E-Business
Obi, Ex-Gov Anambra State Says TD is Company to Trust

Peter Obi, business magnate and former Governor of Anambra State, has hailed Technology Distributions Ltd. (TD Africa) as an organization built on integrity and sound credentials.

Peter Obi
He stated this while speaking at Celebrating You 2019, an annual year-end dinner/awards party organized by Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest ICT products distributors, TD.
The event, arguably the most eagerly-awaited celebratory event in the Nigerian ICT ecosystem, was held on Sunday December 8th 2019 at the prestigious Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
On an annual basis, Celebrating You focuses on sharing deep insights with attendees on diverse areas of the economy. The 2019 edition was not different as Obi proved a fitting resource person who drew from his personal experiences in addressing guests.
‘‘I must mention that I have a special relationship with TD which is based on performance. It is a company that you can rely on. I remember many years ago while I was still in office at exactly 1am when I called Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh to say I wanted to buy 30,000 laptops. I still recall his response till today. He told me that he does not do business with state governments and that even if he wanted to, he does not think the Anambra State Government could afford to pay for the 30,000 laptops without credit.
‘‘I assured him that the laptops would all be paid for which we did upfront without collecting a bank guarantee. And they were supplied by TD and all of them deployed to specifications down to the very last one. I must confess, the execution beat our expectations. Today, the feat achieved by the Regina Pacis school girls who shocked the world at Silicon Valley, USA in 2018 can be attributed to this effort by TD and the Zinox Chairman. Though we paid for the equipment but TD added huge value and Anambra is better for it till date. Also, Anambra State has continued to emerge tops in school knowledge tests and examinations conducted over the past couple of years. The investment in technology and TD’s contribution played a key role in making this happen,’’ he said.
Obi, who was the Special Guest of Honour and who was wearing the cap of entrepreneur at the event, further described TD’s place in the Nigerian ICT distribution landscape as very essential to the current developments and gains recorded in the sector. Further, he urged budding entrepreneurs and small business owners to borrow a leaf from TD’s remarkable consistency, track record of delivery and integrity which has seen it all the way to the top.
Also speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), TD Africa, Mrs. Chioma Ekeh identified tenacity as the enduring attribute that has kept the organization at the top of its game over the past 20 years.
‘‘This quality, more than anything else, sets TD apart and makes us different. We keep our promises,’’ she said.
Further, she heaped praises on the entire Management and staff of TD, whom she described as the lifeblood of the company, even as she expressed deep gratitude to the special guests and other attendees for honouring the invitation.
The Zinox Group Chairman, Ekeh who extended best wishes of the season to all, also assured younger entrepreneurs that there seems to be light at the end of tunnel with the rebranding of the Ministry of Communications to Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy by President Muhammadu Buhari and with a tested hand as the Minister.
‘‘The new addition resonates confidence and assures certified future for smart entrepreneurs,’’ he enthused.
Meanwhile, the event witnessed the presentation of awards to deserving Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and other channel partners. Top winners on the night include Dell-EMC, Huawei, Konga, Edgebase Line Ltd. Allied Computers, HPI, among others. The event also witnessed top-notch performances from A-list artistes including Kizz Daniel, Flavour, comedian SLK and Okey Bakassi who doubled as the MC/compere.
Equally important, Celebrating You remains arguably the only one which brings together the major competing local and international Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and other stakeholders in the industry under one roof, albeit in a fun and relaxing atmosphere.
In attendance was a host of knowledge-driven resource persons including former Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Ibidapo Obe; Chairman TDBoard of Directors, Prof Anya O. Anya; former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ernest Ebi; Group Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank, Roosevelt Ogbonna; among many others.
E-Business
Kike, Nigerian Tech Firm Launches ‘Kike AI’ for Kitchen Innovation

Kike Technologies, a Nigerian technology firm, has launched ‘Kike AI’, a revolutionary artificial intelligence-driven kitchen application designed to transform Nigeria’s food and cooking gas industries.
The app aims to enhance convenience for consumers while optimising gas supply through predictive technology.
Speaking at the launch event, Femi Oye, CEO of Kike Technologies, highlighted the app’s ability to address a common household issue, unexpected depletion of cooking gas.
“Using advanced algorithms and data analytics, this app can forecast when a user’s gas cylinder is running low, enabling them to order refills ahead of time,” Oye explained.
Beyond individual household benefits, Kike AI is expected to have a broader economic impact by creating jobs within the logistics, gas retail, and food industries.
“We anticipate significant job growth as the app gains traction, particularly in delivery and gas station services,” Oye noted.
The app is also designed to bridge the digital gap, specifically targeting women and marginalised groups by providing them with opportunities to showcase their culinary skills and earn a sustainable income.
According to Oye, this initiative will not only empower women economically but also help preserve Nigeria’s rich culinary heritage.
By leveraging AI technology, Kike AI aims to revolutionise everyday cooking experiences, support economic development, and create essential employment opportunities in Nigeria’s growing tech and food sectors.
The application is expected to drive a shift towards more efficient cooking gas management, ensuring affordability and ease of access for millions of users.
E-Business
Africa’s Data Workers are Being Exploited by Foreign Tech Firms – Report

Data workers in Africa often have a hard time, according to a report published in theconversation.com, a nonprofit, independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of experts for the public good.
The article by Mohammad Amir Anwar, senior lecturer in African Studies and International Development, University of Edinburgh, found that data workers in Africa face job insecurities – including temporary contracts, low pay, arbitrary dismissal and worker surveillance – and alarming physical and psychological health risks.
The consequences of their work can include exhaustion, burnout, mental health strain, chronic stress, vertigo and weakening of eyesight.
Data work includes text prediction, image and video annotation, speech to text validation and content moderation.
The world of data work is built on labour arbitrage – exploiting the fact that workers earn less and have less protection in some countries than in others.
Large technology firms often outsource this work to the global south, including African countries like Kenya, Uganda and Madagascar, and also India and Venezuela.
The result is complex production networks that are generally opaque and shrouded in secrecy.
Workers and researchers have issued many warnings about data workers’ health.
Despite numerous court cases in multiple jurisdictions, nothing much has been done to address these issues either by tech companies or by regulators.
Still, the news of the death of a Nigerian content moderator, Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi, who was found dead in her apartment in Nairobi, Kenya on 7 March 2025, came as a shock.
While the circumstances of her death are still unclear, it has renewed calls for wider systemic change.
Her death has sparked condemnation from the Kenyan Union of Gig Workers, which demanded an investigation.
Since 2015, we have been studying the central role of African data workers in building and maintaining artificial intelligence (AI) systems, acting as “data janitors”.
Our research found that companies rarely acknowledge the use of human workers in AI value chains, thus they remain “hidden” from the public eye. In other words, the world of AI is built on the toil of human workers most people are unaware of.
In this article, we outline key steps needed to protect these data workers in Africa.
They include business process outsourcing regulations, ensuring quality rather than quantity of jobs, and providing social protection. There is also a need to name and shame companies that maltreat data workers.
Data work needs tighter regulation.
Regulation
Business process outsourcing is the practice of procuring various processes or operations from external suppliers or vendors.
Firms that do this are sometimes trying to evade local regulations (like minimum wages) and responsibility towards workers’ welfare (via sub-contracting and the use of temporary employment agencies).
This is happening in Africa as some data training firms and digital labour platforms circumvent local labour laws.
But there is more to the story.
Data work is also seen by lawmakers and practitioners as a solution to the rampant unemployment and informality across Africa.
African governments have actively created regulatory environments that enable these practices to thrive, despite adverse outcomes for workers.
Nonetheless, new regulations have been proposed lately, like the Kenyan government’s Business Law (Amendment) Bill, 2024 targeting the wider business process outsourcing and IT-enabled services sector.
Particularly, it makes business process outsourcing firms responsible for any claim raised by employees. It ensures some accountability for firms bringing data work to Africa.
Other governments should follow with similar measures ensuring worker rights are enforceable. Some data workers are hired on contracts as short as five days and get paid less than the local minimum wage.
Firms found violating labour standards should be penalised.
In fact, there is an urgent need to create regional or continent-wide regulatory frameworks covering the business process outsourcing sector, limiting the space for firms to exploit workers.
It’s possible, however, that jobs might be lost as firms relocate to places with favourable laws, an everyday reality in the outsourcing networks.
Quality, not quantity
African governments should prioritise the quality of jobs and not quantity. Policymakers should think about wider national economic development plans, particularly structural diversification and upgrading of their economies.
Historically, these strategies have resulted in success in some states, addressing social and economic issues such as unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Another option for African governments is to enhance social protection among data workers.
Financing this is a serious issue, so proper taxation and compliance among workers and employers is urgently needed.
Finally, there is a role for naming and shaming firms that treat their data workers poorly. There is evidence that such efforts improve compliance and firms’ behaviour.
Worker movements
African data workers have taken risks in openly speaking about their experiences.
But these kinds of approaches work well when combined with collective bargaining.
Workers have historically won their labour and civil rights after long and hard-fought struggles.
There is a long history of African worker movements and trade unions resisting the apartheid and colonial regimes across the continent.
While the freedom of association is enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and most governments have legislation committed to collective bargaining, it is rarely implemented in the new outsourcing sectors, particularly data work.
It is also difficult to organise workers in the industry, because of the high churn rate. For instance, data training firms like Sama offer short-term contracts to employees, often as short as five days.
Some firms are hostile to workers’ organising activities.
But numerous data worker-led associations have emerged in Africa recently, some led by the co-authors of this article.
Techworker Community Africa, African Tech Workers Rising, African Content Moderators Unions and Data Labelers Association are among them.
These initiatives are crucial to ensure workers have decent remuneration, work-life balance, adequate working hours, protection against arbitrary dismissal, safe working environments, and contributions towards their health and welfare.
Several high-profile court cases are currently being pursued by African data workers against Meta and Sama.
There is precedent. In 2021. Meta was ordered by a Californian court to pay US$85 million to 10,000 content moderators.
AI-dependent tools such as ChatGPT or driverless cars would not exist without African data workers. They are tired of being “hidden”. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
Mophat Okinyi, Kauna Malgwi, Sonia Kgomo and Richard Mathenge co-authored this article.
E-Business
NIMC Says NIN Mandatory to Government Loans

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said the National Identification Number (NIN) is a mandatory requirement for securing government loans.
NIMC said on its social media platform that the identity number has become compulsory for Bank of Industry (BOI) loans.
NIMC said, “Enroll for your NIN today to access business aid and other opportunities from the Bank of Industry.
“To access the services of the Bank of Industry (BOI), enroll for the NIN.”
Recall that the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment (FMITI), established three funds totaling N200bn to support businesses across Nigeria.
The fund will be accessed at nine per cent interest, to be disbursed by the Bank of Industry (BOI).
The funds established by the government were the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme (PCGS), the FGN MSME Intervention Fund, and the FGN Manufacturing Sector Fund.
The government appointed BOI as the executing agency for the funds and is empowered with the responsibility for their day-to-day administration.
“The Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme (PCGS) is a N50bn grant scheme to support eligible Nano Business owners. The grant will be disbursed to a minimum of 1,000 beneficiaries, especially women and youths, per Local Government Area (LGA) in the 774 LGAs across the nation and the six Council Areas in the FCT.
“The target Nano businesses include traders, food vendors, ICT businesses, transporters, artisans, and creatives, among others,” said Dr. Olasupo Olusi, managing director/chief executive officer, BOI.
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