E-Business
Samsung’s first Africa Young Leaders Get down to Business
In 2012, Samsung invited 12 African youths from across the continent to participate in the very first Africa Young Leaders Program.
Through this initiative, Samsung aims to improve the lives of 100 African youths by 2015.
This first group has returned from their trip to Samsung Global Headquarters in Korea, having gained working experience of every aspect of the global IT giant’s business, and will now spend one year working for Samsung in their home country, to augment their global business understanding with practical local experience.
“At Samsung, we have a particular focus on developing people and ICT competence in Africa,” said Ntutule Tshenye, Business-to-Government and Corporate Citizenship Lead for Samsung Africa.
“There is a shortfall in maths and science education on the continent, and as a result a dearth of ICT skills at a higher level as well. Because of this, we believe that our business goals are inalienable from our CSR and development goals – Africa needs ICT to develop, and to grow our market in Africa, we need a healthy base of users.”
It is for this reason that Samsung carries out projects supporting maths and science education across Africa, and the Africa Young Leaders forms a part of this.
“The Africa Young Leaders Program contributes in its own small way to Samsung’s stated goal of positively impacting five million lives in Africa by 2015,” said Tshenye.
The youths are identified through broad selection processes to identify those with the qualifications, background and ambition to derive true value from the program.
Samsung sought to identify young, responsible people of good standing with a university qualification.
The program received recommendations from participating universities, but the company was also looking out for youths who were active in their communities. In this particular initiative, the selected participants were not necessarily from a disadvantaged background.
The participants then spent six months at the Samsung Global HQ in Korea, during which they got to ‘work’ and experience every aspect of the company before deciding which department or area they would like to be involved in. While in Korea, the participants receive a salary and a housing allowance. Upon their return, they are hired to work at Samsung for a minimum of one year.
“Samsung wants to advance electronics engineering in Africa,” said Tshenye. “We believe that by supporting the development of thought leadership and the advancement of electronics engineering, we will be laying the foundations for sustainability on the continent. We ultimately want to get to a point where our products are not only built for Africa, but are also built by Africa, in Africa.”
Sphiwe Fezile Mabena is a South African graduate who was approached by Samsung to participate in the program. He says it has changed the way he views the world, teaching him about Samsung’s business, and about how different races and cultures approach business. “Professionally, I now pay more attention to detail and I am more advanced in the way I do business and view business,” he said.
He has returned to South Africa to work in Samsung’s Hospitality Display Solutions division.
Another of the African Youth Leaders, Taiwo Buja from Nigeria, said she can summarise her lessons and experiences as: “Globally thinking, looking on to the innovative future”. She says that one of the most important skills she took away from her time there was learning how to work across international borders as her job involved managing the international market.
“Very few graduates at my level have had the chance to work in the headquarters of a global company like Samsung,” she says. “Every day was exciting and challenging.”
She added, “Using the Africa Young Leaders initiative as a platform to develop young graduates like myself is rewarding not just for me, but for the people around me, my community, the country and Africa as a whole.”
It is exactly this kind of impact that Samsung aims to make with the Africa Young Leaders program. “We are delighted with the success of the first group on a professional and personal level,” says Tshenye. “We look forward to watching their successful careers unfold, and we also look forward to welcoming the next group into the program.”
Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance framework as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) officially assumes control of the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA) infrastructure.
The handover ceremony held in Abuja, marks the culmination of a high-level partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
This transition signals a shift from fragmented IT projects to a unified, disciplined approach to national digital investment.
The NGEA initiative forms a core part of the e-Government Masterplan 2.0 (Ne-GMP 2.0), aimed at establishing a unified and structured approach to managing government IT investments and digital resources.
The framework is designed to ensure that technology deployment across public institutions aligns with national priorities while improving efficiency and accountability.
With the system now operational, government agencies are expected to adopt more integrated digital processes, allowing seamless data sharing and interoperability.
This is anticipated to reduce duplication, strengthen risk management, and translate policy objectives into measurable digital outcomes.
Over the past two and a half years, Nigerian technical experts worked closely with their Korean counterparts to develop the architecture framework, create reference models, and execute pilot programmes in key institutions.
These include the National Identity Management Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and NITDA.
Officials say the NGEA represents a shift from fragmented digital efforts to a more coordinated, citizen-focused system.
The infrastructure is hosted by Galaxy Backbone Limited, providing a secure and reliable platform for nationwide deployment.
Looking ahead, NITDA is expected to work with government stakeholders to expand and sustain the system, while the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will provide policy guidance to ensure its adoption across the country.
Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has said the government is shifting focus from expanding access to ensuring “meaningful connectivity” that drives economic growth and inclusion.
Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
The minister made the statement on Friday while addressing stakeholders at the inauguration of board members of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Abuja.
He said that although Nigeria had made significant progress since the introduction of GSM services, millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved communities, remain either unconnected or unable to fully benefit from digital services.
Dr Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic network and nearly 4,000 telecom towers nationwide.
He said initiatives under the USPF had improved access through projects such as rural connectivity and digital facilities in schools but stressed that the next phase must prioritise effective usage.
“It is not enough to connect a community. We must ensure that schools can teach with digital tools and that small businesses can access market opportunities,” he said, citing a pilot project in the Kura community where connectivity has enhanced access to communication, education and healthcare.
Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also called for a shift towards meaningful connectivity, noting that while data usage had grown significantly, it remained concentrated in urban areas.
According to him, recent data shows that telecom usage has increased by about 160% over the past two years, largely driven by urban demand.
“When we drill down, we see that a lot of that growth is actually in urban centres. So, the gap between those who are not connected or not meaningfully connected is growing,” he said.
Dr Maida added that the trend underscored the need for the USPF board to intensify efforts to bridge both access and usage gaps across the country.
Both officials emphasised the importance of collaboration, sustainable investment models and improved digital literacy to ensure that connectivity translates into real economic benefits for Nigerians.
A jury in Los Angeles has found technology companies, Meta and Google liable for contributing to a young woman’s social media addiction, in a case being described as a landmark ruling.
The 20-year-old woman, identified only as Kaley, argued that she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram from an early age due to their attention-driven design features.
According to her testimony, she began using YouTube at the age of six after downloading the app on her iPod Touch to watch videos about lip gloss and online games.
Kaley told the court that she joined Instagram at nine, bypassing parental restrictions put in place by her mother, and spent extended periods on social media.
The trial, which lasted about a month, with arguments and evidence from both sides.
Jurors also heard testimony from Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive, Meta and Adam Mosseri, Instagram head.
However, Neal Mohan, YouTube chief executive, did not testify.
The jury found that the companies were negligent in the design of their platforms and failed to adequately warn users about potential harms. Meta and Google were ordered to pay the woman $3 million in damages.
Jurors also recommended additional punitive damages, including $900,000 against YouTube and $2.1 million against Meta, according to company spokespersons.
The jury apportioned 70 per cent of the responsibility to Meta and 30 per cent to YouTube.
Kaley was present in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered, alongside parents of other teenagers who say they were harmed by social media use. Both companies said they plan to appeal the decision.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online”, a Meta spokesperson said.
José Castañeda, Google spokesperson, said the case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.
EFCC Waxes Worriedly over $160Bn Crypto Crime Losses
Dangote Refinery Debunks Speculations on IPO
FG Awards N50m Each to 45 Students under S-VCG
NGX REGCO Fines 5 Firms N291m for Market Manipulation
FG Launches Cross-Border Digital Payments Report
Spotify’s Loud & Clear Report Reveals Over ₦60Bn Revenue for Nigerian Artists in 2025
Madonna University Taps Tech Guru Adote for Strategic Board Role
China Threatens to Shut Nigeria’s Satellite Over $11.44m Unpaid Debt
Jumia Tech Week 2026 Begins with Tech Deals on Smartphones, Electronics, and Everyday Technology
FCCPC Bans Lagos ‘No Refund’ Policy, Vows Fines and Shutdowns for Traders
General News3 days agoAnti Graft Agencies Raise Alarm over Rising Crypto-Linked Financial Crimes
E-Business3 days agoNITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System
E-Financial1 day agoCBN bars large‑ticket loan defaulters from banking services in tough new crackdown
General News1 day agoARN Rejects Medical Bill over Attempt to ‘Scrap’ Profession
Telecom1 day agoNIGCOMSAT Supports Startups Growth with the Launch of Accelerator 3.0
Telecom1 day agoFG Unveils Digital Economy Research Fund Scheme
News1 day agoMeningitis Kills a Quarter Million People a Year -Study
News1 day agoStakeholder says AI is Crucial to Nigerian Data Centres Amid Persistent Grid Collapse