Telecom
NITDA to Partner Ado-Ekiti Polytechnic on Human Capital Development
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on Friday expressed its willingness to partner with the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti on human capital development.
Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, director-general of NITDA, expressed the willingness when Dr Hephzibah Oladebeye, the Rector and some management staff of the institution visited the agency in Abuja.
Inuwa said the greatest resource in a digital economy or knowledge based economy was human capital development, adding that NITDA was willing to collaborate with the institution to encourage capacity building.
“Adoption of capacity building is a process that would encourage the retention of skills, knowledge, tools, and use of equipment.
“We promote collaboration in capacity building; provide infrastructure and a partnership that is symbiotic.
“At NITDA, we see higher institutions as partners where we can harness resources and NITDA is in search of a partnership whereby students can be challenged to come up with emerging technologies that would enable job creation and promote entrepreneurship,’’ he said.
He said that the agency was willingly to support the Polytechnic to encourage creativity, hands on skills and entrepreneurship.
Inuwa pointed out that no country would totally depend on producing white collar jobs for its graduates, but students must be encouraged to own their own businesses even before they graduated.
According to him, in 2020, China converted some of their schools to skills acquisition centres with the aim of producing entrepreneurs and innovators.
“In the U.S., Silicon Valley is mostly being serviced by StandFord and other universities around; BOSTON is tapping resources from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“Based on MIT’s latest report of their alumni’s, they stated that the alumni’s have more than 30,000 active companies and these companies have employed more than four million people globally generating an annual revenue of more than two trillion dollars.
“We also can explore this kind of educational system,’’ Inuwa said.
While advocating a focus on building a generation of experts in IT and other sectors, the director-general said the Polytechnic should be seen as engine room to produce entrepreneurs worthy of the agency’s collaboration.
Earlier, Dr Oladebeye had identified the need for NITDA’s interventions in two distinctive areas which included, provision of Wide Area Network (WAN) with a robust Internet Protocol hosting, and e-Learning facilities to help develop the institution in the area of ICT.
According to the rector, these requirements are in line with the mandate from the Head of Civil Service of the federation to digitise all academic institutions in the country.
He said that the institution was currently running different skills acquisition programmes that would enable the collaboration.
The rector also promised that the school would ensure sustainability of any infrastructure provided by NITDA and incorporate feedback mechanism between the two institutions.
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Google has launched its Search Live feature globally to over 200 countries, including Nigeria, where AI Mode is available, enabling voice-and-camera conversations in users’ preferred languages.
Powered by the new multilingual Gemini 3.1 Flash Live model, it delivers natural, real-time interactions via the Google app on Android or iOS—tap the Live icon under the Search bar.
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From the app or Lens, Nigerians can now explore, learn, or solve tasks instantly, boosting everyday productivity worldwide.
Clean and reliable power for telecom networks in Ethiopia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will be expanded following a $45 million investment by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in IPT PowerTech.
The investment targets countries where limited power supply continues to slow digital connectivity and broader economic participation, the institution stated earlier this week.
To enable this expansion, the IFC is providing a $45 million corporate financing package consisting of an A-loan of $27 million and $18 million in blended finance.
The blended portion is sourced from the Canada-IFC Blended Climate Finance Programme and the IDA20 Private Sector Window Blended Finance Facility.
The initiative marks the IFC’s first direct infrastructure engagement in Liberia in a decade and in Sierra Leone in six years.
It will help scale solar- and battery-based power systems that reduce reliance on diesel and support greener, more resilient telecom networks.
By improving the quality and stability of power to telecom towers, the initiative will strengthen mobile coverage and ensure that households, schools, health centres, and small businesses can depend on consistent digital services, said the IFC.
The funding supports the modernisation, operation, and maintenance of 2 235 telecom sites across the three nations. More than 90% of these are located in off-grid or weak-grid locations.
With new solar and battery systems powering these sites, mobile networks will experience fewer outages and improved service quality.
Optimising the energy mix is estimated to reduce power costs for operators by up to 30% in Liberia, 26% in Sierra Leone, and 52% in Ethiopia.
This transition is also expected to cut emissions by more than 10 624 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Furthermore, the partnership will promote gender inclusion by expanding opportunities for women in technical, operational, and leadership roles within the sector, says the IFC.
This agreement reflects a shared vision for a greener telecom industry and empowers the company to scale its innovative energy platforms, according to Nabil Haddad, CEO of IPT PowerTech Group.
Reliable and affordable power for telecom networks is a cornerstone of Africa’s digital transformation, said Nathalie Kouassi-Akon, IFC regional director for West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea.
Through this partnership, the institution is supporting a scalable, private sector-led solution that enables mobile operators to reach underserved and fragile communities more sustainably, added Kouassi-Akon.
The project advances the World Bank Group and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative, which aims to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Expedier has unveiled “Expedier for Business,” an online pro-banking platform to simplify global payments, multi-currency transactions, and financial operations for expanding companies.
Kingsley Madu
The tool centralizes payments, invoicing, payroll, and treasury into one secure dashboard, tackling challenges like fragmented systems and poor visibility that hinder international scaling.
Kingsley Madu, Co-Founder and CEO of Expedier, said: “African businesses are increasingly global… Expedier for Business was built to simplify how companies manage money across borders while maintaining visibility, control, and compliance.”
Key features include customizable dashboards for payments, invoices, and workflows; support for USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, and more; virtual cards; automated payroll/invoicing; currency swaps; and real-time tracking.
Security measures cover two-factor authentication, KYC/KYB verification, and team access controls.
As cross-border trade and remote work boom in Africa, the platform aids firms dealing with international suppliers, teams, and customers. It is now available for organizations scaling globally.
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