E-Business
Roden, ding Boss Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Mark Roden has been named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014. Mark is Founder & CEO of ding*, a company which enables people from emerging markets working abroad to send top-up directly to the mobile phones of their family and friends back home.
Mark was presented with the award at a gala dinner in Citywest Hotel on Thursday night by Mike McKerr from Ernst & Young.
“I am absolutely delighted and completely overwhelmed. It’s been an incredible journey growing ding* to where it is today and this is great recognition of all the hard work and dedication put in by everyone at ding* over the past 8 years. I’m grateful to so many people who have played a part in this achievement but special thanks must go to my wife and family who have remained so incredibly supportive over the years,” said Roden.
In addition to being selected as overall winner, Mark Roden was named International EY Entrepreneur Of The Year winning the international category in recognition of the global nature of the network he has built with ding*.
John Purdy of Ergo, a leading consultative IT services partner to corporate and enterprise organisations, picked up the award for EY Industry Entrepreneur Of The Year; while Terry Fox of bespoke paper cup manufacturer, Cupprint, was named as the EY Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year.
Speaking of his fellow finalists, Mark commented: “It’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know so many terrific individuals throughout the process; it shows how innovative we can be here in Ireland.”
Also recognised at the ceremony was Peter Sutherland Chairman of Goldman Sachs International and former Attorney General of Ireland who received The Special Award given to a person who has make a profound contribution to Ireland.
Speaking of the EY competition as a whole, Mark praised Ernst & Young on their fantastic programme and commented on the other finalists: “The whole experience has been fantastic. Beyond getting to know inspiring individuals, being part of the programme has really put ding* and all the companies involved on the global map.”
Established in 2006, ding* has built an unrivalled global network and is connected to 300 mobile operators in 130 emerging markets with a reach of 3.5 billion phones.
People can send top-up to these phones on www.ding.com, the ding* app and in 500,000 retail locations around the world.
The real power is in what a topped-up mobile phone means to individuals in emerging markets. ding* leverages the power of the mobile which not only helps people stay connected to loved ones, but also allows them access to data and a wealth of information at their fingertips. To date, ding* has sent over 80 million top-ups all from advanced technology built in Dublin.
“I am truly commitment to our vision of connecting billions of people through the power of mobile top-up. It is extremely rewarding to receive this sort of acknowledgment from such an incredible group of people.” Said Mark.
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.
E-Financial2 days agoBanks to Impose N50 Stamp Duty on Transfers of N10,000 and Above from January 1
E-Financial2 days agoFIRS Rebrands as Nigeria Revenue Service, as New Tax Laws Take Effect
E-Financial2 days agoHow Nigeria’s New Tax Law Could Redefine Risk in the Banking Sector
Broadcasting2 days agoHow to Use the Correlation of Gold with Other Trading Assets in the Forex Market
E-Business2 days agoGalaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone
General News1 day agoNigeria Police suspends tinted glass permit enforcement over court injunction
E-Financial7 hours agoFidelity Bank Appoints Onwughalu as New Chairman After Chike-Obi’s Tenure
Broadcasting7 hours agoDStv Offers Instant Package Upgrade for Customers from January to February
















