Telecom
YouTube Reinforces Commitment to Creators with YouTube NextUp Programme
YouTube has announced that the YouTube NextUp programme will be available in Nigeria and South Africa.
The programme is an opportunity for local creators to take their content creation to the next level.
Twenty creators with eligible channels will be selected to win a production stipend of $1,000 to be used for the acquisition of production equipment to advance their YouTube careers.
The selected creators will also have the opportunity to attend a week-long intensive ‘Creator Camp’, learn new skills and access support by the YouTube partnerships team.
The YouTube NextUp programme is available to creators who are committed to advancing their YouTube careers and producing fresh and compelling content.
Eligible channels for selection into the YouTube NextUp programme should have 10,000 to 100,000 subscribers and at least 3 pieces of original and native video content uploaded in the past 3 months.
Channel accounts must be compliant with the YouTube community guidelines and have no strikes.
Participation in other YouTube creator masterclasses is also a basis for acceptance.
Addy Awofisayo, YouTube Content Partnership in Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “We believe that the next generation of successful creators are already honing their skills on YouTube.
“We are excited that the YouTube NextUp programme will help take creators to the next level in their YouTube careers, enabling them to develop whole new genres and online experiences for audiences around the world”.
Applications for the YouTube NextUp programme are currently open.
To apply for YouTube NextUp, each creator must submit an entry form along with the video they are most proud of and that best represents their technical production skills, creativity and storytelling ability.
They also need to answer either of these essay questions in 200 words or less: ‘Why should you be selected?’ , ‘How do you collaborate with other channels?’ or ‘What are your plans for the next 2 years?’ Judging will involve the evaluation of the creator’s submitted video and essay along with a general evaluation of their channel.
YouTube, through programmes like YouTube NextUp, has a long-standing commitment to being an advocate for, and ally to, the diverse communities that reside on the platform and will continue to expand its efforts to support marginalised and underrepresented communities.
In Nigeria, over 500 channels now have over 100,000 subscribers while in South Africa over 250 channels now have over 100,000 subscribers. This is an increase of over 60% percent, year on year.
As of June this year, the percentage of YouTube channels in Nigeria making 7 figures or more revenue in Naira has now increased by 100%, year on year.
South Africa also now has an increase of 70% in channels making 6 figures or more in revenue in Rands, year on year in the period under review.
“YouTube creators are already doing what they are passionate about and making money from it. YouTube NextUp aims to take them to the next level in terms of income generation and professionalism”, Awofisayo concludes.
Telecom
Telcos Record N27Bn Loss from Damaged Fibre Cables
Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables are estimated to have cost Nigeria’s telecom industry almost N27bn ($23m) in 2023, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg.
MTN Nigeria, the biggest wireless operator in Africa’s most-populous nation, and Airtel Africa Plc bore the brunt of the costs, the documents show.
MTN suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fiber cable last year, the documents show.
On Feb. 28, a cut in its network in three different locations by a road construction firm, an oil serving company, and someone burning rubbish in a manhole meant customers faced more than five hours of data and voice outages.
The operator relocated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fiber cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than N11bn —enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines in areas without coverage.
Broadband fibre optic cables form the backbone of modern communication infrastructure, enabling the high-speed data transmission that underpins a wide range of personal, business, and societal activities.
On several occasions, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator, has acknowledged this challenge and expressed willingness to work on measures to address it.
These measures include stricter regulations to deter vandalism and improved collaboration between telcos and government agencies responsible for construction activities.
According to the NCC, the telecom sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5 per cent in the third quarter of last year.
Telecom
NCAIR Relaunch: Pantami, Tijani Fight for Credit
Isa Pantami, former minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has voiced his discontent over the relaunch of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) by Bosun Tijani, his successor.
Tijani announced the revitalization of NCAIR, highlighting enhancements in its capacity and partnerships with global tech firm Cisco.
However, Pantami took to social media to assert that NCAIR was already established during his tenure in November 2020, dubbing it “the first of its kind in Africa” and emphasizing its effectiveness in training numerous Nigerians.
Tijani responded by detailing the new initiatives accompanying the relaunch, including increased computing infrastructure, dedicated research labs, and remote connectivity for AI hubs across the country. He also unveiled outcomes from the Ministry’s National AI Workshop, such as the country’s first Multilingual Large Language Model and partnerships aimed at accelerating AI development projects of national significance.
The exchange between Pantami and Tijani underscores ongoing efforts to advance AI research and application in Nigeria while navigating questions of continuity and leadership transition within the Ministry.
Telecom
ABoICT Lecture 2024 to Focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) In A Digital Economy
This year’s Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership lecture will focus on the role of artificial intelligence in a digital economy with the theme: “Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Good, The Complex and The Anticipated”.
The lecture which will herald Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Awards hold on May 25, 2024 at Four Points by Sheraton.
The sixteenth edition of the award ceremony according Ken Nwogbo, editor-in-chief of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek the organizers of the event, “is a special edition to recognize and celebrate organizations and individuals in the ICT industry that have been distinguished in delivery innovative services in the sector.
“Most of these organizations and individuals have consistently being voted by our readers as leaders in their areas of operations and we have decided to reward them in this especial edition”.
He added that, AI is considered to have the potential to instigate a fourth industrial revolution,1 and is dramatically changing people’s patterns of interaction and economic activities.
“The traditional factors of production and physical capital and labour may no longer promote substantial economic growth. It is generally believed that AI will be one of the most important factors determining future economic growth.
“However, unlike traditional machines, which replaced the use of human and animal labor for simple manual work and heavy or dangerous activities, AI-related inputs may change the type of human work in a comprehensive way.
“In contrast to previous industrial revolutions, AI does not simply involve the invention of a new machine or technology. Instead, AI has similarities to the accumulation of human capital, as it can learn and accumulate knowledge by itself,” he said.
The Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture is designed to explore efforts to put Nigeria on the global Information and Communications Technologies map.
The lecture series however is reserved for distinguished achievers in the ICT sector.
Past lecturers included Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, then executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, former Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Dr. Jean Luc Fort, CEO at OR System France and a specialist in Counterparty Risk; and Professor Chris Nwagboso, Chairman, Knowledge Factory International, United Kingdom.
Others are: Uche Orji, managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodu Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre Limited; Peter Adedayo Arogundade, managing director and chief executive officer, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; Dr. Adewale Obadare, chief visionary officer, Digital Encode and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Prof. Isa Pantanmi, minister of Communications and Digital Economy; among others.
- Telecom1 day ago
ABoICT Lecture 2024 to Focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) In A Digital Economy
- Telecom1 day ago
Telcos Record N27Bn Loss from Damaged Fibre Cables
- Telecom1 day ago
NCAIR Relaunch: Pantami, Tijani Fight for Credit
- News1 day ago
FG to Secure Fresh $2.25Bn World Bank Loan
- News1 day ago
Wema Bank Launches 5th Edition of Youth-Focused Hackathon, “Hackaholics”
- E-Financial1 day ago
Dimon, JP Morgan CEO Describes Bitcoin as Fraud, Ponzi Scheme
- E-Business1 day ago
Forex Volatility will Not End Overnight- CBN Gov
- E-Financial1 day ago
Access Holdings to Use Tech in Raising N365bn Capital