News
Nigeria Uses Android App with Facebook to Beat Ebola
When Nigeria was hit by its first outbreak of the Ebola virus, health workers monitoring suspected cases armed themselves with mobile phones and an Android app that cut the time it took to report the onset of symptoms.
The app and most of the phones were provided by eHealth & Information Systems Nigeria, a Santa Ana, California-based non-profit research company that operates in the northern city of Kano, according to Bloomberg’s report.
Ebola Alert, a group of volunteers, used Facebook and Twitter to educate Nigerians about the illness.
Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Nigerian unit organized training sessions for journalists on how to use Google Trends to identify top questions most people wanted answered about the disease.
The phone app helped reduce reporting times that would normally take 12 hours by half initially, then 75 percent, before becoming almost real time, according to Daniel Tom-Aba, senior data manager at the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre in Lagos.
Information previously written on forms by hand before being sent to databases could be updated immediately, he said.
Ebola Scourge
“With Ebola, time is very important,” Adam Thompson, the chief executive officer of eHealth & Information Systems, an organization that had gained experience fighting the polio virus in northern Nigeria, said by phone from Kano. “If there’s a two or three-day lag in order to get a contact to the list, this could be a problem. The person could be in a different country by that point.”
Outbreak Contained
After a two-month campaign, during which more than 800 people who came into contact with infected persons were placed under surveillance, Nigerian officials are confident the outbreak has been contained.
The Health Ministry isn’t monitoring anyone at the moment and expects Nigeria to be declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization about Oct. 20, spokesman Daniel Nwomeh said by phone on Oct. 3 from Abuja, the capital.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with about 170 million people and the continent’s biggest economy, recorded 19 cases, with seven confirmed deaths and 12 recoveries, according to the Health Ministry. That’s a 40 percent fatality rate for a disease that could kill as much as 90 percent of those infected.
The latest Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 3,400 people, according to the WHO, making it the worst in history.
Bloomberg reported that eHealth is exporting its app-loaded mobile phones and other tech-based tools to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the three worst-hit countries in West Africa.
Instant Tracking
“We’ve established three operations in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea,” Thompson said in an Oct. 4 e-mailed response to questions from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. “We’re managing about $14 million of private foundation funds to support emergency operations.”
The main lessons in Nigeria were the importance of fast communication and instant tracking.
“One of the key things that worked for Nigeria was the fact that we knew the index case and we were able to trace all the contacts back to him,” Tom-Aba said. “Every contact tracer had a GPS incorporated in their phones so we knew that they had gone to the contact’s house. That built accountability.
Liberian civil servant Patrick Sawyer introduced the virus into Nigeria when he arrived on July 20.
Sawyer and four of the health workers who treated him also died of Ebola. Contact tracers made 18,500 home visits to check on people who may have been exposed, according to a Sept. 30 report on the website of the Center for Diseases Control.
Tablet Scans
Laboratory technicians conducting tests were given tablets to scan and upload results to the emergency center data base.
Field teams in turn got text-message alerts on their phones informing them of the results, he said.
Journalists were also shown how to create visuals using Google Maps and Google Earth to better tell the story.
“From the beginning of August to mid-September, about two terms in the top five searches were Ebola-related,” Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s communications manager for West Africa, said in a phone interview from Lagos on Oct. 6. “We noticed journalists were missing the story because people were asking questions as simple as, what is quarantine?”
Lawal Bakare, a 31-year-old dentist, corralled Facebook friends at home and abroad to create Ebola Alert, which educated Nigerians about the disease online.
Within a week, they formed a partnership with the government to operate a helpline that took 600 calls a day.
The group’s Facebook and Twitter accounts have more than 30,000 followers combined as of Oct. 6, and its website, www.ebolaalert.org, had 4 million hits in August alone, Bakare said.
U.S. Interest
As Nigerians’ interest in Ebola wanes, a growing amount of traffic is now coming from the U.S., which diagnosed its first case of the disease in Dallas last week.
The patient had traveled from Liberia. Bakare estimates that about 21 percent of the group’s followers are now from the U.S.
Fast communication in a country where they are 130 million mobile-phone users had its downside: unsubstantiated rumors.
Some text messages circulated saying that drinking a salt solution would prevent the infection.
At least two people were confirmed dead from drinking too much salt by the Health Ministry.
“As the rumor mongers are generating their rumors, we are countering almost real-time on Twitter especially to manage panic,” Bakare said.
He cited the example of a Lagos church that put up a poster advertising “free immunization” from the virus.
For Nigeria, the next target in the fight against Ebola is to halt its spread in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, according to Alex Okoh, the director of Port Health Services in Lagos.
“We may be Ebola free, but as long as there’s still an outbreak in the sub-region, we’re still at risk,” she said in an interview. “We can’t let our guard down because we still have people criss-crossing the continent,” Bloomberg reported.
African technology start-ups will receive a $46 million (€40 million) commitment from EIB Global, the development arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The funds will be deployed through the first Africa-focused investment vehicle from European venture capital (VC) firm Speedinvest.
The Speedinvest Africa Fund, which has a total target size of €200 million, targets companies across innovation hubs in Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.
It also invests in high-potential markets, including Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tunisia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The investment strengthens EU–Africa ties, supports digital transformation, and promotes inclusive economic growth, says the EIB.
The strategy is designed to improve digital and financial inclusion while enabling start-ups to scale across borders by strengthening linkages between African and European ecosystems. Technology has the power to turn good ideas into real impact, says Karl Nehammer, vice-president of the EIB.
By backing this vehicle, it is enabling African innovators to scale, access new markets, and build sustainable businesses, says Nehammer.
The fund focuses on technology-enabled and mobile-based services across payments, healthcare, mobility, and education.
This aligns with the EU’s Global Gateway priorities and is expected to deliver social benefits, including job creation for youth and expanded access to digital banking for underserved communities.
At least 30% of the vehicle’s capital will support companies advancing gender equality, including those with women as founders, employees, or consumers.
With EIB Global support, the firm is deepening its long-term commitment to backing founders across Africa while strengthening enduring bridges between Africa and Europe, says Oliver Holle, CEO and managing partner of Speedinvest.
Speedinvest has previously backed African growth-stage companies, including mobility fintech Moove and digital bank FairMoney.
By combining a local presence with a European network of operators, sector expertise, and follow-on capital, the firm aims to help founders scale regionally and internationally, says Holle.
The fund will be managed by partners Deepali Nangia and Rana Abdel Latif, with a new African office planned to support its local operations.
Three individuals connected to a US tech firm have been indicted by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for their alleged role in a massive scheme to smuggle billions of dollars worth of restricted Nvidia AI chips to China, bypassing strict export controls.
Nvidia Chip
Prosecutors accuse the suspects of using fake documents, dummy equipment, and even hair dryers to tamper with labels in a bid to dodge compliance checks.
The plot centred on high-performance semiconductors from Nvidia, which are tightly regulated by the US due to fears they could boost China’s military and AI capabilities.
Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw, a US citizen and co-founder of California-based Super Micro Computer (a server maker), has been charged alongside two Taiwanese nationals: Ting-Wei “Willy” Sun and Ruei-Tsang “Steven” Chang (who remains at large).
The group reportedly partnered with a Southeast Asian firm to order servers packed with banned chips. They falsified records claiming the gear would stay in Asia, but repackaged and shipped it covertly to China.
Tactics included deploying thousands of fake “dummy” servers for audits, while real restricted tech was diverted. Sun allegedly used household hair dryers to swap serial numbers and labels.
Super Micro Computer confirmed the suspects’ links but stressed it faces no charges and is aiding the probe.
The DOJ estimates the intermediary bought $2.5 billion in equipment, illegally funneling vast amounts of controlled AI tech to China without licences.
This case underscores escalating US-China tech rivalry, where advanced chips are viewed as vital for national security and economic edge.
In a parallel probe, two Chinese nationals were earlier charged for rerouting chips via Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and mainland China. US authorities warn of tough penalties for evasion.
This development signals intensified global scrutiny on tech supply chains amid superpower tensions.
United Kingdom and Nigeria have agreed on a three-year strategic plan to tackle organised immigration crime and strengthen border security cooperation.
The initiative was announced in a joint statement by the UK Home Office following the state visit of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the UK.
The agreement was signed by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
According to the statement, the framework focuses on combating visa fraud, improving border management systems, and enhancing legal cooperation between both countries.
Under the plan, Nigeria is expected to review its legal framework to impose stricter penalties on immigration-related offences, particularly those involving forged or fraudulent travel documents.
Both countries also pledged to strengthen laws and enforcement mechanisms governing visa processing and travel documentation.
A key component of the agreement is the expansion of the UK–Nigeria Organised Immigration Crime Unit, with new memoranda of understanding centred on intelligence sharing and joint operations.
The UK government will further support Nigerian border agencies through training programmes and capacity-building initiatives.
The partnership also places emphasis on the protection of vulnerable migrants, particularly women and children, while enhancing research, document verification systems, and migration monitoring processes through the UK–Nigeria Migration, Justice and Home Affairs Dialogue.
Both governments described the agreement as a reflection of their shared commitment to tackling transnational crime and improving migration management through closer collaboration.
The deal forms part of broader engagements during Tinubu’s visit, which focused on strengthening bilateral relations across security, migration, and economic development.
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