E-Business
Pirated Software: Huge Financial & Legal Risk for West African Businesses- Nmonwu

West African business builders are beginning to embrace the benefits of legally licensed business management software, understanding how these solutions power their operations to greater efficiency.
Though many understand how pirated software could hurt their bottom line in the long run, the rate of software piracy in the region nonetheless remains high by world standards.
That’s according to Magnus Nmonwu, regional director for Sage in West Africa, who defines software piracy as the unauthorised duplication, distribution or use of business management software.
This is an illegal practice that is subject to civil and criminal penalties and it occurs in the following forms, amongst others: “End-user copying: When one person buys a legally licensed piece of software and then allows more friends, business colleagues and family to copy the application than he or she has licenses for;
“Illegal downloading: When someone downloads an illegal copy of the software from the Internet or unapproved sources.
” Volume software license copying: When businesses underreport the number of computers on which the software is installed so that they can pay for fewer copies than they are actually using; Reseller copying: When resellers pass software onto their clients for free rather than selling a license.
“Duplicating solution: When resellers purchase a single licence or disc and then deploy it to several customers without giving the customers then necessary license codes and Counterfeiting: Criminals copy the software and collateral, such as manuals, and sell it as the original product.
Software piracy undermines economic development and also potentially costs companies more in legal penalties and reputational damages than they would need to pay for legally licenced solutions.
Barrister Adebayo Shittu, Nigerian Minister of Communications, has been quoted saying thatNigeria loses about $287 million to software piracy each year, and this has to stop.
Software Piracy is Bad for Business
According to Nmonwu, software piracy is far from the victimless crime many businesses imagine it to be. Piracy robs computer resellers and software vendors of their hard-earned revenues.
This, in turn, undermines the ICT industry’s ability to create jobs, invest in product research and development, and pay taxes, said Nmonwu.
Local resellers suffer because they don’t get the revenues they need to invest in their businesses. The only party that benefits from software piracy is the criminal profiting off someone else’s work and intellectual property.
In some cases, pirates have ties to other organised crime activities, so software piracy can sponsor even worse crimes such as drug and human trafficking.
What’s more, said Nmonwu, there is a very good chance that the pirated software you buy from an unethical retailer or downloaded via the Internet will contain some spyware or malware.
These unwanted extras are harmful to your computers and open you up to data breaches or data theft. Indeed, in some cases the motivation for giving or selling you pirated software is to plant a virus or key-logging software on your computer to steal your information.
Another drawback of pirated software is that you will not have access to the vendor’s technical support or the latest patches and updates, including those that cater for regulatory and legislative changes in in the countries where you operate.
This will mean that you will not be able to use the full set of functionality in your product or keep it updated with the latest security features and fixes.
Using pirated software also denies the product owners access to feedback from end-users, which they use for research and development aimed at making the software better for everyone.
Responsible organisations must mitigate both financial and legal risk by ensuring that they have the correct license keys and codes for the business management solutions that power their operations.
This can be done by contacting the software vendor to ascertain whether the software is genuine; if it’s not, the vendor will help you to become legit.
“In a time of seismic technological change and digital invention, our smart people use the smartest technology to reinvent and simplify business accounting. We enable our customers to focus on their business and help them to leapfrog to the future,” said Nmonwu. “It is only through the support of our customers that we are able to keep investing in innovation that helps entrepreneurs and business builders to stay focused on growing their businesses.”
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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