FMARD, IOFS Converge to Address Food Security Among Members

FMARD, IOFS Converge to Address Food Security Among Members

(Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development Report) – The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) have converged on Abuja to address the global issue of Food Security and Agricultural Development in the world, particularly among Member States.

Speaking during the Workshop held in Abuja recently, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Baba Shehuri represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ernest Umakhihe (Dr) said that the Workshop on Strategic Planning and Policy Development in Food Security would provide opportunity for dialogue and discourse on achieving a strategic food reserve system, increased production, mobilize resources as well as Food and Nutrition Security among Members.

The Minister implied that Nigeria has been selected by the IOC to serve as hub for food grain storage for its member countries. Shehuri also noted that the selection was apt as Nigeria already has over 36 strategic grain reserves across the country, adding that some have been concessioned, while seven are under the supervision and control of the Ministry.

He pointed out that Nigeria has largely demonstrated firm belief in the principles and objectives that established the Organization through the implementation of several initiatives in line with the IOFS Action Plan as conceived during the 40th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Conakry, Republic of Guinea in 2013.

Mustapha Shehuri continued that the Islamic Organization for Food Security was a specialized institution of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (IOC), an Inter-Governmental Organization that was established in 1964 with Nigeria becaming a member in 1986 as well as member of Agriculture Working Group in 2017.

Shehuri further revealed that the IOFS has not deviated from the core principle of providing expertise and technical know-how to Member States on aspects of sustainable agriculture and Rural Development towards addressing the current issues threatening food security in the world, particularly in the African region. He emphasized that the country is open to direct investments in the Agriculture Sector to leverage on the gains achieved through the diversification policy of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Government. He charged participants to proffer solutions to the current food security challenges at the end of the workshop.

In his remarks, the Director General of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), Yerlan Baidulet said that the objective of the workshop was to build the capacity of government officials on the basics and practices of strategy development, legislation improvement and creation of government inter- sectorial mechanisms on food security. He added that the organization would ensure that food systems are capable of addressing the problems of access to food and adequate nutrition.

Earlier in his comments, the Officer in Charge of the Regional Hub of Abuja – IsDB Nigeria, Mamadou Alpha Bah disclosed that over 80 participants from 13 Member States of IOFS were participating in the two-day workshop. Bah pointed out that the significant essentials of sustainable Food Systems was effective and competent Food Security Governance that aimed at overcoming the food security problems, including hunger and malnutrition through developing and implementing the national and subnational legal and regulatory frameworks on food and nutrition security among others.

The highlight of the 2 Day – Regional Workshop was the presentation of certificates to participants by the Representative of Minister. In attendance were the Director – General of IOFS, the Officer in Charge of the Regional Hub, Abuja IsDB, Representatives of IOC Member State among others

MITIGET: BRINGING WORLD-CLASS TECH SERVICES TO THE NIGERIAN FIRMS IN AREAS OF CYBER-SECRITY, DATA CENTER SOLUTIONS AND CAPACITY BUILDING

MITIGET: BRINGING WORLD-CLASS TECH SERVICES TO THE NIGERIAN FIRMS IN AREAS OF CYBER-SECRITY, DATA CENTER SOLUTIONS AND CAPACITY BUILDING

 

Globally, corporate organizations and businesses are digitizing and protecting their infrastructure, Nigeria inclusive. In this light, Mitiget Assurance and Technology Services Limited operating with the brand name Mitiget, an indigenous information security (InfoSec) company with international affiliates has promised Nigerian business ecosystem of offering a robust and unmatched data security, IT, and compliance solutions to them.
Speaking to the media, the Chief Executive Officer of Mitiget, Sunny Ukeachu said that “as an enterprise Information Security company, we are enabling small and large organizations and business to build efficient information management and functional security resilience. We hand-hold them through building governance for their critical information while using technological innovations to support their strategies of meeting business goals. Our promise is to deliver measurable value from where we take over, a minimum of 25% improvement. Just as our mission statement, we are poised to make a mark in African markets and globally by providing superior assurance and technology solutions to our customers through innovations, professionalism, and ethics. And we have done quite a bit.”

He added that “As part of our security solution offering, we bundle information technology as a leverage for businesses to create value. For instance, in delivering a secure data center, record management for our customers, we design, implement, secure and support all the IT infrastructure, be it, structured cabling for data, voice or power, physical security including CCTV, Access control, vaults, perimeter reinforcement and networking covering supply, configuration and hardening of switches, routers, firewalls and access points, the deployment of IT hardware with supporting applications and services including cloud services. If you are moving into a new office and need a partner to work with for your end-to-end IT and secure tech services, you cannot go wrong with Mitiget. We try to balance leading-edge technology innovation with highly skilled resources to deliver cost-effective, dependable, and adaptive IT solutions that meet or exceed our customer needs.”

The organization has recently made impact in other African nations making it an export for Nigeria and bringing in the much-needed foreign exchange. Mitiget has overtime demonstrated capacity to deliver solutions not only locally but to an international scale. Ukeachu said “We have done couple of interventions for organizations in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa helping them improve business and IT risk management maturity especially around relevant frameworks and international standards. We also have done a lot of work in reducing operational risks for many businesses by helping them go paperless. You are aware that business communications are largely paper based. Over-time, the paper documents grow in an uncontrollable volume exposing the organization to financial and reputational risks. Our end-to-end records management solution is the answer to this challenge. It does not matter the volume, how messy your archive is, we guarantee 100% success in all our projects. Another area we have excelled is in the provision of Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) solutions. We are the number BCP facility provider in Nigeria. Some financial institutions use our facility to run their periodic BCP/DRP tests to ensure resilience and to meet regulatory requirement.”

Sunny Ukeachu,CEO ,Mitiget Ltd.

On capacity building, Mitiget Learning Academy (MLA) is an arm of Mitiget that provides cutting edge technical and specialist learning interventions and capacity building endeavors for small, medium, and large-scale enterprises both in public and private sectors in Nigeria. Ukeachu opined that “This was our way of helping to develop relevant skills to support our teeming unemployed and unemployable youths. All our courses are hands-on, and project driven with the objective of exposing the trainees to real-life tasks and problem solving. Those that would want to take up a career in cybersecurity, risk management, python programming, web and mobile app development should make Mitiget learning Academy their starting point to build requisite capability to be relevant in the marketplace.”
Mitiget also provides cloud service to firms. “Apart from the adoption of remote working and enabling services and technologies, focus also shifted to hybrid cloud, solid-state storage, and sustainability measures in the data center space. Demand for cloud services will continue even in the coming year. For MSMEs and large organizations conscious of protecting their data, they should think of Mitiget. We do data right anytime, any day, anywhere. We are the home of information management and security expertise. Whether you need a complete design, incremental improvements, accredited servicing, and maintenance or even IT infrastructure decommissioning, we make them happen”, Ukeachu concluded.

 

 

Anthony Emeka Nwosu

 

Agricultural Technology Will Enhance Production, Boost Revenue – Shehuri

Agricultural Technology Will Enhance Production, Boost Revenue – Shehuri

 

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Baba Shehuri has said that agricultural technology would enhance production, boost revenue generation as well as revolutionise the agric sector. He also said that it will fast-track increase in yield, better packaging of agricultural products and attract foreign investors.

Speaking during the Handing Over / Taking Over of the China – Aid Nigeria Demonstration Centre Project in Bwari, Abuja recently, Mustapha Baba Shehuri represented by the Directorin the Department of Rural Development, Engr. Udo Daniel stated the Project would ensure transition from the small scale production model to a specialized commercial agricultural model.

Shehuri revealed that the objectives of the project was to provide and transfer advanced technology to the Nigerian youths as an enterprise as well as ensure training of local farmers in advanced technology to enhance productivity and wellbeing of Nigerian farmers. He added that it would train farmers on Agro- Processing Technology and ways of cultivating their interest in becoming micro and small scale entrepreneurs, geared towards owning their agri-business.

He stated that “the history of this project dates back to 10th of July 2013, while the actual construction work started in 2021 and was completed on 10th of October 2022 after series of documentations. Adding, the facilities at the centre are of world – class and includes Agricultural Technology Training and Research Centres, Processing and Exhibition Centres; Irrigation Facilities and Farmland Demonstration.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clement Agba represented by Mrs. Fatima Sheji said that “the bilateral relations between the two countries started way back in 1971 and has maintained a cordial relationships which has brought about so many developmental activities across the country.

Also speaking in a welcome address, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Cui Jian Chun said that his country will continue to strengthen the bilateral relation with Nigeria in terms of military, electricity and agricultural development, in order to improve and ensure food security in the country.
He revealed that the farm produce ranges from Hybrid Rice, Beans, Cassava, Yam and Corn among others with modern mechanized farm equipment to ease the process between planting and harvesting period.

Earlier in his goodwill message, the Chairman of Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya represented by the Supervising Councilor for Environment and Forestry, Salihu Mathew said that “Bwari Area Council has been a very peaceful community where all strangers are welcomed, including foreigners, regardless of where they come from and that it is a singular honour to have this type of development in his territory.

The cliclimax of the event featured the handing over and taking over of the China – Aid Nigeria Demonstration Centre Project as well as a guided tour of the project by the representative of the Minister of State. .

In attendance were the epresentative of the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning; Directors in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Chinese Officials among other stakeholders.

The Project covers an area of 31.38 hectares with a total area of 3,521.55 square metres for each building and about 20,000 square metres for the access road of the park and supporting construction works at elevated area on both sides of the Dam.

Photo Caption:

L-R, the Representative of the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Director, Rural Development Department, Engr Daniel Udo and the Chinese Ambassador in Nigeria, Mr. Cui Jianchun, during the Handing/ Taking Over Ceremony in Bwari- Abuja.

ZORACOM TO LAUNCH NETWORK SECURITY OPERATION CENTRE

ZORACOM TO LAUNCH NETWORK SECURITY OPERATION CENTRE

As businesses are getting more digitalized today, with a lot of business processes going online and virtual, the need to rejig and strengthen the cyber security architecture becomes imminent for any business to survive globally, Nigeria inclusive. Breaches are commonplace today, costing corporate world billions of dollars to combat. In line with this narrative, ZORACOM, an indigenous information technology (IT) firm located in Lekki will be launching their Network/Security Operation Centre (NSOC). This is to ensure that corporate organizations in the country have access to world-class cyber-security solutions in a cozy environment manned by competent manpower.

Speaking on the intention of ZORACOM to unveil this facility, John Nwachukwu, one of the Chief  Executives Officer of ZORACOM opined” We believe in doing things right, we are looking at how to service our existing clients better and how we can improve. We have a full grasp of the importance of cyber-security and business continuity; we are here to ensure that organizations are fully protected from these breaches that occur on daily basis. We are going to launch this NSOC facility just to ensure that firms are safe in their cyber environment. “

“Being a Zoracom Ninja (Zoran) means learning and doing new things every day, that revolve around helping digital businesses in data collection and analysis to make informed profitable decisions. Remember, we are on the journey of automating businesses, aimed at increasing end use revenue, enhancing satisfaction, and innovating solutions for business success”, John added.

To be launched this December 20th, the facility will be one of a kind in the country and will be a turning point in the area of cyber security solutions and manpower.  The facility will be a testament of the leading position of ZORACOM as an IT and Cyber-Security solution provider.

Zora Communications Limited is a technology company, automating digital transformation for cybersecurity, cloud, network, and service management. Zoracom, apart from cybersecurity solutions offers Broadband Access Networks,   Mobile Networks(3G/UMTS, LTE/4G, 5G),LoRa Access Networks, Radio Networks(Point-to-Point),Optical/SDH, Ethernet, IP/MPLS Aggregation. Others are Optical, IP/MPLS Backbones, Security/Firewalls and Voice/Soft Switch

 

Anthony Nwosu

 

 

” We believe in doing things right, we are looking at how to service our existing clients better and how we can improve. We have a full grasp of the importance of cyber-security and business continuity; we are here to ensure that organizations are fully protected from these breaches that occur on daily basis. We are going to launch this NSOC facility just to ensure that firms are safe in their cyber environment. “

AIT offers students unbroken, affordable quality education despite rising cost of living, labour strikes

AIT offers students unbroken, affordable quality education despite rising cost of living, labour strikes

 

The Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) has assured international students of affordable tuition fees and unbroken, no-strikes academic programme even in the face of global recession, rising cost of living including educational fees and numerous strikes in universities across the world.
AIT, an independent technology-focused research university based in Accra, has been consistently ranked as the top private university in Ghana and one of the leading educational institutions in West Africa since it commenced its academic year in 2009.
AIT is affiliated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Open University Malaysia allowing it to offer expansive, flexible and rigorous academic programmes to about the highest number of international students in Ghana all at highly affordable rates to students.

“AIT has made affordable fees, indeed, non-prohibitive education the hallmark of its mission underscored by its motto of ‘service, leadership, and scholarship.

Fee per semester is as low as S$500 per semester and students don’t have to buy books, handouts etc., as all these are available on our system. You can also complete the program online without coming to Ghana,” said Registrar of AIT, Mr. Dominic Osei-Boakye.

AIT has built a formidable reputation in over 20 years as a student-friendly, stable academic environment focusing on offering practical skills and leadership capacity to its students.

As global economy continues to bite, several universities have embarked on labour strikes forcing suspension of academic activities. In Australia, University of Auckland, staff are currently on strike under the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) over wage negotiations; in the US, California universities’ academic workers have embarked on strike in the face of rising housing costs; and in Nigeria, universities downed tools for months over funding and wage issues.

“These are challenges we have been able to successfully navigate as the No.1 private higher institution in a way that has ensured that academic programmes once started by our students are successfully completed allowing them the benefits of optimal scholarly pursuit,” said Osei-Boakye.

According to him, “The AIT success story cannot be told without mentioning the creativity, strong leadership, and direction from their able President, Prof. Clement Dzidonu. The award-winning Professor has, through AIT transformed educational delivery in the country using Technology. It is little wonder then that he deservedly won the Best Educator of The Year Award.”

Last year, AIT graduated its eighth batch of PhDs during its 16th Graduation Ceremony bringing the total number of PhDs graduated at AIT since 2016 to Forty-Nine (49) in the fields of Engineering, Business Administration, Education, and Information Technology.

“All indicators point to the fact that AIT as a university with its high-powered and academically distinguished Board of Trustees are meeting several envisaged milestones as a young and growing dynamic institution which is showing all the encouraging signs of becoming a world-class university,” said the Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees, Professor Edward Ayensu at a function months back.

Uhuru NFTs – Telling African stories in the Web3 world.

Uhuru NFTs – Telling African stories in the Web3 world.

 

 

One of Africa’s most exciting web 3 companies has launched its first NFT project – Uhuru NFT- A collection of limited Afrocentric NFTs housed on the Ethereum blockchain. Unlike other NFT projects, Uhuru NFTs tell relatable stories of African culture and lifestyle through appealing 21st-century digital art, as it looks to build a metaverse (Uhuruverse) for African creativity where Africans can experience African stories.

The Uhuruverse is a 3D virtual world that marries African history, creativity, commerce and technology. In the Uhuruverse, people all over the world, especially Africans can connect the dots between the past, the present, and the future. Users will be able to experience and celebrate black history, the story of the African race will not just be told but experienced.

The Uhuru NFT- Freeman collection are digital collectibles that tell the story of the historic event of the transatlantic slave trade that happened on the shores of West Africa from the 16th to the 19th century. This limited edition NFT art pieces will be sold through the world’s largest NFT marketplace, Open sea. The brand sets itself apart from others by bringing a unique roadmap, education, transparency, and exciting utilities for the Uhuru NFT holders.

The Founder of Uhuru NFT, Aso Obinna Eke, stated that “We want to ensure that Africans have a voice in the next iteration of the internet. This is why we are building this digital community of African artists, storytellers, and techies to spark innovation, fuel creativity, and transform minds through the promotion of innovative methods of history curation.

Digital art enthusiasts and investors can join the Uhuru NFT [Discord group] – a place to share your excitement and thoughts on the project and interact with others. Members can discuss things like floor price, NFT rarity, memes, space exploration, and also stay up to date with project news, partnerships, and community perks.

 

Verified.Africa Lands in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya with ID Verification Services.

Verified.Africa Lands in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya with ID Verification Services.

 

 

Africa’s burgeoning digital identity startup Verified.Africa has launched in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya with its verification services now available to businesses and individuals in these countries.

 

With initial operations in Nigeria since 2021, Verified.africa is making good on its roadmap to achieve digital inclusion for all on the continent.

 

Since its inception, Verified Africa has recorded over 300 thousand digital identity verifications from a thousand plus businesses – enabling startups, banks and SMEs to confirm the true identity of people safely.

 

As Frank Atube pointed out in the company’s blog release, “Ghana, South Africa and Kenya represent key markets for Verified’s roadmap into continental dominance and with this launch, we’re thrilled to open our doors to businesses and individuals in three more countries – bringing the best of digital verification to your shores.”

 

The digital identity industry has never been more important to online security and customer trust. KYC (Know your customer) and AML (anti-money laundering) protocols have become stricter with governments looking to secure economic growth and eliminate loss from fraudulent transactions.

 

Verified.africa through the use of machine learning & facial recognition technologies, facilitates this process for both businesses and individuals by helping them eliminate fraud, onboard online customers faster, and meet KYC compliance in minutes.

 

With this expansion, businesses in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya can now enjoy these benefits as they easily verify IDs in real-time anywhere in Africa using any of verified.africa’s services.

From National IDs to Business Certificates to Tax IDs, Verified.africa connects to multiple databases of identity records across the continent to enable you to confirm that people are exactly who they say they are.

 

The company plans to expand its footprint to other African countries over the next 18 months, becoming the most widely used verification platform on the continent.

 

To get started with Verified.africa, you can sign up on their portal at verified.africa/signup.

 

About Verified.africa

 

Verified.Africa is a product of Seamfix Ltd, a technology partner for thousands of global organizations on their journey of Digital Transformation for business growth and customer satisfaction.

 

Through their Verification Platform, businesses in Africa can easily verify the identity of customers, partners, and employees – helping them grow their customer base faster, prevent fraud and operate with better turnover.

CELLCORE UNVEILS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) SOLUTION FOR LOTTO PLAYERS 

CELLCORE UNVEILS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) SOLUTION FOR LOTTO PLAYERS 

 

 

In line with clients’ demands and technology trends, CELLCORE Ltd, an IT firm  in Ibadan unveils artificial intelligence (AI) solution  for lottery companies in Nigeria.  Celebrating their 10 years in the Nigerian IT industry, the LOTTOBOT which is first of its kind is a ChatBot technology that automates the playing of lotto games via Facebook Messenger.

The introduction of LOTTOBOT to the Nigerian gaming industry is timely and presents a wealth of opportunities for businesses looking to up skill their workforce and transform the user experience.

In his chat with the media, Mike Nwaogu, the Chief Executive Officer of CELLCORE Ltd said “We have made gaming simpler and easy. Facebook’s Messenger and other chat applications launched CHAT BOTS, and it was the cue  we needed to integrate the new AI technology buzz into their gaming experience.

Instead of having to go back and forth, logging out of their Facebook accounts and websites, and then visiting their gaming portal of choice, they can simply access it via our Facebook’s Messenger CHAT BOT”.

He added that “ We are at the forefront of deploying artificial intelligence into the gaming industry not only in Nigeria but Africa. We have been in this industry for almost a decade and we are using this solution to celebrate a landmark” .

LOTTOBOT Prime  allows gamers  to play lotto games by merely chatting with a bot,  thereby presenting a convenient, relaxed process and experience of playing lotto without having to leave your zone. With this chatbot, anyone can play lotto games directly via their Facebook Messenger, get direct updates of results and get prize winnings credited directly to their Messenger LOTTOBOT account.

Industry stakeholders have lauded the product, noting that with the introduction of LOTTOBOT into the Nigerian gaming industry, it has demonstrated that  the gaming industry is maturing. Amongst the industry stakeholders that attested to the solution is De Donkings Lotteries Limited.

Key features of LOTTOBOT include the ability for  gamers to subscribe to updates, players  can subscribe to receive automated updates of results via  their Messenger inbox. Known as Cash Out, winners get notified immediately by the Bot when they win. Their LOTTOBOT account is credited with the prize immediately. The players, can also check the balance of their winnings on the Bot or cash out their winnings through a simple process; either by having the cash withdrawn at an ATM or transferred to  their bank account.

“The intelligent LOTTOBOT is trained to guide players to play and submit available lotto games of partner lotto companies hosted on the platform, including soccer betting and soccer pools from select countries and leagues from around the world” remarked  Gideon Nwaogu, Chief of Operations,  CELLCORE Limited .

LOTTOBOT is  also trained to address some questions and challenges players may have while interfacing with it. For ease of play, LOTTOBOT is built to accept the Universal token PINs which can be used to play lotto games on the platform of select lotto game service providers across Nigeria. The PINs can be purchased online via the BOT  or from agents on the street.

 

ANTHONY EMEKA NWOSU

Anchor, a banking-as-a-service platform joins Y Combinator’s Summer 2022 (S22) Batch, announces the launch of public beta

Anchor, a banking-as-a-service platform joins Y Combinator’s Summer 2022 (S22) Batch, announces the launch of public beta

Anchor (https://getAnchor.co/), a banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform making it possible to seamlessly build financial products in Africa announces its public beta launch. The startup was also accepted into Y Combinator Summer 2022 Batch as the first African BaaS and embedded finance platform.

 

 

In recent years, there have been several reports about the size of the Africa financial inclusion opportunity (https://bit.ly/3pXguv2), particularly in reference to the provision of digital financial services.

 

These reports have brought about a spike in the number of companies and amount of investment activities in the fintech space in Africa. Yet, two things stand out; the minimal impact on financial inclusion, and the persisting difficulty in building and launching a fintech company on the continent.

 

For context, financial exclusion in Nigeria decreased by only one percent, from 37% in 2018 to 36% in 2020. Also, today, across Africa it takes an average of $500,000 and 18 months to build and go-to market with  financial products. This is because companies need to go through the hurdles of rigorous licensing and compliance processes, multiple integration layers, complex banking and third-party relationships, and invest in complicated core-banking infrastructure.

 

Anchor (https://getAnchor.co/) is launching its public beta API infrastructure to make it easier for African businesses to build, embed and launch financial products, starting in its first market, Nigeria.

 

Founded by Segun Adeyemi, ex-CEO of Amplifypay, Olamide Sobowale and Gbekeloluwa Olufotebi, Anchor provides API for offering accounts, money movement, savings and card products.

 

“We built Anchor to abstract away the complexities in building financial products, so businesses can get started in five minutes with a few lines of code”, says Anchor’s CEO, Segun Adeyemi.

We built Anchor to abstract away the complexities in building financial products, so businesses can get started in five minutes with a few lines of code

 

In May, Anchor released its private beta working with innovative start-ups like Outpost Health, Dillali, and Pivo. The BaaS platform has transacted millions, growing over 200% MoM, and is now set to launch its public beta (https://getAnchor.co/) for African businesses to embed finance into their offerings and for fintechs to build banking products. Already, the company has more than 40 other startups on its waitlist.

 

Anchor has raised over $1 million in pre-seed funding from Byld Ventures, Y Combinator, Luno Expeditions, Niche Capital, Mountain Peak Capital, and a host of angel investors including Emmanuel Okeleji (CEO, SeamlessHR), Ado Oseragbaje, Yinka Odeleye, and Sanmi Famuyide.

 

According to Ashutosh Desai, a Partner at Y Combinator, “Anchor’s embedded finance platform enables technology companies in Africa to build products that can rapidly expand access and improve quality of financial services. We’re excited to back Segun, Olamide, and Gbeke – a highly technical and experienced team – in building financial infrastructure that’s essential for Africa’s economic growth.”

 

“I believe BaaS will play a prominent role in the distribution of financial services in Africa. As a full stack baas provider, Anchor demarcates customer engagement from infrastructure – enabling its customers to focus on building differentiation as opposed to commodity infrastructure. We are really excited to be working with this determined and experienced team”, Founder of Byld Ventures, Youcef Oudjidane.

 

Anchor is a solution birthed by the insights garnered from the founders’ experience building and working with fintechs across Africa. The CEO, Segun Adeyemi founded Amplifypay; a payments company which he exited to Carbon (FKA OneFi/Paylater) in 2019. Segun proceeded to work with JUMO—a company that offers credit infrastructure to large mobile money operators across Africa.

 

Olamide, the CTO and co-founder, has worked at AppZone, TeamApt, Kuda, & Carbon. While at TeamApt he functioned as a Fullstack Engineer in the team that built the first virtual payments product in Nigeria. Gbeke, the Engineering Lead and co-founder, has been an IT Consultant and entrepreneur in Nigeria for over 10 years before joining Booking.com where he built financial operations software.

 

“We have seen first-hand the painful process of closing banking partnerships, negotiating third-party contracts, and obtaining regulatory approvals. And more generally, the extensive time and effort required to launch financial products,” Segun said.

 

He added that “considering the similarity in the underlying infrastructure, irrespective of the unique value propositions, companies should not have to wait for years and spend millions to go-to-market. That’s why we are excited to get Anchor into the hands of many more businesses via our public beta launch.”

PANTAMI EXCITED WITH THE UNPRECEDENTED 18.44% HIGHEST EVER ICT CONTRIBUTION TO NIGERIA’S GDP

PANTAMI EXCITED WITH THE UNPRECEDENTED 18.44% HIGHEST EVER ICT CONTRIBUTION TO NIGERIA’S GDP

 

The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), is very excited to hear of the remarkable contribution of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2022 (Q2 2022). The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated this in the ‘Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product Report’ for Q2 2022, released on the 26th of August, 2022.

The Digital Economy sector under Professor Pantami has continued its trend of playing a key part in the growth on Nigeria’s economy. The Report by the NBS indicated that the ICT sector contributed 18.44% to the total real GDP in Q2 2022. This is the highest contribution of ICT to the GDP and is truly unprecedented and marks the third time that the sector has achieved an unprecedented contribution to Nigeria’s GDP during the tenure of the Honourable Minister- in Q1 2020, Q2 2021 and now Q2 2022.

The oil sector contributed 6.33% to the total real GDP in Q2 2022, which was lower than the contribution in Q2 ‘2021 and Q1 ‘2022, where it contributed 7.42% and 6.63% respectively. The non-oil sector’s contribution grew by 4.77% in real terms, resulting in a 93.67% contribution to the nation’s GDP in the Q2 ‘2022, higher than Q2 ‘2021 and Q2 ‘2022, where it contributed 92.58% and 93.37% respectively.

The Honorable Minister notes that the growing contribution of the ICT sector to the GDP is as a result of the commitment of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR to the development of the digital economy. The diligent implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, stakeholder engagement and creation of an enabling environment have all played an important role in this achievement.

The support of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has contributed immensely to the impressive developments in the sector. The unprecedented contribution of ICT to Nigeria’s GDP can also be attributed to the dynamic and results-oriented leadership of the sector. The GDP Report has shown how critical the ICT sector is to the growth of our country’s digital economy and, by extension, the general economy.

The Honourable Minister congratulates all stakeholders in the digital economy ecosystem for this cheering news. He also renews his call to all sectors to take advantage of the Federal Government’s new focus on the digital economy to enable and improve their processes through the use of ICTs. This would enhance the output of all the sectors of the economy and boost Nigeria’s GDP.