Local cloud infrastructure provider, Routed, has announced that it now offers Container Service Extension (CSE) within VMware Cloud Director, bringing Kubernetes as a Service (KaaS) to South Africa for the first time. Andrew Cruise, managing director of Routed, says that through these new extensions, cloud providers enable customers with seamless container-deployment, while enjoying a new revenue stream.
“We are proud of this achievement, which is another first in South Africa. VMware’s VMware Cloud Director is already a leading cloud service-delivery platform, which helps manage cloud-service businesses. Extensions such as Kubernetes enable cloud providers to broaden their services offered such as cloud migration, data protection, hybrid connectivity and even turnkey container services. It also makes the hosting choice irrelevant for the end user, bringing it into the foreground for the cloud provider.”
“This also means that the focus moves away from what the infrastructure can provide, rather placing more importance on value adds such as Platform as a Service, uptime guarantees, network interoperability, and competitive pricing,” says Cruise.
Dave Funnell, VMware Senior Manager: Cloud Provider Business, says: “Kubernetes are the building blocks of the digitally-driven business environment today. The work Routed has done to provide KaaS within VMware Cloud Director is significant as it enables local organizations to use the cloud in more disruptive ways. The agility delivered through these containers when combined with the elasticity of VMware Cloud Director will not only deliver increased operational efficiency but offer unique monetisation opportunities.”
Cruise says that IT teams are becoming increasingly DevOps-led, which has resulted in a need to deploy applications and services faster, driving sweeping automation in the infrastructure stack: “Kubernetes, although a fantastic tool for orchestrating dozens of microservices, still require expertise and effort when it comes to scheduling, network configuration, and updates. Thankfully, VMware works closely with cloud providers to not only enable customers with an enterprise-ready managed Kubernetes stack, but also make it available within familiar virtual datacenter constructs that customers love about their cloud providers.”
Our paths first crossed eyeball-to-eyeball on November 30, 2016 and it is now 33 months after that inaugural meeting. It was a meeting where Isa Ali Ibrahim would reel out the blueprint of how his public service should be assessed. How well has this man, more commonly known as Pantami, justified his appointment as the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to qualify for an upgrade as the Minister of Communications?
Is it another reward for cronyism or another pedestal for a ‘flavoured’ trajectory to the government house in Gombe State, which some pundits believe is the ultimate goal of Pantami in 2023? There is no denying the obvious of how Pantami made himself very popular on Twitter. He creamed off great following by popularising Islamic messages even in the midst of also riding on the crest of gaining traction with his mandate as DG NITDA. Besides, no one is in doubt that Pantami also strategically positioned himself as a close consociate of President Muhammadu Buhari’s family. For this singular public perception, not a few industry colleagues seemed wary of him, while some others thought of him as a favoured link-bridge into the inner recesses of the President’s mind. So his nomination and subsequent approval as a Minister in the cabinet of President could be a chirp of the conspiracy theory about his influence in the national government of the day. Before I delve into the various highs and lows of Pantami’s stewardship as the DG NITDA, let me whet your appetite with the piece I did on him in 2016. And the public is welcome to jointly access him based on this article which placed him in the public spotlight. The article is aptly titled “Pantami: Quest To Remove NITDA From Cesspit Of Sleaze” Enjoy it…… The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is under a ‘siege’ as the new Director General, Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), picks up the gauntlet to clean the Augean Stables. In this report Olubayo Abiodun captures the inner mind of Pantami’s new direction for NITDA
Director-General, NITDA, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami
LIKE the sea billows roll, there is a roaring storm that is tearing down at all and sundry in NITDA. A new ‘Sheriff’ at the IT Infrastructure agency, Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), is bearing his fangs at those who have turned the agency to a contract awarding institution. The date was Wednesday, 30 November, as he held the microphone at the 8th edition of West Africa Convergence Conference (WACC 2016), organised by Knowhow Media and Market Intelligence International Limited, at the Ikeja Sheraton Hotel, his mien and simplistic dress belied the explosive expletives thrown at certain patrons and actors in NITDA who had otherwise derailed the IT infrastructure agency from its core focus of regulating IT infrastructure deployment in Nigeria.
Pantami had a justification for the hot leads fired at the NITDA contractors and actors. No sooner had he resumed at NITDA, he was besieged with countless numbers of proposals beautifully crafted to ensure various cuts from the budget of the IT Infrastructure development agency. But for the new ‘Sheriff’ at NITDA, it is no longer business as usual. NITDA is not a contract awarding agency. This Ph.D. holder and until lately a Professor of Computer Information System at the Islamic University of Madinah was miffed that an otherwise IT infrastructure agency had become the ‘honey pot’ of sort for some contractors. To him every contract must support the core mandate of NITDA.
He did not hide the fact that the job at hand is enormous and daunting. To successfully prosecute this mandate, Pantami said that he would seek the support of all stakeholders to be able to achieve positive return of NITDA to its core mandate of regulating IT infrastructure deployment in Nigeria. He has offered an Olive branch to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). In his mind, NITDA ought to have a desk at BPP which will serve as the clearing house for IT infrastructure procurements.
Before now, he said that the relevant sections of NITDA Act had been violently violated by those who smartly bypass NITDA because there was no proper checks and balances in policing the procurement procedures. At the top of his head, Pantami had studied the relevant legislations that established the agency and the various bylaws existing to give NITDA its operating muscle. Beyond looking at the legislations, Pantami also has something cooking in his mind. He wants to draw up a strategic framework that would enhance the return of NITDA to its core mandate. And in doing this, he has engaged his predecessors among other stakeholders in dialogues in order to appreciate the landmines strewn around his pathways in the organisation.
According to him, the focus of his regime is to take NITDA out of the cesspits of corruption which had bedeviled the agency. Though, he did not dwell on the content of the Audit Report which uncovered sleaze in NITDA, it is also not clear if heads will roll on account of the report. It is also not clear if former officials and current staff in the agency will be guest of the anti-graft Commission at any time. Already, the new helmsman has his hands full with petitions. Rather than dwell on that, Pantami seems to prefer to direct his energy at revamping NITDA to focus more on its core mandate and allowing the anti-graft Commission and other agencies of government to deal with the other issues.
IT REGULATION
“If I am to talk on IT Regulation, particularly since I am here to represent NITDA, I will give more emphasis to the responsibility of NITDA when it comes to IT Regulation. What I have been saying actually, even during discussions with my Management staff, NITDA has responsibility over IT Regulation in Nigeria. So in this situation, we can have regulatory body over Communications Technology because you have Information Technology and you have Communications Technology Our colleague in the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are the regulatory body over Communications Technology but NITDA is the regulatory body over Information Technology.
“So our sole responsibility as encapsulated in our mandate is to regulate IT in Nigeria. And this is something that has been neglected. Why? Because the scope of our mandate; the mandate is very wide. It is difficult for you to pursue all at once. There must be strategic plan, you must get your priority and preference right so that you determine what you need to place emphasis on. Because of this what I want you to understand first and foremost is that NITDA is the regulatory body for IT in Nigeria and this is clearly stated in NITDA Act 2007. “If you look at Section 6 subsection 1, 2, 3 and 4 Roman Numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4,Section 6, Number 1 clearly stated that NITDA has the responsibility of developing framework, guidelines and standards for IT deployment and maintenance in Nigeria. Section 6, subsection 2 clearly stated that NITDA has a responsibility of advising government for example advising the private and public sectors on IT deployment and maintenance. So NITDA is the regulatory body of IT and it is also the sole adviser of public and private sectors when it comes to IT. You can say that NITDA is the advisory body of IT deployment, IT maintenance and IT innovation in Nigeria. So based on the mandate, whoever wants to deploy any IT facilities in the private or public sectors should approach NITDA seeking for advice on how to deploy. “But when it comes to public sector or MDAs, NITDA is also the clearing house for IT deployment for all MDAs. This is according to the circular of the Federal Government which was released on April 18, 2006 from the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government. That circular emphasizes strongly that any MDA that intends to deploy IT gadgets in Nigeria must approach NITDA seeking for clearance Certificate of Compliance. That is what the circular says. Meaning that NITDA is the clearing house for IT deployment in MDAs in Nigeria. So this is another indication that NITDA is the regulatory body of IT, where? In Nigeria. “Still on IT Regulation, if you look at Section 17, Roman Numeral 1 also states that any Ministry, Department or Agency that deploys IT without seeking for clearance from NITDA commits an offense. Section 17, subsection 2, clearly stated that that person for example the executive officer, or any other officer as the case may be, should be fined or be imprisoned for 1 year and if repeats the same mistake, he should be imprisoned for three years. And these are some of our mandate that have been neglected and many people are not aware of this. And which is very important. “IT Regulation is very important. You cannot develop your capacity without Regulation. You cannot promote, develop and integrate your local content without regulation. Capital Flight.
“If you look at the amount of money we spend annually on the importation of goods and services of ICT you will be amazed. It is approximately around US$2.6billion annually and this amount is projected to reach around US$147 billion in 2020. It is almost 6 times our current budget. And that is why we are putting more pressure on our local currency (The Naira). There is no strategy on developing our local content. We are focused on sourcing forex and importing something into our nation without cross-checking whether we have it in our nation locally or not. Because we are more addicted and inclined to anything foreign. That is the mentality that we have. And some of the goods that are being imported into our nation are not up to the standard of what is being produced at home, but we only admire other nations whatever they produce we patronise, but whatever is made in Nigeria, we neglect it. Without regulation, you cannot in any way promote our local content; you cannot in any way encourage and motivate people to patronize it. Look at our local industries all over, they are complaining about patronage. Why? Lesson from India.
“We all admire the effort of India when it comes to software, but they started planning on how to strengthen their local content since around 1967. But today, because of their patronage in local content, and their expertise, India is generating around US$147million annually from software alone. And this local content creates 2.7million direct jobs annually in India. And the percentage of software export only in India is around 77 per cent of all the export they have in the ICT sector. So this is something that we should start preparing and strategizing ourselves towards, otherwise as long as we are not ready to develop our local content, then, for sure it will be difficult for us to strengthen our local currency. You can hardly see a nation where people look for foreign exchange (forex) day in day out like in Nigeria. This is why we are not producing anything and even if we produce, we are not patronizing, we only admire what is imported from outside without even looking at the quality.
Boosting Naira Value
“If we want to reduce this pressure on our local currency, to strengthen it, we have to give priority to what we have at home. We cannot look for anything abroad, except we don’t have any alternative available in our nation. But as long as we have an alternative here it is better for us to prefer what we need here, what we manufacture here and what we produce at home. That should be our priority. And we know that we have a local content policy and this local content policy that is the Office of Local Content deployment here in Nigeria, the office was established under NITDA Act of 2007. If you look at Section 7, Roman Numeral 3 clearly stated that NITDA is what you can call a semi legislator that government allows it to legislate, to advise, formulate laws on IT regulation and deployment in Nigeria.
More awards have come the way of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta in recognition of the critical role the Commission has been playing in keeping Nigerians and businesses connected since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Two of the awards, ‘Human Rights Telecoms Defender’ for the EVC and ‘Human Rights Guard’ for the Commission, as a corporate entity, were presented by Wheel of Hope Human Rights Foundation (WHHRF), a frontline Nigerian Non-Governmental Organisation. The third award,‘Icon of a Greater Nigeria’ was presented to the EVC by the Youth Coalition Against Corruption (YOCAC), a coalition of Nigerian youths from all walks of life.
Coincidentally, WHHRF and YOCAC adduced similar reasons for finding the EVC and Commission deserving of the recognitions.
Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikeckukwu Adinde, who received the awards on behalf of the EVC, appreciated the organisations for their gestures, noting that the three awards will serve as an encouragement to the Commission to continue to strengthen effective, fair and transparent regulation of the telecommunications industry.
“On behalf of the EVC and Chief Executive of NCC, we thank you for these recognitions. These latest awards will add to the long list of laurels in the NCC’s kitty. There are many initiatives by the Commission, to ensure increased connectivity, improved quality of service and consumer rights protection,” Adinde said while restating the NCC’s commitment to consumer-centric initiatives that promote digital inclusion and advance the digital economy vision of the government.
In his remarks, Chairman, WHHRF, Jide Abdulazeez, said the presentation of the two awards by the Foundation was in recognition of “the leading role the Commission has been playing in sustaining access to telecoms services throughout the period of the lockdown, following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.”
He added that the role of NCC in making the 112 Emergency Number available to Nigerians to report COVID-19-related cases and other emergencies; as well as its efforts in consistently protecting the rights and privileges of telecoms consumers, through effective resolutions of service-related complains, are part of the reasons for finding the Commission worthy of the awards.
In the same vein, the National Coordinator, YOCAC, Dahiru Umaru, said, “the Icon of Greater NigeriaAward conferred on the EVC is in recognition of his leadership qualities and achievements which have engendered quality regulatory supervision of the telecoms industry by ensuring that telecom consumers are not unduly shortchanged, especially during the critical stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
According to him, the Commission has been contributing immensely to the growth of the Nigerian economy by ensuring robust telecom infrastructure, making it possible for Nigerians to leverage social media and other digital platforms to ventilate their views against corrupt practices in order to ensure good governance in the country. Signed:
As the Nigerian banks like their global counterparts face an increased credit risk (or counter-party risk) in various financial instruments other than loans which includes acceptances, inter-bank transactions and trade financing. Having this in mind, FinTrak Software Limited, an indigenous financial technology (FinTech) firm with pan-African outlook recently engaged the risk managers in the Nigerian financial sector on the need to deploy an indigenous software. With the revamped Fintrak’s Credit Risk 360 software, the company described it as a robust risk management software designed to change risk management narrative in Nigeria’s financial sector.
In his opening remarks, Bimbo Abioye, the Group Managing Direcor of Fintrak Software said, the objective of this meeting is to enable you to know the immense capabilities of what various financial institutions in the country can do with the Credit Risk 360. The software has been built in line with the best global practice and having financial sectors in mind. The Credit Risk 360 software can be designed to meet the various organisation’s needs and can be used on the go. FinTrak Credit Risk 360 was designed to help banks meet the need to identify, measure, monitor and control credit risk.
Having a robust support and after sales on ground, Bimbo reiterated that the Credit Risk 360 is loaded with a lot of features. In his words” The credit reporting ecosystem has been one of the core business applications in the country. With various deployments in core banking solutions in various African countries. The software is a complete and cost effective solution that gives organisations a high level of control of system and resources.”
“FinTrak Credit Risk 360 was designed to help banks meet the need to identify, measure, monitor and control credit risk as well as to determine that they hold adequate capital against these risks and that they are adequately compensated for the risks incurred. The Credit Risk 360 Solutions is a web based platform that can be easily accessed from all branches of the bank without separate installations on a branch by branch basis”, Bimbo added.
Developed in Nigeria, the Credit Risk 360 is embedded with great features that would assist in the improvement of operational efficiency and reduction of turnaround time of banks and other financial institutions. With the software, banks are made to comply with the Central Bank of Nigeria stringent audit and more importantly regulatory requirements. Bad loans and risk of frauds via automation are mitigated with the software.
Comes with a dashboard that shows the classification of related data, push emails to concerned officers, credit risk origination, credit documentation , collateral management and collateral realization, the industry stakeholders have lauded Fintrak’s efforts in making risk management practice in the country seamless.
“We took into consideration the various challenges that the risk managers face in the country while building this software. Over time, we realized that most financial institutions buy over the shelf foreign software with little or no support system in place. We tried as much as possible to address these issues with this software. We have imbedded credit processing modules, electronic deal sip and transactions, deferral management , credit appraisal, risk ratings and so many more. We ensured that we built a software that over time made risk management practice error free”, said Christopher Sualeze, Head, Credit Risk 360 Implementation, Fintrak.
COVID-19: FG to support NAFDAC on vaccine research to meet global standard
• Stakeholders hinge growth on industry’s regulation
Despite the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria’s telecommunications and information services sectors remain the enablers of growth, with N2.3 trillion or 14.30 per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution in the second quarter of 2020.
Data available to The Guardian show that the contribution of the sector translates to N2.272 trillion, up from N1.821 trillion in the first quarter of the year.
This, according to figures released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), indicates an increase of 31.43 per cent.
While the entire Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry recorded 17.83 per cent in the second quarter, the 14.30 per cent contribution of the telecoms sub-sector was unprecedented, far and above oil and gas, and other non-oil sectors’.
Checks showed that, in 2015, telecoms’ contribution to GDP stood at eight per cent and has grown significantly quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year to reach the current milestone of 14.30 per cent.
Meanwhile, industry stakeholders attributed the second quarter contribution of telecoms sector, which represents a leap from the 10.88 per cent in Q1 2020, to the sound regulatory environment enthroned by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The stakeholders, including the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria, (ATCON), Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators (ALTON), and the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), who spoke with The Guardian on the matter, commended the regulatory framework driving the digital frontiers in the last five years.
The ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, thanked all industry players for their resilience and consistency of purpose.
Adebayo hinged the growth on so many factors including the investor friendly policy and regulatory environment championed by the leadership of NCC, commitment of all stakeholders, consistent investment on network maintenance and expansion, and sacrifice by sector operators.
To sustain this growth, the ALTON Chairman said the country should continue to invest in network expansion and maintenance operations, access to foreign exchange to procure network critical equipment, consistency in policy and policy environment.
Adebayo said there should be access to spectrum and friendly policies around its allocation, assignment and cooperation between the stakeholders.
ATCON President, Olusola Teniola, said: “telecoms industry has remained bullish owing to the quality of leadership at the helm of affairs at the Commission.”
He added that NCC had become reference point in telecoms regulatory ecosystem in Africa and beyond.
In the same vein, President of National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMS) Adeolu Ogunbajo, said the proactive regulatory approach of Danbatta has helped made telecoms “the oxygen that keeps economic activities afloat during the lockdowns and consumers are appreciative of the fact that the Commission, working with its supervising Ministry, didn’t allow consumer to suffer serious disruption to quality of service and quality of experience.”
Checks showed that effective regulatory regime, backed by various initiatives of the Commission and efforts of the supervising Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy at addressing industry challenges, is providing the needed digital valves that have supported the economy from collapse, since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The increase in broadband penetration, Internet usage, number of access to telephone and several other initiatives by the Commission, especially in the areas of driving tech innovations, employment creation, promotion of digital inclusiveness, which are policy directions of NCC, an industry regulator, have, in the last five years, boosted the sector’s contribution to GDP.
These policy activities have also enhanced growth of digital-based activities across other sectors of economy increasing efficiency and effectiveness in economic operations.
Speaking recently at the Commission’s first virtual telecoms consumer parliament (VTCP), the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, noted that the NCC, ensured has always been innovative and proactive in its regulatory activities by ensuring that the economy remains afloat despite the restrictions occasioned by the pandemic.
Nigerian telecommunication space can be said to be evolving since the early 2000. A reference point to what telecommunication regulation ought to be in Africa, especially the Sub Saharan region. Having said that, the country isn’t yet there and lot has to be done. Since the arrival of GSM in the country, many telecom firms have either died, given up or evolved since the advent of GSM licencing. One of the hardest hits were the satellite communication firms. In the early days the country was heavily dependent on satellite technology for calls and internet connectivity. With all the inherent disadvantages saddled with this type of communication, telecommunication companies (Telcos) started an ambitious project of laying fibre optic cables across the country. This is in line with broadband masterplan of the country. This fibre project literally threw some satellite companies of balance or out of business leaving the infrastructure companies (Infracos) as the kings.
Though, few of these Satellite Service Providers evolved while some where innovative, one of the firms that have made tremendous impact whose footprints are visible in the telecommunication ecosystem is NETCOM AFRICA. Netcom can be described as an early bird in the Nigerian telecom space, not only being an early bird, the company has consistently shown adaptability and innovation in the space. Not only having the best worms as it is in case of early birds, figuratively, Netcom has brought world class solution and international expertise in a local space. This singular attribute has made NETCOM visible and their services commendable to clients and prospects.
On the transition of the company, Sean Hsu, Chief Executive Officer of NETCOM Africa said “The transition is a matter of economics, the margins on data are small, it’s around three to four percent and this is not sustainable. The cost of doing business is high and as an organization, for one to still stay afloat in a highly competitive market, there is a need for evolution. Let us look at this example; data sales need so much volume now compared to when we entered the market 14 years ago. The internet penetration in Nigeria is in major cities and the rural areas need satellite and they are not economically viable. But in managed services, you can make some decent margins. That is why we have to diversify, and in technology there is constant evolution. At the end of the day we have to look at costs, prices, and margins, and that is why we did a transition. When we started out, the culture in the company was like “we are fine, why change”, but today everyone in the company embraces change because we are trying to predict the future of business’, which is business intelligence, analytical intelligence, that is the future. Companies are beginning to come to terms that as they mature, they might not have that 10% profit or more, the profits would shrink because of the ever-evolving market, sophisticated customer base and competition especially in a stable environment.”
Speaking on the evolution of Netcom Africa, Charles Harrington, Vice President, Corporate Development & Marketing, NETCOM Africa speaks the evolution of NETCOM AFRICA. In his words he said “When Netcom entered the market 15 years ago, we were primarily an internet service provider with a focus on corporate clients. As time went on our customers’ demands for more solutions led us to expand our service offerings. Our focus has not shifted from the corporate market, but our area of expertise now lies in connectivity, managed services such as Office 365, Virtual servers using Azure and Amazon, infrastructure as a service, and IT Outsourcing. Our IT outsourcing in particular is one area that is gaining a lot of momentum. We take decided to look at the IT needs of firms and we offer to handle the day to day duties of a company’s IT staff allowing them to focus on their core competencies while we handle their technology. In addition to taking over the responsibilities, we also set a technology roadmap showing them where they are and where we want to bring them to.”
The Group Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Office of Netcom Africa, Yen Choi, speaks of the evolution of Netcom Africa these past years. He said “Well a lot has changed from how we started to the Nigerian information technology (IT) space. It was 2004 that Netcom Africa was established and we started with VSAT services, ours was one of the most innovative then, we came to the market with a different mind-set. We came with 1.2 meter antenna whereas others have antennas that are as large as 2.4 meters, when we came to the market, with the 1.2 meter antenna which was smaller and also revolutionary in the Nigerian IT market, it was also cheaper and more efficient than what was available then in the market. We grew in this space rapidly and our subscriber base increased. One of our ways of working was innovating, we constantly tried to innovated and that is what IT firms must understand, innovation is the key in this industry. We were one of the first companies to connect to the SAT 3 cable system. “
Yen added “This is an undersea cable that connects Europe to Nigeria. The benefits were that the capacity was large; this reduced the cost of internet and also latency. We were the first to offer SAT 3 services outside of Nigeria Telecommunications (NITEL) of then which was a national carrier. We tried to pre-empt the fact that the country wouldn’t only be dependent on satellite services. Very shortly, we launched one of the first mobile broadband platforms, it was a device that is the size of an average mobile phone it is a PCMCIA card that can be inserted into the laptop. This device made customers to have access to SAT 3 bandwidth anywhere in Lagos. We called it “MyNetcom.” At that time, the competition was the fixed wireless and our solution was faster than the competitors who were offering to subscribers then about 100 kilobits per second. When we came into the market, we changed the conversation and we started offering services over 10,000 kilobits kB per second as of then.”
On Fibre Optics and telecom infrastructure, Yen said “that We began to roll out fiber across the city, we focused on exclusively on demanding business customers, and we started connecting them to the internet using fiber and microwave. These are high speed connections. Upon enjoying extremely reliable and high-speed connections. These customers not only wanting wanted the internet connection but they also wanted us to manage their IT operations. These customers not only wanted the internet connection but they also wanted us to manage their IT operations. We achieved ISO 9000 standardization and others. These are demonstration of our quality of service. We are the first and probably the only telecommunication company in Africa that has TL 9000 certification. This is a big milestone for us.”
As consumers are getting sophisticated, demanding world class services every day. Netcom Africa understood the need to be abreast and in tune with the realities, having evolved from data or high-speed internet service provider. The company took a great step by introducing Smart Home Solution into the country. This service is focused on bringing a bouquet of telecommunication and smart solution to facilities. In today’s world, buildings are going smart and tenants are becoming more sophisticated by demanding that buildings are connected with fiber optic cables, biometrics, VPN,access controls and security cameras, this is why we came up with the e-space. “We call ourselves the preferred service provider; we give tenants the flexibility to choose. We have a lot of partnerships globally for different solutions. We position ourselves to our clients as the trusted adviser. We work with a host of solutions providers and integrate it to suit the need of our clients. We try as much as possible to understand our clients and offer the best solutions. Netcom’s Smart Building Solutions connect, manage, and automate your building IT infrastructure. Downtime from IT infrastructure can lead to a huge loss in productivity and in turn affect the revenues. Global companies can lose precious time and money due to inefficient management of the IT infrastructure”, Yen opined.
As the world is tilting to cloud solution, NETCOM AFRICA understands the need to take Nigerian corporate organisation to secured cloud solution. As a world class company, security, encryption and support is their watchword over these years, Harrington expressed his view on this in a chat some time ago. “A couple of years ago companies would shudder to think that could put their servers in someone else’s server room or data center, and even worse to put it in the cloud! Today companies here in Nigeria are embracing the idea. At Netcom we offer data center colocation as well as VM’s. In addition, we now offer Amazon and Microsoft VM’s and we have in house experts to setup and manage these solutions for your company. With tons of data used today, what solutions do you have in the area of backup and recovery? One of our solutions for data backup and recovery is eVault. All companies should take data security seriously and it’s only after a disaster that some people think of it. Power outages, Hardware failures, ransomware and even human error are threats that could compromise your servers. We can custom tailor a data backup solution for whatever environment you have so that you can feel confident knowing your critical data and systems can be recovered in such an event. Network security, event monitoring and access are few of the solutions that you have in place.
“The move to the cloud is never easy, and it’s even scary for some! Change is something that we as humans fear the most, but we can all agree that with constant improving change is best. Part of the big change for data is moving it to the cloud and then try to make it easy as possible for our clients. We go in and look at all of the data need that they have and help develop a plan for what they need to move. You would be surprised at how much data they don’t actually need to move, or that’s been duplicated or simply unnecessary”, Charles added.
“Netcom has been in business since 2004 as one of the foremost internet service providers in Nigeria, and we try as much as to stay ahead of competition. We have over time deployed cutting edge infrastructure technology solutions such as VSAT, WIMAX, radio and as of today, fiber technology, as well as, managed IT solutions (Cloud PBX, ERP, CRM, SaaS, HaaSas and IT outsourced services. Now we can be seen as a front runner in the area of transformational IT solutions for business. We also try as much as possible to engage organizations and ensure that they lead their market space by been abreast of the rapid changes in IT innovations. This is one of our strengths. Through a team of our experts and in line with global best practices, we deliver transformational IT solutions. With a 24/7 dedicated support team, we can be said to be one of the best in the country. From our team of network engineers, system integrators, and application developers, we have been able to bring global best IT solutions to Nigerian firms”, Sean Hsu, CEO of NETCOM Africa concluded.
Anthony Nwosu
The transition is a matter of economics, the margins on data are small, it’s around three to four percent and this is not sustainable. The cost of doing business is high and as an organization, for one to still stay afloat in a highly competitive market, there is a need for evolution. Let us look at this example; data sales need so much volume now compared to when we entered the market 14 years ago. The internet penetration in Nigeria is in major cities and the rural areas need satellite and they are not economically viable
More awards have come the way of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta in recognition of the critical role the Commission has been playing in keeping Nigerians and businesses connected since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Two of the awards, ‘Human Rights Telecoms Defender’ for the EVC and ‘Human Rights Guard’ for the Commission, as a corporate entity, were presented by Wheel of Hope Human Rights Foundation (WHHRF), a frontline Nigerian Non-Governmental Organisation. The third award, ‘Icon of a Greater Nigeria’ was presented to the EVC by the Youth Coalition Against Corruption (YOCAC), a coalition of Nigerian youths from all walks of life.
Coincidentally, WHHRF and YOCAC adduced similar reasons for finding the EVC and Commission deserving of the recognitions.
Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikeckukwu Adinde, who received the awards on behalf of the EVC, appreciated the organisations for their gestures, noting that the three awards will serve as an encouragement to the Commission to continue to strengthen effective, fair and transparent regulation of the telecommunications industry.
“On behalf of the EVC and Chief Executive of NCC, we thank you for these recognitions. These latest awards will add to the long list of laurels in the NCC’s kitty. There are many initiatives by the Commission, to ensure increased connectivity, improved quality of service and consumer rights protection,” Adinde said while restating the NCC’s commitment to consumer-centric initiatives that promote digital inclusion and advance the digital economy vision of the government.
In his remarks, Chairman, WHHRF, Jide Abdulazeez, said the presentation of the two awards by the Foundation was in recognition of “the leading role the Commission has been playing in sustaining access to telecoms services throughout the period of the lockdown, following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.”
He added that the role of NCC in making the 112 Emergency Number available to Nigerians to report COVID-19-related cases and other emergencies; as well as its efforts in consistently protecting the rights and privileges of telecoms consumers, through effective resolutions of service-related complains, are part of the reasons for finding the Commission worthy of the awards.
In the same vein, the National Coordinator, YOCAC, Dahiru Umaru, said, “the Icon of Greater Nigeria Award conferred on the EVC is in recognition of his leadership qualities and achievements which have engendered quality regulatory supervision of the telecoms industry by ensuring that telecom consumers are not unduly shortchanged, especially during the critical stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
According to him, the Commission has been contributing immensely to the growth of the Nigerian economy by ensuring robust telecom infrastructure, making it possible for Nigerians to leverage social media and other digital platforms to ventilate their views against corrupt practices in order to ensure good governance in the country.
The General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Olajide Oduyoye has reacted to a television news story in which a man, named Godspower Osaze Ohamen, claimed that the brainbox of his Toyota Corolla Saloon car got missing within LASTMA premises after his arrest on Thursday, 20th August 2020.
Oduyoye explained that Ohamen failed to produce his Driver’s Licence for identification until he appeared on the television programme to reveal his identity, adding that in the process of arrest, the driver sprinkled a liquid substance on LASTMA men and recited incantations at the officials of the Agency.
He maintained that in a bid to verify the driver’s identity for issuance of a document charging him to Court, the LASTMA officials insisted that Osaze must produce his licence but he declined and opted to release his car keys before leaving the premises.
The General Manager stated that “the vehicle had to be towed into the premises of LASTMA because of Mr. Ohamen’s conduct before the arrest. After the vehicle was lowered from the tow truck, a joint inspection was carried out with our men before he locked his vehicle and delivered the keys in the presence of officers. All these procedures were captured on video by officials of the Agency”.
Speaking further, Oduyoye revealed that the accused showed up at LASTMA on Tuesday, 25th August, 2020, but officers insisted that his driver’s licence must be produced as earlier requested.
“The young man was again asked when he showed at LASTMA five days later to produce his driver’s licence; he simply stepped out and returned some minutes later to raise an alarm that his vehicle’s brainbox had been removed. It is surprising how he gained access into a vehicle that was locked and its keys were with the Agency”, Oduyoye said.
Disclosing that the incident has been reported to the Police, Oduyoye gave an assurance that the result of investigations into the matter will be made available to the public and affirmed that LASTMA will not be deterred from carrying out its mandate despite threats, intimidation or blackmail from some unruly members of the public.
The General Manager urged motorists to report any complaints about the Agency’s personnel through telephone numbers – 08129928503, 08129928490 or 08129928469 and advised members of the public to always obey the traffic laws of Lagos State to avoid the consequences of unruly conduct and possible prosecution.
I want to use this opportunity to thank all Nigerians for their prayers and well wishes while I was away for medical treatment . I am well now and fully recovered and had since returned back home, Nigeria.
On our way back, the Nigerian Airforce Flight encountered a violent clear air turbulence which was navigated safely and professionally by the Captain and crew of the Flight.
I want to commend and appreciate the courage and professionalism of the Captain and his crew, the wonderful gallant service men and women of the entire Nigerian Airforce for their dedication to duty and the quality of maintainance of its Fleet.
I recall hosting the private healthcare Providers earlier in the year and we had a very productive engagement where the issue of building the capacity of Nigeria health sector was the major focus, and funding was discovered to be the major challenge.
I therefore call on the healthcare providers to take the advantage of the Federal Government’s initiative through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) guidelines for the operation of NGN100 Billion Credit Support for the Healthcare Sector as was released recently contained in a circular dated March 25, 2020 to the Commercial Banks.
This will no doubt help in building and expanding the capacity of the Nigerian health sector and ultimately reduce medical trips and tourism outside the Country.
Once again, I thank our frontline workers, and all Nigerians for their steadfast as we navigate the challenges facing the entire world.
Aisha Muhammadu Buhari First Lady, Federal Republic of Nigeria
The Pan-Nigeria Economy Intervention Forum (PANEIF) ICT Stakeholders Taskforce has expressed gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS, FIIM for providing inspiring and sincere leadership which has led to the development of several policies that are accelerating the development of Nigeria’s Digital Sector.
PANEIF made it’s position known today during a virtual meeting with the Honourable Minister, Dr Pantami where the stakeholders presented its report of their last meeting to the Honourable minister which contains several recommendations to the Federal Government.
In his brief remarks, Dr Pantami commended PANEIF for putting up a comprehensive report and recommendations to the government, assuring them that under his leadership, everyone will be carried along in the journey to move the sector forward.
Dr Pantami said “ 17.8% Contribution of ICT to GDP and over 42% Broadband Penetration in Nigeria is a clear indication that the digital sector is moving forward”, adding that the sector is not only for the government to develop as it requires the contributions of all stakeholders on board.
