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NITDA, States Collaborate On Smart City Initiatives

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National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has launched a multi-year National Smart Cities Initiative designed to kick-start the drive towards using smart, scalable solutions replicable nationwide to address a host of challenges including transportation, disaster response, energy, healthcare, education and the environment.

The collaboration will involve eight cities nationwide in the first phase, including Abuja, Lagos and one city selected from each of the six geopolitical zones. Representing the states and FCT at the meeting were the Sokoto state commissioner for ICT, Nazir S. Zarummai, Sokoto state director of ICT, Nasir Daniya, Senior Special Assistant (ICT) to the governor of Rivers State, Willian Idoniboye, Special Adviser (ICT) to the governor of Oyo state, Oluwafunminiyi Ajao and the Special Assistant (ICT) to the governor of Kaduna state, Engr. Idris Muhammed.

Representing the Federal Capital Transport Authority were the director, BRT, Engr. Wilson Unogwu, Deputy Director, TS, Engr. Etim Abak and Mr. Dele Yero, director, DRTS.

Already, NITDA and the Federal Capital Transport Authority Secretariat are collaborating to design an integrated transportation system under the auspices of both the National Smart Cities Initiative and the Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) program, a similar smart city initiative backed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the US department of Commerce.

Speaking at the stakeholder consultative meeting held at the NITDA conference room, the Arch. Sunday Echono, permanent secretary, Ministry of Communications, who was represented by Mr. Tope Fashedemi, director, e-Government at the Ministry of Communications, noted the existence of research confirming a positive correlation between e-government development and rapid national GDP growth.

Fashedemi added that, the national e-government Master Plan which is awaiting rectification of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), is a demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment to the diversification of the national economy through e-government strategies and programs.

He stated that, “leveraging on the importance of e-government would boost the economy because there is a huge relationship between a country GDP and e-government adding that the creation of Smart City alone would ensure transparency and accountability in revenue generation”.

He urged the selected pilot state government to support the initiative of the Federal Government and come up with peculiar challenges affecting their states and using Smart city initiative to solve such challenges.

“State governments must be carried along in e-government.  This is a national agenda which every state must cue into and it gladdens our hearts that NITDA is driving the e-government initiative”, he added.

Welcoming the selected ICT commissioners to the meeting, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, acting director general of NITDA, who was represented by Dr. Collins Agu., director of Infrastructure and Technical Support Services, said the meeting cannot come at better time than now that the nation needs to shift attention from mono economy runs only on crude oil.

The Ag. DG added that, “It is pertinent on us now to diversify our economy and only through ICT we can achieve a lot. There are many benefits of running a smart city which is only achievable through proper e-government”.

According to a press release by Mrs. Hadiza Umar (MNIPR), hHead, Public Affairs at NITDA, the Project team leader and Head, e-Government Unit in the Agency, Mr. Bernard Ewah urged the selected states to come up with smart projects ideas that are of importance to them as the Agency has no predetermined smart project for any state.

Ewah stated that the Agency would rely on existing relationship with Global City Team Challenge, (GCTC) to achieve the objective of the smart city projects.

“Because of our budgetary constraint, we decided to kick start this initiative with a pilot scheme among the selected states. Whatever assistance we get from GCTC and other international donors would be channeled toward achieving the Smart city projects”, he added.  

In his reaction, the honourable commissioner for Sokoto State of Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Nazir Zarummai spoke on the need for NITDA to factor in the specific requirements of each state, adding that NITDA needed to play a crucial role in aligning such requirements in the Smart City program.

The meeting closed with an commitment to leverage several existing NITDA structures and programs including NITDA zonal offices, the software testing centre in Lagos, the “eGovFrame” software development platform available free of charge to local developers and end-users and the World e-Government Organization for Cities and Local Government (WeGO) membership and resources open to local developments to develop e-government capability and capacity. NITDA will play the role of project facilitator for all projects developed under the smart city initiative although project ownership will remain with the states.

 

 

 


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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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