News
NITDA, SMEDAN to Institutionalize SMEs in Nigeria
The National Information Technology Development Agency NITDA and the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) have agreed to institutionalise the activities of the Small and Medium Enterprises, (SMEs) in the country.
The proposed agreement was revealed at a meeting between Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, the NITDA’s Director General, and his SMEDAN counterpart, Mr Olawale Fasanya. The meeting was held at NITDA’s Corporate Headquarters, Abuja,
According to NITDA’s boss, institutionalising the SME would serve as a catalyst for creating wealth and prosperity, adding that, “We have between 60-90 per cent of our businesses under SMEs, but operating informally, how can we formalise them so that even the government can benefit by collecting taxes and have a structure in place to capture the GDP correctly, he queried.
Inuwa noted that most of the Startups the Agency deals with are SMEs who are also trying to solve a real life problem.
He said, “We see Startups as our babies, while for you anybody trying to start any business you see them as your babies. We have startups solving problems in agric, commerce, education, and logistics and so on.”
Inuwa added that the world is moving to smart manufacturing whereby you can design anything on your system and print it using 3D printer.
“We have Digital Fabrication Lab in our Center (the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics NCAIR) where you can design all these and manufacture them or prototype them and do mass production.”
He also announced that plans are underway to have facilities everywhere as the goal is for every Nigerian to have access to these kinds of facilities.
Enumerating some of the initiatives which the Agency is undertaking and the collaboration is into with the big techs to include NITDA Learning Management System Online Academy, the Director General assured SMEDAN that their SMEs will be on boarded into some of the programs.
“We are also looking beyond SMEs today; we have what we call IDEs (Innovation Driven Enterprises) which is a process where you start with a mindset that you are solving the immediate problem but the bigger picture is to go global and Information Technology is making it possible for you to reach anywhere in the world.”
Citing the recent research conducted by the Lagos Business School on the booming nature of the Gig economy, the Director General said that as at last year, there were over 2 million Nigerians earning a living through the Gig economy who receive training and work from anywhere using IT, like those doing Bolt and online digital marketing.
Describing the roles of the two agencies as common, the Inuwa said they both exist to develop and help Nigerians create wealth through the use of IT.
“IT is pervasive, anywhere you think of today you need IT to enable it. Our lives revolve around technology,” he noted.
“This kind of collaboration is what can help us have structure to even protect the Gig economy as well”, he concluded.
Earlier in his remark, Mr Fasanya said that they were in the Agency to intimate NITDA of their readiness to further enter into other collaborative areas that will be more impactful to the society.
The SMEDAN’s Director General revealed that they have identified about 70 youths in all the 36 states of the Federation who were trained on different skills, particularly on how to market their products digitally.
While disclosing that his organisation wants their SMEs to take advantage of the digital space, Mr Fasanya said that would give them required knowledge on e-learning platforms, e- marketing and so on.
Schneider Electric, a global leader in digital energy management solutions, recently held an event for its valued partners with a focus on industry trends, challenges, and the future of energy management.
Officials of Schneider Electric, an event for its valued partners with a focus on industry trends, challenges, and the future of energy management recently
The event provided a platform for attendees to network and share critical insights, including the latest market trends and Schneider Electric’s newest offerings in energy management.
Present at the event were, Country President, Schneider Electric, West Africa, Ajibola Akindele, official distributors, retail partners, panel builders, Marketing and Communications Manager, Schneider Electric, Omobolanle Omotayo, Channel Sales Director, Schneider Electric, Nurudeen Oyedeji, amongst others.
The event featured engaging discussions and presentations that explored the current and future trends in the industry, as well as how Schneider Electric can better serve its customers’ evolving needs while showcasing the company’s latest products and services.
Expressing his gratitude to their partners, Country President, Schneider Electric, West Africa, Ajibola Akindele said, “Our partners’ satisfaction is crucial to enhancing our individual efforts, and we are thankful for their unwavering support. Their partnership has been instrumental in our success as an organization, and we remain committed to working collaboratively to achieve our shared goals.”
Speaking further on working collaboratively with partners, Ajibola Akindele mentioned Schneider Electric has developed a program targeted at empowering electricians for the safe installation of energy management solutions,
“At the core of Schneider Electric is passion for people. To guarantee the safety of our customers, an initiative has been created to equip electricians with products and technical skills for safe installation.”
Channel Sales Director, Nurudeen Oyedeji highlighted a few of Schneider Electric’s latest offerings in energy management, “We have Electrical Vehicle (EV) Chargers, flexible design switches, circuit breakers, switchboards, Building Management Systems (BMS) and other energy solutions designed for residential and small businesses, buildings, data centres, and industries. We look forward to a continuous collaboration with our partners to drive innovation and create sustainable energy solutions for the future.”
Schneider Electric drives digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, endpoint to cloud connecting products, controls, software, and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centres, infrastructure, and industries.
Employees of Airtel Nigeria, under its CSR initiative, Employee Volunteer Scheme Initiative, paid a visit to Kuramo College, a government secondary school in Lagos, and donated modern routers, each equipped with 100GB of data and a two-month roll-over access fee.
The connection devices were donated by Airtel’s Information and Technology team, with a mission to empower students with enhanced digital connectivity.
Speaking during the event, Director, Information and Technology, Seun Solanke, said, “Airtel aims to empower young minds by equipping them with the connectivity to imagine and unlock a world of knowledge and opportunities.
“For Airtel, it is no longer about being a smartphone network but giving people a reason to imagine, so that people can explore the possibilities powered by technology and connectivity. The world is evolving, young Nigerians now have access to unlimited possibilities and can now create their own job titles and descriptions, which is why we now have YouTubers, social media Influencers and the likes.”
He concluded by encouraging the students to maximize the provision of connectivity to back up their future imaginations with the right information and resources, in other to ensure a bright future.
The activities under the Airtel Nigeria Employee Volunteer Scheme, said Airtel management, aligns with the company’s commitment to bridging the digital divide in the country and enabling students to leverage the power of the internet, as the distribution of routers with data plans will ensure that students have uninterrupted access to educational resources, research materials, and online learning platforms, regardless of their socio-economic background.
Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) has elected new officials to man its affairs for the next three years in a landmark election conducted through electronic voting (e-Voting) on Thursday.
A cross session of members of the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), in a group photograph with top officials of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos Council let by the Chairman, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi after the inauguration of the new EXCO of NITRA.
The election, which was conducted at the newly commissioned Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) secretariat, was monitored by the Chairman, NUJ Lagos Council, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, and the Executive Secretary, Mr. Tunde Olalere and other officers of the NUJ, Lagos Council.
The election also saw four of the six candidates go unopposed except for the positions of the Vice Chairman and Financial Secretary.
At the end of the elections, NITRA Chairman, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi (Communications Week) was returned unopposed. Also the General Secretary, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo (eBusiness Life Communication Limited) and Treasurer, Mrs. Chioma Ezike (FRCN) were returned unopposed, while a new entrant into the EXCO, Ugochi Emmanuel (Techlife Media & Communications) clinched the vacant position of Assistant Secretary/Welfare.
However, the Electoral Committee voided the position of the Vice Chairman due to the absence of the two contesting candidates. A re-run election will be held subsequently.
Speaking on the election process, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Mr. Romanus Imah, noted that the Committee decided on the use of e-Voting system because the Association should be at the forefront of promoting digital processes in Nigeria, also for the fact that it wants an all-inclusive election process.
According to the Chairman, although there were challenges in the process, the use of e-Voting system proved to be the best process in this era of digitization as it ensured that no member, present or absent, was disenfranchised during the election.
He thanked the Executive Committee and the entire membership of the Association for their cooperation through the period of the elections.
Also speaking, the newly elected Chairman of the Association, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi narrated the vision, aspirations and hopes of NITRA and challenged the entire membership to work with the EXCO to achieve the visions.
Mr. Onwuegbuchi noted that the task ahead is to build upon the achievements of the previous tenure.
While promising that all campaign promises by the new EXCO will be implemented, he called on members to come together to ensure that the Association takes its pride of place in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ecosystem.
While inaugurating and leading the New EXCO members through the oath of office, Chairman, NUJ Lagos Council, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, spoke about the need for NITRA to collaborate with the parent body, the NUJ, to tap into the numerous benefits, which include trainings and representation.
He further encouraged the NITRA membership to be more active at the NUJ monthly Congress.
The chairman assured the Association of his administration’s backing.
NITRA was inaugurated in 2014 to engender faster industry growth through collaboration with industry stakeholders on different fronts in and outside the country. The Association was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2021.
In the past years, the Association has partnered with industry stakeholders to bring enlightenment and public awareness with its monthly Breakfast Meeting with CEOs and its Quarterly Forum that dwells on issues that are topical to the industry. The breakfast meeting with CEOs has hosted the likes of Mr. Austin Okere, Founder of CWG Plc and an Entrepreneur in Residence at Columbia Business School; Medallion CEO, Mr. Ike Nnamani; former Rack Center CEO, Mr. Tunde Coker and the General Manager of MainOne Data Center (MDXI), Mr. Gbenga Adegbiji, among others.
The new EXCO has a three-year tenure that ends in 2026 before a new election will be conducted.
CBN Vows to Promote Adoption of e-Naira
MultiChoice Group Launches “Moment” an integrated payment platform for Africa
Clickatell Wins Business Efficiency Solutions Provider of the Year @ABoICT Awards
Konga Guarantees Same day Delivery for Mid-Year Shopping Festival
Schneider Electric Reinforces Support to Partners in Achieving Energy Management Goals
Buhari Felicitate with Adenuga on his 70th Birthday
Interswitch Partners Credit Bank of Kenya, IFAD to Deepen Remittance
Airtel Africa Records Double Digit Revenue, 140M Subscriber Base in 2023 Report
NiRA Elect Adesola Akinsanya as New President
FITC Launches Future of Work Academy
Telecom2 days agoMoMo PSB Partners MTN Foundation to Educate Female Entrepreneurs
Telecom2 days agoTecno Debuts Newest Materials of Magic Skin on Smartphone in Africa
News2 days agoSchneider Electric Reinforces Support to Partners in Achieving Energy Management Goals
Telecom19 hours agoClickatell Wins Business Efficiency Solutions Provider of the Year @ABoICT Awards
Telecom19 hours agoMultiChoice Group Launches “Moment” an integrated payment platform for Africa
E-Financial19 hours agoCBN Vows to Promote Adoption of e-Naira
E-Business19 hours agoKonga Guarantees Same day Delivery for Mid-Year Shopping Festival