E-Business
Microsoft to Hold Imagine Cup National Finals
Microsoft Nigeria has announced 24th of May 2010 as the date for the national finals of the Imagine Cup Competition, a global competition open to students in tertiary institutions.
Winners of the national finals which will hold at the UNILAG CITS Complex in Lagos will be representing Nigeria at the World final in Poland, in July with a cash prize of USD$25,000 awaiting the winning team.
The Imagine Cup competition encourages young people to apply their imagination, their passion, and their creativity to technology innovations focused on finding solutions to some of the world’s most challenging social issues outlined in the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing to announce the Nigeria final, Ken Spann, Development Platform manager, Microsoft Nigeria, said, “The goal of Imagine Cup is to awaken the consciousness of youths and stimulate their thought process to improve their environment and ultimately Nigeria as a whole.”
He stated that “The response this year has been overwhelming. So far we have received applications from 50 schools, with 145 students indicating interest. This is about 20% higher than the number we recorded last year. This shows that Nigerian youths are passionate about the world around them and desirous of making a significant difference. The Imagine Cup Students of today will contribute to building the knowledge based economy of the future. Nigeria can become a key country for software development and begin to create not only jobs but wealth as well. ”
Now in its eighth year, the competition begins with the local and regional contests, whose finalists go on to the World finals which hold in different locations every year. Kick-started in Spain, the World finals have held in Brazil, Japan, India, South Korea, France and Egypt.
By the sixth edition, Nigeria was lucky to book a space at the finals in France. The country was represented by the same team in Egypt in 2009.
At the national final, participating teams will each be allotted some time to present their concept and demo. This will be followed by a rigorous selection process that will lead to the announcement of the winners.
As a reward to schools and students who elect to compete, registered Imagine Cup participants can download 18 Microsoft products for free.
“We wanted to do something to reward the schools who invest the time and commitment to participate in this competition,” Spann explained. “While registered participants can download this software for free, Microsoft appreciates that this is a significant drain on bandwidth resources. Any participants struggling to access the software via the internet should contact me or The Nigerian Computer Society so Microsoft can provide the software directly if needed.”
“Additionally, we do recommend that participants install Windows Internet Explorer 8, the new Web browser from Microsoft which is both easier to use and faster before downloading the products.”
Among the 18 products available for free download are Windows Server 2008 R2 on which the following products can be installed: Visual Studio Beta 2010 Ultimate, Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, SQL Server 2008 Developer and Robotics Developer Studio 2008 R.2. For a complete listing of products available for free download go to https://www.dreamspark.com/Products/ProductList.aspx.
A two-time winner of the national finals, Celestine Ezeokoye, who regrettably couldn’t register this year because of his tight schedule, thanked Microsoft for the initiative which is aimed at empowering students outside the classroom. According to him, “Imagine Cup has greatly impacted my life. Through it, I have been able to dream, task my imagination as well as articulate my thoughts. I have also forged friendships which will last a lifetime.”
He added, “Microsoft cannot continue to do this alone. We need support from other businesses; corporations as well as government to enable us perform at our optimum capacity.”
Registrations for the 2010 Imagine Cup are still open. For more information, contact Ken Spann at [email protected] or go to http://www.imaginecup.com.
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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

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.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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

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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