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Microsoft Imagine 2016: Team Nigeria Targets 10m Virtually Impaired African

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After an impressive presentation at the ongoing Microsoft Imagine Cup Competition holding in Seattle, Washington, the United States of America, Obasegun Ayodele, spokesperson of Team Nigeria, has disclosed that they   will be targeting about 10 million visually impaired people across the African continent  with Humane solution.

Microsoft’s Imagine Cup is the world’s most prestigious student technology competition, bringing together student innovators from all over the world.

Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment or vision loss, is a decreased ability to see to a degree that causes problems not fixable by usual means, such as glasses

Although Team Humane  from Obafemi Awolowo University,  O.A.U , Ile- Ife,  was not among the three first place winning teams that have moved to the Championship round, their nomination  for Ability Award on Wednesday was a strong signal that software Nigeria has global competiveness if given the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Tunisia is the only African country that won second place award on World Citizenship category.

This is a boost to Africa as a continent. As at the time of filing this report the final Imagine cup World Champion was yet unannounced.

The winners will have the opportunity to have one on one session with the Microsoft Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadela who had challenged the Imagine Cup students to use digital technologies to change the world.

Meanwhile, in the  Ability Award, Nigeria was among the  8 teams out of 35 that  were selected to further present their project to the software giant, Microsoft. But only Team BoneyCare from China won the Ability award out of the 8 teams that were nominated.

In a demo before panel of judges, Ayodele disclosed that with about 285 million virtually impaired people living around the world,  3.5 percent of the figure resides in  Africa.

Assuring that they will use the solution to solve this problem, he explained that  Humane platform  allows the Windows Smart Phone easily accessible to the visually impaired.

With the solution, the Visually impaired , according to him, could   surf the web, dial numbers, send messages, receive notifications, play music, interact with their environment using their Windows 8 Mobile Smart Phone.

Speaking to Vanguard shortly after announcing the result  of the top three teams in the Games, Innovation and World Citizenship,  yesterday, he said that they will take their solution to the market.

“But first, we sit down, go back to the drawing table to analyze Imagine cup. We way   people see technology in Nigeria  in Nigeria is not the way it is seen globally. . We have to see technology from global perspective.  Imagine cup competition has opened our eyes to the global market. It has opened opportunity for us. We have received request from Nigeria and Swedish Research Group for seed funding. This is just the beginning of our dreams

“We will start a company when we get back.  Designing the solution has given us opportunity in hardware. We need the mentorship of   Microsoft Nigeria for mentorship.  Coming to the world stage is an opportunity.

For Kendra Nnachi, audience evangelism manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Humane platform is amazing, adding that the beauty of Imagine is scaling up solutions for global competitiveness.

Nnachi who is passionate about tech start-ups said that, “The experience has opened their minds. I want to see a situation where Human solution is taking to the next stage. I am excited. These boys are smart.  They are the most brilliant imagine cup students group from Nigeria. Use solution to change the world”.

It would be recalled that out of 35 Teams from 34 countries around the world selected for the final showcase, Nigeria is the only country from West Africa flying the continent flag.

Similarly, South Africa and Tunisia are also among the countries from Africa flying the continent flag.

It would be recalled that more than 150 top teams from National Finals events had pitched on World Semifinals, where they were judged by a global panel of MVPs, industry experts and Microsoft staff.


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Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

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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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