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Innovation, Creativity on Display @ IBM “CogniHack Lagos 2016”

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Members of Team CogniBank @ IBM CogniHack Lagos 2016
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The abundance and quality of talent in the country’s local technology space was showcased recently to the friendly geeks at IBM.

Showcasing its ongoing investment in the local technology space, IBM chose Africa’s most populous city to convene “CogniHack Lagos 2016”, a software coding competition, specifically designed to brush up the cloud and cognitive computing skills of the software development community.

“CogniHack Lagos 2016”, the coding challenge assembled scores of pre-selected local talent – from idea generators, to app designers, freelance programmers, budding software designers and creative hacks.

They came from academia; independent software vendors from places as far as Ibadan, Abeokuta, Abuja, Gusau in Zamfara state, and Zaria in Kaduna state, including a coding teams from local start-ups Software Alliance, Relational Technologies, Andela (which recently got a multi-million-dollar boost from Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg), and United Kingdom-based team of Nigerian-born developers.

Their collective tasks was to collaborate on developing solutions for the financial services sector, using IBM’s BlueMix development platform, Watson Developer Cloud and other IBM and third party cloud-based tools.

Their resultant applications will be web and mobile ready. And they had less than 72 hours to come up with their mobile and web-based blueprints.

The young innovators were challenged to unleash their software design and coding skills on building software solutions around customer engagement and customer insights.

But before even getting them to work in teams at its Client and Innovation Center in Lagos (venue of the coding competition), it had curated a series of banking industry challenges and issues from local banks for the constructive teams (white hackers) to work on, pooling them into easily addressable hackathon prompts.

In layman’s terms these hackathon prompts reflect the current headaches of the Nigerian and regional banking industry. Contemporary mobile and electronic banking issues like customer service, money management, bill payments, storage, connecting farmers to sellers etc.

Two banking technology experts, Henry Ideozu and Victor Okigbo representing Heritage Bank and Access Bank respectively, also enriched the coding contest with their savvy technical expertise, retail banking use cases and insights.

Eventually, at the end of the competition, IBM found app designs from three teams worthy of commercial progression, based on the fact that “their ideas and solutions were viable, innovative, scalable and had a path to potential profitability for banking institutions.,” according to Tomi Akingbade, Associate Partner at IBM’s Watson Transformations team for the financial services sector.

“Team CogniBank” emerged tops, with the best software design, according to the CogniHack jury comprising of techies from IBM and banking industry.

Aimed primarily at improving customer satisfaction levels, their application deploys information retrieval concepts to support and optimize usage of the internet banking and mobile banking delivery channels.

The CogniBank application is built around IBM’s Watson Artificial Intelligence platform, enabling prompt and relevant response to customer queries.

After “Team CogniBank”, the second and third place teams were “Team Genie” and “Team Growphile” respectively. Interestingly both teams come from the stables of Andela.    

“IBM promotes talent wherever it can be found. These days, we are focused on leveraging cognitive technologies to transform businesses…clearly with the right support and technology platform, the potentials of Nigeria’s digitally savvy youth can be unleashed to achieve positive impact,” Akingbade says.

IBM expects the software ideas from these innovative teams to blossom into winning solutions and successful enterprises, able to partner with IBM to deliver technology solution and services for humanity.  

The three top teams, CogniBank, Genie and Growphile, will have the opportunity to co-present their solutions to business, technology and public sector leaders at the IBM Business Connect Nigeria 2016 event in Lagos later this week.

No doubt, the Nigerian technology space continues to develop at a fast pace thanks largely to progressive investments that breed successful collaboration between global corporations and indigenous IT institutions and individuals. IBM continues to raise the bar in technology innovation promotion and management with its interesting hackathons.

“CogniHack Lagos 2016” is IBM’s latest hackathon effort on Nigerian soil. About two years ago, the technology giant flagged off its pan-African hackathon series in Lagos with “IBM Lagos Hackathon”, a four-day technology training and ideas incubation programme which developed applications for Mobile Payments and Smarter Government Solutions.

IBM, a global leader cloud and cognitive computing company, currently invests over $6 billion annually in technology research and technology.

Notwithstanding Nigeria’s current harsh economic climate, the country’s IT ecosystem is a fertile ground for solid long term returns. The results of IBM’s ongoing investments in Nigeria’s IT space can only mean one thing – positive growth for the local IT economy.


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Tech Expert Unveils BAT-BOT AI App to Curb Fake News ahead of 2027 Elections

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An artificial intelligence (AI) application has been developed to help combat the spread of fake news, misinformation and political propaganda as political activities gradually build toward the 2027 general elections in Nigeria.

Tech Expert Unveils BAT-BOT AI App to Curb Fake News ahead of 2027 Elections

The app, known as BAT-BOT AI, was unveiled in Abuja by Mr. Gunu Usman, its founder, who said the platform is designed to assist the federal government in addressing the growing challenge of false information within nation’s digital space.

‎Mr Usman explained that the new platform was created to ensure that factual information circulates faster than falsehood.

He noted that the rapid spread of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and manipulated narratives targeting the administration of Bola Tinubu, the ruling All Progressives Congress, and national institutions poses risks to democratic stability and public trust.

According to Mr. Usman, BAT-BOT AI was developed to support public access to verified information while countering misleading narratives online.

The Technology expert described the system as a sovereign AI-powered civic information and fact-verification platform designed to strengthen Nigeria’s digital information ecosystem ahead of the 2027 general election.

He added that the initiative aligns with the government’s policy direction under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, which seeks to promote transparency and encourage informed civic participation.

The founder further explained that the platform is currently accessible to Nigerians through multiple digital channels, enabling users to verify claims, seek clarification on government policies and obtain information on national development initiatives.

Mr.  Usman expressed optimism that the tool would help curb the spread of false information and contribute to a more credible digital environment as the country prepares for the next electoral cycle.

 

 


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Why JustMarkets Is a Strong Choice for Gold Trading

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Over the past four years, gold has risen by more than 400%. The precious metal has long been one of the most traded assets in global financial markets. From its role as a traditional store of value to its sensitivity to inflation, interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainty, gold continues to attract traders seeking efficient and predictable trading opportunities during a period of global uncertainty and high volatility.

Why JustMarkets Is a Strong Choice for Gold Trading

JustMarkets

For traders looking to effectively access gold markets, choosing the right trading environment is as important as timing their entry. One of the most popular and effective gold trading platforms is JustMarkets, offering the tools, conditions, and infrastructure to enable traders to achieve their most ambitious gold trading goals.

Tight Spreads on XAU/USD

Cost efficiency is a critical factor in gold trading, especially for active day traders. JustMarkets offers extremely competitive XAU/USD spreads, allowing traders to open and close positions with reduced transaction costs. Lower spreads can significantly impact short-term strategies, where precision and timing are key to effectively entering a trade. By minimizing trading costs, JustMarkets helps traders focus more on market analysis and finding the ideal entry point, and less on overhead.

Fast and Reliable Execution

Gold is recognized for its volatility, especially during the day, especially with economic announcements or geopolitical events. Speed is of the essence in volatile markets. JustMarkets provides high-speed execution of orders, which helps minimize the risks of delays, especially during periods of high volatility. This ensures that traders are able to respond better to market conditions, thereby having better control over trade management.

Flexible Trading Conditions

Each trader has their own approach to gold, ranging from intraday trading to position trading. JustMarkets offers flexible leverage and account types, enabling traders to adjust their exposure based on their risk tolerance and trading style. This flexibility is suitable for both conservative and aggressive traders while still allowing them to access the same global gold market.

Advanced Platforms and Tools

Successful gold trading is based on thorough technical and fundamental analysis. JustMarkets provides access to industry-standard trading platforms equipped with advanced charting tools, multiple timeframes, and a wide range of indicators for recognizing divergences and clear entry points. These features help traders analyze price trends, identify key levels, and plan their trades with greater confidence.

Accessibility via mobile devices and computers via the JustMarkets Mobile Trading app also ensures traders can monitor positions and market movements from anywhere and at any time.

Education and Market Support

Gold is also affected by factors such as inflation rates, central bank policies, and currency fluctuations. Understanding these factors is important for developing a structured trading strategy.

JustMarkets offers resources for traders, which provide information on how global events can impact the price of gold like case studies, daily, bank and weekly analysis. This is a knowledge-based system, which enables the trader to make more informed decisions rather than relying on the price movements of gold.

Trading Activities That Keep Gold Traders Engaged

In addition to the competitive trading environment, JustMarkets also runs various special activities and campaigns that aim to make the trading experience more interesting. At certain intervals, the special activities may include trading contests on specific trading instruments, such as gold, which are highly sought after by traders. This will give the traders an added impetus to keep trading.

The special activities are designed to encourage trading, consistency, and skill-building among the traders, along with the additional motivation for the trading strategies. This is also in line with the overall philosophy of JustMarkets to create a dynamic trading environment where trading, learning, and motivation are linked together.

A Trading Environment Built for Gold Traders

Gold is still one of the most dynamic markets with the greatest number of opportunities in the world. With tight spreads on XAU/USD, fast execution, flexible trading terms, and access to advanced analytical tools, JustMarkets creates an optimal trading environment for those who want to trade gold efficiently.

In addition to the comprehensive educational assistance, JustMarkets continues to position itself as a strong competitor for traders who are looking for professional trading conditions combined with growth opportunities.


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Microsoft Expands Africa AI Push while DeepSeek Gains Users

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Microsoft is stepping up its push to expand artificial-intelligence adoption across Africa as competition intensifies with Chinas DeepSeek for influence in one of the worlds youngest and fastest-growing digital markets.

Microsoft Expands Africa AI Push while DeepSeek Gains Users

The company plans to train 3 million Africans on its AI technologies this year through partnerships with schools, universities and other institutions, with a focus on South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco.

The effort reflects Microsofts broader attempt to accelerate adoption of its AI ecosystem across emerging markets where developers and enterprises are increasingly experimenting with generative AI tools.

Alongside the training initiative, Microsoft is working with MTN Group (MTNOY), Africas largest telecommunications company, to distribute Microsoft 365 and its Copilot digital assistant to about 300 million subscribers.

The Elevate program is designed to expand AI literacy and reduce cost barriers that might otherwise limit adoption, according to regional leadership.

The push comes as Chinese technology firms expand their footprint across the continent, with DeepSeeks open-source models accounting for roughly 11% to 14% of chatbot use in several African markets and reaching about 20% in countries such as Ethiopia and Zimbabwe following investments tied to digital infrastructure and telecom networks.

Microsoft is also increasing its infrastructure investment in the region.

In South Africa, the company plans to invest 5.4 billion rand, or about $330 million, to expand its cloud and AI capacity by the end of next year, while it is also exploring plans for a geothermal-powered data center in Kenya.

Early corporate adoption is emerging across the continent, with South African grocer Spar Group using Copilot in ways that save more than 700 employee hours annually and Nigerias Access Holdings integrating AI into daily workflows.

Regional leadership has suggested broader AI adoption could potentially contribute up to $1.5 trillion to Africas gross domestic product by 2030 if governments and businesses continue investing in digital infrastructure and AI skills.

 


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