Telecom
Konga is Built on Sound, Ethical Behaviour, Says Imudia
Konga, E-commerce giant has assured its numerous customers and other stakeholders of its continuous adherence to the highest level of ethical conduct.
Giving the assurance in Lagos during a stakeholder meeting with merchants under the Konga platform, Nick Imudia, co-ceo of Konga, disclosed that Konga will never deviate from its well-worn path of ethical behaviour. Imudia revealed that this has remained one of the shining lights that has kept Konga at the apex of the e-commerce industry in Nigeria.
“Everything about Konga is built around ethical behaviour,” Imudia averred.“Yes, we know that Konga is in the business of e-commerce. But at Konga, it is our utmost belief that we are in business not to destroy society, but to sustain it with everything we do.
“Without a strong regard for honesty, fairness, dignity and accountability, no society will succeed. That is a fact. And if there is no society, there wouldn’t be customers and business,” he declared.
Equally important, Konga has underlined its intention to make a highly anticipated listing on the London Stock Exchange. However, huge question marks have emerged on the credibility of players in the African e-commerce sector after the travails of Jumia, which saw a much-publicized IPO on Wall Street, fall flat after a publication by a US research firm, Citroen.
Indeed, analysts believe the development may hamper the efforts of other prospective players – a point raised by Mr. Wale Ekun, one of the merchants in attendance.
However, Imudia is adamant that Konga has a track record of trust, credibility and rigorously-held standards working to its advantage.
“Our track record of sound ethical conduct is a tradition that Konga was built upon. Furthermore, the new owners of Konga are highly credible Nigerians who have been in business for over three decades without any form of blemish, indebtedness to any bank or unethical practices to their name. To begin with, internally, our ethical behaviour has led us to put a mechanism in place to ensure that only genuine products are sold on the Konga platform.As the market leader in e-commerce, Konga cannot afford to mess up its name by being associated with any form of unethical behaviour.
“Furthermore, we have grown the business efficiently to its current path of profitability by cutting losses and through critical investments in essential areas of the business. Even if we were to go public tomorrow, Konga has a groundswell of public trust that it has acquired over the years.
“Therefore, we want our customers to rest assured that their interest is covered at Konga. Each time a customer sets out to make a purchase on the platform or when we make a promise or release sensitive data, thereis a huge burden of trust underlying it. At Konga, our pricing, packaging, fulfilment, refund and overall processes are all aimed to reflect the true ethical traditions of the company.”
Further, Imudia noted that merchants and staff members of Konga are critical to its ethical conduct, adding that the company has ensured that its staffing and onboarding process meet global ethical standards.
Imudia added: “Our staffing process reflects the principle of good moral behaviour. Our staff come from different parts of Nigeria; we are not discriminatory in terms of religion, tribe, social class or age in our employment process. Our workforce is diverse as Nigeria is.However,our staff are all imbued with the right trainings and immersed in our corporate culture in displayingthe highest standard of behaviour when dealing with our customers, merchants and other stakeholders. Konga highly frowns at cutting corners or giving and taking of bribes. Every one of our staff knows this and have imbibed the culture of giving their best when dealing with our customers.”
Continuing, Imudia disclosed that: “The Konga ethical behaviour also applies to merchants doing business on the platform. At least, some of you have colleagues who we have blacklisted from selling on the platform. At Konga, there is zero tolerance for fraud or any attempts at falsifying figures.
“This is because our merchants also have responsibilities in this ethical behaviour philosophy. Merchants are critical stakeholders in the e-commerce business.Your role is valuable in completing a critical part of our ethical behaviour process, by ensuring that you seriously adhere to our codes of conduct. As you know, at Konga we do not tolerate anyone who performs below our ethical standards, and we do not condone inferior products on our platform. The responsibility to ensure that only genuine products find their way into our platform begins with you.”
The meeting, which had over 1000 merchants in attendance, was aimed at discussing ways to deepening ethical behaviour in all areas of operations in Nigeria’s largest online marketplace.
During the meeting, Imudia appreciated the various merchants who attended the event, explaining that Konga will never compromise standards in a bid to satisfy its numerous consumers, merchants, staff and investors.
Imudia urged the merchants under the Konga platform to play their part in ensuring they display optimal level of good behaviour and sound moral judgement – factors he described as critical to satisfying the yearnings of shoppers on the Konga platform.
Some of the merchants who spoke during the event expressed gratitude to the management of Konga for always being consistent with its ethical policies, adding that Konga currently stands tall above its rivals when it comes to displaying sound moral judgement in retail business.
Sunday Adeyemi, who spoke on behalf of the merchants, promised that merchants on the Konga platform would always reflect Konga’s ethical behaviour in their business operations on the platform. To this end, he said that the merchants have taken it upon themselves to work with Konga at all times to ensure the achievement of its objectives.
Federal government has unveiled an ambitious plan to deploy 7,000 telecommunications towers across the country, with 80 per cent allocated to Northern Nigeria to address the region’s acute connectivity deficit.
The federal executive council had already approved the 7,000 towers project by March 2025 to support digital transformation and 5G rollout, with formal rollout scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The project’s first tower will be installed next week in a rural Abuja community of 5,000, where insecurity compounds connectivity challenges.
Unlike conventional masts, these towers will double as digital hubs, providing internet to schools, hospitals, and local government offices.
“Most of these clusters are in the North. That’s the reality. There are a few clusters in the South-West, you know, that are not connected, but the bulk of the clusters are in the North, Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, told TVC recently.
He continued, “So, almost 80% of these towers will be going towards filling that gap in the North. The rest will now patch up where we have left off.
“Unlike traditional telecom masts, they will deliver internet to local schools, hospitals, and government offices, maximising their impact. Wherever we put them, we use the same infrastructure to serve the community.”
Tijani highlighted a collaborative model where mobile network operators will connect to the towers’ cables, reducing redundancy and optimising resources.
Nigeria’s digital landscape remains uneven.
As of January 2025, 128.3 million Nigerians, 54.3 per cent of the population, lack internet access, ranking the country fourth globally for unconnected populations.
Broadband penetration stands at 48 per cent, with over 50 per cent of Nigerians living there, facing significant barriers, including unreliable electricity and low digital literacy.
Progress has been made, with the number of people in unserved and underserved areas falling from 36.8 million in 2013 to 23 million in early 2025, yet the connectivity gap remains a formidable challenge.
The 7,000-tower initiative, distinct from the separate Project 774, forms part of a broader strategy that includes satellite technology, such as Starlink, and fibre-optic cables, which Tijani described as the backbone of reliable connectivity in advanced markets.
The government’s focus on the North reflects the region’s disproportionate share of unconnected communities, while the project’s design aims to address both digital and security challenges.
Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO of Digital Realty, West Africa’s leading interconnected data center facility, has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s digital economy and the broader African ICT landscape.
L-R: Mr. Ken Nwogbo, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of CommunicationsWeek Media, Editor Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO of Digital Realty and Dr. Muhammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) at the 2025 Africa’s Beacon of ICT (ABoICT) Merit and Leadership Awards, organized by Communications Week media.
At a ceremony in Lagos, Nnamani was named among the Top 50 Most Valuable Personalities in Nigeria’s Digital Economy by KnowHow Media.
According to the organizers, this recognition reflects his unwavering commitment to innovation within Africa’s tech ecosystem.
Segun Oruame, Vice-Chairman of KnowHow Media, emphasized Nnamani’s significant impact on Nigeria’s ICT landscape, highlighting his role in advancing the country’s digital economy.
Adding to his accolades, Nnamani was also honored with the ICT Growth Impact Award in Data Centre Infrastructure at Africa’s Beacon of ICT (ABoICT) Merit and Leadership Awards, hosted by Nigeria Communications Week.
This award acknowledges his instrumental role in developing telecom and ICT infrastructure across multiple African nations, including Ghana, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, and Angola.
Expressing gratitude for the recognitions, Nnamani dedicated the awards to his team at Digital Realty, acknowledging their continuous support.
He reaffirmed his commitment to fostering industry growth and driving innovation across Africa.
Telecom
SBTS Group CEO Evelyn Lewis Named Among Nigeria’s Top 50 Digital Economy Leaders for Youth-Focused Tech Initiatives
Evelyn A. Lewis, CEO of SBTS Group, has been named one of Nigeria’s “50 Most Valuable Personalities in the Digital Economy” by IT Edge News.Africa, recognizing his visionary leadership in digital transformation, innovation, and youth empowerment.
Presented during the “Nigeria: State of the Digital Economy 2025” colloquium and awards ceremony in Lagos, the recognition highlights Lewis’s role in shaping Nigeria’s digital future. The high-profile event, organized by Knowhow Media (publishers of IT Edge News.Africa), brought together top policymakers, digital innovators, and ecosystem enablers across public and private sectors.
At the center of Lewis’s recognition is his commitment to building Africa’s digital economy through skills and job creation. Under his leadership, SBTS Group—in collaboration with the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI)—is implementing an ambitious plan to:
- Train 5 million Nigerian youths
- Create 50,000 digital jobs by 2030
This initiative aligns with Nigeria’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program.
SBTS Group’s proprietary Intelligent Capacity Building Model (ICBM), developed under Lewis’s leadership, is at the core of this effort. The model closes the gap between digital training and employment, offering career-focused tracks in:
- Cybersecurity
- Software Development
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
- Digital Entrepreneurship
ICBM is currently being rolled out across DBI campuses nationwide, forming a scalable framework for skills development.
SBTS and DBI will kick off the next phase of their national rollout with new training and BPO centres in Abuja and Enugu, scheduled for launch in June 2025. These centers are expected to create over 5,000 jobs in their first phase, acting as blueprints for replicable, sustainable digital employment hubs nationwide.
Beyond training, SBTS has also built a national unified digital learning and registration platform for DBI. The system integrates national identity tools such as NIN and BVN, supports student sponsorships, facilitates enterprise partnerships, and enables career tracking—laying a foundation for a data-driven, transparent digital skills ecosystem.
“This award reaffirms our commitment to building Africa’s digital economy from within,” said Evelyn Lewis. “At SBTS Group, we believe that human capital is Africa’s greatest asset. By empowering our youth, we’re investing in a future where Africa leads in innovation and competitiveness.”
The 50 Most Valuable Personalities (50MVPs) initiative annually celebrates visionary leaders accelerating Nigeria’s digital transformation. The 2025 edition recognized contributors across tech, governance, and entrepreneurship under the theme:
“Accelerating Nigeria’s Digital Transformation: Insights on Challenges and Emerging Opportunities.”
Other 2025 honourees include:
- Obadare Peter Adewale, CVO, Digital Encode
- Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs & Poverty Reduction
- Ayọ̀wándé Àdalémọ, CEO, Wave5Wireless
- Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Executive, West Africa & Morocco – Africa Data Centres (ADC)
- Ike Nnamani, CEO, Digital Realty
- Daser David, President/CEO, Digital Bridge Institute
- Suleiman Isah, Commissioner for Communications Technology & Digital Economy
- Shuaibu Kabir Bello, CEO, KMDC
- Olawole Owoeye, Co-founder, Cedarview Communications
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