E-Business
IBM, Peace Corps Boost Women Empowerment In West Africa

Historic public-private partnership with the Peace Corps supports Lets Girls Learn initiative via high impact, pro bono consulting assignment in Ghana
Breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling may soon become somewhat easier for Africa’s female population.
A recent landmark initiative between global technology company IBM and the US Peace Corps has further boosted ongoing efforts to advance the cause of women’s rights and empowerment in West Africa.
In an innovative and unique example of public-private partnership, the two institutions have teamed up to help the Ghanaian government’s extant efforts to bring women into the mainstream of national development.
Neighboring countries in west and central Africa should also benefit from this plan to galvanize sustainable personal and professional opportunities for women, as African governments begin to actualize their economic integration efforts.
Women’s rights were placed on the global development plate in 2000, when the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, which recognizes the indispensable role of women in matters of peace and security, and by default in all affairs pertaining to human development.
Indeed, since the passage of UN Resolution 1325, countries and companies have intensified efforts to bring women into the mainstream of business, politics and society. In Asia, a continent like Africa also steeped in trado-cultural norms that often exclude women from the social and economic mainstream, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has introduced “Womenomics”, a set of policies aimed at getting companies to hire more women.
Clearly, Africa’s business and political leaders need to take a cue from the Japanese leader’s example. They would do well to adopt “Womenomics”, as it could be instrumental to the revival of their economies. Historically, women have always been major contributors to the social and economic ecosystem in most parts of Africa, but their contributions are often relegated in national policy formulation, and largely confined to the informal sectors. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), if countries eliminated the gender gap in their labor force, they would see their GDPs rise by a cumulative 12% over the next 15 years.
Last year, US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama launched the US Peace Corps ‘Let Girls Learn’ program, a U.S. government effort that aims to address the range of challenges preventing 62 million adolescent girls from attending and completing school, and from realizing their potential as adults. Bringing this initiative to the heart of Africa, IBM has collaborated with Peace Corps volunteers to support the Peace Corps’ Let Girls Learn program in Ghana.
Last week in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, a team of IBM specialists working with the Peace Corps presented recommendations to Ghanaian authorities on a range of issues aimed at supporting Ghana’s drive for technology utilization, academic development, gender equality and social transformation.
Concluding a month-long, pro bono consulting assignment in Accra, the 12-person IBM team, from eight countries, was the twelfth group since 2010 to provide assistance to Ghana as part of IBM’s Corporate Service Corps, which provides problem-solving support from IBM’s top employees to educational institutions, small businesses, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies in emerging markets.
During their assignment in Ghana, they worked on several projects at the country’s Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, and government agencies responsible for national academic programs and curriculum development, female empowerment and mentorship. Designing programs to promote education, training and opportunities for young women and disadvantaged citizens, they also worked with TECHAiDE, a technology-focused social enterprise that addresses girls’ empowerment and citizens’ development needs.
This was the first overseas collaboration between IBM and the Peace Corps since the two agencies launched an innovative public-private partnership to allow highly skilled corporate professionals to serve overseas in short-term, high-impact pro bono consulting assignments through the Peace Corps Response program. The project in Ghana will serve as a model for at least two more overseas collaborations later this year — one in the Philippines that will focus on disaster preparedness and resiliency, and the other in Mexico, focused on environmental issues.
As one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, Ghana urgently seeks to improve girls’ education, women entrepreneurship and empowerment, and the integration of women into its national development process. Jobs creation, mass literacy and youth empowerment have been identified by the United Nations as crucial to Ghana’s economic and social development agenda.
“Ghana continues to make very good progress in her quest to foster academic, economic, social and financial inclusion,” said Dr. Stephen Adu, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service in the Ministry of Education. “Our work with IBM and the Peace Corps will help us solidify ongoing plans to bring women and disadvantaged sections of society in to the mainstream of development efforts.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.
GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.
In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.
Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).
GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.
E-Business
Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”
Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.
A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.
Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”
Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.
“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.
He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.
This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.
GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.
The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”
As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.
With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.
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