Telecom
Skool Media Reiterates Commitment in Delivering Technology-enabled Education
Skool Media, a world class education technology infrastructure company has reaffirmed commitment to continuously deliver technology-enabled education that will equip the Nigerian child with skills and knowledge needed to be relevant in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
Dr. Macjohn Onyekwere Nwaobiala, Chairman, Advisory Board, Skool Media Nigeria Limited, disclosed this on Thursday at a press conference organized to brief stakeholders and the media of the giant strides being made by the company towards improving education sector in Nigeria.
Dr. Nwaobiala explained that their goal majorly is to re-tool the country’s education system and provide a platform for the Nigerian child to compete globally.
According to him, “At Skool Media, our vision is to provide a world class education technology infrastructure, that is focused on re-tooling the Nigerian education system and providing a platform for the Nigerian child to compete globally.
“This, we have been doing since 2013 as a role model in the adoption of technology in education in Africa and being reference point for all edu-tech stakeholders.
“Our ultimate target is to provide utmost professional and ethical standards in building a globally competitive educational system”.
He noted that in order to achieve its quest of providing a world class education technology infrastructure, it will embrace the Public Private Partnership (PPP) window through maximum utilization of all its centres to build 21st century students and teachers technology hubs in Nigeria.
Dr. Nwaobiala further lauded achievements already recorded in their drive to deliver world class education technology infrastructure over the past six years.
He said, “In the last six years, Skool Media has set up 75 Students Technology Experience Centers by installing over 452 projectors and 2500 laptops in 75 Unity Schools across the six (6) geopolitical zones.
“These students technology experience centres were established in the schools as an avenue for students to access a rich variety of multimedia learning content.
“This, we believe, will make them learn useful digital and soft skills to enable them to compete globally.
“Some of the skills learned by these students thus far include coding, Internet of Things (IoTS), Microsoft office skills, presentation skills among others.
“The centres are also used for the training of students on relevant soft skills such as emotional intelligence, public speaking, critical thinking and problem solving and interpersonal skills to enable them balance school and life”.
While commending the efforts of the Federal Government in improving the education sector, Nwaobiala said that there is need for school curricular to be fully galvanized to prepare Nigerian students for the 21st century workplace’s demand for hands-on Information Communication and Technology (ICT) applications and diverse vocational and technical skills.
This he said will prepare the Nigerian child to take up the challenges of modern workplace by developing relevant technology skills capable of making them qualify to face global labour market competitiveness.
He added that any country that attains global standards in education development has created a pathway for economic empowerment of its future leaders; while also noting that the giant strides being made in the sector now, will surely get the country there in no distance future.
He also thanked the Federal Ministry of Education, under the leadership of Honourable Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu for the opportunity given to the organization to partner in improving the education landscape through the installation of digital infrastructure in Unity Colleges.
He revealed that with the partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education, was the reason they were able to setup 75 students technology experience centers, installed 452 projectors and provided 2500 laptops and established eight (8) teachers digital learning centres across the six (6) geopolitical zones.
He further disclosed that they will be coming up with a new digital innovation, dubbed “U-Create Hub”, which he said will be an innovator’s space, where kids and youths are inspired to innovate, create and collaboratively learn coding, 3D printing, robotics and artificial intelligence.
The U-Create Hub, according to him, “is weaved around creating technology lab that produces Africa’s foremost young innovators and problem solvers through creative thinking.
“ It will provide range of exciting opportunities for learners to explore, through our digital lab, gamified learning resources, coding challenges, hardware programming with Arduino, robotics kits, prototyping with 3D printers, augment and virtual reality, learner-friendly Sci-fi movies, animated series and short videos on emerging technologies to inspire their ingenuity.
“We believe that we should train our children beyond consumption. We are developing producers of technology and not consumers of technologies.
“We should begin to train our children beyond consumption mentality which has been the bane of our economy for years.
“The initiative will therefore provide insight into the mindset of students to be creative and exploratory, so that they can always think about solving problems and bringing to life practical solutions leveraging the power of Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM)”., he added.
Responding to questions at the briefing, Mr. Moses Imayi, project director/ceo, Skool Media said, that the youths are leaders of tomorrow, who must be prepared to take up the challenges of modern workplace by developing relevant technology skills capable of making them globally competitive.
He noted that the impact being made by Skool Media in the education sector will stand the test of time, adding also that they will continue to be a role model for the adoption of technology in education in Africa, and being a reference point for all education and technology stakeholders in Nigeria.
Dimension Data has said that the proceeds from its Series 1 corporate bond, will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
This followed the successful subscription of the corporate bond.
Recall that Dimension Data Limited said that it has completed the signing ceremony for the issuance of N4.05 billion (approximately US$2.9 million).
This sum marks the first tranche of a N20 billion (US$14.7 million) bond programme announced earlier this year.
The bond programme was raised under Dimension Data SPV Funding Plc, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria.
The company says the proceeds will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
Speaking at the ceremony, Olugbenga Olabiyi, managing director of Dimension Data Limited, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.
The planned investments will fund the continued expansion of Dimension Data’s fibre network, supporting increasing demand from financial institutions, fintechs, enterprise customers and other technology-driven sectors.
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Johannesburg, the company has grown its footprint across the Middle East and Africa.
Today Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Ltd Group, one of the world’s leading technology companies.
As cloud adoption, digital financial services and data-intensive applications continue to grow, the company believes resilient fibre infrastructure will remain a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Federal Government has announced that work will commence within weeks on a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network expected to connect every state, local government area and ward in Nigeria, marking what officials describe as one of the country’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects.
Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on the progress of three flagship digital transformation initiatives being implemented by his ministry.
According to the minister, all resource mobilisation and contractual processes for the nationwide fibre project have been completed, paving the way for physical deployment.
“We’re now at the point where, in a few weeks’ time, we should start to lay those fibre, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good,” Tijani said.
He explained that the project would deliver fibre optic infrastructure to every geopolitical zone, state, local government area and ward, significantly expanding broadband access and improving the quality of internet connectivity across the country.
“This is a project where every state, every geopolitical zone, every local government and every ward in this country will be covered with fibre optic cables, which will transform the quality of connectivity,” he added.
Bosun Tijani attributed the progress in the digital economy to a series of reforms approved by President Tinubu, including the designation of digital infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, tariff adjustments and tax harmonisation measures sought by industry operators.
“I think our sector has been extremely fortunate. Mr. President has given us quite a number of things that the sector has been demanding for a long time. Whether it’s the Critical National Infrastructure designation for all digital infrastructure, the slight adjustment in tariff, or the tax harmonisation, these are reforms the industry has long requested.
“I think it’s probably the sector that is most appreciative of this government because when we came in, the sector was contributing between 16 and 18 per cent to our GDP, but today it is tracking close to 21 per cent. That represents significant growth,” he said.
The minister noted that the reforms had also improved the financial performance of major operators in the telecommunications sector.
On efforts to bridge the digital divide, Tijani disclosed that the government would begin deploying about 3,700 telecommunications towers from October to provide network coverage for more than 20 million Nigerians currently living in underserved communities without access to telecom services.
He said the President had approved the project after months of capital mobilisation and planning.
“Today we’re at a point where, before the end of the year, we’ll also start to deploy close to 3,700 towers. It’s taken a lot to put this project together and raise the required capital, but we are now ready to begin deployment around October,” he said.
The minister also announced that Nigeria would officially launch an alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, a move he said would place the country among a select group of nations operating an advanced digital addressing system.
“Nigeria will be amongst maybe 10 or 15 countries in the world with an alphanumeric postcode. It’s the latest design in postcode systems, where we can identify every property in this country. We’re hoping to launch that on the 1st of October,” he said.
Tijani explained that the new system would assign a unique address to every property nationwide, enhancing logistics, accelerating e-commerce, improving emergency response and strengthening public service delivery.
“Inability to locate places comes at a cost. You can imagine what this will do for e-commerce. It means goods can now be delivered in record time,” he said.
He added that integrating the postcode system with existing government identity databases would improve security and make public services more efficient.
“Our alphanumeric postcode is unique because it allows us to assign a unique address to every property. In many countries, such as the UK, postcodes cover clusters of buildings. What we are introducing will uniquely identify every building, and that will be a game changer for Nigeria in terms of security, commerce and public service delivery,” the minister stated.
In a bold move to strengthen Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and the digital economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has formally unveiled the National Sovereignty Cloud Initiative (NSCI) Regulatory Instruments, thereby setting a new benchmark for the country’s digital future.
NITDA
The NSCI is a strategic programme of the federal government coordinated by NITDA. It is designed to bolster Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and accelerate the country’s adoption of reliable cloud infrastructure. The initiative consists of the National Computing Guideline, the National Cloud Technical Guideline, the National Digital Infrastructure Assurance Framework, and the National Cloud Investment Strategy.
Speaking during the ceremony in Abuja, the Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE, described the NSCI as a strategic move to safeguard Nigeria’s digital future. He noted that the instruments will stimulate innovation, encourage investment in local cloud services, and enhance digital resilience.
“These instruments provide the regulatory certainty, technical standards, and assurance framework required to build a trusted cloud ecosystem that safeguards Nigeria’s digital sovereignty while creating new opportunities for investment, innovation, and sustainable economic growth.
“We should position ourselves not to serve Nigeria alone, but to serve West and Central Africa. Nigeria is already the digital gateway to West Africa and can extend to every part of Africa. But we can only realise that goal when we build our infrastructure. So, today’s event is the first step in that direction,” he stated.
Abdullahi appreciated the support of relevant stakeholders and the efforts of the NSCI Technical Working Group, which culminated in the successful development of the regulatory instruments. He emphasised that collective action of regulatory agencies is necessary for a seamless implementation of the initiative.
Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Engr. Nadungu Gagare, declared that the launch of the NSCI underscores the federal government’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s data borders and digital economy.
“By ensuring that government data remains strictly within national jurisdiction and under local operational control, we are guaranteeing data sovereignty and regulatory compliance. It will catalyse local cloud capacity, foster local job creation, and empower indigenous investors and innovators to build solutions on a secure, locally hosted foundation,” Gagare said.
The Permanent Secretary commended the management team of NITDA, the NSCI Technical Working Group, and other stakeholders for their collaborative spirit in driving the initiative. He promised that the Ministry would ensure that the strategic objectives of the NSCI are fully realised across all ministries, departments, and agencies.
In a message, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Olayemi Cardoso, congratulated NITDA for promoting a collaborative approach, adding that modern digital regulation succeeds through coordinated regulatory actions for common national objectives.
Cardoso, who was represented by Dr. Rakiya Opemi Yusuf, the Director of the Payment System Supervision Department, acknowledged that the launch testifies to the robust collaboration existing between the apex bank and other government institutions.
“CBN regulates the financial ecosystem. NITDA provides the national framework for digital infrastructure, cloud governance and assurance. These responsibilities are complementary, not competing. Together, they create a coherent national architecture.
“Together with NITDA, and with the continued cooperation of industry, we will continue to build an ecosystem that protects Nigeria’s financial system today and positions our nation as Africa’s trusted hub for digital finance and cloud innovation.
One of the most encouraging aspects of today’s event is the strong institutional collaboration between NITDA, the CBN, and other relevant government institutions. This collaboration demonstrates an important principle.”
Cardoso reiterated that as a responsive regulator, the CBN remains committed to providing clear expectations, firm principles, proportionate implementation, and constructive engagement with all stakeholders to position Nigeria as Africa’s trusted hub for digital finance and cloud innovation.
Also, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone Limited, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, noted that the NSCI couldn’t have come at a better time than now, especially considering CBN’s recent directive mandating banks and financial institutions to localise their data.
Adeyanju expressed confidence that the initiative would push the ecosystem to greater heights by encouraging investment, developing indigenous talent, and creating employment opportunities akin to the gains brought by the deregulation of the telecoms sector.
NITDA will constitute the Sovereign Cloud Governance Committee (SovGov) within the next two weeks to oversee the implementation of the NSCI. The committee would comprise representatives from relevant Government institutions, sector regulators, industry, and the private sector, with NITDA serving as the Secretariat
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