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Microsoft Delivers Best Cloud Connected Services – Makwane

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Kabelo Makwane, country manager, Microsoft Nigeria
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Kabelo Makwane, country manager, Microsoft Nigeria, holds BComm certificate from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Prior to his present role as country manager, Makwane served as public sector director in the Microsoft South Africa subsidiary.
He had worked as the regional sales manager, Cisco Systems; portfolio sales executive, Unisys; product manager/account manager, Datacentrix and software and media product manager, Storgate Africa.
Makwane in this interview with peter ugwu, said it was a time when Microsoft can achieve real economic impact in the country based on its focus on unlocking the economic opportunities of Africa.

Microsoft’s Contribution to the Paradigm Shift in Operations of Organizations
In a mobile-first, cloud-first world, Microsoft is committed to delivering the best cloud connected services on every device. 
For more than two decades, Microsoft Office has been the chosen productivity tool for consumers and businesses alike. 
Our innovation in mobile and cloud scenarios ensure that Office will be the productivity service of choice for many years to come, alternatives don’t compare.

Microsoft’s Strategy
Our strategy is one that says: We want to be the do more Company that enables people to be more; which essentially means enabling high value activities irrespective of the sector, or whether people are at home, on the move or at work.
I can say that our niche is in human capacity or skills development, retail or services, because we are servicing the spectrum of the entire market.
Sectors like the public, private, consumer or enterprise, have our backing; our broad portfolio of products allows us to do that with comprehensive solution offerings in the experiences we can enable through our proportions.
 
BYOD Era and Helping CIOS Make It Happen
Microsoft helps enterprises address BYOD, so employees can use the devices and services they love and IT can protect company data.
Our approach is more than mobile device management. It starts with employee identity, trust, security and includes devices, apps and cloud services.
While Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) can bring potential benefits to organizations, and it also creates specific challenges, particularly regarding device management, the segregation of data and security.
There must be a balance of establishing clear policies and the right services: Companies in Nigeria need to put the proper device management systems and infrastructure in place to ensure that their company is not put at risk and at the same time benefit from a more engaged and motivated workforce by making devices and company services conveniently available.
Further, policies need to be implemented to ensure workers are using devices and services that will best enable them to do their jobs effectively.
 
How Has Microsoft Contributed to Skills Development in Africa
This is one of biggest focal areas, because it is typically the biggest challenge we see in unleashing and realizing the potential of the Nigerian and Africa’s ecosystem.
Broadening the skills pool is something very core to our strategy for Africa. One of the key pillars of our investing in Africa is creating 21st Century skills and those that are exportable, at par with any other skills globally.
What are we doing right now? We have launched an internship program; we have 17 interns in our Lagos office on a twelve month program.
We are planning to expand the program. These interns may not all end up only employed by Microsoft. We will make them available once they sort of on top of their program.
They will be available to our channel partners or customer who wants to employ them, because they would have become highly skilled.
We are partnering broadly with over 2000 partners in identifying strategies in which we can drive partner enablement to broaden the skills pool.
We will continue to build capacity for these partners to continue to deliver to clientele throughout the Nigerian market.
The other thing we look at is how do we tap into the academic institutions and partner with them. For example in Anambra State, we are setting up ICT Academics together with the Academic Institutions in conjunction with Anambra state.
These are ongoing projects. Essentially, we are looking at ways in which we can expand these projects to reach more youth.
In looking to reach as many people as possible the downstream economic impact could become more evident.
 
Various Programmes under 4afrika Initiative and their Impact
Microsoft and its partners work closely with organizations and people across Africa to fully harness the power of innovation to meet the needs of our countries and communities.
Through flexible solutions, programs and partnerships and a business model that puts people first.Our objective isn’t innovation for innovation sake, but innovation that make real impact for a better Africa.
A year after the launch of this initiative, in terms of collective African impact, we have not only laid much of the groundwork for what we will do in 2014 and beyond, but we have also successfully rolled out four White Spaces projects to provide low-cost, solar powered broadband to communities in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, not just that, we have signed cooperation agreements with four innovation hubs in Africa, including CcHUB in Nigeria, DTBi in Tanzania, iHub& m:lab in Kenya, and AfriLabs, the pan-African hub network. CcHUB is Nigeria’s first innovation lab and pre-incubation space designed to catalyze creative social technology ventures.
Also, we kicked off the 4Afrika Scholarship Program providing 1,000 scholarships to young African students through our partnerships with the University of the People (online university) and Regenesys Business School (South Africa).
Microsoft further introduced the 4Afrika Advisory Council to ensure the 4Afrika initiative does in fact help Africa become and remain globally competitive for the benefit of Africa’s people.
We also announced additional four youth members to address issues facing youth in Africa, one of which is from Nigeria (Chude Jideonwo).
Today, we have provided innovation grants (seed funding via Microsoft Ventures as well as technical support and mentorship via 4Afrika) for five African startups including access.mobile LLC, Africa 118,  Gamsole, Kytabu and Save & Buy, two of which are Nigerian (Gamsole and Save &Buy) .
Through the 4Afrika Interns, we have engaged over 17 interns from Nigeria to work with the Microsoft setup locally. With the aim to give them exposure to world class skills and the opportunity to better equip themselves.
The Initiatives Will Spark Intellectual Property Developments, But The Issues Of Rights And Protection, How Is Microsoft Faring In This Regard?
As a corporate entity we are working with regulatory institutions locally to provide an enabling environment for innovations and protection of their rights on their inventions, we’ve also embarked on some awareness creation campaigns through our “Play It  Safe” Campaign to further drive home our message of the need to protect the rights of Intellectual Property.

Nigeria’s Rebased Economy
Perhaps, the most imposing revelations emerging from the rebasing result is the fact that the structure of the Nigerian economy is changing.
The economy is now shown to be driven largely by the services sector, which accounts for 53 percent of the GDP (vs. 29% pre-rebasing).
For the ICT Industry we see a situation where Cloud adoption in Nigeria is expected to grow from 36% to 80% by end of 2014 and with a purported $50 B foreign investment into the ICT sector from International organizations, we would continue to see the IT industry in Nigeria soar in the months.


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Court Orders FG to Reveal Identity of Local Contractors in $460m Abuja CCTV Project

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Federal High Court has ordered the Ministry of Finance to disclose the total amount paid under the $460 million Abuja CCTV loan, the identities of local and Chinese contractors who received the funds, the status of the project’s implementation, and details relating to the N1.5 billion reportedly paid for the Code of Conduct Bureau headquarters project.

Court Orders FG to Reveal Identity of Local Contractors in $460m Abuja CCTV Project

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy to immediately disclose the identities of all local contractors, subcontractors, consultants, vendors, and other entities that benefited from the payments under the National Public Security Communication System project in Abuja, commonly referred to as the $460 million Abuja CCTV Project.

The Federal Ministry of Finance, in response to SERAP’s contempt proceedings, had recently disclosed that: “Records from the Ministry of Police Affairs indicate that while local subcontractors may have been engaged, there is an absence of detailed subcontracting records identifying specific local companies that received funds directly from the Chinese loan.”

The Ministry made the disclosure in a letter dated 15 May 2026 and signed by R. O. Omachi, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance,.

Responding, SERAP in a letter dated 23 May 2026 and signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, deputy director, said: “We are concerned that although the judgment was delivered in May 2023, the Ministry only released some information after we commenced contempt proceedings and served a Notice to show cause in January 2026.”

According to SERAP, “Nigerians still do not know exactly the names of local contractors for the project. The absence of this information raises serious concerns about record keeping, transparency and accountability, and whether the project was implemented in a manner consistent with the public interest.”

On 15 May 2023, the Federal High Court ordered the Ministry of Finance to disclose the total amount paid under the $460 million Abuja CCTV loan, the identities of local and Chinese contractors who received the funds, the status of the project’s implementation, and details relating to the N1.5 billion reportedly paid for the Code of Conduct Bureau headquarters project.

SERAP said, “The details provided amount to only partial compliance with Justice Emeka Nwite’s judgment. Key questions remain unanswered, and further clarification is needed to ensure full and effective compliance with the judgment.”

SERAP’s letter, read in part: “We would be grateful if the requested details are provided within 48 hours of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall proceed with our contempt proceedings against the Federal Ministry of Finance for failure to fully and effectively comply with the judgment of the Federal High Court.

“SERAP appreciates the steps taken by the Ministry to provide some information concerning the Chinese loan drawdown, counterpart funding arrangements, and certain records on equipment deliveries connected with the project.

“However, there is still no explanation regarding the missing 6,035 items as part of the status of implementation of the project. It remains unclear whether the items were subsequently delivered, whether payment was made for them, whether the contractor defaulted, whether Nigeria suffered any financial loss, and whether any steps were taken to recover public funds.

“The Ministry lists items reportedly delivered in 2013. However, it has failed to clarify how many cameras were installed, if any; where they were installed; whether the cameras are currently operational; and whether the project delivered value for money.

“The inability or failure to disclose these records raises serious public interest concerns about record keeping, contract administration, and accountability for public expenditure.

“For a project financed through public borrowing—debt Nigerians continue to repay—full transparency over all beneficiaries, foreign and domestic, is essential. Nigerians have the right to know how public funds were spent, who received them, and what was delivered in return.

“Compliance with court judgments is fundamental to the rule of law and constitutional governance. Government agencies cannot selectively comply with judicial orders or release partial information while withholding records central to public accountability.”

SERAP, therefore, urged Mr Oyedele and the Federal Ministry of Finance to fully, effectively, and urgently implement the judgment of the Federal High Court ordering disclosure of information relating to the Abuja CCTV project including by:

*Publishing the names of all Nigerian companies, subcontractors, consultants, and vendors involved in the project.

*Disclosing the amount paid to each contractor or subcontractor and the nature of work performed.

*Provide details of the status of implementation of the project including by releasing the certificates of completion, and accounting for the 6,035 project items identified as undelivered.


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NCAA Suspends Services to Air Peace, Others over Debts

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Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has placed 11 domestic airlines on its updated “No-Pay-No-Service” list over unpaid statutory charges, a move that could affect the renewal of key operational approvals, including Air Operator’s Certificates (AOC).

NCAA Suspends Services to Air Peace, Others over Debts

According to an internal memo dated May 22, 2026, the regulator directed all its directorates to suspend regulatory and administrative services to the affected carriers until they clear outstanding debts or agree on repayment terms.

The directive means that services linked to certification and oversight, such as AOC renewals, Air Transport Licences (ATL), and Airline Operating Permits (AOP), may be withheld, raising concerns over possible operational disruptions in the aviation sector.

The affected airlines include Air Peace Limited, Ibom Air, Arik Air, ValueJet, United Nigeria Airlines, Umza Air, NG Eagle, Max Air, Caverton Helicopters, Overland Airways, and Rano Air.

At the centre of the dispute is the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge, which airlines collect on behalf of the NCAA to fund safety oversight, personnel training, and economic regulation in the industry.

The memo, signed by Olufemi Odukoya, director of Finance and Accounts, NCAA, and circulated to regional offices, instructed that no directorate should render services to the listed airlines without financial clearance from the finance department.

It further warned that all services remain suspended pending verification and clearance of outstanding obligations.

While the directive has sparked concerns among industry stakeholders about possible delays in regulatory processes, some affected operators say they are unaware of the order.

Banji Ola, Arik Air’s spokesperson,  said the airline had no knowledge of such a directive.

“I am not aware of any such directive or report.” Ola said

Whisky Efe and Anietie Essienette, spokespersons of Air Peace and Ibom Air, respectively did not respond as of the time of filing this report.

The development has raised fresh uncertainty in the sector, with operators and passengers wary of potential disruptions if the standoff persists


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FG Classifies Ebola Importation into Nigeria as High Risk

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Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has classified the risk of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) importation into Nigeria as high amid the ongoing outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, though the agency confirmed that no case linked to the regional outbreak has been detected in the country.

FG Classifies Ebola Importation into Nigeria as High Risk

Dr Jide Idris, director-general of the NCDC, in a public health advisory released on Sunday, stated that the assessment followed the World Health Organization’s declaration of the outbreaks as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

According to Dr Idris, the high-risk classification was informed by increasing international travel and population movement, continued transmission in the affected countries, uncertainty surrounding the full scale of the outbreak, and the possibility of delayed detection because Ebola symptoms resemble other endemic diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever.

He, however, assured Nigerians that high-risk states, border communities, major transport hubs, and Points of Entry had already been identified as part of ongoing preparedness efforts.

Despite the risk, Dr Idris noted that the country possesses critical response capacities, including functional laboratories, trained rapid response teams, emergency operations centres, and existing viral haemorrhagic fever preparedness structures strengthened by previous successful responses to Ebola and similar outbreaks.

He also stated that the National Emergency Operations Centre had been placed on alert mode, while the National Incident Management System had also been activated to strengthen coordination, reporting, and rapid response mechanisms nationwide.

He explained that epidemiologists and rapid response teams had been placed on standby for possible deployment, while collaboration among state ministries of health, port health services, and other relevant agencies had been intensified.

According to him, surveillance activities have also been strengthened nationwide through enhanced monitoring of alerts, rumours, and unusual health events to support early detection and response.

Dr Idris said border communities and points of entry are under increased surveillance, while health workers across the country are undergoing refresher sensitisation on infection prevention and control measures, early identification of suspected cases, and proper triage procedures.

He further said that states had been advised to incorporate Ebola preparedness into their emergency response systems by designating isolation and treatment centres, assessing bed capacity, strengthening referral pathways, and ensuring the availability of logistics and essential medical supplies.

He also revealed that plans were ongoing to preposition critical response commodities such as personal protective equipment (PPEs), laboratory consumables, body bags, and emergency medical supplies in strategic locations across the country.

On laboratory readiness, Dr Idris said Nigeria currently maintains Ebola testing capacity in states with international points of entry and within the national public health laboratory network, with surge testing capability available if needed.

He said the agency has intensified public awareness campaigns and risk communication efforts aimed at combating misinformation and false claims circulating online about Ebola.

While urging Nigerians not to panic, Dr Idris advised members of the public to maintain proper hand hygiene, avoid direct contact with bodily fluids of sick persons, refrain from handling corpses of individuals who died from unexplained illnesses, and avoid bushmeat from unknown sources.

He advised travellers arriving from countries with confirmed Ebola cases to monitor their health for 21 days and immediately contact health authorities if symptoms develop.

He also urged healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Ebola cases, strictly observe infection prevention protocols, use PPEs appropriately, and promptly report suspected cases through established channels.

 


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