E-Business
#NIRA10: CommunicationsWeek, Googles, Others Shortlisted for .ng Awards
The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), charged with the management of Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain Name (ccTLD), dot ng (.ng) has shortlisted Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Googles, Jumia, Unilorin, Lagos State for its .NG Awards, as part of activities to celebrate her tenth anniversary.
NiRA is organizing a series of activities with the aim of building the awareness of the .ng brand. One of such activities is the 2016 .ng Web Award and Gala Night, which aims to recognize the excellent achievements of members, stakeholders of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) and the general public, who have contributed towards building a sustainable economy using technology relevant to the DNS industry.
This is in addition to stimulating the development of innovative and creative ICT solutions which would uplift the image of .ng locally and internationally.
The following award categories and nominees have been shortlisted. Winners for each category will be determined through online voting and decisions of a Competent Award Jury selected based on their relevance and expertise.
The General Public is enjoined to vote for their preferred choice by logging to NiRA Website: www.nira.org.ng. The voting mechanism would be available as from Wednesday, 23rd March, 2016.
The Awards are as follows:
Technology Company of the Year
Recognizes Companies that have demonstrated excellence in innovation and a commitment to the technology community while embracing sound business fundamentals. This category is reserved for companies that have been established for more than 5 (Five) years.
The Nominees are:
com.ng (Etisalat)
com.ng (Google)
com.ng (MTN)
com.ng (Spectranet)
Most Innovative Web Company/Organization:
This award recognizes organizations with the highest investment in their online presence that promotes innovation and marketing.
The Nominees are:
ng (Slot)
com.ng (Jumia)
com.ng (Cheki)
com.ng (Private Property)
ng (Hotels.ng)
ng (Gloo.ng)
com.ng (OLX)
Best Banking Website/Portal
This award recognizes the Bank website that delivers the best user experience based on excellence in navigation, design and innovation.
The Nominees are:
ng (Fidelity Bank)
gov.ng (Central Bank of Nigeria)
Best Educational Institution website/portal
This award recognizes the Tertiary Institution/University with the best .edu.ng website/portal based on how current the website is, level of local content populated on the website, ease of use, relevance of the website for delivery of educational services, how dynamic the website is amongst other things.
The Nominees are:
edu.ng (FUTO, Akure)
edu.ng (FUTO, Owerri)
edu.ng (University of Nigeria, Nsukka)
edu.ng (Federal University of Technology, Minna)
edu.ng (University of Lagos)
edu.ng (Covenant University)
edu.ng (University of Ibadan)
edu.ng (Obafemi Awolowo University)
edu.ng (Ahmadu Bello University)
edu.ng (University of Ilorin)
edu.ng (National Open University)
Technology Startup Company of the year
This award is aimed at encouraging start-ups that promote the growth of local content under the .ng domain name platform. Company must not be older than 4 (Four) years.
The Nominees are:
ng (Jiji)
ng (The Area Show)
ng (Showroom.ng)
com.ng (Eazyhire)
ng (Jara)
ng (Lands.ng)
ng (Pass.ng)
com.ng (Tolet.com.ng)
Best Hosting Company
This award aims to continuously encourage the growth of local website hosting companies in Nigeria. To qualify for this category, content must be hosted in Nigeria.
The Nominees are:
ng (Upperlink Limited)
com.ng (Galaxy backbone Limited)
com.ng
com.ng (MTN)
.ng Media Award
.ng media Award recognizes excellence in journalism and other media-related activities .This category is open to all media houses in Nigeria: print, online and television.
This award is judged based on the level of local and original content promoted by such website.
The Nominees are:
ng (National Television Authority)
ng (The Guardian)
ng (Leadership)
ng (Dailypost)
ng (The Cable)
ng (Daily Times)
com.ng (Nigeria Communications Week)
ng (Techsmart.ng)
com.ng (Daily Trust by Media Trust Limited)
ng (Techpoint)
ng (Tori.ng)
ng (Pulse.ng)
ng (Thenet.ng)
Most Valuable Youth Organization
Youth organization that advocates for the development of the Nigerian Youth. To qualify for this category the organization must have an online presence with .ng domain name.
The Nominees are:
org.ng (Jim Ovia Foundation)
ng (Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative)
org.ng (Nigeria Association of Computer Science Students)
org.ng (National Youth Service Corps)
Best State Government
This award recognizes the State Government that have invested in Technology to promote local content development
The Nominees are:
gov.ng (Lagos State)
gov.ng (Ondo State)
gov.ng (Osun State)
gov.ng (Delta State)
gov.ng (Rivers State)
gov.ng (Imo State)
gov.ng (Enugu State)
gov.ng (Kano State)
gov.ng (Kaduna State)
Public Sector: Star Website Award
This award recognizes the website/portal of the Government Agency that provides the best user experience.
The Nominees are:
org.ng (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board)
org.ng (West African Examinations Council)
gov.ng (Corporate Affairs Commission)
gov.ng (National Identity Management Commission)
gov.ng (Federal Inland Revenue Service)
gov.ng (Nigeria Immigration Service)
com.ng (Galaxy Backbone)
gov.ng (Nigeria Customs Service)
gov.ng (Federal Road Safety Commission)
NiRA Presidential Awards
These are special awards to be presented by the President of NiRA. The categories are:
a) Best .ng ccTLD Registrar
This award recognizes the best Registrar at Platinum, Silver, Gold and Standard levels. This award is based on number of transactions, amount transacted and investment in the DNS industry.
b) .ng most supporting Sponsor
This award category recognizes and give credence to our supporting sponsors. The award is a special award to be presented by the President of NiRA.
c) NiRA Presidential Award for Youth Development
This award category recognizes and encourages the development of Youth in Nigeria. It is a NiRA Presidential award given to the Youth that have a combination of the best .ng website, best online local content and best use of ICT.
This award is a special award to be presented by the President of NiRA.
d) NiRA Presidential Award for Women Development
This award aims to promote the participation and advancement of women in the ICT industry in Nigeria. It will encourage and stimulate the interest of young females to engage in ICT-related studies and subsequently, careers. This award will recognize the very best female in the ICT industry, celebrating her achievements, talents and reward her professional accomplishments. The award is a special award to be presented by the President of NiRA.
e) NiRA Special Recognition Award
This is a Special Recognition Award Category presented by the President of NiRA.
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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