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We Don’t Need Foreign Software to Drive IM – Fambegbe
Folarin Fambegbe, director, Golden Scepter, a company dedicated to become a one-stop shop in records and archives management, is a civil engineer turned banker.
He worked in the defunct City Bank for 17 years.
Fambegbe believes that ICT is a critical force that can help meet the records management demand anchored on providing market-leading levels of trust, security and reliability. He spoke to peter ugwu.
Overview
Golden Scepter is a product of vision. In the course of my working in the bank, records management formed part of my duties.
I discovered that most of the banks in the country do not have good records keeping system; therefore retrieval of documents poses great challenge.
There are cases where directors were been chased by the economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC), not because they do not have the documents, but they could not present documents required during one investigation or the other hence the main problem is that the processes of management of those documents were haphazard in nature.
So, you see managing directors of banks and insurance companies running out of the country. Meanwhile, I and my partner saw that is a problem that must be addressed. So, the starting point for Golden Scepter was when we left the bank in 2003; they later invited us to come and help them out in organizing their archives management system.
However, after the bank capitalization we discovered that other banks have similar problems too. We thought it wise to set up a platform that will serve as a model in organizing institutions’ records management system.
Consequently, other banks expressed interest in us ensuring that their records keeping systems are in other.
GS Phenomenal Growth
The point is that there is a vision and there is a need. Institutions are really concerned on how to keep adequate records management system.
And we as service providers leveraged on that to come into the system.
Even when heads of different companies meet they discuss this among themselves and some of them would always want to maintain proper records keeping knowing the importance.
Today, we have helped a number of banks maintain their records department, bringing them to contemporary practices.
Industry’s Viability
Yes, the industry is viable, but Nigerians orientation towards records management is very low. Some companies would ask you the immediate gains they will generate from such project that is maintaining an updated archive.
The truth remains that when you have adequate document, it will be difficult for anybody to lay false claims, defraud you or take things for granted.
We should ask ourselves what constitutes the bottom-line: when you have increased revenue or decreased expenses then you have bigger profit.
Now, when you have even bigger profit with leakages through outrageous payments due to the fact that you cannot substantiate certain claims or through the injunctions of the law courts following your inability to present certain document(s), the somewhat a big revenue will start to depreciate. What you need to do is to block such leakages.
And it will ensure efficiency in service delivery. Helps in achieving company’s goals, and customer services are better met when you have every bite of information available for use.
How about job creation?
Today we have over 30 staff. So, this is an industry waiting to be explored. With more companies coming on board, definitely we should be expecting that records management industry will add value to the Nigeria’s Economy.
This is just an aspect of the industry, when you talk of document control; it is a very large setting traversing areas like construction, oil and gas, government institutions, etc. is such large because we are referring to documents that are still in use; where you have different strokes of projects going on almost at the same time and in the chain all the parties have to be involved.
Lack of Professionals
The first step is awareness creation. That is why a non-governmental body – Records and Information Management Awareness Foundation (Rima) is doing a great job.
But on our part we train people. We have trained personnel of 44 companies including schools, all within our four years of existence.
Interestingly, the more people are becoming aware of the profession, more companies are willing to absorb, all points to the fact that Nigeria is not an Ireland on its own.
We must embrace the opportunities exiting in this area by encouraging our young ones to embrace the discipline.
The Place of Records Management in Data Security
We highlight the importance of security that is why when we help companies in setting up their archives we advise them to train their staff alongside.
In setting up an archive is not just about the papers, you have to consider the security control measures.
More so, we advise institutions to have documents management policies.
The essence is to stipulate who handles what. There have been cases where companies lose valuable documents due to porous means by which its document bank is handled.
Fight against Corruption
Corruptions are not done from heaven. They are done with documents. So, document control or records management is quite apt in checkmating corruption because if you can trace the document, it serves a large purpose in tracing perpetrators of certain acts.
And in court system, they don’t deal with stories; rather the substantive facts and figures give you an edge over your opponents as the case may be. So, one way to fight corruption is my ensuring that records are kept, well controlled and it can be retrieved when needed; anything short of that is a mirage.
In other words, it will help see justice is neither delayed nor denied.
Government’s Support to the Industry
In the developed countries, the industrial standards are set by the government, thus other have to follow suit.
Apart from that, government needs to intervene by upgrading existing infrastructure in her centers like the National Archives of Nigeria (Nan) just like the Lagos State Government is doing by creating the Records and Archives Bureau.
When the infrastructures are in place, they will motivate our people to study this discipline. At a time we thought of collaborating with different state governments, but we discovered that most of them are not ready to embrace the change and we are also not interesting in becoming part of the corrupt systems; even the government that decry unavailability of employment opportunities for the teeming youths. Why can’t they leverage on this platform to do so?
Now that we are looking at revisiting the 1999 constitution, there is a need to repeal the National Archives Act, for instance, to reflect contemporary practice; come up with something that can assist economy of the country.
Pending that, because government things are very slow, institutions can set up their framework or policies. Once that is done, it will be easier to register Nigeria’s presence in the comity of proper records keeping nations.
Is ICT’s a threat to Archives Management?
No! When people say that the evolution of information communications technology spells doom for the archives management, I would say, we are limiting the scope of the profession.
Although it is not just about filing physical papers or documents, then the electronic documents show that ICT is a complement and can never.
Currently, we are going beyond physical archiving system; therefore, users can seat anywhere and have access to certain document, because information transmission nowadays runs on a speed of light.
If you want to be relevant then have the relevant document that can be accessed 24 hours. ICT has made Archiving become cheaper.
Hence the software is there, there is nothing to fear about, because security can be assured as well.
However, in Golden Scepter we hold the view that records digitization is not a direct substitute to a well organized physical archive.
Remember everybody needs information as contained in a document to operate, but not everybody is connected to the ICT yet, which makes the relevance of physical archives paramount in our day to day activities.
People make a mistake by thinking that electronic records management means there is no paper. What ICT does is to reduce the paper, thereby helping the eco-system.
Today, in Nigeria, what does the court accept as written evidence if not physical documents, like bank statements which is different from original documents that is scanned.
Protection of Physical Archives
When you are talking about physical archives management, there are a lot of things that must be in place for security purpose.
Fire extinguishers are very important. Perhaps, you are not going to sleep in the archives; how do you secure the place from fire? So, there is need to install self-triggered apparatus that will ‘fight’ the fire even with no body present.
The sensitivity of archives demands that you fix CCTVs as well, to monitor movements, which is still IT complementary role.
These are part of the key safety measure that will complete efforts of skilled manpower to ensure the place works optimally.
We have a mechanism to dry wet or flooded documents. For instance, after the July 10, 2011 flood disaster in Lagos, many government and private companies’ documents were drenched. Those who contacted us have better stories to tell.
Professionalism
When we talk of International Standard Organisation (ISO) set standards it depends on the organization that engages in the practice.
Meanwhile, some companies parading themselves as ISO certified are not real. They are certified on papers, but in practice they are below every reasonable standard.
It is in every profession, people cutting corners.
Is not about the certification, but what is behind. Having said that, it is important to embrace the stands; by doing that companies can save cost and protect sensitive projects during executions.
Career
I support the school of thought that our educational curriculum should be revisited to include records and information management.
I have come to understand that not all who studied Library Science can easily practice this. There is still a divide.
You find out that people don’t actually have confidence in their discipline. In developed countries like in US and UK, people are making input to the economy and academic through courses like this.
We can follow suit. Recently, a particular university invited us to come and address that problem for them to cue-in to the modern practice.
Software
Ostensibly, there is no need we looking outward to purchase software for our applications, because what we are looking for are here in Nigeria.
We are now part of the global village.
Meanwhile, when you go to other place, South Africa, United Kingdom, etc, there is a way they keep their records, we should have our template.
Therefore, we can’t fuse their model into our system. So, we are trying to build our standard here, bring it up to meet international standards.
By Engr. Gbenga Adebayo
In 2001, when the first GSM call was made in Nigeria how many of us would have envisaged the digital world that we live in today? The pace of growth and the rate of adoption of telecoms solutions in Nigeria has been revolutionary. It is a globally acknowledged case study that we should be proud of and a clear demonstration of what can be achieved.
Almost all of us today are reliant on the network connectivity that it has enabled in different shapes and forms. From the simple need to communicate with loved ones, to the digital platforms that enable our access to and consumption of entertainment, financial products and other critical services. Our reliance on these systems is becoming more and more acute, whether it is citizens, governments, or corporations. System downtime is increasingly disruptive and offline manual redundancies are often in the advanced stages of being phased out. The pace of this transition is not slowing down. With the core infrastructure in place, innovation is driving the exponential growth of services that ride on it. From the fully adopted social media that has changed the way we interact, to the emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution.
While this innovation is enabling exciting new possibilities, there is a tendency to focus on those opportunities, to the detriment of the core infrastructure on which it rides. It is imperative that we retain a focus on the optimisation of that infrastructure and enable continued investment in its development. We have seen how the transition from 2G, through to 3G, 4G and 5G have each enabled the development of more and more sophisticated solutions.
The continued development of core infrastructure has to be sustainable, and over the last few months we have begun to see the challenges that the operators that provide it are facing. Both MTN and Airtel have declared significant foreign exchange (FX) losses in Nigeria, and the stress is not linked to them alone. The entire ecosystem is battling with a range of challenges that must be addressed. If we fail to do so, the downstream impact on innovation will be severe. Telecoms infrastructure requires a base level of investment to maintain its current capabilities, and significant additional investment to expand and grow. It is capital intensive and that capital has to be generated through sustainable business models.
At the heart of the challenge the industry faces is the issue of rising costs. Recent financial losses are directly linked to the cost of operating towers that rely on inputs like diesel, which have increased significantly as the Naira has depreciated. The provisions large telecom companies have had to make, and the consequent losses and impact on their reserves is a red flag. It tells us that business as usual is not sustainable. If we continue as we are, then those companies will struggle to continue to invest in and maintain existing services.
But those costs are not the only challenge. General cost inflation, multiple taxation, regular and damaging vandalisation of infrastructure and the costs associated with regulatory compliance all help contribute to the high cost of operations. We cannot continue to follow a path that asks those companies to simply accept those rising costs. It is no longer sustainable, and we have reached an inflection point.
This is a critical moment for the industry. How we approach and resolve it will define the future of Nigeria’s digital economy. If you want to be able to enjoy the benefits that digitisation brings. If we want the infrastructure that enables AI and helps us drive growth, then we must take action now.
Cost-reflective tariffs, like it or not, are simply non-negotiable. We have seen the impact of price controls in other segments of the economy, like power. If providers cannot operate sustainable business models, then they stop investing. When that happens, the existing infrastructure starts to crumble. For power, a consumer can choose to take ownership of the solution by buying a generator, or a solar panel. For fuel, the government can step in as the provider of last resort and manage a subsidy regime that mitigates the impact on the population. Those options are not available in the telecoms sector. There is no self-help solution.
We fully understand and appreciate the financial stress that Nigerians are experiencing today. The cost of living is the single most significant factor in most people’s daily lives. But those people are still able to enjoy the benefits that connectivity brings, at the price they paid before these challenges became so acute. Imagine a future in which the gains of the last twenty years are reversed. Nigeria, and Nigerians simply cannot afford it. The pain that we would feel under those circumstances would be exponentially worse.
We need to find a long-term, sustainable and manageable solution to this problem. Prices will need to rise, but action needs to be taken in a measured way, through sustainable conversations and partnership with the government. It is time to address this head on.
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo is the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON)
The .ng domain name, Nigeria’s country code top-level domain (ccTLD), is the nation’s critical resource in the digital space, says Adesola Akinsanya, the president of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA).
Akintola Owolabi, Professor of Cost and Management Accounting at Lagos Business School (front – third from left; Adesola Akinsanya, the president of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) (Front – fourth from right), flanked by members of EBOD and Management Team of NiRA during a training programme at LBS.
The .ng domain extension is unique to Nigeria, and it can give businesses a strong local identity.
This can help establish trust with customers, which is especially important for businesses that rely on local customers.
Mr. Akinsanya made the comments at NiRA Executive Board of Directors (EBOD) and Management Training held at the Lagos Business School (LBS).
The NiRA Executive Board and Management Training at LBS spanned a series of intensive interactive sessions designed to address critical challenges and opportunities in the digital domain.
The training program emphasized the importance of strategic vision, ethical decision-making, and resilience in the face of digital disruptions.
Participants gained insights into global best practices in digital governance, risk management, and leveraging digital technologies for business growth and societal impact.
Mr. Akinsanya, highlighted the significance of the collaboration with LBS, stating, “The NiRA EBOD/Management Training at LBS underscores our commitment to fostering a robust digital ecosystem in Nigeria. It equips leaders with the expertise to address complex digital challenges especially in accounting and financial management while harnessing the immense opportunities of the digital age.”
The program featured distinguished speakers, industry practitioners, and faculty members from LBS, providing a holistic learning experience enriched with real-world case studies and practical insights.
Participants commended the program for its relevance, depth of content, and interactive learning approach, noting its immediate applicability to their roles and responsibilities.
The NiRA EBOD Training at LBS represents a milestone in advancing digital leadership and governance in Nigeria.
“By equipping leaders with cutting-edge knowledge and strategic insights, the program contributes to building a resilient and innovative digital ecosystem that drives sustainable growth and societal development, especially from NiRA perspective. We must fashion out ways of increasing .NG domain name adoption which is our national pride in the digital space”.
Speaking further on why Nigerians and businesses should adopt the .NG domain name, the NiRA president said, “.NG domain name gives your brand special recognition both on and offline.
“Using a .ng domain name can help your business stand out in the Nigerian and global market. It is a great way to differentiate your brand from competitors and establish a unique identity. A .ng domain name is easier to remember, which can make it more likely that customers will return to your website in the future”, he said.
“It instantly communicates to internet users that your business is located in Nigeria. This can be especially helpful if you operate in a niche or industry where location is important to customers”, the NiRA boss added.
He added that Google and other search engines prioritize local content in search results, hence using a .ng domain name can help improve your website’s search engine ranking for local searches.
Climate Action Africa (CAA), a leading advocate for climate resilience and sustainable development, has announced the opening of applications for the Deal Room at the 2024 Climate Action Africa Forum (CAAF24). The Deal Room is a groundbreaking platform that aims to connect high-impact climate innovators in Africa with potential investors seeking to accelerate sustainable solutions.
The CAAF Deal Room is a strategic initiative that aims to create opportunities for innovators in the climate-tech domain focusing on emission reduction, energy, agriculture, transportation, circular economy, and building and construction.
The goal of the Deal Room is to select finalists who will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative ideas and solutions at the upcoming 2024 Climate Action Africa Forum, which will be held on June 19th in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Deal Room aims to boost investments in Africa’s green economy by galvanising a community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors to create applicable solutions that can mitigate the challenges of climate change on the African continent.
The Deal Room session will facilitate financing for solutions contributing to the growth and sustainability of Africa’s green economy. These deals may encompass prize money, equity plans, debt financing, mergers and acquisitions, and other investment options.
“Through the CAAF24 Deal Room, we aim to bridge the critical gap between promising climate ventures and the essential resources they need to thrive,” says Grace Oluchi Mbah, Co-founder and Executive Director of Climate Action Africa (CAA). “By facilitating connections between passionate entrepreneurs and dedicated investors, we can collectively unlock the immense potential of climate solutions in Africa.”
The eligibility criteria for applying include:
● The company must be African-owned and operate in any of the 54 African countries.
● It must be a for-profit company, between 1-5 years post-incorporation, post-MVP (minimum viable product), and post-GTM (go-to-market).
● The company should leverage digital technology to deliver its business model.
● Female ownership is an added advantage.
Those eligible to apply include venture capitalists, impact investors, climate tech startups, Green SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), philanthropic organisations, and government representatives.
Following the CAAF24 deal-room will be a post-event accelerator in partnership with the Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute and IDEA Africa. This Africa-wide initiative is specifically designed to further accelerate and enhance support for promising Climate Tech startups and founders who participated in the Deal Room.
The official unveiling of this accelerator will take place at the Climate Action Africa Forum 2024 (CAAF24), marking a significant step forward in driving Climate Tech innovations throughout Africa.
Applications for the CAAF24 Deal Room are open from April 22nd until May 17th. Interested applicants can register at https://deal.caaf.africa/register.
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