E-Business
Thomson Reuters Inaugurates 4th Trading Africa Summit in Cape Town

Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, has inaugurated the 4th Trading Africa Summit in Cape Town, South Africa.
The summit, sponsored by Barclays Africa, attracts more than 600 senior delegates from the regional trading and investment community including capital markets authorities, government bodies, investment firms, and companies.
In his keynote speech, David Craig, president of Financial and Risk, Thomson Reuters, said: “The Continent is becoming a key market for global business, but also a magnet for investment. Global demand for goods and services remains subdued, but Africa continues to challenge this trend. Many nations in the developed world talk about the challenges of the old, for the continent of Africa I like to think about the opportunities of the young and the new.”
He added: “We believe that African economies can leapfrog traditional markets through technology – the pace of mobile innovation on the continent is testament to this, empowering everything from education, financial inclusion and healthcare. Africa is more connected than ever before – connected across borders, across industries and crucially across the world’s financial markets.”
“Thomson Reuters is now the official calculator for 22 of Africa’s essential benchmarks beginning the process which will move currency benchmark from a manual telephone-based system to a state-of-the-art automated process,” he concluded.
The first panel discussed doing business in Africa and highlighted the best investment approach across the continent’s markets. Pascal Agboyibor, Partner and Board Member, Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe, stressed that mega projects have had a transforming impact on African economies.
“Investors should be focusing on these blue chip projects given the growing need for electricity and power. Tourism is another happening sector and we are seeing investors focusing on this interesting sector,” he added.
Hans Kuipers, partner and managing director, The Boston Consulting Group, said: “It is critical that governments roll out appropriate infrastructure programs that will benefit other sectors and support the economy. The trust aspect is significant and governments, communities as well as the public sector need to collectively work towards executing major infrastructure projects.”
Thomas Wilson, director, Africa Practice, highlighted the importance of government communications.
“Governments should improve their communications as opposed to following procedures and processes. Investors need clarity over regulations and governments have to cater to that need and enhance transparency. The rise of intra African trade is very promising and a sign of maturity across the continent’s economies. It is no longer Western money invested in Africa, but Africa business driving growth,” he added.
Steven De Backer, Founding Director, Afriwise, said: “The growing middle class is driving wealth across the continent. International firms are now actively looking at opportunities. Risks of commodity prices continue to pose challenges; however, the investment appetite is gradually growing.”
The second panel titled “Africa rising” vs. Afro-realism in a complex global economic environment debated the upside and downside risks of the commodity cycle, China’s cooling economy, Europe’s woes, the global economy and domestic demand.
Mohammed Nalla, head, Strategic Research, Global Markets, Nedbank Capital, said: “Africa has a unique opportunity as the global economy facers serious challenges. Currently, Africa is competing with global markets and attracting international investment. The African infrastructure was built to serve the world, not only Africa. Intra African integration has a long way to go.”
Christopher Becker, Lead Economist & Strategist, African Alliance, said: “We have seen strong growth rates. That said, the performance of banks does not reflect these rates.”
He pointed out that decreasing oil prices have only impacted the high income segments, while the low income segment was not really affect as in Nigeria’s case.
“Africa can benefit from the liberalization and reform experience of South East Asia. People need to have the right tools and business environment to achieve the right productivity potential.”
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.
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