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Paradigm Initiative Announces 2019 Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellows
Following an extensive selection process involving 261 applications from 39 countries, Paradigm Initiative is pleased to announce the 2019 Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellows.
The Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship was designed to embed early-career media professionals in the digital rights and digital inclusion ecosystem in Africa, through the work that Paradigm Initiative does in advancing digital rights and digital inclusion, in order to bring them closer to the issues and empower them as digital rights and inclusion champions during and after their Fellowship.
The inaugural 2018 Fellowship saw two fellows, Victor Ekwealor (Nigeria) and Emmanuel Vitus (Togo), immersed in the ecosystem, touring our offices, and authoring illuminating articles on the role digital rights and digital inclusion play in Africa, focusing on the work of Paradigm Initiative.
Tope Ogundipe, Director of Programs at Paradigm Initiative, stated that “the Fellowship experience begins with a briefing session that connects Fellows with Paradigm Initiative’s team members from Cameroon (Francophone Africa), Nigeria (covering Anglophone West Africa), Tanzania (Eastern Africa), Togo and Zambia (Southern Africa).
“That session is followed by a tour of Paradigm Initiative’s Nigerian offices in Ajegunle, Yaba, Aba, Abuja and Kano.
“Focusing on digital inclusion and digital rights, Fellows are immediately immersed into the work our organization does in connecting youths in underserved communities to ICT-enabled opportunities, while also advocating for their rights in the digital space’’.
Adeboye Adegoke, Paradigm Initiative’s Program Manager on Digital Rights for Anglophone West Africa noted, “Although the work of expanding digital access to underserved communities and advocating for the digital rights of people across Africa have become very important in light of their connections to the emergence of progressive, open and inclusive societies, little is known of what this work entails, and public awareness of the work of advocates working in this field is poor.
“Our Media Fellows will work to help improve public awareness of the issues, and raise the profile of digital inclusion and digital rights advocacy in Africa.
“Their tour of our Abuja office, focusing on digital rights, will deepen their appreciation of the work done by actors in the ecosystem’’.
Tosin Abolaji, Program Manager, Digital Inclusion, added: “By touring our digital inclusion centres in Ajegunle, Aba and Kano, the Fellows will experience, first-hand, the impact of our work in improving the livelihoods of underserved youth in Nigeria through digital skills’’.
He added: “Our 2019 Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellows are young and accomplished media professionals with a track record of impact in Africa.
“Both 2019 Fellows, Damilola Adeniran and Rose ‘Matlhohonolofatso Moremoholo, are early-career media professionals who have gained rich experiences in media practice and will benefit greatly from the Fellowship that runs from September 2019 to January 2019.’’
Damilola Adeniran, with OrderPaper Nigeria, is a young multiple-award winning writer and sustainable development advocate based in Abuja, Nigeria.
He was the first Nigerian to win the blog4dev contest organised by the World Bank.
Damilola also represents Nigeria in the Youth Transforming Africa Program. In addition, his writing on violent extremism and sustainable peace in Nigeria won a Peace Write Now prize from the Embassy of Ireland in June, 2018.
His works have been published in Nigeria and the United States of America both in English and in French.
At Order Paper Nigeria, Damilola has produced several reports on legislation, corruption, digital inclusion, and human rights.
He has also been involved in a community development project known as ConsTrack, designed to ensure the transparent implementation of constituency projects by members of Parliament in Nigeria.
The ConsTrack project won at the inaugural Global Tech4Dev competition organised by Chemonics International in the U.S.A in 2017.
Damilola is an alumnus of the Federal University of Technology Akure and also completed a leadership and management course at the prestigious Lagos Business School in 2017.
Rose ‘Matlhohonolofatso Moremoholo is a Journalist and a mother born and raised in Lesotho. She obtained her Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM) at Rhodes University’s Sol Plaantje Institute (SPI) through the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) scholarship for African women.
Prior to this she completed her BA (Hons) in Broadcasting and Journalism from the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in 2014 and has been working as a journalist at The Post Newspaper for four years.
During her enrolment in PDMM Rose was appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of the institution’s annual newsletter called IlizwiLolwazi (Voice of Knowledge), produced by students.
The newsletter was themed Women in Media. Having been a practicing journalist for at least four years, Rose has been fortunate to write feature stories on issues of not only of national but also global concern.
She values teamwork, trust, integrity and communication and believes that without these values it is impossible to break limitless boundaries of success.
She finds peace and strength in giving a platform to the voiceless to see them have a say in policy making, national reforms and service delivery from politicians who often forget their constituencies.
The Paradigm Initiative Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship is an 18-week Fellowship that connects media and practice, in order to reduce the gap between digital rights and inclusion actors, and the media people who can help them amplify their work.
Viral rumors about a “Tesla Pi Phone” a new phone, being developed by Elon Musk, CEO and largest shareholder of Tesla and SpaceX, are entirely fake.
AI Generated Tesla Pi Phone and Elon Musk
Instead, the tech giant said on Monday it has filed an application with the US Federal Communications Commission for permission to deploy the constellation by 2028.
It said the system would provide voice, messaging, data and emergency services.
A quick fact-check revealed that Tesla Inc. has never manufactured, developed, or released a smartphone.
Videos and articles claiming a release (often priced between $150 and $800 with solar charging or satellite-only connections) rely on AI-generated concept art and recycled internet hoaxes dating back to 2021.
Musk has only mentioned a phone in hypothetical remarks, stating Tesla would build one only if major app stores completely blocked or censored essential apps like X (formerly Twitter).
On Monday however, his company said that “Amazon looks forward to delivering on the promise of D2D [direct-to-device] connectivity, including to the millions of people living, travelling and working in places beyond the reach of existing networks today,”
The filing is the first step from Amazon into satellite mobile connections, which has until now been dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink service.
Musk’s group has signed partnerships with existing operators such as T-Mobile US and the UK’s Virgin Media O2 to provide phone services for customers where their conventional networks do not reach.
Starlink operates across more than 150 countries, offering high-speed internet connections through its constellation of satellites.
Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has attributed rising mobile data consumption to increased use of smartphone applications, cloud services and emerging digital technologies.
Mr Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, ALTON
Mr Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, ALTON, disclosed this on Tuesday at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) conference in Lagos.
Adebayo said smartphones had transformed access to digital services, with many applications consuming data continuously, even when users were not actively browsing the internet.
He explained that automatic software updates, cloud backups, application synchronisation, video streaming, social media autoplay and location services significantly increased data consumption.
According to him, internet usage had changed considerably from a decade ago when consumers mainly relied on direct browsing with fewer digital applications running simultaneously.
He said growing adoption of artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other emerging technologies would further increase demand for reliable connectivity and greater network capacity.
“The evolution of smartphones has fundamentally changed how consumers access digital services, with many applications now consuming data continuously,” Adebayo said.
He stressed that digital literacy had become increasingly important because consumers needed to understand how their devices and applications consumed mobile data.
He advised subscribers to monitor application activity, adjust device settings and use built-in data management tools to better control their data consumption.
Adebayo said greater understanding of digital tools would help dispel misconceptions about data usage and strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
Responding to allegations that operators deliberately depleted customers’ data, Adebayo dismissed the claims, insisting telecommunications companies had no commercial incentive to engage in such practices.
He said every megabyte consumed on telecom networks was recorded through internationally standardised billing systems supplied by recognised technology vendors and regulated by authorities.
“Such a practice would be unlawful, unethical, commercially self-defeating and subject to stringent regulatory oversight by the Nigerian Communications Commission,” he said.
Adebayo explained that operators’ billing systems were designed to guarantee accuracy, transparency and verification, while genuine consumer complaints were investigated through established protection channels.
He added that the Nigerian Communications Commission’s complaint resolution mechanisms and technical audits provided consumers with credible avenues for seeking redress over billing concerns.
According to him, trust remains essential to expanding Nigeria’s digital economy because telecommunications infrastructure supported banking, healthcare, education, commerce and government services.
He said the telecommunications sector had evolved beyond basic communication services into a critical driver of productivity, investment, innovation and national economic growth.
Adebayo noted that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, financial technology, smart manufacturing and digital agriculture, depended on resilient telecommunications infrastructure.
He said Nigeria could only maximise these opportunities through sustained collaboration among government, regulators, telecommunications operators and consumers.
Adebayo reaffirmed operators’ commitment to improving customer experience, strengthening network resilience and promoting transparency in telecommunications service delivery.
He urged stakeholders to encourage evidence-based discussions on digital services, stressing that public trust remained indispensable for the sustained growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
(NAN)
Telecom
Galaxy Backbone Soft Launches Government Service Portal to Simplify Access to Public Services
Galaxy Backbone (GBB), in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy (FMCIDE) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), officially conducted the soft launch of the Government Service Portal (GSP), a groundbreaking digital platform designed to transform how citizens, businesses and government institutions interact.
The event, held at the Galaxy Backbone National Shared Services Centre (NSSC) Headquarters in Abuja, brought together senior government officials, development partners, technology stakeholders and members of the media to unveil services.gov.ng—Nigeria’s new one-stop digital gateway for accessing government services.
The Government Service Portal is designed to provide a single, trusted platform through which Nigerians can easily discover, access and interact with digital services offered by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). By consolidating government services into one unified portal, the initiative aims to improve accessibility, enhance service delivery and create a more seamless citizen experience.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone. Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, stated that the launch represents another significant milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey and reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to building a more connected, efficient, transparent and citizen-centred public service.
He emphasized that the Portal is more than a website; it is the foundation of a unified digital gateway that places the needs of citizens and businesses at the centre of government service delivery.
He further noted that while the event marks the beginning of the Portal’s journey, the soft launch provides an opportunity to onboard pioneer MDAs, gather user feedback, strengthen system integrations and continuously improve the platform ahead of a wider national rollout.
Representing key stakeholder institutions at the launch were the Deputy Director of KOICA Nigeria, Mr. Ki Yun Baik; the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, represented by Mr. Joseph Bareiye, Director of e-Government; the Permanent Secretary, State House, represented by Mr. Oguntuyi Olusegun, Head of ICT; and the Executive Director, Digital Exploration and Technical Services, Galaxy Backbone, Olumbe Akinkugbe.
The Government Service Portal aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and supports Nigeria’s broader Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) agenda by creating a citizen-facing gateway that complements existing investments in digital identity, secure infrastructure, cloud services, cybersecurity and digital government platforms. It can be accessed using the link: services.gov.ng . The initiative is expected to strengthen public service delivery, increase transparency, improve operational efficiency and foster greater trust between government and citizens.
Galaxy Backbone reaffirmed its commitment to supporting all Ministries, Departments and Agencies in integrating their digital services into the Portal, noting that collaboration across government will be critical to building an inclusive, interoperable and efficient digital ecosystem that benefits every Nigerian.
The Government Service Portal is expected to evolve into Nigeria’s central digital gateway for public services, making government services simpler, faster and more accessible for citizens and businesses alike.
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