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LaPRSC: Danbatta Highlights Why Nigerians Must Explore Opportunities in the Digital Economy to Eradicate Poverty

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L-R: Mr Sina Thorpe, Council Member, NIPR; Mrs Nnena Ukoha, Head, Corporate Communications, NCC: Mrs Comfort Obot Nwankwo, Chairman, NIPR Lagos and Conference Convener, Mr Olabamiji Adeleye, Lead Consultant, Addefort Limited at the 9th Lagos PR Stakeholders' Conference on Leadership and Poverty Eradication on Thursday August 18, 2022.
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Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/ CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission, on Thursday addressed the 9th Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference on Leadership and Poverty Eradication.

L-R: Mr Sina Thorpe, Council Member, NIPR; Mrs Nnena Ukoha, Head, Corporate Communications, NCC: Mrs Comfort Obot Nwankwo, Chairman, NIPR Lagos and Conference Convener, Mr Olabamiji Adeleye, Lead Consultant, Addefort Limited at the 9th Lagos PR Stakeholders’ Conference on Leadership and Poverty Eradication on Thursday August 18, 2022.

The EVC, represented by Mrs Nnena Ukoha, Head, Corporate Communications, called on Nigerians to explore opportunities in the Digital Economy to eradicate poverty in the country.

Speaking on the topic, Poverty Eradication in Nigeria: Leveraging Opportunities in a Digital Economy, he noted that ”For most developing countries, particularly those with large populations, inadequate infrastructure has made it difficult to participate as equal partners in the worldwide enterprise of knowledge production and dissemination.

“This portends an unequal distribution of access, resources and opportunities in this new economy, the Digital Economy.

“To avert the birth of a new type of poverty (Information Poverty), the ICT gap (digital divide) between the developed and developing nations must be bridged.”

That Nigeria like most developing nations is not enjoying the full benefits of the ICT revolution due to inadequate telecommunication infrastructure, capacity to maintain existing infrastructure, and policies for equitable public participation as producers and consumers of information and knowledge.

“A nation’s development is measured in economic terms such as per capita income, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and Gross National Product (GNP), among other indices. Indices such as level of literacy, social development, human capital development, cultural innovation and technological preparedness are not regarded as a measure of development.  If we must tap into the ICT revolution, then it is time for a paradigm shift!  The traditional economic terms are not a reflection of the new age of the Digital Economy “he said.

On efforts made by the Nigerian government, “There are several past and ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Government to alleviate poverty through ICT using organizations and programmes like the National Information Technology Agency (NITDA), using the offices of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) across the country as ICT hubs, the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to ensure that telecommunications services are accessible to the widest number of people (and communities) at affordable prices.

USPF has poverty-reducing activities like the Community Resource Centers, USPF Hackathon, RUBI – Rural Broadband Initiative,  UnICC – University InterCampus Connectivity,  BTS – Base Transceiver Stations, IRC – Information Resource Centres, SKC – School Knowledge Centres, and the E-Health Project. “

The EVC said that “NCC will continue to support the vision of the present government to put Nigeria amongst the top twenty in the comity of Nations and to align our developmental goals in keeping with the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but particularly the goal to eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere which is currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day, by year 2030.

He listed initiatives at the NCC directly or indirectly target poverty eradication to include;

“Advanced Digital Appreciation Programme: Transforming the Academics: Advanced Digital Appreciation Programme for Tertiary Institutions, ADAPTI is aimed at bridging the digital divide existing in academia with the provision of computers and other ICT facilities to equip the lecturers and other experts in order to improve ICT skills and also to enrich the students.

“The overriding objective of this intervention has been to elicit the pervasive application of ICT skills in academia for enhanced staff output, institutional efficiency, and student enculturation to e-based learning for sustainable national growth.”

“Digital Awareness Programme (DAP): this is a special intervention programme to address the digital information knowledge gap in the country, especially among the teeming youthful population.  On the last count, the DAP Project supports 229 Secondary Schools across the Six (6) Geopolitical Zones of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory.

“The strategy in this programme is to expose schools and colleges to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) awareness, usage and application by facilitating access to ICT tools by the provision of twenty one (21) Desktop Computers, Local Area Network, Printers, Scanners, VSAT Dish and deployment of one Year Bandwidth Subscription for Internet Access.”

“NCC- Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) Projects: Nigeria’s ICT flagship institution, the Digital Bridge, DBI, came into existence in 2004 to impact on the national ICT human capital building efforts by bridging the ICT knowledge gap.”

“Frequency Auction: Contributing to National Purse: The Nigerian telecom regulator has contributed to the Federation Account from proceeds of frequency auctions and licensing.

“The frequencies auctioned, are in turn used for the deployment of services for poverty reduction and the benefit of the citizenry. The Commission has a clear understanding of this value chain and is determined to uphold it. “

“Value Added Services (VAS): Telecommunication has given birth to several value-added services that open up benefits to all cadre of people irrespective of location and level of education.

“These VAS are great channels for revenue generation. Some VAT are content development, Phone repair network, IT device accessories sales market (phone pouches, screen covers etc), Ringback tones, and even government agencies providing service on telecom platform e.g NAFDAC – drug authentication code. “

On broadband and poverty , “The Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020–2025 (the “Broadband Plan”) devotes an entire section to targets, strategies and roadmaps to promote pervasive broadband deployment, increased broadband adoption, usage and availability to all at affordable prices.

“These all point to government’s commitment to harmonizing and utilizing the benefits derivable from ICT for the good of all. “

“In 2020, the latest National Broadband Plan was approved to foster fuller economic exploitation of ICTs. This means that there will be more pervasive deployment and usage of ICT to push the development and economic attractiveness of the nation.”

He assured that The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to sustainable development of the ICT subsector for the growth of the economy and the eradication of poverty.

“This was made evident during the just concluded Communications sector retreat where the Ministry of Communications and the agencies under it converged to chart a five-year plan that would make communications services, affordable, accessible, and available to all persons in Nigeria.”

He concluded that “The credit for Nigeria’s ambitious broadband pursuit is traced to the potentials and prospects of broadband technology, the ease of deployment and the vast opportunities available through it.

“The Commission will continue to put strategies in place to pursue last mile deployment of broadband. This would ensure small businesses are positioned to compete globally and communities and individuals are able to create wealth through access to ICT.”

“By providing access to information, making markets more efficient, fostering social inclusion, and equalizing opportunities in rural areas, ICT offers an innovative and unprecedented tool to directly reduce poverty.”

Other speakers at the event include; Founder and Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Mr Tony Elumelu; Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); Sheila Ojei, Director Strategy, Funding and Stakeholders Management, LSETF; The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Lagos State, Mrs Cecilia Bolaji Dada and Dr Oluseye Ajuwon, Economist and Consultant, University of Lagos.

 

 


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Researchers Develop Innovative Treatment for Malaria

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An international team of researchers have introduced a groundbreaking drug, known as the covalent kinase inhibitor, which shows promise in combating treatment-resistant malaria.

Researchers Develop Innovative Treatment for Malaria

Developed by chemists and bioscientists from the University of Glasgow, this innovative drug could surpass current medications by effectively targeting and disabling the proteins used by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite to replicate within the human body.

This is according to a report titled “Targeting Pf CLK3 with Covalent Inhibitors: A Novel Strategy for Malaria Treatment.”

The development, led by chemists and bioscientists from the University of Glasgow, was outlined in a November publication in the “Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.”

According to the researchers, covalent inhibitors form bonds with proteins, usually irreversibly modifying them, and this new drug could be more effective than current medications at all stages of malaria infection.

The new drug works by permanently disabling a protein that Plasmodium falciparum, one of the mosquito-borne parasites that spread malaria, uses to replicate itself inside the human body.

The drug also has the potential to work as a single-dose treatment, a significant improvement over existing therapies.

This breakthrough marks the first adaptation of an approach from cancer treatments to tackle malaria.

The team expressed optimism that the parasite is unlikely to develop resistance to the new drug, which targets the protein Pf CLK3 and disrupts the parasite’s ability to splice RNA.

The researchers, including Prof. Martins Emeje from the Nigerian Natural Medicines Development Agency and Prof. Oyewale Tomori from the West African Academy of Sciences, emphasise the importance of regular calibration and accreditation for medical laboratories to ensure accurate results and reliable treatment.

 

 


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Nigeria to Host ICEGOV 2025, A Milestone in Digital Governance and Global Leadership

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The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Nigeria has been officially confirmed as the host country for the 2025 International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV) edition.

This confirmation by the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV) marks a historic milestone in our nation’s digital transformation journey, showcasing Nigeria’s leadership in digital governance, innovation, and technological advancements on the global stage.

ICEGOV is a prestigious global conference that convenes governments, academia, international organisations, industry leaders, and civil society to exchange insights, research, and best practices in electronic governance.

Hosting this event presents a unique opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, foster multidisciplinary collaborations, and drive policy innovations that will shape the future of governance in Africa and beyond.

Speaking on this momentous achievement, the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, stated: “Nigeria’s selection to host ICEGOV 2025 is a recognition of our efforts to drive digital transformation and innovation in governance.

“I am a firm believer in the importance of the academia and research in supporting global discussions on e-Governance and we have seen this in some of the input in government initiatives like the National AI Strategy and the National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill which are laying the foundation for the growth of Nigeria’s Digital Economy.

“As we prepare to welcome you all to Nigeria, we look forward to very useful outcomes that will be beneficial for the growth of digital governance and policy development globally.”


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MTN Nigeria Foundation Supports Education with Donation of School Supplies to 1000+ Students

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MTN Nigeria Foundation recently embarked on an initiative to donate support materials to nominated schools in seven states across the six geopolitical zones, including Edo, Oyo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Anambra and Enugu.

Odunayo Sanya, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation

The donations form part of the foundation’s Learning Support Materials Initiative (LSMI) aimed at improving learning experiences for students nationwide.

The MTNF Learning Support Material Initiative (LSMI) is a program created to empower students with essential academic tools, enabling them to reach their highest academic capabilities. Over 1000 students received vital resources such as school bags and exercise books, with the schools also receiving additional equipment like umbrellas and Wi-Fi routers to aid the implementation of technology in learning.

The initiative forms part of MTN Foundation’s broader commitment to youth empowerment and educational development in Nigeria. Over the years, the foundation has invested in education through several initiatives. These include the MTN Scholarship Scheme for science and technology students and blind scholars at the undergraduate level. Additionally, MTN Foundation’s Science and Technology Lab Project (STLP) has resulted in the refurbishment of 102 science laboratories in public secondary schools across the country.

Speaking on the Learning Support Material Initiative (LSMI) and the Foundation’s dedication to national development through education, Executive Director, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya said “At MTN Nigeria Foundation, we believe that education is the cornerstone of growth and development, and all students deserve access to the resources necessary to unlock their full potential.

“This initiative emphasizes our commitment to fostering an enabling environment for learning and supporting access to quality education.”

The impact of these donations was evident and appreciated by students who expressed that the learning materials would aid their learning process and educators who affirmed that they would be put to good use.

This initiative demonstrates how corporate entities can play pivotal roles in supporting societal needs while promoting sustainable development within the communities they serve.

The Learning Support Materials Initiative by MTN Foundation highlights its unwavering dedication towards empowering young minds across Nigeria. Through strategic educational support programs, the foundation contributes to bridging resource gaps faced by several public institutions and shaping brighter futures nationwide.


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