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IBM Assists Lagos State Design Transportation System

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A team of IBM experts completing a month-long pro bono consulting assignment has presented recommendations to Lagos State Government to help ensure a more efficient flow of traffic in the city of Lagos with 20 million citizens.

Working with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, the agency responsible for developing and implementing the state’s transportation blueprint, and the Lagos State Ministries of Transportation, Works & Infrastructure, Science & Technology, the IBM team of experts proposed technology-driven strategies to make travel easier.

Located in West Africa’s rain forest belt, 20% of Lagos’ geographical area is taken up by water, but most commuter travel in the state is by road. 

City authorities predict a 350% growth in the number of vehicles in the state over the next 25 years, with the population doubling to 40 million by 2030.

The potential of both rail and water transport remains largely untapped, carrying less than one percent of overall traffic in the state.

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The recommendations included better coordination between agencies responsible for traffic management, police, fire and medical care.

More efficient decison-making would be based on data gathering and analysis from a variety of sources such as cell phones, call centers, cameras, and global positioning systems devices.

This accurate and up-to-date information would assist the agencies better manage traffic flow. 

It would also enable them to wirelessly provide travelers with information such as road and traffic conditions, as well as bus, boat and toll schedules.

Also included among the proposals was a single, integrated e-ticketing system for all modes of transportation (similar to New York City’s Metro Card or London’s Oyster card systems) and integrated fare management.

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The introduction of roadway toll rates based on traffic density would also help encourage the use public transportation, bringing less pollution and increased revenue.

The state was also advised to create a single platform for all its traffic and transportation-related data, integrating all agencies and modes of transport, allowing seamless passenger transfers.

Babatunde Raji Fashola, Lagos State Governor said, “The need to deploy innovative approaches that address civic challenges in Lagos State has never been greater. Keeping up with the state’s growing appetite for services and resources is a herculean and continuous process. Our ability and growing success in attracting home-grown and international trade and investment activity, is generating a need for better governance and management practices. Technology is the key to the future, and we welcome IBM’s support in this regard.”

The team’s recommendations incorporated existing infrastructure, and proposed strategies for self-funded projects.

“IBM’s set of recommendations address our key transportation challenges and clearly enhance our ongoing efforts to fix the myriad of issues faced by our fast developing state,” Kayode Opeifa, Lagos State commissioner for transport said.

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Further confirming this point of view, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Lagos state commissioner for works and infrastructure said the state’s “blueprint for transforming our struggling infrastructure into a modern ecosystem driven by data intelligence and efficient resource management has been further authenticated by these set of recommendations from IBM.”

Lagos is West Africa’s leading commercial hub with the region’s largest air and seaports.

The city generates 25% of national gross domestic product and its citizens account for 12% of Nigeria’s population.
“Lagos will continue to be a significant element of Africa’s economic success story, said Taiwo Otiti, IBM’s Country General Manager for West Africa.

“An intelligent, interconnected logistics and transportation management system is a crucial must-have for any modern city, and this engagement with IBM’s Executive Service Corps team will further enhance the state’s ability to deploy technology-driven solutions in a timely and strategic manner.”

The collaboration between Lagos and IBM was funded by a Smarter Cities Challenge grant — one of only some 30 awarded globally for 2013.

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Launched in 2011, the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge is a three-year, 100-city, US$50 million competitive grant program.

IBM’s single-largest philanthropic initiative, the program assigns a team of six top IBM experts to each winning city to study a key issue identified by the city’s leadership. 

The program was inspired by the global migration to cities.  According to the United Nations, in 2008 more than half the world’s population began living in cities for the first time.

These population centers are more economically powerful, politically influential, and technologically advanced than at any time in history.

However, they also struggle with increased demand for services, along with budgetary and operational challenges.

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The Smarter Cities Challenge is sponsored by IBM’s Corporate Citizenship program and IBM’s International Foundation. IBM has been a leader in corporate social responsibility and citizenship for more than 100 years.


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Dangote Plans to Donate One-Third of Wealth to Charity as Legacy

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Aliko Dangote
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Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, plans to dedicate one-third of his wealth to charity as part of his succession plan, Halima Dangote, his daughter, has revealed.

Dangote Plans to Donate One-Third of Wealth to Charity as Legacy

Aliko Dangote

Halima, a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, disclosed this in an interview with Bloomberg published on Tuesday, saying the billionaire had secured the support of his family to commit 33 per cent of his estate to philanthropy.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote’s net worth is estimated at $35.1 billion, meaning one-third of his current wealth would be worth about $11.7 billion if his fortune remains at that level.

Halima explained that her father views philanthropy as a key part of his legacy and has incorporated it into the family’s long-term succession plans.

She said Dangote had structured his estate to ensure that charitable giving continues across generations, particularly in areas such as healthcare and education.

“He sort of put all the structure in place whereby we focus a lot on health and education. He actually donated 25 per cent to the foundation. If you look at it, it is what we call in Sharia Code in Islam; it means he has donated 33 per cent of his whole inheritance to his foundation,” she said.

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Halima added that Dangote believes giving back is central to the success of his businesses and the family’s values.

She said the billionaire asked her, her two sisters, and his mother to sign the agreement allowing 33 per cent of his inheritance to be dedicated to humanitarian causes.

The planned donation builds on Dangote’s longstanding philanthropic activities through the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which was established in 1994.

According to Halima, the foundation received an endowment of $1.25 billion about a decade ago and has since received an additional $700 million in funding.

She said about 70 per cent of the foundation’s spending goes to programmes in Nigeria, while 20 per cent supports projects across Africa, with the remaining funds directed to initiatives in other parts of the world.

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The foundation’s interventions focus on healthcare, education, nutrition, and humanitarian support, including partnerships that contributed to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa.

Dangote’s planned charitable commitment adds to increasing global attention on billionaire philanthropy.

Although the proposed 33 per cent allocation is below the 50 per cent commitment associated with the Giving Pledge, it would rank among the largest philanthropic commitments announced by an African billionaire.

Earlier this year, Dangote was named among the world’s most influential philanthropists by TIME magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the impact of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which reportedly spends more than ₦50 billion annually on programmes across Africa.

 

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Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission Seeks Collaboration on Power Plants

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Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), has said that there are plans for Nigeria to begin to generate electricity from nuclear sources.

Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission Seeks Collaboration on Power Plants

Mr Anthony Godwin Ekedegwa, chief executive, NAEC stated this when he recently visited Mr Umar Yusuf Girei, acting managing director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA),in Abuja.

He was at NIWA’s office to solicit the support of NIWA in achieving the numerous advantages of using nuclear energy technology in the country.

According to him, the partnership of critical stakeholders in Nigeria will position the country well in developing and maintaining its nuclear power plant.

The NAEC chief said Nigeria intends to begin the generation of electricity from nuclear sources instead of fossil-based power plants and hydro-based power plants, stressing that for Nigeria to develop, there is a need for the country to diversify its energy needs.

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In his remarks, Mr Girei assured NAEC of his agency’s readiness to collaborate on the advancement of a nuclear power plant in Nigeria.

He promised the full support of NAEC for the success of a nuclear power plant in the country, saying that as the organisation saddled with the responsibility of regulating and developing Nigeria Inland Waterways, his entity is strategically positioned to play a critical role in the federal government’s quest for sustainable energy through the new technology.

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Pan-Africanism: Why Integration is Non-Negotiable for Africa’s Future

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In a powerful call for continental solidarity, Ralph Mupita, Group CEO of MTN, has asserted that the future of the African continent depends on the dismantling of xenophobic barriers.

Pan-Africanism: Why Integration is Non-Negotiable for Africa’s Future

Speaking at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation (KMF) Winter Seminar, Mupita framed migration as a fundamental characteristic of the African identity, urging South Africa and other nations to embrace integration over exclusion.

He emphasised that the survival of African enterprises depends on a borderless approach to trade and talent. “The digital economy we’re fast moving to knows no borders.” Mupita declared, noting that the mindset of exclusion is an outdated relic that hinders the continent’s ability to compete globally.

He argued that for Africa to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the psychological barriers of xenophobia must be eradicated.

Providing a stark financial justification for this stance, Mupita highlighted MTN’s own operational reality as a blueprint for Pan-African success. “We earn about 80 to 82% of our earnings from outside South Africa,” he revealed, illustrating that the prosperity of South African-born entities is inextricably linked to their success across the rest of the continent. This figure underscores the interdependence of African economies and the danger of isolationist policies.

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Mupita’s stance was strong advocating for unity: “The future of Africa will not be determined by the borders that separate us, but by the economic opportunities that connect us. Governments must set predictable policy and regulations.

Businesses will follow and allocate resources and capital. Together, we can build a continent where opportunity is more evenly shared and prosperity is more widely created.”

Analysts observing the seminar noted that Mupita’s remarks come at a critical juncture where economic volatility often fuels nationalist rhetoric. By tying the fight against xenophobia to the balance sheet, MTN is positioning Pan-Africanism beyond the moral imperative to its function as a business necessity. The CEO stressed that “Migration is part of who we are,” suggesting that the movement of people is the primary engine for the movement of capital and innovation.

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