E-Business
HR – an Important Contributor to Business Longevity Through Acquisition and Partnerships
By Yewande Ayowole-Oso, HR Director, Anglophone West Africa at Schneider Electric
Business continuity and longevity remain a focal point for businesses in the constantly evolving world. In a time of emerging technologies, acquisitions, and an increasingly diverse and inclusive workforce, HR teams have emerged as all-important contributors to organisational business continuity.
The ever-transforming global workplace has triggered a rapid shift in how HR professionals around the world adapt to these changes. Indeed, the HR team’s role has moved beyond personnel managers to strategic business contributors. And like our counterparts across the globe, Nigerian HR teams are now focusing on delivering strategies for employee wellbeing, diversity, equity, inclusion, and talent retention – all to realise business continuity.
The focus now is on harnessing the potential of employees within the organisation, growing a pool of truly talented individuals who will contribute to organisational success whilst working in a nurturing, opportunity-abound environment.
Critical to the above, are HR professionals’ ability to understand the nuances of the organisations’ operations well enough to develop a strategy which contributes towards corporates’ focus on business success and longevity. The areas in which the HR function can contribute strategically are highlighted below.
Realising acquisition success
Acquisition and partnerships play in a vital role in ensuring business continuity. However, these are very sensitive processes in business growth and how this is managed can make a dramatic difference in the desired organisational growth.
HR teams play a pivotal role in organisations’ acquisition endeavours. Navigating cultural integration, especially during acquisitions, demands finesse and cultural awareness, which HR’s business acumen help achieve.
Whilst Nigeria might not experience acquisitions frequently on a local level, it is safe to say that if you are part of global HR team, your role, like your global counterparts, will be to ensure that the process runs smoothly.
When going through an acquisition process, HR’s role starts early, even before the ink dries, as the team is responsible for establishing a clear and transparent communication path amongst the stakeholders.
The ability to conduct cultural due diligence becomes paramount, ensuring a smooth transition by identifying potential clashes and differences whilst identifying existing similarities and areas of strength.
Importantly, it is HR’s role to assist employees, both existing and from the acquired entity, to ease into newly merged organisation by integrating and redefining the culture and corporate values of the newly evolving organisation.
Fundamental to a successful business growth is ensuring that the merging companies develop a shared vision, mission, and strategy. The HR team remains critical in building trust and solidifying relationships during and after the acquisition process.
In summary, the first step is unpacking the merging organisation’s existing culture by discontinuing current practices, attitudes, and behaviours. The second stage is transition which involves familiarising the workforce with new concepts based on a desired culture. The final stage is establishing the culture by reinforcing new practices, attitudes, and behaviours.
Also, decision-making processes, collaboration tendencies, communication styles, and organisational concepts are also critical factors that will contribute to establishing an integrated plan that allows for a seamless transition and the realisation of a new organisational culture.
Additionally, change management remains a continuous process within organisations particularly during new acquisitions and partnerships. HR can play a dual role here by both initiating and leading the change and serving as a facilitator for the changes initiated by the other stakeholder. Stakeholder concerns should also be addressed, and the relevant solutions communicated to foster a successful partnership.
Technology also has an innovative role to play in smoothing the acquisition and transition process. It acts as an enabler, simplifying and streamlining processes, tasks, and enhancing productivity.
Technology and digital HR systems provide the tools with which the HR team can analyse data and provide valuable insights into changing workforce demographics, employee knowledge, skills and abilities landscape which is particularly beneficial when working with diversified and expanding workforce.
There is no doubt that HR professionals play an integral role in company’s acquisition and partnership processes. HR teams are responsible for the organisation’s most important asset, its people. HR has and can truly solidify its role as strategic business partner in organisations when acquisitions and partnership are adapted as a means of enhancing business longevity.
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has opposed a bill seeking to compel major global social media companies to establish physical offices in Nigeria.
The rights advocacy group urged the National Assembly to discard the proposed legislation, warning that it could become a tool for censorship and undermine citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of expression, despite being presented as a measure to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy and improve corporate accountability.
The position was contained in a presentation submitted yesterday by Emmanuel Onwubiko, national coordinator, HURIWA, to the chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Ned Munir Nwoko, has already passed second reading in the Senate and is before the committee for further legislative consideration.
HURIWA said it carefully reviewed the proposed legislation and concluded that compelling global technology companies to establish offices in Nigeria was unnecessary and potentially counterproductive.
The organisation argued that while the firms generate substantial revenue from Nigeria’s vast digital market, they already engage Nigerians through existing structures, including paying eligible content creators, working with local technology professionals and participating in legal proceedings whenever required.
According to the group, appointing local representatives where necessary would adequately address concerns about engagement with regulators and users without forcing the companies to maintain physical offices.
It also dismissed claims that mandatory country offices would significantly improve consumer complaint resolution, technology transfer or employment generation.
HURIWA maintained that the platforms already have effective feedback mechanisms for resolving users’ complaints and routinely appear before Nigerian courts through their representatives whenever litigation arises.
The group, however, said its greatest concern was the potential for the proposed law to be used as an instrument for restricting freedom of expression.
It argued that establishing local offices could expose global social media companies to pressure from government authorities to remove online content considered critical of those in power.
According to the rights group, the presence of social media companies in Nigeria could become an avenue for authorities to pressure them into abandoning internationally recognised digital rights standards in favour of politically motivated content moderation.
It recalled previous attempts to regulate social media in Nigeria that generated widespread concerns over possible restrictions on free speech, stressing that any legislation affecting the digital space must contain clear safeguards against abuse.
The organisation warned that the proposed law should never become “a backdoor mechanism for government surveillance, arbitrary content removal or political censorship.
Nigeria has emerged as one of Africa’s most regulated online gambling markets, even as illegal operators continue to dominate the continent, according to a new report by Gaming Compliance International (GCI).
The report, the first comprehensive assessment of online gambling across all 54 African countries, showed that Africa’s online gambling Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) reached $23 billion in 2025.
However, only $5.2 billion (23 per cent) was generated by licensed operators, while $17.8 billion (77 per cent) remained in the unregulated market.
In West Africa, total online gambling revenue rose to $4.8 billion in 2025 from $4.3 billion in 2024. Of the 2025 figure, regulated operators accounted for $1.5 billion (31 per cent), while $3.3 billion (69 per cent) flowed to unlicensed platforms, highlighting the region’s persistent enforcement challenges.
Nigeria stood out as the region’s strongest performer, recording the lowest unregulated market share at 56 per cent, compared with the West African average of 69 per cent and the African average of 77 per cent.
The study also found that online gambling participation across Africa increased from 198 million people (13 per cent of the population) in 2024 to 215 million (14 per cent) in 2025.
Despite this growth, GCI estimated that illegal operators deprived African governments of about $3.55 billion in tax revenue in 2025. The number of unlicensed gambling platforms targeting African consumers also rose to 4,129, up from 3,644 in 2024.
Commenting on the findings, Matt Holt, chief executive officer, GCI, said the report provides regulators with the first continent-wide benchmark for strengthening oversight and consumer protection.
Ismail Vali, president, GCI, urged governments to develop competitive and well-regulated markets that encourage consumers to patronise licensed operators, boost public revenue and attract greater investment.
Online gambling in Nigeria is regulated by the Nation Lottery Regulatory Commission.
At the height of the Northern Hemisphere tourist season, demand for communications and mobile Internet services rises sharply. Kaspersky’s security experts have uncovered scams that target anyone purchasing mobile connections or SIM cards worldwide.
Fraudsters create counterfeit websites that look like the portals of major regional and international telecom providers to trick users into revealing their phone numbers, personal details or banking information.
Kaspersky is sharing several examples of these fake login pages that mimic legitimate telecom operator sites and giving recommendations on how not to be deceived.
In the first case, scammers exploit the brand name of an international telecommunications company operating services in Asia, Africa and Europe. Fake authentication pages encourage users to put in their phone number and credentials.
While the first example shows the different design, the second scam site closely mimics the original log in page, making it hard for users to tell the difference and spot a fake. Entering authentication or payment data on fraudulent web sites may result in money or data loss and become a reason for more frequent spam and fraudulent calls.
Another example is a scam page which poses as another international communications company, working in North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In this scheme scammers encourage users to top up their mobile data/Internet plans by entering their personal information and bank cards details.
Kaspersky experts have also identified a scam when cyber criminals suggest users enter their personal data to check and pay a bill inquiry. Such scam schemes are usually aimed at gaining victims’ personal data for further fraud or account hacking and stealing money.
“Because of the active use of AI, scammers can now create fake pages with ever increasing accuracy and speed, targeting the most popular user interest areas. We constantly see scams revolving around sports events, music concerts, seasonal sales and holidays. Unfortunately, the telecoms industry is no exception.
To keep your data and money safe, be vigilant when purchasing mobile or Internet plans online. Using an eSIM – purchased through an official app – is one way to avoid fake telecom sites, as it eliminates the need to enter personal details on questionable web pages.
If you’re unsure about a site’s legitimacy, search for the brand name directly in a search engine and enable a security solution that blocks phishing links for you,” comments Tatyana Kulikova, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky.
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