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Op-ed: Intelligent Customer Engagement

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Murray Gardiner, MD of Bluecode Africa
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By: Murray Gardiner, MD of Bluecode Africa

The customer is always mobile. This is the adage that defines customer engagement today thanks to ubiquitous smartphone penetration and ownership, particularly on the African continent. In Nigeria, one of Africa’s most populated countries, Statista predicts that smartphone users are expected to exceed 140 million in under five years.

In South Africa, the volume of smartphone users is expected to grow another five million by 2023 with more than 90 million connections and 22 million smartphone users in the country today.

The challenge that lies ahead for merchants and mobile operators is to adapt strategies and approaches to ensure that they maintain and manage customer engagement within these markets, leveraging accessible and relevant solutions that deliver value.

The Merchant Mobile Apps: Much More Than Payments report released in early 2020, found that consumers are using their mobile devices to enhance their management of financial transactions and online shopping. The customer wants to work with applications that go beyond the basics. They want apps that have integrated features, that create experiences, that have loyalty systems embedded, and that support their long-term purchasing activity. The report highlights one particularly relevant point – that the mobile app has gone beyond the device and the functionality and become the hub of customer engagement with the merchant, network operator and retail sector.

Considering that customer usage of mobile devices to pay for goods and services has increased dramatically over the past year, intelligent apps designed to leverage customer engagement are key to fully realising the potential of the market. It has become imperative that merchants strengthen customer relationships by giving customers solutions that meet their needs in a dramatically changing landscape. The global pandemic has played no small part in changing how customers and companies manage their digital transactions and payments. According to Bain, the increased demand for digital payments has made the market far more competitive and has introduced fresh challenges for merchants to overcome.

Digital payment solutions have to be capable of adapting to changing customer needs and behaviours. The Bain report found that merchants will need to increase their acceptance for digital payments and adopt a more flexible omnichannel approach in order to take advantage of the rising tide of digital payments. While this report focuses on the global market, it is as relevant in Africa as more and more people turn to digital and cashless to avoid personal risk and queues. So, what is best practice? What should the merchant be looking for?

The answer lies in the digital payment ecosystem. An ecosystem that assures the customer of exceptional service and delivers on one of the most important premises of 2020 – trust. Security, transparency and transaction visibility are key to ensuring that customers trust in the merchant and the solution. Equally, it is important for any digital payment platform to put the merchant at the heart of engagement – to provide them with value-added extras that help them to manage their business more effectively, and to increase customer loyalty.

Digital payments are more than just the transaction. They are the loyalty points gathered and the loyalty engendered. They are the confidence in the security that ensure that customers trust, and they are the convenience that afford customers from all parts of society to engage in digital payments and better quality financial services. They are also the extremely useful solutions that can be used to engage with customers in new markets, minimise fraud, open up gateways to better quality services, and empower formal and informal businesses with services that streamline operations and financial accountability.

Merchants need a multi-faceted payment solution that can be used to link payments from any funding source, linked to customer loyalty tools and lifestyle; that can be used to increase payment touchpoints across multiple surfaces such as vending machines or self-service checkouts; and that allows for the development of digital value-added services that change how customers engage with the business. This level of app-based engagement and utility allows for far richer customer journeys and interactions that can be customised and managed to suit business and market. This is the future of the digital transaction, one that can evolve and adapt to the changing world while offering both customers and merchants the trust, visibility and capability that they have come to expect from the digital revolution.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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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