Telecom
ITU Strengthens Effort to Address Counterfeit ICT Devices

ITU discussions to address the growing problem of counterfeit ICT devices was actively participated, contributed to and progressed at the latest ITU-T SG11 (Protocols and test specifications) meeting held in Geneva this July.
A group of experts from various administrations and industry, as well as international organizations including the World Trade Organization (WTO), World Custom Organization (WCO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the Mobile Manufacturing Forum (MMF), contributed to the progress of the draft Technical Report on “Counterfeited and Substandard ICT Equipment”, which is anticipated as a baseline document for further developments in this area.
Several forums and conferences have called for ITU’s assistance in addressing the growing problem of counterfeit telecommunications/ICT products and devices, which is adversely affecting all stakeholders in the ICT field (vendors, governments, operators and consumers).
As a result, ITU-T SG11 agreed to revise the terms of reference of its Question 8(Q8/11) ‘Guidelines for implementations of signalling and protocols, and for addressing counterfeit ICT devices’, which is the group dealing with this work.
Isaac Boateng, National Communications Authority, Ghana, and Rapporteur of Q8/11said: “The study on Counterfeit ICT devices currently going on in SG11 was driven by Resolution 177 (Guadalajara, 2010) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on Conformance and Interoperability which ‘instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, in close collaboration with the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and the Director of the Radio communication Bureau, to assist Member States in addressing their concerns with respect to counterfeit equipment’. I expect that the publication of the Technical Report could support the ITU Member States, particularly those in developing countries, to develop policies and regulatory framework to combat counterfeit devices in their national telecommunications/ICT strategies.”
An event on “Combating counterfeit and substandard ICT devices” will be taking place on 17 and 18 November 2014 at ITU Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland. Substandard and fake ICT products are a serious issue that impacts developed and developing economies, the ICT industry, as well as the consumer population around the world.
The objectives of this event are threefold, namely to: discuss the global scope and impact of counterfeiting and substandard ICT products on various stakeholders; highlight the common concerns, challenges, initiatives, practices and opportunities of the various stakeholders in their fight against counterfeiting and substandard ICT products; and examine the possible role of ICT standards development organizations (SDOs), and in particular the ITU, as part of the global strategy and solution to curtail counterfeiting and substandard ICT products.
The ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) also approved in Dubai (2014) a new Resolution on “The role of telecommunications/information and communication technologies in combating and dealing with counterfeit telecommunication/information and communication devices” (see draft final report Members restricted).
The next physical meetings of the group focusing on Counterfeiting in ITU-T (Q8/11) will take place back-to-back with the “Combating counterfeit and substandard ICT devices” event in ITU Headquarters on 19-21 November 2014. The Technical Report on “Counterfeited and Substandard ICT Equipment” will then be stable for approval. ITU Members are also invited to submit Contributions to Q8/11 to start new work items on this topic.
Gartner Warns Organizations of Data Lake Fallacy
The growing hype surrounding data lakes is causing substantial confusion in the information management space, according to Gartner, Inc. Several vendors are marketing data lakes as an essential component to capitalize on Big Data opportunities, but there is little alignment between vendors about what comprises a data lake, or how to get value from it.
“In broad terms, data lakes are marketed as enterprise-wide data management platforms for analyzing disparate sources of data in its native format,” said Nick Heudecker, research director at Gartner.
“The idea is simple: instead of placing data in a purpose-built data store, you move it into a data lake in its original format. This eliminates the upfront costs of data ingestion, like transformation. Once data is placed into the lake, it’s available for analysis by everyone in the organization.”
However, while the marketing hype suggests audiences throughout an enterprise will leverage data lakes, this positioning assumes that all those audiences are highly skilled at data manipulation and analysis, as data lakes lack semantic consistency and governed metadata.
“The need for increased agility and accessibility for data analysis is the primary driver for data lakes,” said Andrew White, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.
“Nevertheless, while it is certainly true that data lakes can provide value to various parts of the organization, the proposition of enterprise-wide data management has yet to be realized.”
Data lakes focus on storing disparate data and ignore how or why data is used, governed, defined and secured. The data lake concept hopes to solve two problems, one old and one new. The old problem it tries to solve is information silos. Rather than having dozens of independently managed collections of data, you can combine these sources in the unmanaged data lake. The consolidation theoretically results in increased information use and sharing, while cutting costs through server and license reduction.
The new problem data lakes conceptually tackle pertains to Big Data initiatives. Big Data projects require a large amount of varied information.
The information is so varied that it’s not clear what it is when it is received, and constraining it in something as structured as a data warehouse or relational database management system (RDBMS) constrains future analysis.
“Addressing both of these issues with a data lake certainly benefits IT in the short term in that IT no longer has to spend time understanding how information is used — data is simply dumped into the data lake,” said Mr. White.
“However, getting value out of the data remains the responsibility of the business end user. Of course, technology could be applied or added to the lake to do this, but without at least some semblance of information governance, the lake will end up being a collection of disconnected data pools or information silos all in one place.”
Data lakes therefore carry substantial risks. The most important is the inability to determine data quality or the lineage of findings by other analysts or users that have found value, previously, in using the same data in the lake. By its definition, a data lake accepts any data, without oversight or governance.
Without descriptive metadata and a mechanism to maintain it, the data lake risks turning into a data swamp. And without metadata, every subsequent use of data means analysts start from scratch.
Another risk is security and access control. Data can be placed into the data lake with no oversight of the contents.
Many data lakes are being used for data whose privacy and regulatory requirements are likely to represent risk exposure. The security capabilities of central data lake technologies are still embryonic. These issues will not be addressed if left to non-IT personnel.
Finally, performance aspects should not be overlooked. Tools and data interfaces simply cannot perform at the same level against a general-purpose store as they can against optimized and purpose-built infrastructure. For these reasons, Gartner recommends that organizations focus on semantic consistency and performance in upstream applications and data stores instead of information consolidation in a data lake.
“Data lakes typically begin as ungoverned data stores,” said Mr. Heudecker. “Meeting the needs of wider audiences require curated repositories with governance, semantic consistency and access controls — elements already found in a data warehouse.
“The fundamental issue with the data lake is that it makes certain assumptions about the users of information,” said Mr. Heudecker.
“It assumes that users recognize or understand the contextual bias of how data is captured, that they know how to merge and reconcile different data sources without ‘a priori knowledge’ and that they understand the incomplete nature of datasets, regardless of structure.”
While these assumptions may be true for users working with data, such as data scientists, the majority of business users lack this level of sophistication or support from operational information governance routines. Developing or acquiring these skills or obtaining such support on an individual basis, is both time-consuming and expensive, or impossible.
“There is always value to be found in data but the question your organization has to address is this — do we allow or even encourage one-off, independent analysis of information in silos or a data lake, bringing said data together, or do we formalize to a degree that effort, and try to sustain the value-generating skills we develop?” said Mr. White.
“If the option is the former, it is quite likely that a data lake will appeal. If the decision tends toward the latter, it is beneficial to move beyond a data lake concept quite quickly in order to develop a more robust logical data warehouse strategy.”
Telecom
Meta, FMCIDE Unveil AI Accelerator to Drive Innovation in Nigeria

Meta, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy (FMCIDE), has launched the Llama Impact Accelerator Program to foster AI-driven solutions across critical sectors in Nigeria.
The eight-month program will support early-stage startups developing AI innovations using Meta’s open-source Llama models. Target sectors include Agriculture, Security & Safety, Healthcare, and a wildcard category for other high-impact applications.
Speaking at the launch, Sade Dada, Head of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa at Meta, emphasized the initiative’s role in advancing Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. “We are thrilled to partner with FMCIDE in supporting local AI talent. Open-source AI should be accessible and relevant to national challenges,” she said.
The program will begin with a six-week incubation period, offering technical training and mentorship from industry experts, followed by six months of extended support, including access to technical resources.
Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, hailed the initiative as a “major step forward” in Nigeria’s AI development strategy. “AI will be a key driver of national growth, and this program equips innovators with the tools to tackle pressing issues,” Tijani stated.
The Llama Impact Accelerator aligns with Meta’s broader mission to democratize responsible AI access while fostering innovation in emerging markets.
In collaboration with academic and government stakeholders, the initiative is expected to accelerate Nigeria’s AI industry and drive impactful change.
Applications for the program remain open until June 27, 2025. More details can be found at llamaimpactssa.splashthat.com.
Telecom
Nigeria Leads the Charge in Green Innovation @MTN’s Africa PachiPanda Challenge

In an era where climate change, youth unemployment, and food insecurity loom large over the continent, a powerful new force is rising — young African innovators building a green future from the ground up.
At the just-concluded Africa PachiPanda Challenge 2024, organised by MTN and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), Nigerian entrepreneur, Olabisi Rafatu Emmanuel, emerged as one of the continent’s top eco-champions, spotlighting the potential of purpose-driven innovation to rewrite Nigeria’s climate and development story.
While Moses Afopezi of Cameroon took home the top prize with AgricFresh, a smart solution combating post-harvest loss, Olabisi’s reusable menstrual products solutions as a waste transformation model earned her national applause and a seat at Africa’s sustainability table, emerging as the second-place winner.
Speaking during the announcement, MTN’s leadership underscored that this challenge goes far beyond accolades. “Together, we have the power to shape a greener, more sustainable Africa — one bold idea at a time,” Nompilo Morafo, Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, MTN, said.
The triumph comes at a time when Nigeria is grappling with the environmental menace of climate change in major urban hubs like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, even as the Nigerian government is clamouring for smart innovations to address climate change issues such as climate funding, carbon trading and just energy transition.
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) recently reiterated calls for tech-based waste management solutions – making Olabisi’s innovation timely and impactful.
MTN says this is just the beginning. With plans to expand the PachiPanda Challenge to more countries and deepen support for eco-entrepreneurs, the telecoms giant is reaffirming its commitment to socio-economic development through green innovation.
As Nigeria sets its sights on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the PachiPanda story is a timely reminder that the answers may lie not in government halls – but in the dreams and drive of Nigeria’s young changemakers.
Telecom
Zinox Technologies Collaborates with FGN for VivaTech Paris 2025

In what could be a turning point for Nigeria’s global tech ambitions, Zinox Technologies, a strategic integrated tech solution company and pride of Nigeria ICT ecosystem has been officially invited to represent Nigeria at VivaTech Paris 2025, one of the world’s largest technology and innovation events.
The invitation, extended in partnership with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, is seen as a strategic endorsement of Zinox’s over two decades track record of delivering digital infrastructure, innovation, and enterprise solutions across the country for government, corporates and homes including some African countries.
The four-day event, taking place from June 11–14, 2025, is a major fixture in the global tech calendar, drawing startups, corporates, investors, and tech leaders from across the world. Zinox is expected to engage with international players at its assigned booth while showcasing flagship projects and solutions that reflect Nigeria’s evolving digital capacity.
“Zinox represents the kind of indigenous innovation the world needs to see more of — practical, scalable, and deeply rooted in local challenges,” said one of the international event leads, who confirmed their excitement about Zinox’s participation. “It’s a unique opportunity to place African tech at the centre of global conversations.”
From Local Execution to Global Attention
Zinox’s reputation has largely been built on its ability to execute high-impact, often mission-critical tech projects for both public and private sector players. The company is known for powering most government and corporate sector tech infrastructure rolling out the most integrated ICT projects and partnering global manufacturers with it’s iPower renewable energy solutions. Zinox is credited with transitioning Nigeria from analogue to digital democracy, amongst many other critical projects for companies like Chevron, Shell, FIRS, CBN, NPC, and educational institutions just to mention a few.
Its inclusion at VivaTech reflects growing international curiosity about Nigeria’s digital innovation and infrastructure story, particularly from brands that have built success indigenously.
Konga, the e-Commerce Engine, Joins the Spotlight
In an interesting strategic angle, Zinox will also showcase Konga, the composite e-commerce group it acquired in 2018. The move united two major tech forces under one umbrella and enabled a fusion of logistics, fintech, and commerce with Zinox’s core technology expertise.
Since the acquisition, Konga has benefited from infrastructural reinforcements, platform upgrades and supply chain optimization, becoming Nigeria’s most efficient digital marketplace.
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