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Tara Fela-Durotoye, Others to Mentor Winners of Microsoft Mobile’s “From Passion to Empire” initiative

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Tara Fela-Durotoye,t op Nigerian beauty entrepreneur
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Microsoft Mobile Devices and Services has announced that it will be working with three highly successful indigenous entrepreneurs to mentor eventual winners of the ongoing ‘From Passion to Empire’ campaign to ensure full attainment of the goals of the initiative. 

The selected mentors include, top Nigerian beauty entrepreneur, Tara Fela-Durotoye, entertainment mogul and founder of the Chocolate City Group, Audu Maikori and founding partner of leading careers and jobs website, Jobberman, Opeyemi Awoyemi.

They are throwing their weights behind the ongoing Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM activation ‘From Passion to Empire” and would be screening entries made to ensure that only worthy business ideas are picked for the next phase.

According to the organisers, entries for the competition remains open till March 31, 2015. ‘From Passion to Empire’ initiative is aimed at testing the viability of young entrepreneurs’ ideas, sharpening their skills and expanding their frontiers through intensive business coaching aimed at helping them transform their business ideas to empires.

Tara Fela-Durotoye is a trained lawyer who pursued her dream of becoming a successful make-up artist is the CEO of House of Tara International and designer of the Tara “Orekelewa” Beauty range, Inspired Perfume and the H.I.P Beauty range. She emphasizes the role of passion in attaining success in these words: “When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, that’s when you will be successful.”

Multi-talented Nigerian entrepreneur, Audu Maikori, is famous for his globally acclaimed record label, Chocolate City, which represents a number of international artistes.

Also a trained lawyer, Maikori is an entrepreneur, social activist and poet. An example of one that has transformed his passion to a business empire. One of his abiding aspirations is to build the biggest entertainment empire in Africa.

Awoyemi is the co-founder of Nigeria’s leading job search-engine, Jobberman. The groundbreaking job search site began as the dream of young Awoyemi and a couple of friends.

Dream turned to reality for him during the 2009 industrial action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). An eloquent testimony to the empire Awoyemi has made of his passion is that the Forbes Magazine has listed Jobberman as one of the Top 20 Tech Startups in Africa.

According to  Olumide Balogun, Senior Marketing Manager, Microsoft Devices and Services “Lumia is for inspired people who do not recognize boundaries in the quest to reaching for their goals. We know that such people abound in Nigeria and we are happy to work with established entrepreneurs and the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University to offer them the opportunity to soar through the ‘From Passion to Empire’ initiative.”

Lumia smartphones and tablets, including the Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM, specifically, provide business tools every entrepreneur needs to achieve the extraordinary.

The Lumia 535 Dual SIM offers five great integrated Microsoft experiences, a wide-angle 5 megapixel front facing camera, and a spacious 5 inch display protected with Gorilla Glass 3, unique selling propositions that make it a perfect device for entrepreneurs who want to do more on the go.

At the end of Passion to Empire, five people with the most brilliant business ideas would be awarded the sum of N3.5m each, in addition to being mentored by these successful entrepreneurs.

They will also undergo three days of training at the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University.


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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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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.


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Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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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.”


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Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG's Website Performance Ranking

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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