it. Our statistics show that 30% of our user base does not watch TV.
“But because these users rely heavily on public transport, they spend hours and hours every day commuting – up to four hours every day, when they often pass the time interacting with friends on platforms such as 2go.”
Herson adds that 2go often sees unique click-through-rates of over 10%, and in some cases these rates can reach upwards of 30%.
“Mobile is also highly targetable and measurable in real-time. A brand can more accurately reach its target audience and measure engagement in real-time,” said Herson.
For instance, on 2go, a brand can reach males aged 18-25 in Gauteng with one message; and females aged 20-30 in the Cape with alternative messaging. And the system can test and track engagement using different copy, allowing advertisers to adjust the copy to make a better connection.
Last, but certainly not least, Herson pointed out that agencies need to understand that although they and their peers might have smart phones, the vast majority of Africa is still dominated by older generation feature phones.
“If you want to interact with the mass market, choose your platform wisely, and work closely with media houses and mobile publishers to ensure the right technology fit with your strategy,” he advised.
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.
E-Business
Report Reveals African Organizations Dangerously Overestimating Cyber defences

Many businesses are overestimating their defence against cyber attacks, which creates a significant human risk blind spot. A new KnowBe4 report exposes a worrying disconnect between what leaders think about their cyber security readiness and what employees experience.
According to the KnowBe4 Africa Human Risk Management Report 2025, based on insights from cyber security decision-makers across 30 African countries, despite high awareness, a critical gap exists in turning that awareness into actual readiness and resilient behaviour.
Key findings from the KnowBe4 Africa Human Risk Management Report 2025:
Confidence vs awareness: While cyber security awareness is high, leaders express uncertainty about their workforce’s ability to act on that awareness. Many feel employees may overestimate their capabilities in recognising, reporting and mitigating threats.
The need for adaptive and personalised security awareness training: Many companies fail to personalise security awareness training to specific roles or risk exposures.
Widespread BYOD usage: A large percentage of employees (between 41% and 80%) use their personal devices for work.
AI policy development is lagging: Many companies (46%) are still in the process of developing policies for using AI tools in the workplace.
Regional variation: Southern Africa trains more, East Africa governs AI better and West/Central Africa sees the most human-related security incidents.
This gap is significant because Africa has become an attractive target to cyber criminals, especially those that launch AI-powered attacks. A LexisNexis Risk Solutions study found 60% of South African organisations have seen an increase in AI-facilitated financial crime – above the 56% global average.
Kehinde Popoola, regional manager and key representative for West and East Africa at Rubrik, said digital transformation is gaining momentum in Africa and companies are more exposed to cyber risk. The Rubrik executive adds that amid an increase in threats, it is crucial that organisations adopt an assumed breach mindset.
The KnowBe4 research shows that cyber security preparedness and the actual structures required to support secure behaviour seem misaligned.
The report highlights that just 10% of cyber security leaders are fully confident that staff would report a phishing attack or other cyber threat, despite rating employee security awareness of cyber threats at four out of five or higher.
There is also a significant perception gap between decision-makers and general employees in Africa regarding security awareness training, with 68% of leaders believing that training is tailored to roles, compared to only a third of employees feeling adequately trained.
KnowBe4 asserts that many organisations only conduct annual or biannual training that is too generic to effectively change behaviour, contributing to uncertainty about its effectiveness.
According to another report, the KnowBe4 African Cybersecurity and Awareness Report 2025, which focuses on end-user based responses, only 43% of African respondents felt confident in their ability to recognise a cyber threat, and just one in three believed their security awareness training was adequately tailored to their role. This comparison suggests the development of a dangerous perception gap in many organisations.
“There’s a disconnect here – between what leaders think is happening and what employees are actually experiencing,” says Anna Collard, SVP content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa. “The data shows that without procedural and cultural follow-through, awareness simply doesn’t translate into readiness.”
“The continent’s cyber security posture may be more confident than it is truly resilient,” Collard adds.
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