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Top 10 Must-Have Travel Apps‎

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Technology has changed travel in more ways than we can think of: the railway made covering long distances not only quicker than horse-and-cart, but more affordable for the working-class.

The internal-combustion engine added to that, while inflatable tyres on motor-vehicles made road-travel easier on the bones and buttocks.

Air-travel was changed forever by the jet engine and of course by the Boeing 747, which made long-haul flights affordable for the masses.

Huge advances in mobile technology and the proliferation of smartphone apps have made travel easier than ever, but choosing the right app for your next trip can feel downright overwhelming.

Edward Frost, British Airways’ commercial manager for South and East Africa said that the key to convenience is simplicity when using technology to travel.

“New apps are being developed and released daily, and while many have merit, you’re probably best-advised to combine the tried-and-tested with the flavour-of-the-month and the novelty,” said Frost, who suggests the following:

‎Jetlag Genie
Jetlag Genie helps you to adjust your sleep-patterns to your long-haul destination before you leave.

So a week before your much-publicised TEDxSanFrancisco talk, you input your travel date, destination and usual sleeping time, and it will set alarms to ease you into California’s time-zone before you fly west.

Pocket Yoga
‎Pocket Yoga helps you stay limber and “mindful” during long layovers: it’s a virtual yoga instructor who guides you through postures and stretches.

You choose your theme (ocean, mountain and so on), the duration of your session and level of expertise.

You can get your Parivṛtta Svarga Dvijāsana (Revolved Bird of Paradise) on without having to change out of your pyjamas.

WalkJogRun
It is notable for getting outdoors in foreign climes, whether you’re just out for a stroll or training for your next half-marathon.

It uses accurate GPS data to provide a variety of safe and interesting routes, new or familiar, as well as tracking your pace and distance covered.

iStone Travel Translator
This particular app has more than 300 phrases useful to travellers in 12 languages, so you need never again order raw jellyfish when you wanted the vegetable soup.

If you’re in a particular region or country regularly or for a long time, tryDuoLingo, which fast-tracks learning one of more than 20 languages.

It tracks your progress and helps you bone up on your weaker areas. If that seems like too much effort, Google Translate is a dependable option.

Snapchat
Yes. The app has soared to cellphone stardom this year as a quick way to share images and videos with your social circle.

If you’re – perish the thought – out of network-coverage range, you can save your footage and upload in when you’re back online.

Snapchat also allows you to find out more about the area or event you’re visiting, like a sports fixture or a music festival.

Airbnb
‎Airbnb is now so ubiquitous that it almost seems passé, but it remains the preferred source of user-provided accommodation.

The mighty database now extends to around 60m guests and accommodation in more than 3 400 cities in more than 190 countries.

All that data in the palm of your hand  means you can find a an airy bolthole overlooking Antoni Gaudí’s eye-bogglingSagrada Família cathedral in Barcelona, or a villa in the medieval walled town of Korčula in Croatia, as a base for your scuba-diving and swimming-with-dolphins excursions.

Uber
Uber, like Airbnb, can seem so pervasive that it’s scarcely worth mentioning, but the cab-hailing service provides affordable, cashless – and thus safer – transport in both familiar and more foreign climes.

It means you can focus on local sights and sounds without having to navigate and negotiate local driving customs. Women-only options are also emerging, like SafeHer.

TripAdvisor
‎This app gives blunt, often brutal, reviews of accommodation, restaurants and other facilities, without the travel sunny brochures’ perspective. You can contribute your own experiences with as many exclamation-marks as you like.

Pocket First Aid and CPR
Pocket First Aid and CPR provides instant, step-by-step advice on life-saving procedure and saves you and your loved ones’ medical information for retrieval.

It’s worth having on your device even though you hope you’ll never need it.

There are several other apps unleashed by different airlines, but No British Airways’ has been ‘bullish’ with its own app, and has been rated the top airline app.

It now allows customers to save multiple boarding passes to their devices, and is even available on the Apple iWatch.

It also gives customers in Heathrow’s Terminals 3 and 5 “push notifications” alerting them when their departure gate is open and when boarding has started.


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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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E-Business

OADC Lagos Reinforces Commitment to Local Data Hosting and Digital Transformation @ NDPC’s National Privacy Week Summit

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Open Access Data Centres (OADC) Lagos has reaffirmed its commitment to Nigeria’s data protection and digital transformation agenda through its sponsorship and active participation in the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s (NDPC) National Privacy Week Summit.

The National Privacy Week Summit, organised by the NDPC, convened policymakers, regulators, technology providers, and industry stakeholders to promote data privacy awareness, strengthen compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), and advance conversations around data security, sovereignty, and responsible data governance.

As a sponsor of the event, OADC Lagos demonstrated its continued support for the Federal Government’s drive toward local data hosting and data domiciliation, which are increasingly critical to safeguarding sensitive information, enhancing regulatory compliance, and building trust in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Through its carrier-neutral, Tier III Design certified data centre in Lekki, Lagos, OADC provides secure, resilient, and compliant infrastructure that enables government institutions and private sector organisations to host and manage data locally while meeting international best practices.

Commenting on the engagement, Adesola Adesugba, Country Marketing Manager, Open Access Data Centres Nigeria, said: “We are proud to have supported the Nigeria Data Protection Commission through the National Privacy Week Summit and to stand alongside the government in advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation objectives.

“Strengthening local data hosting and domiciliation is fundamental to national data sovereignty, improved security, and sustainable digital growth, and OADC Lagos remains committed to enabling this future.”

OADC’s participation at National Privacy Week Summit underscores its role as a trusted digital infrastructure partner to government and enterprise, supporting secure cloud connectivity, regulatory compliance, and the long-term development of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

Open Access Data Centres is part of the WIOCC Group and operates open-access, world-class data centres across Africa, serving cloud providers, network operators, enterprises, and public sector institutions.


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Kaspersky Launches OT Calculator to Align Cybersecurity Investments with Business Goals

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Kaspersky’s new online tool has been specially developed for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs associated with insufficient operational technology (OT) security.

By offering detailed financial forecasts, the calculator empowers senior management to make well-informed decisions regarding security investments.

Industrial organisations increasingly depend on interconnected systems, elevating cybersecurity to a critical factor in business resilience and profitability.

According to VDC Research, over 60% of industrial companies last year reported that cybersecurity breaches had led to significant costs. Despite this, a persistent disconnect remains between security teams and executive leadership as security professionals focus on minimising risk, while executives must balance cybersecurity concerns with broader business objectives. This misalignment often results in competing priorities and underfunded security initiatives.

To bridge this gap, Kaspersky has launched the OT Cybersecurity Savings Calculator, an innovative online tool designed specifically for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs of inadequate operational technology (OT) security¹.

The primary aim of this tool is to translate cyber risks into tangible financial metrics and support strategic discussions around priorities and budget allocation. By entering details such as their sector, sub-sector, region, company size, breach history, and existing cybersecurity measures, organisations can estimate their potential cost savings and receive customised, actionable recommendations.

The calculator benchmarks performance against industry peers and highlights the company’s position within the current threat landscape.

“We believe this calculator is a powerful resource for transforming complex cyber risk data into straightforward financial insights. It enables OT leaders, security professionals, and executive teams to develop clear, data-driven business cases and recognise the value of cybersecurity investments. With actionable guidance, it promotes a comprehensive approach to resource management and strengthens overall organisational resilience,” comments Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product line at Kaspersky.


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Local App Developers Rake $1m in Sales in 2025- NOTAP

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National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has said Nigerian software developers have reached significant milestones with locally made applications generating over one million Dollar in sales across domestic and regional markets.

Local App Developers Rake $1m in Sales in 2025- NOTAP

Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, director-general of NOTAP, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday in Abuja.

Amadiobi said the development signified the growing strength of Nigeria’s digital innovation ecosystem and how local innovation powers digital growth.

She said it was also a direct outcome of targeted support initiatives led by NOTAP.

She added that the initiative helped to build capacity, protect intellectual property, and connect developers to market opportunities.

According to the NOTAP boss, the journey from concept to impact started with understanding and securing intellectual property (IP) rights, a step many local innovators missed.

“Whether it’s a literary work, a laboratory invention, or a creative digital product, the process of bringing an idea to life demands immense time, skill, and dedication.

“An innovator might wake up with a solution to a pressing problem; spend months testing and refining it and achieve remarkable results; so it is their fundamental right to patent that creation and claim ownership.

“Without this protection, someone else could easily replicate their work; patent it in their name; and legally control what was built with Nigerian brainpower,” she said.

Amadiobi said that the challenge was compounded by widespread digital piracy and counterfeiting, which hit the ICT sector hardest.

“From copied software applications to replicated content on social platforms like TikTok, unauthorised duplication has become a major barrier to growth.

“We see talented young creators develop unique digital content or tools, only to watch others rebrand and profit from their work within weeks,” she said.

The DG noted that most popular online personalities with distinctive styles often don’t realise they could protect their original contributions through IP registration.

She said that to address these gaps and unlock the value of Nigerian innovation, NOTAP implemented a multi-pronged strategy,- a cornerstone initiative – which is the Local Vendor Policy.

“The Local Vendor Policy mandates that foreign technology firms entering Nigeria partner with domestic counterparts,’’ she said.

Amadiobi said that among the performing apps are solutions addressing critical local challenges such as a mobile health platform that now serves 750,000 users across six states.

“There is also the agricultural marketplace connecting smallholder farmers to buyers; and an educational tool that has been adopted by 200 schools to improve learning outcomes,” she said.

She added that the apps were developed by teams that gained skills and resources through NOTAP’s Local Vendor Policy.

According to her, the policy requires foreign technology firms operating in Nigeria to allocate a portion of their technical service fees to local partners.

“Three years ago, many of these developers were only providing support services to foreign companies.

“But today, they are building their own products that compete globally. 60 per cent of last year’s sales came from other African countries, showing our developers can lead on the continent,” she said.

The D-G explained that the one million dollar figure represented sales from over 50 locally developed apps, with individual developers earning between 5,000 dollars and 80,000 dollars from their products.

“Looking ahead, NOTAP aims to double these sales figures by 2027, with plans to expand support to developers focusing on fintech, renewable energy management, and climate adaptation tools.

“These are the sectors identified as high-growth opportunities for Nigerian innovation,’’ Amadiobi said


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