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Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Nigeria’s Hope for Survival- NIS

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(L-r): Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, managing director and Chief Executive Officer of Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PHN) receiving award of recognition from Tony Ajah, director of Programmes at NIS, during the recent event held in Lagos.
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Nigeria Innovation Summit has once again conveyed messages on the need for Nigeria, businesses and entrepreneurs, to embrace technology and innovation so as to drive a sustainable economic growth.

This is the unanimous thought of participants at the 2017 Nigeria Innovation Summit (NIS) and the Nigeria Innovation Awards, held in Lagos recently by the Emerging Media and the African Innovation Academy.

Each year, the event brings together the major drivers of Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, namely; the government, the academics, the industry and entrepreneurs to share ideas, connect, network and more importantly work together to do practical projects that will drive innovation in Nigeria.

Technology and innovation thrive well in a healthy ecosystem, said Mr. Kenneth Omeruo, CEO of Emerging Media, who further explained why they held the Summit.

He said, ‘Nigeria has human, natural and the financial resources to become a leader in technology and innovation in the comity of nations but we are nowhere to be found even among many African nations. This is largely to the fact that government do not truly support or invest in technology and innovation in Nigeria. They are yet to understand its importance as to give it all it takes to create an enabling environment that will naturally attract the needed foreign investments.

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“Based on that Nigeria is yet to witness major capital investments from top technology and innovation companies like GE, Google, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, etc. who have had their presence in Nigeria for several years now. I will leave you to ponder on why some of these companies are investing in other countries in Africa and not in Nigeria.

“Just to remind us that Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship is the only hope for Africa’s survival, and Nigeria should wake up to play a leading role. With Emerging Technologies like Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Genomics, Internet of Things, increased awareness on Crytocurrency, Cybersecurity, Data Mining and Analysis, it is obvious that the next 20 years within the Fourth Industrial revolution will create a whole new economy and new industries.

“This is so evident in what countries like Japan, China, US, South Korea, Germany, Israel and innovators and game changers like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos are all investing in.

He said that stories of young Nigerians, who against all odds are doing their best to build a bright future, are shaping how Nigeria and indeed Africa is looked at globally, and they are attracting global attention and investments. We have gathered such young Nigerian Startup founders who are exploring opportunities in Fintech, EduTech, Health Innovations, Green Energy, Open Innovation etc. to share their insight.

On his part, Mr. Tony Ajah, Director, Nigeria Innovation Summit (NIS), reflected on the 2016 Global Innovation Index, where Nigeria was ranked 114 out of 128 countries based on the investment in research and development, infrastructure, ICTs, political environment, regulatory effectiveness, knowledge and technology output, market sophistication etc.

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‘And in 2017, we were further ranked 119 out of 127 economies. In Africa, countries like Mauritius, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, and Tunisia are ahead of us in technological innovations. This is so because we do not invest in innovation, research and technological development.

“This strongly proves that we are in dire need for a technological and innovative transformation through entrepreneurship. Hence, the theme of this year’s Summit: Transforming Nigeria’s Economy through Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. There could be no better time to promote innovation in Nigeria than now. It’s so obvious that every sector in Nigeria’s today needs disruptive ideas driven by technology and innovation”.

He said that Nigeria has the potentials to be a global economic power if we embrace and invest heavily in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, lamenting that the absence of a clear-cut national policy document for technological has over the years hampered the nation’s drive in using technology for economic development as we see in some countries.

In a presentation on ‘The Need for Private Sector Alliance to Drive Health Innovation in Nigeria’, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PHN) Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, said the nation’s healthcare sector has received billions in grants; however the inadequacy of current health programs and stagnated results necessitates bold and disruptive innovative approaches to transform the sector.

According to him, the epidemiological transition and population growth projected in the country exacerbate the need for scalability of effective innovative approaches within the health sector.

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He said that the state of health was characterised by poor outcomes, poor quality and a lack of protection from financial risk which attracted the interest of concerned Nigeria who set up PHN to  mobilizes private sector to complement government’s efforts in accelerating improvement in health outcomes by focusing on innovation, impact investments, advocacy and public-private partnerships.

The Nigeria Innovation Summit, a brainchild of Emerging Media, also attracted participants delegates from Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability, South Africa; the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria; Anambra State Government; Kaduna State; Google Business Group; Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; UNIDO/NIRP; Enspire Business Incubator, Abuja; Oxford Business Group, UK; British High Commission; Lagos Business School; University of Lagos; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Caleb University; Crescent University; Nasarawa State University; Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, amongst others.

 

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Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

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NUPRC Warns of Counterfeit,  AI-Generated Appointment Letters

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Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has cautioned the public against fake recruitment offers and fraudulent employment letters circulating in the agency’s name.

NUPRC Warns of Counterfeit,  AI-Generated Appointment Letters

Eniola Akinkuotu, head of Media and Corporate Communications of the Commission, stated that NUPRC has received reports of counterfeit and AI-generated appointment letters bearing names not known to the regulator.

The Commission also said fraudsters have been extorting money from jobseekers by promising placement within the agency.

NUPRC has reported the incidents to law enforcement and said investigations are underway.

The regulator reiterated that there is no ongoing recruitment exercise and warned members of the public not to make any payments for supposed job offers.

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“Whenever the Commission decides to recruit, the process will be conducted strictly in accordance with extant laws and government regulations,” the statement said.

The Commission urged jobseekers to verify any purported offer and to rely only on official NUPRC communications for recruitment information.

The warning follows growing concerns about the misuse of digital tools, including artificial intelligence, to fabricate apparently authentic documents that can deceive the public.

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Africa50 Secures Fresh Capital, Strategic Partnerships to Accelerate African Infrastructure

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Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform, has secured new investment commitments and strategic partnerships with international investors and Tanzanian institutions aimed at mobilising capital for infrastructure development across Africa.

The agreements, announced at the 2026 Infra for Africa Forum in Dar es Salaam, include a US$20 million commitment from British International Investment (BII) to Africa50’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF), as well as partnerships covering natural gas, electricity transmission and healthcare infrastructure in Tanzania.

The latest commitments bring the IAF’s total capital commitments to approximately US$330 million.

Under one of the major agreements, Africa50, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and TAQA Arabia will develop the first phase of a small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) project designed to distribute domestic natural gas to industrial and transportation customers across Tanzania.

Africa50 is partnering with TAQA Arabia and TPDC on the project, providing project development, investment and financial structuring expertise to develop a bankable model that could be replicated in Tanzania and other markets.

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Mussa M. Makame, Managing Director of TPDC, said the partnership demonstrated Tanzania’s commitment to leveraging its natural gas resources to support national development.

“As a gas supplier to this project, TPDC will work with the project partners to broaden domestic access to cleaner, reliable energy and create greater value for the Tanzanian economy,” he said.

Pakinam Kafafi, CEO of TAQA Arabia subsidiary Rosetta Energy Solutions, said the LNG project would convert Tanzania’s gas resources into reliable energy for industry, communities and transportation.

“This project will turn Tanzania’s abundant gas resources into reliable energy for industry, communities and transport, strengthening energy security and accelerating industrialization,” she said.

Africa50 also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tanzania Electricity Supply Company (TANESCO) to collaborate on electricity transmission Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

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The partnership is expected to facilitate Tanzania’s first Independent Power Transmission (IPT) project, drawing on Africa50’s experience with its IPT project in Kenya.

Engineer Timoth Mgaya, Acting Managing Director of TANESCO, said the partnership would help Tanzania attract private capital and strengthen its transmission infrastructure.

“Partnering with Africa50 provides Tanzania with strategic project-development and financing expertise as we unlock private capital for Africa’s transmission infrastructure,” he said.

The agreement, he added, would contribute to the development of East Africa’s power market while supporting industrialisation, economic integration and inclusive growth.

In the healthcare sector, Africa50 and Tanzania’s Ministry of Health signed an MoU to expand access to renal care and dialysis services for patients suffering from kidney diseases.

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The partnership is expected to provide healthcare infrastructure, reliable medical equipment, experienced operators and long-term investment to strengthen the country’s capacity to deliver life-saving renal services.

Meanwhile, BII’s US$20 million investment in the IAF makes the UK development finance institution the latest Limited Partner in the fund.

BII and Africa50 also signed an MoU to deepen cooperation and identify opportunities for co-investment and further mobilisation of capital into African infrastructure.

The IAF invests in equity and quasi-equity opportunities across power, transport and logistics, water and sanitation, digital infrastructure and social infrastructure.

The fund leverages Africa50’s relationships with African governments, corporates and project developers to deploy capital into infrastructure projects with strong commercial and development potential.

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Leslie Maasdorp, Chief Executive Officer of BII, said the partnership would help mobilise additional capital into sustainable infrastructure across Africa.

“Africa’s infrastructure needs are significant, but so are the opportunities,” Maasdorp said. “By combining our expertise, networks and capital, we can help unlock investment that drives growth, creates jobs and improves lives.”

Alain Ebobissé, Group CEO of Africa50, said the new partnerships reflected the organisation’s evolution from a project development institution into a major infrastructure investment platform.

“Africa50 was created to develop bankable projects, mobilize finance for investments in Africa’s infrastructure and accelerate delivery,” he said.

According to Ebobissé, the organisation is now positioned to scale up infrastructure investment by translating the vision of African leaders into commercially viable projects capable of attracting capital from both African and international investors.

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The agreements were announced as Africa50 marked its 10th anniversary under the theme, “A Decade of Economic Impact: From Vision to Delivery.”

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MTN Engages UNILAG, YABATECH Students on Careers in Technology, Finance, Cybersecurity

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MTN Nigeria, leading technology company, recently hosted undergraduates from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) for an immersive career engagement session, at the MTN Rooftop Plaza, Ikoyi, Lagos.

MTN Engages UNILAG, YABATECH Students on Careers in Technology, Finance, Cybersecurity

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The event exposed students to career opportunities across cybersecurity, finance, internal audit and forensic investigations while providing practical insights into the skills required to succeed in today’s workplace.

The session was designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry by helping students better understand the diverse career paths available within the telecommunications and technology sector.

The engagement brought together students studying Economics, Banking and Finance, Cybersecurity and Accounting, providing an opportunity to interact directly with professionals from various business functions.

Through presentations and discussions, participants gained a deeper understanding of the competencies, experiences and continuous learning required to build successful careers in a rapidly evolving business environment.

The engagement comes at a time when technology-related roles, including cybersecurity specialists, are among the world’s fastest-growing occupations, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025.

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During the visit, the students met with senior cybersecurity and forensic professionals who shared insights into their respective fields and discussed emerging trends shaping the future of work.

The sessions also highlighted the wide range of career opportunities available across different fields, demonstrating that success in the industry is not limited to any particular course of study.

Undergraduates were also introduced to the evolving nature of the audit profession, as data analytics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are becoming increasingly important areas of focus for internal auditors.

During a session on building a meaningful career in Internal Auditing, undergraduates were encouraged to approach their professional journeys with purpose, continuous learning and a commitment to personal growth.

The session emphasised that career success extends beyond securing employment and involves developing relevant skills, understanding one’s strengths and intentionally pursuing opportunities that align with personal values and long-term goals.

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Speaking during the engagement, Chief Internal Audit and Forensic Services Officer, Ibe Kalu Etea, represented by the General Manager, Internal Audit and Forensics, Wasiu Ibrahim, encouraged the undergraduates to remain open to opportunities beyond their academic backgrounds and focus on developing transferable skills. “Students can take any career path they want to. You can upskill and transition into a different career, even if it is not what you studied in school.

“Do not let your course of study determine your career path. Focus on building relevant skills, staying curious and continuously learning because opportunities exist across many fields,” he said.

The Undergraduates also participated in an interactive question-and-answer session, where they sought guidance on career development, workplace expectations and professional growth.

The initiative reflects MTN Nigeria’s commitment to nurturing future talent by connecting young people with industry leaders and equipping them with the knowledge, exposure and confidence needed to navigate their career journeys.

 

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