E-Business
K-B Economy: Fulcrum of 25th Annual NCS National Conference
In 2014, when access to information is viral and open to an increasing number of the global populace, it is a paradox to think that ignorance would reign anywhere.
Truth be told, however, ignorance still reigns in our land. From public policy initiatives, private programmes and actions, the country’s economy is driven by oil exports and dependent on import for survival.
However, the 21st century experience is upon us. Nations all over the globe have continued to diversify and invest in information technology [IT] and knowledge as the bedrock of their economies.
With recent commercialization of leading global knowledge products/tools such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and others that are attracting multiple billions of dollars in revenues, it is clear that while mechanization propelled the eighteenth century and industrialization drove nineteenth and twentieth century economies, IT and knowledge are the vehicles driving the twenty-first century economy.
While Nigeria has generally tagged along, the idea of a large-scale investment in a knowledge-based economy is still a far-fetched ideal. Reversing this unwholesome trend was the key discussion at the Nigerian Computer Society [NCS]’s recent 25th annual national conference held at the prestigious Nike Lake Resort in Enugu, South-East, Nigeria.
NCS’ task is cut out already: it is to challenge existing biases, confront actual and imaginary limitations as well provide a framework for the nation’s true transition to a fully-fledged knowledge-based and IT economy.
With the theme ‘Building a Knowledge-Based Economy in Nigeria: The Role of Information Technology’, NCS engaged industry stakeholders on how to develop effective initiatives that would help build partnerships that are necessary to support Nigeria’s transformation into an IT and knowledge-based economy.
To ensure this come into reality, NCS had sub-themes that focused on developing different aspects of the knowledge economy. Some of these include Broadband Access for All, e-Governance Solutions, Harnessing Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship, Mobile Applications Technology, IT Applications in Different Sectors of the Economy and Security Issues in a Knowledge-Based Economy, among others.
Two major themes, which dominated discussions at the conference were How Information Technology Could Promote Increased Transparency and Accountability in Government and How IT Could Assist Government in Managing the ongoing Toxic Security Situation within Nigeria’s Borders.
The conference agreed that NCS should continue to promote solutions that would assist the government to achieve these two goals in Nigeria, as it is acknowledged that government often drives transformation and that “IT is the hope of the modern day security officer”.
Representing the public sector, Dr. Tunji Olaopa, permanent secretary, Ministry of Communication Technology, who represented the keynote speaker, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, the Honourable Minister, did promise an improved relationship with the NCS.
He therefore asked IT professionals to engage the government with solutions that would offer reprieve to pressing national issues such as security, unemployment, public sector inefficiency, etc.
The conference closed with an awards and gala night with a special recognition to former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, for his exemplary service through the deployment of IT solutions for the delivery of qualitative and contemporary education in Anambra State.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Obi appreciated the NCS Executive for the recognition of his achievements while in office.
He implored NCS members to continue to query government officials while charging leadership at all levels to invest in IT for education through the provision of laptops for students, internet access in schools and technology parks that would help the youths to discover and develop their skill towards the development of a knowledge-based economy.
CEOs, policy makers, industry icons, investors, government officials as well as IT experts from the Diaspora and the academia were present at the conference.
Meanwhile, Remita is one of the technology-driven solutions available to help governments in Africa and other emerging economies overcome major challenges militating against accelerated transition to knowledge based economies.
It has a successful track record of assisting governments at different levels [federal, regional, provincial, state &local government]to confront the ghost worker syndrome.
Remita has been adopted by many private and public sector organisations of different sizes for the management of all aspects of their e-payments, e-invoicing, e-collections, e-payroll and e-schedules.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also adopted the platform for the processing all e-payment and e-collection transactions of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Remita is developed by SystemSpecs, Nigeria’s foremost software house and currently processes about $ 3 Billion worth of transactions every month.
Lanre Adelanwa is a free-spirited, hearty-laughing and business minded go-getter currently having a seat, table and laptop to himself at SystemSpecs, Lagos-Nigeria.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has commenced a forensic investigation into the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lotus Bank and Hackerbella Ltd over alleged violations of data protection laws involving students’ personal information.
The investigation follows public complaints alleging that students’ personal data were used to open bank accounts without a lawful basis.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and chief executive officer of the NDPC, directed the investigation team to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances surrounding the collection, processing, use and disclosure of the affected students’ personal data.
The investigation will also determine the respective roles and responsibilities of UNILAG, Lotus Bank and Hackerbella in the alleged processing of the data.
According to the Commission, the investigation will assess the data protection compliance obligations of the parties under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), as well as potential risks posed to the rights and freedoms of the affected data subjects.
The NDPC said the probe would cover several areas, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), the lawfulness and transparency of credit scoring or profiling activities, and the use of automated decision-making systems.
It will also examine the adequacy of privacy notices, data-sharing arrangements, lawful bases for processing, data minimisation and purpose limitation.
Other areas include data retention policies and the adequacy of technical and organisational measures put in place to safeguard the rights and personal data of affected students.
The Commission reiterated that institutions entrusted with the personal data of students, staff and other members of their communities have a heightened responsibility to ensure that such information is processed lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely.
The NDPC therefore warned educational institutions that are yet to comply with its existing data protection compliance directives to take immediate steps to achieve compliance.
The Commission said it would continue to exercise its regulatory mandate to protect the privacy rights of Nigerians and ensure that organisations processing personal data comply with the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
Microsoft is planning to unveil its new Maia 300 AI chip this fall, potentially as soon as next month, The Information reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the plans.
The company introduced its Maia AI chip in November 2023 but has lagged rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon in scaling up its in-house chip efforts as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Nvidia’s costly processors.
Google began recognizing revenue from direct sales of its custom AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units, in the quarter ended June, while Amazon has also seen growing adoption of its processors, including its Trainium chips.
Microsoft has been in talks with chipmaker TSMC to secure manufacturing capacity for more than 300,000 units of the chip for delivery in 2027, according to the report. It is also looking to significantly ramp up production and persuade major cloud customers such as Anthropic to adopt the chip.
Microsoft ultimately aims to secure capacity for more than 1 million Maia 300 chips, though component supplies and ongoing capacity negotiations with TSMC could constrain its plans, according to the report.
It unveiled its second-generation Maia 200 in January, built by TSMC using 3-nanometer technology.
Microsoft packed the chip with a significant amount of SRAM, a type of memory that can provide speed advantages for AI systems handling large numbers of user requests.
X has announced plans to discontinue its Revenue Sharing programme and introduce a new Original Content Rewards programme to reward creators for producing original content on the platform.
The social media company announced the changes at the weekend in a post on its X Creators handle, saying the new programme would reward creators who contribute original content.
“Today, we’re introducing the Original Content Rewards Program, a new way to reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, creativity, and commentary to X,” the company said.
X said it would stop accepting new enrolments into the Revenue Sharing programme from Friday, while existing participants would continue earning until September 7, 2026.
“Starting today, we’re no longer accepting new enrollments into Revenue Sharing,” it said.
According to the company, existing Revenue Sharing participants will receive three final payouts, with two scheduled for August 14 and August 28, while the final payment for earnings accrued through September 7 is expected around September 11.
X said existing Revenue Sharing participants would begin getting access to apply for the new programme from September 8, subject to meeting its eligibility requirements.
The first payout under the Original Content Rewards programme will be made on August 28, 2026, while existing Revenue Sharing creators who enrol in the new programme from September 8 will receive their first payment on September 25.
Under the new programme, eligible creators will earn from qualified impressions generated by their original content, with payments made every two weeks.
X defined qualified impressions as unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline feed, where at least 50 per cent of a post is visible.
On the other hand, “The following are excluded from qualified impressions: impressions from the same account counted more than once per post; paid, promoted, or artificially generated impressions; and fraudulent impressions,” it said.
To qualify, creators must be at least 18 years old, live in a country where the programme is available, maintain an account in good standing and have either a personal or vusiness account.
They must also subscribe to X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business, have at least 500 verified followers and record at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within the previous 90 days.
X said creators must also regularly post original content to remain eligible.
“We want to recognize creators who break news, share expertise, tell stories, create entertainment, and contribute meaningful perspectives to the conversation,” the company said.
The platform said original content could include threads, videos, memes, graphics, illustrations, reporting, analysis, commentary and reactions that add meaningful value to existing conversations.
It said creators who use content produced by others would need to add meaningful commentary, context, analysis, humour or creative transformation for such posts to qualify.
“Building on existing conversations is a core part of X, but simply reposting someone else’s content is not enough,” it said.
X said minor edits such as cropping, filters, borders, watermarks, speed adjustments or simple text overlays would generally not qualify as meaningful transformation on their own.
It also warned that content copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, content downloaded and re-uploaded from X or another platform without being the original author’s, automated content, disinformation and misleading content would be ineligible.
The company said accounts that violate the programme’s requirements could be temporarily or permanently removed from it, depending on the severity of the violation.
It added that creators would be responsible for ensuring they had the necessary rights, permissions or licences to use content created by others.
“Original content is content you personally create that reflects your own voice, perspective, expertise, or creativity,” X said.
The company said the new programme was intended to reward creators who make the platform more valuable by bringing original ideas and perspectives to its conversations.
“The Original Content Rewards Program is designed to reward the creators who start them, shape them, and move them forward,” it said.
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