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KPMG Offers Internship to 10 Data Science Nigeria Bootcamp Hackathon Participants

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L-R: Ngozi Dozie, Director, OneFiCo, Jennifer Grant-Ezeronye & Ladi Asun, representatives of KPMG, Corne Nagel, Chief Data Scientist, OneFiCo and Bayo Adekanmbi, Convener, Data Science Nigeria at the Data Science Nigeria Bootcamp
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KPMG, leading advisory services provider has offered internship to the top ten participants of the recently concluded Data Science Nigeria (DSN) Bootcamp hackathon. Some of the qualified participants will also be provided full employment opportunities, subject to other recruitment considerations.

The top 10 participants include Blessing Oladeji, Abidoye Victor Temitope, Adebayo Aderibigbe, Azeez Olamide Busari, Farouk Oluwatosin, Zainab Ishaq Musa, Adetutu Samson, Emmanuel Ojuba, Yomi Adelowotan and Oguejiofor Chibueze.

The beneficiaries are the participants adjudged to be the top 10 performers in the “Data Science Nigeria Customer Segmentation Hackathon” which was supported and graded by KPMG Nigeria.  The bootcamp hosted about 150 participants, who qualified for the bootcamp following pre-qualification exams on Microsoft/Edx Data Science MOOC series and DataCamp followed by a public Kaggle competition. Kaggle is a platform for predictive modelling and analytics competitions in which data scientists compete to produce the best models for predicting and describing the datasets uploaded by companies and users.

According to Yomi Akinyemi, Senior Manager, Data and Analytics, KPMG Nigeria, “It has indeed been a pleasure partnering with Data Science Nigeria. KPMG is committed to local talent development as one of the ways of improving communities. This is what compelled the Firm to partner with Data Science Nigeria on this initiative. The Firm was quite impressed with the performance of the candidates and to encourage them to hone the skills they possess, we will be providing them with internships with the possibility of full-time employment at the Firm. This will afford these individuals the opportunity to employ Data & Analytics to solve a variety of real life business-focused problems; and to further develop their skills as they work side by side with KPMG D&A experts”.

“KPMG is committed to local talent development as a leading global powerhouse in evidence-based Analytics and will like to offer internship and possibly employment to the top 10 performers, subject to their availability. It has indeed been a pleasure partnering with Data Science Nigeria”, he said.

In the KPMG feedback report, the Top 10 participants displayed a superior ability to conceptualize the data provided and were able to tie it to the problems. It also showed that the participants were able to show the thought process behind the solutions proffered, making use of layman terms to explain complicated steps.

Giving an overall assessment of the top ten participants, the KPMG feedback report notes thus “We believe they demonstrated good enough appreciation of the business problem and were able to leverage their technical knowledge to address the specific challenges.”

On his part, the convener of Data Science Nigeria, Bayo Adekanmbi expressed his gratitude to KPMG for their support of the hackathon and for providing the feedback. He noted that the effort will further strengthen the drive to raise a new generation of world-class data scientists and knowledge entrepreneurs who will set up data science-based businesses and attract foreign exchange to Nigeria.

He noted that this is one of the many indications that the project will attain its desired end. “Right from the event venue, we have seen indicators of great prospects for the participants and the future of Big Data analytics in Nigeria.  Recall that the overall winner, Adeola Balogun got 3 job offers on the spot while the 1st runner-up, Chibueze Oguejiofor was offered employment by one of the event sponsors, OneFi. We are hopeful that this is just a starting point for us and an indication that much more needs to be done”, he explained.

This indeed is a commendable feedback for a project that is in its early phase. This also is a pointer to the fact that a huge potential exists within the Nigerian space that could be of global relevance if it can be properly harnessed.

Recall that the Data Science Nigeria (DSN) Bootcamp hackathon which was held in October aimed at exposing participants to skills that will enable them to use Data Science to solve real-world problems. It featured mentoring sessions with renowned industry experts across the globe, hands-on training sessions, physical tutoring sessions and other e-learning options.

Data Science Nigeria is a non-profit initiative with a  vision to accelerate Nigeria’s development through a solution-oriented application of machine learning in solving social/business problems and to galvanize data science knowledge revolution, which can position Nigeria to become the outsourcing hub for international Data Science/Advanced Analytics/Big Data projects, with opportunity to access at least 1% share of the global big data and analytics market, valued at $150b in 2017 ($203b in 2020).


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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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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.


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Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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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.”


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Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG's Website Performance Ranking

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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