E-Business
MainOne @ #NCSEnugu2014, Harps on Domestic Data Hosting
Data remain the currency in a knowledge-based world, hence the process of harnessing and warehousing of such is crucial for every individual, oraganisation or nation to make gain from it, said Ms. Funke Opeke, chief executive office, MainOne Company.
Speaking though Mr. Temitope Osunrinde, marketing support analyst at the Company, during a presentation at Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) national conference in Enugu, Opeke, said that for broadband access to become a reality, at least three key issues must be seriously tackled.
The three areas are content development and management; regulating/policy and infrastructure.
According to the MainOne CEO, infrastructural development is primary, for without adequate infrastructure no organization or a nation can achieve meaningful development.
“Today, we have infrastructure in few places. Most commercial organizations concentrate on business hubs-Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The reason is simple. Those areas are where they have more businesses. How about infrastructure for use by other people? We need to build infrastructure across board.
“We commend the Infraco initiative; the open access initiative, of the ministry of communication technology. The regulators have done well in that regard. The regulators have done well in that regard.
“Now, we have to look at content. Who is providing this content? Who is warehousing it or hosting the content? Content is your currency in you digital economy. So, you have to be careful where you put your currency.
“Thus, policies should be there to encourage indigenous hosting of these contents in Nigeria. For instance, there is now a regulation in the oil & gas industry that you must host your content within the country, so why can’t we replicate such across board? It should be made to stand in the manufacturing, education, among others”.
She added that MainOne saw the need for such domestic hosting of contents generated in the country which spurred it to building the largest data centre in West Africa.
Also speaking to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek at the conference, Mr. Oluwagbenga Osinoiki, head, Public Sector Sales at MainOne, said that the West Africa’s leading open access submarine cable company will soon unveil its recent milestone in the subregion, been a $25 million (approximately N4 billion) Tier-III Data Centre in Lagos.
He said that the MainOne Data Centre, the largest of its kind in West Africa at 1,500 square metres with a 600 rack capacity shows the Company’s readiness to ensure the present and potential customers heave sigh of relief in terms of data management.
“We are delighted with this project because of the immense benefits it will provide our customers. Internet penetration has been a huge issue in Nigeria especially to the hinterlands. The project is such that the new Data Centre will leverage on MainOne’s network which is peered with leading operators and internet exchanges worldwide to provide global reach to our customers across all locations.”
“Our performances since the inception of our submarine cable in 2010 distinguish us in this field. We have not experience any major outages since operation began three years ago.” She attributed this to the team of dedicated professional staff engaged by the firm.
“In an investment of this magnitude, you cannot afford to cut corners. We deploy the state of the art monitoring technology device, using GPS surveillance equipment round the clock on our undersea cable. We cannot afford to fail our clients,” he said.
Osinoiki added that the Data Centre, which is expected to be commissioned in Q4, 2014 when fully operational will have redundancy such that there is no single point of failure within the facility.
He added that the MainOne Lekki Data Centre will pave way for the establishment of additional Data Centres and Point of Presence (POPs) across Nigeria and other West African nations.
He said that the multi billionaire project is further proof of MainOne’s commitment to enhance infrastructure within its primary markets.
The head, Public Sector Sales, said, “The new MainOne Data Centre is expected to transform West Africa into a digital economy. The project will also aid reduction of information technology costs and risks while enhancing business efficiency and profitability.”
He said that one of the unique features of MainOne is its direct access to MainOne Metro and International fibre and all the major interconnection with telecom networks in Nigeria and Ghana.
MainOne recently signed a $100 million refinancing facility syndication from a number of local and international banks to help fund its infrastructure expansion including fibre around the country, metro Lagos, and nationwide POPs.
It promises to complete construction of 200 km of a metro-presence across the Lagos metropolis before end of 2013.
Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance framework as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) officially assumes control of the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA) infrastructure.
The handover ceremony held in Abuja, marks the culmination of a high-level partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
This transition signals a shift from fragmented IT projects to a unified, disciplined approach to national digital investment.
The NGEA initiative forms a core part of the e-Government Masterplan 2.0 (Ne-GMP 2.0), aimed at establishing a unified and structured approach to managing government IT investments and digital resources.
The framework is designed to ensure that technology deployment across public institutions aligns with national priorities while improving efficiency and accountability.
With the system now operational, government agencies are expected to adopt more integrated digital processes, allowing seamless data sharing and interoperability.
This is anticipated to reduce duplication, strengthen risk management, and translate policy objectives into measurable digital outcomes.
Over the past two and a half years, Nigerian technical experts worked closely with their Korean counterparts to develop the architecture framework, create reference models, and execute pilot programmes in key institutions.
These include the National Identity Management Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and NITDA.
Officials say the NGEA represents a shift from fragmented digital efforts to a more coordinated, citizen-focused system.
The infrastructure is hosted by Galaxy Backbone Limited, providing a secure and reliable platform for nationwide deployment.
Looking ahead, NITDA is expected to work with government stakeholders to expand and sustain the system, while the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will provide policy guidance to ensure its adoption across the country.
Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has said the government is shifting focus from expanding access to ensuring “meaningful connectivity” that drives economic growth and inclusion.
Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
The minister made the statement on Friday while addressing stakeholders at the inauguration of board members of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Abuja.
He said that although Nigeria had made significant progress since the introduction of GSM services, millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved communities, remain either unconnected or unable to fully benefit from digital services.
Dr Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic network and nearly 4,000 telecom towers nationwide.
He said initiatives under the USPF had improved access through projects such as rural connectivity and digital facilities in schools but stressed that the next phase must prioritise effective usage.
“It is not enough to connect a community. We must ensure that schools can teach with digital tools and that small businesses can access market opportunities,” he said, citing a pilot project in the Kura community where connectivity has enhanced access to communication, education and healthcare.
Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also called for a shift towards meaningful connectivity, noting that while data usage had grown significantly, it remained concentrated in urban areas.
According to him, recent data shows that telecom usage has increased by about 160% over the past two years, largely driven by urban demand.
“When we drill down, we see that a lot of that growth is actually in urban centres. So, the gap between those who are not connected or not meaningfully connected is growing,” he said.
Dr Maida added that the trend underscored the need for the USPF board to intensify efforts to bridge both access and usage gaps across the country.
Both officials emphasised the importance of collaboration, sustainable investment models and improved digital literacy to ensure that connectivity translates into real economic benefits for Nigerians.
A jury in Los Angeles has found technology companies, Meta and Google liable for contributing to a young woman’s social media addiction, in a case being described as a landmark ruling.
The 20-year-old woman, identified only as Kaley, argued that she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram from an early age due to their attention-driven design features.
According to her testimony, she began using YouTube at the age of six after downloading the app on her iPod Touch to watch videos about lip gloss and online games.
Kaley told the court that she joined Instagram at nine, bypassing parental restrictions put in place by her mother, and spent extended periods on social media.
The trial, which lasted about a month, with arguments and evidence from both sides.
Jurors also heard testimony from Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive, Meta and Adam Mosseri, Instagram head.
However, Neal Mohan, YouTube chief executive, did not testify.
The jury found that the companies were negligent in the design of their platforms and failed to adequately warn users about potential harms. Meta and Google were ordered to pay the woman $3 million in damages.
Jurors also recommended additional punitive damages, including $900,000 against YouTube and $2.1 million against Meta, according to company spokespersons.
The jury apportioned 70 per cent of the responsibility to Meta and 30 per cent to YouTube.
Kaley was present in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered, alongside parents of other teenagers who say they were harmed by social media use. Both companies said they plan to appeal the decision.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online”, a Meta spokesperson said.
José Castañeda, Google spokesperson, said the case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.
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