E-Business
NOTAP DG Laments Poor Funding of Tertiary Institutions

Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, director general of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has lamented the poor funding of tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.
The Director General who was presenting a paper titled, ‘Developing More Vibrant Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) Regime Through Deepening The IP Culture In Nigeria’ at the 2018 National Higher Education Forum held in NICON Luxury Hotel Abuja, said for Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions to be globally competitive and carry out high level research, they need to be adequately funded.
Dr. Ibrahim who pointed out that one of the reasons tertiary institutions are unable to access funds for research work is their inability to write bankable research proposals, which informed NOTAPs holding of several International workshops on Writing Bankable Research Proposals, Attracting Research Funds and Managing Research Projects in collaboration with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).
He opined that Universities in Nigeria produce the highest number of academic papers in Africa but failed to translate this huge knowledge into products and services attributing it to a very weak intellectual property culture.
The DG said in order to mitigate this anomaly, NOTAP initiated the Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in 2006 with the support of the World Intellectual Property (WIPO). The offices he stated were meant to help researchers have access to patent documents worldwide, avoid re-inventing the wheel and protect their Intellectual Property (IP).
“We have about 40 IPTTOs and the intervention by NOTAP has started yielding results because in 2016 we had about 16 patents but in 2017 it rose to 50 and many Universities are now making requests for the establishment of the IPTTOs in their institutions” he revealed.
He opined that the challenges to intellectual property development in Nigeria is the mindset of publish and perish in the academia, weak IP culture, absence of IP policy in most Nigerian academic institutions and low commercial content in 98 percent of R&D results from the National Systems of Innovation (NSIs) and absence of a central R&D funding mechanism in Nigeria to translate inventions/innovations into products and services amongst others.
Dr. Ibrahim advocated for an intensive and continuous awareness creation of IP and its benefits, establishment of national and institutional intellectual property policy in NSIs, the strengthening the strategic relationship between academics and industry with Government as the head coach, an efficient and effective functioning of the National Research and Innovation Fund(NRIF), the encouragement of industry to participate in domestic R&D and deployment of its product in Nigeria as a way of developing intellectual property.
He asserted that intellectual capital is an intangible asset which is now largely recognized as the most important factor in wealth creation and competitiveness and that technology and IP systems are long recognized to be amongst the foremost important factors to nation building stressing that ideas and knowledge are important factors in international trade relations as codified by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS).
The DG concluded by revealing that friendly IP ecosystems attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and exacerbate national and regional economies, are critical for emerging 4th Industrial revolution and that IPs are goldmine in national tertiary institutions waiting for exploitation.
One of the panelists at the forum, Dr. Timothy Okey Umahi of the Intellectual Property Research Group, University of Nigeria Nsukka commended NOTAP for its proactive approach towards promoting intellectual property development in Nigeria and prompt service delivery. He said Industrial property will move Nigeria forward as no nation will grow without a strong IP culture.
The National Higher education forum is a private sector- driven platform designed to contribute in shaping Nigeria’s higher education policy direction, national innovation ecosystem and overall economic prosperity of Nigeria and is an annual gathering of education and innovation thought leaders in Africa.
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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.
E-Business
Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

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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