TechCabal

In fulfilment of its strategic objective to becoming Africa’s gateway to the world, Nigeria’s leading retail bank, Access Bank Plc has launched and opened up its USSD channel (*901#) to all Nigerians to enable the instant opening of DiamondXtra accounts from mobile devices.

The DiamondXtra USSD channel option (*901#) allows customers, and potential customers, conveniently open a DiamondXtra account, confirm the number of tickets they have in a particular draw, and also find out the date for the draws from their mobile devices.
Introducing the USSD channel account opening option, Victor Etuokwu, Executive Director, Retail Banking, said “Our business is all about our customers as our success can be directly attributed to their success. We have helped millions of people save with DiamondXtra and have rewarded thousands over the last 10 years, with this year being the eleventh edition. To encourage more people to save, we have digitized the scheme to accommodate customers who are not able, for one reason or another, to go the branch to open a DiamondXtra account. New customers can simply dial *901#, follow the prompts to open a DiamondXtra account and fund with a minimum of ₦5,000 to be one of our lucky winners.
To join our winning train, all you need to do is to save up, if you are already a DiamondXtra customer, or open a DiamondXtra account with just ₦5,000 and save multiples of ₦5,000 to increase your chances of winning”. Victor concluded.

The reward scheme rewards 10 customers with N1million each in our monthly draws, while the rewards for the quarterly draw include:
Salary4Life (N100,000 every month for 20 Years)
Education allowance for 5 years (N100,000 every month for 5 years)
Rent 4 a Year (₦1,000,000)
₦1,000,000 for 6 lucky winners
₦500,000 for 15 lucky winners
₦100,000 for 45 lucky winners
₦50,000 for 300 lucky winners
₦20,000 for 300 lucky winners
₦10,000 for 300 lucky winners
Loyalty prizes 20,000 for 45 lucky winners

DiamondXtra is an interest yielding hybrid account which allows deposit of both cash and third party cheques. Hybrid means a combination of both savings and current account features. The DiamondXtra reward scheme has given away over N5 billion in cash and household items to over 15,000 loyal customers over the last 10 years. Please click HERE to learn more.

GOGetters, imagine having to take control of your video entertainment experience right on your mobile device! 

Well, you don’t have to imagine any more as MultiChoice has made this possible with the launch of the all-new MyGOtv app. The MyGOtv self-service application will provide GOtv customers with a simple and easy way to manage their accounts from their mobile devices.

Here are 5 reasons you need to get on your mobile devices which includes smartphones and tablets and download this app:

• Cut the long queues by managing your accounts from the palm of your hand: The new MyGOtv self-service app allows customers to manage their accounts from their mobile devices anytime, anywhere. As a GOtv customer, you can view your account, renew your subscription, change your package, clear error codes and update your details amongst other exciting features.

• The app is available to both Apple and Android users: No one is left out on this! The MyGOtv app can be downloaded in various app stores, for iOS users you can download it from the ‘App store’ and for Android users, you can find the app in the ‘Google Play store’.

• It costs nothing to download! Who doesn’t love a free app? The MyGOtv app does not cost a thing to download but it does require mobile data or WiFi to function.

• You can vote for your favourite BBNaija housemate through the MyGOtv app after the Monday nomination shows and it’s FREE!:  The hottest reality TV show, BBNaija, is on! If you are a registered voter, you can vote right there and then by clicking on the vote now button inside the MyGOtv App, click on Sign in and enter your cell phone number in the international format e.g. +2348000000000, enter your chosen password, select your favourite housemate, enter your number of votes and cast your vote by clicking VOTE. Votes on the MyGOtv App are limited to 100 votes per user and is FREE. Data costs apply.

• Why call in to fix errors on your TV when you can do it directly from MyGOtv app:   The app offers you the option of fixing TV errors you are experiencing. Simply got to the ‘Fix errors’ section then click on the button that says, ‘Select which error is on your TV screen’ and selects the error the options and then clicks on ‘Fix it’. You should get a message on your screen informing you that the error has been successfully submitted. 

The functionality of the MyGOtv app will continually be assessed and updated to adapt to digital technology advancements that will improve customer experience. 

For more on GOtv and its offerings, please visit www.gotvafrica.com and follow GOtv Nigeria on Facebook and @GOtvNg on Twitter and Instagram.

Nigerian brands would always have the need to communicate with their customers on a frequent basis. What to communicate is as important as when to communicate and where to communicate. About 15 years ago during data collection, Nigerians would often give invalid email addresses. SMS has long been the major player in mass communication to customers. This is major because the most accurate data held by brands has always been SMS numbers. SMS marketing was also declared a nuisance by NCC and the rise of DND occurred. Suddenly brands SMS delivery rates dropped to as low as 40%. Brands now need to turn to other channels of communication to engage with their customers.

The rise of GSM and 3G Technology in Nigeria had given multiple communication channels at the fingertips of every user. Now a large percentage of the population have valid email addresses that they check on a regular basis. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter play a valid role in their life. Suddenly, it is no longer about what you communicate alone. When you communicate, how you communicate and the channel you use for communication would play a big role in converting the sale.
The purpose of this report is to provide valuable insights behind email marketing and how the average Nigerian customer reads marketing emails. With this report, email marketers can now tailor their communication to ensure they are delivering the right content at the right time.

This report, available for download here was compiled by the Client Success Manager Team (Smartech Product) for Netcore Solutions in Nigeria. Netcore Solutions is a 22-year old technology and marketing company whose footprints start from India and are now present in 9 Countries – India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Vietnam, Philippines, USA, UAE and UK.
Netcore solutions have 3000+ global clients with 70+ clients in Nigeria using one of their solutions. Netcore’s Smartech is an AI-Powered Growth marketing platform that is capable of delivering cross-channel automated communication on 10 Channels (Email, SMS, Voice, Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Browser Push Notifications, Web Message, In-app message, App Push Notifications).

By combining these 10 channels of communication in one highly customizable platform, Smartech empowers marketers to engage with their customers and increase conversions on the website and mobile app using triggered notifications and deep analytical insights.

The report is currently available for free download here: http://bit.ly/Nigeria-email-2018-report

Ultra-view display and auto pop-up selfie camera are the hottest trends to watch for this season

Huawei launched today the latest edition of the Y series, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019. This phone has some of the most amazing features ever: An ultra-view display and auto pop-up selfie camera plus other premium features usually found in flagship devices. The phone is trendy and powerful. Let us dive right into four features that we love on the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019.

Truly bezel-less design and massive screen

HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 features the most unique form of bezel-less design, HUAWEI Ultra Fullview Display. The screen measures 6.59 inches and it instantly catches your eye, being utterly different from what we’ve been used to – it is free of notches, holes or sliders. 

Designed to allow a maximum view, it caters to those demanding users who won’t settle for an average screen when it comes to gaming, watching movies or simply browsing through your favourite apps.

Cool auto pop up Camera: 

What made this phone comes with such a big viewing experience is the new auto pop-up camera. It is 16MP and it is invisible to the eye and hides within the body. It is automatically activated when you want to take a selfie and it rises within one second.

On the back of the device, there are three cameras: 16MP + 8MP + 2MP. Both the 16MP + 8MP enable you to capture images that are clear with top quality and high contrast. The 16MP lens comes with an F/1.8 aperture so extra light comes into the sensor so that you can capture vivid and colourful pictures even in dark environments. While the 2MP camera works in tandem with the 16MP to provide you with pictures that have a lifelike depth of field.

Outstanding performance

With a huge 4000mAh battery, you can play games and stream videos for an extended period of time without having to worry about your battery dying or needing charging breaks. At the core of this device, is Kirin 710F chipset, which provides your phone with excellent performance and increases power efficiency.

And to understand your needs from the phone and allocate resources accordingly, EMUI 9 learns and analyzes users’ behaviour for a smoother and more optimized experience while using the phone. In addition, HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 comes with 4GB RAM and 128GB ROM so there is enough storage for all your pictures, videos and any other data you might want to store in your phone.

Gaming experience from the future

To maximize the joy of having a big screen, HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 brings you a gaming experience right from the future. So you can identify your gaming scenarios and match them with real-life sensations, like reloading or waves from an explosion.

Price and Availability 

The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 is now available on Jumia, 3CHUB, Pointek and SLOT stores nationwide in three colours: Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green for just NGN83,900.

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Eko Innovation Centre, Mr Victor Afolabi have expressed his organisation’s readiness to support any ideas or concepts that have the capacity to impact at least 10 million people

Afolabi who disclosed this in Lagos during ‘An Evening of Conversation on Moral Leadership’ said that they are committed to incubating, accelerating, mentoring and funding innovation and technology startups.

“For you to be admitted into the Eko i-Centre, your idea and concept must have the ability to touch 10 million people and also have commercial viability and strong social impact among other things.”

He explained that the idea behind the EIC was to use innovation and technology in solving the major issues in the Lagos State economy and Nigeria as a whole.

Speaking on the offerings provided by Eko Innovation Centre, Afolabi said that entrepreneurs admitted can spend a minimum of 18 months to 3 years and will also be taught tax management, procurement, finance, strategy and administration. “The idea is that when we have companies that come into incubation, their chance of survival is very high because of strong handholding mentorship we are going to be providing.”

Afolabi said that lack of capital was limiting the capabilities of entrepreneurs to develop innovative technologies in order to solve the problems in the country. He urged the state government to support and create the enabling environment for start-ups to thrive.

“We saw in the Lagos manifesto an agenda to make the state the 21st-century economy.

“The only way to create a 21st-century economy is to make sure you are creating the enabling environment for businesses and solution to problems that are driven by innovation and technology,” Afolabi said.

On his part, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said his administration would build innovation and technology centres across the state to address the problem of youth unemployment.

Sanwo-Olu who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat said that his administration recognised the place of technology as the key driver to fast-growing economies.

“Technology is the way to go. It is the way of the future and our administration is committed to leveraging on technology in delivering the megacity dream. As a government, we will build innovation and technology centres where we can bring in private capital and investors, get ideas from young people on technology and be able to start creating employment for our youths.

“We also believe that to achieve the THEME concept that has to do with the environment, education, transportation and health, innovations and technology is key. People from those centres would come and give us innovative ideas to solve our transport problem; ideas with which they think locally,” he said.

Corroborating him, Chief Executive Officer of Acumen, Jacqueline Novogratz pointed out the need for a mindset shift on the path of investors from sole financial focus to giving opportunities to entrepreneurs.

“We have seen the yearning of young entrepreneurs around the world who want entrepreneurial tools and they want the skill building on what moral leadership is all about which inform this gathering.”

Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Venture Philanthropy Alliance, Mr Olayemi Cardoso explained that mentorship is the responsibility of everybody. 

 “We find a way to have sound clean mentorship whereby we pick the right role models and we pair them up with people who are coming down below who are relatively more junior and who are looking for direction.

“There is a lot of cross-sectorial work, multi-stakeholder work that can be done towards helping to groom that concept of mentorship and institutionalizing it within our society,” Cardoso said.
Also, Mr Andrew Nevin, Founding Director, The Africa Institute for Leadership and Public Administration, added that creating smart economies with technology-driven innovative solutions would lead to the creation of new jobs that previously never existed.

Afrione Mobile, Nigeria’s first local mobile phone brand, unveiled its new range of music devices and accessories at the ICTEL EXPO 2019 on Tuesday, July 16, 2019.

Speaking at the product launch, Afrione’s COO, Mr. Rajan Nahal reiterated the brand’s commitment to empowering Nigeria’s human capital and in turn the country’s economy by taking something considered to be “Beyond Impossible” and making it work in Nigeria.

The mobile phone brand which officially launched its 2in1 convertible tablet at the ICTEL EXPO in 2017 has since expanded its portfolio with two smartphones, the Gravity Z2 & Champion Pro and two feature phone Naija 1 & Punch.

The products launched at the event are Bluetooth wireless ear pods, sporty neckband, wired headset, metallic earphones & Bluetooth speakers which are now available at affordable rates.

As the only mobile phone brand with a Nigeria-based factory, Afrione is true to its promise of building the Nigerian tech ecosystem.

Visit www.afrione.com to learn more about Afrione Beats and for online orders. You can also keep up with the brand on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter @afrionemobile.

L-R: Razvan Mihai, Global Head of Training, Rally Trade; Kolawole Okeowo, Head of Operations, Rally Trade; Luca Constantinescu, CEO, Rally Trade; Michael Akinwale, General Manager, Rally Trade, at the website and partner programme launch in Lagos recently.

To kick off the second half of the year 2019, Rally Trade has launched its New Partner Program and website. The launching which held at its corporate headquarters in Lagos on Saturday was a platform to unveil its refined partner’s programme and revamped its website, all in a bid to meet the yearnings of their current clientele and prospects.   

The new partner program is aimed at empowering its proficient clients to share their new-found skills with others while representing the values that Rally Trade stands for. The brand-new partner program is based on a Multi-Tier structure that enables its partners to earn on introduced sub-partners as well, up to 3 Tiers.

The CEO of Rally Trade, Luca Constantinescu, was on ground to give credence to the emerging nature of the Nigerian business space and the need for such knowledge and direction at this stage of the country’s development; bearing in mind the massively increasing trend of online dealings.

The GM, Michael Akinwale, a proponent of multiple income streams and one of the pioneers of online business in Nigeria, outlined the workings of this “Multi-Tier” structure of the partnership and the need for such at this crucial stage. He underscored the need for entrepreneurship mindset, and Rally Trade’s corporate-social responsibility role, as the basis for running the longest online trading cum training schemes for over half a decade.

While speaking, the Head of Operations at Rally Trade, Kolawole Okeowo stated that the website overhaul was specifically designed for Nigerian users. In his words, he said, “This new platform encourages easy online access, making vital information available from anywhere and at any time. Traders anywhere will be able to find the latest industry news, regularly updated market analysis, an events section to keep them up to date on all upcoming events, and an updated learning centre created for all traders by visiting www.rally.trade”

A heap of praises roared across the floor as clients in attendance could not hold back their excitement at the joyous situation. At the end of the occasion, Mr Valentine Obinna, one of their long-term clients, stated he could not wait till August 1st as it is too good a news. Mr Anthony Ani, an Introducing Broker (IB), shared his experience and believes that Rally Trade has been able to address the issue that causes redundancy of IBs, as now everybody is in business not only the initial person; thus it’s an all-for-one and one-for-all case.

With cutting edge trading platforms, downloadable at www.rally.trade, Rally Trade have also bumped up their leverage on the MT4 platform thereby making the choice easier for their clients at 1:500, a 250% boost that aids trading capacity

Interested persons are expected to register on www.rally.trade/Partner-Program/register from 1st of August, 2019, with benefits rolling over to three levels defined as “Tier 1” – 60% of Net Spread, “Tier” 2 – 15% of Net Spread, and “Tier 3” – 5% of Net Spread; in essence everybody involved smiles to the bank.

As part of efforts to make internet connectivity affordable and accessible to subscribers, Spectranet 4G LTE has introduced Spectra-cular data plans.

L-R: Marketing Manager, Spectranet 4G LTE, Samson Akejelu; Chief Executive Officer, Ajay Awasthi; Senior Marketing Specialist, Spectranet 4G LTE, Jagadish Swain; and Chief Executive Officer, AbsolutePR, Akonte Ekine during the launch of Spectra-cular data plans for all forms of internet users in Lagos.

Structured to suit the needs of all types of Data users – Casual users, Moderate users and Heavy users, these simple easy-to-understand plans named as Unified Value, Mega Value and Always On the plan , singularly focus on delivering superior value to the subscribers resulting in significant savings. 

According to Chief Executive Officer Mr Ajay Awasthi, “in a rapidly evolving Data market like Nigeria, the subscribers most often get confused by extremely complex and difficult-to-understand Data plans offered by various operators. At Spectranet, we understand Data users’ behaviour much better, being the first operator to launch 4G LTE services in Nigeria. For example, over time we have noticed a significant shift in user behaviour from day time to night time driven by Youtubers, online videos, and students undertaking Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC).

L-R: Marketing Manager, Spectranet 4G LTE, Samson Akejelu; Chief Executive Officer, Ajay Awasthi; and Senior Marketing Specialist, Spectranet 4G LTE, Jagadish Swain at the launch

“The core idea behind the launch of these plans is to offer Data users superior value through simple, uncomplicated data plans packing in either bonus night time GBs or Unlimited Nighttime browsing. Our subscribers in all usage categories can now enjoy seamless Day-Night access to the Internet without having to worry about paying exorbitant charges. Spectra-cular Data Plans empower subscribers to “do more” and “save more” with reliable and affordable internet.”

The Unified Value Plans offer FREE night bonus along with the main data bank. For instance, when a customer buys the N3000 Unified Value plan, he gets 4GB anytime data plus 4GB night bonus for 1 month. This pack is specially designed for moderate data users.

The Mega Value Plans offers Unlimited night browsing along with the main data bank. For e.g. when a customer buys N8000 Mega value plan, he gets 15GB anytime data plus Free Unlimited Night browsing for 1 month. This pack is specially crafted for heavy data users.

With Always-On Plans, subscribers will never run out of data. For example, when a customer buys N18000 Always on a plan, he/she gets 100GB high-speed data and post-consumption of 100GB data customer is still connected to the internet with Always on 512kbps speed. This pack is designed for data lovers who can’t live without data.

Spectra-cular data plans are tied to Spectranet’s vision of providing unique customer experience and service excellence. Spectra-cular data plans are available in Spectranet’s coverage areas: Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Ibadan. The plans are available on request via the Spectranet app and website – https://spectranet.com.ng/dataplan

Spectranet Limited was the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) to launch 4G LTE internet service in Nigeria. The brand is known for providing affordable, faster and more reliable internet broadband to Nigerian homes and offices. Its internet service is currently available across Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Port Harcourt. Its state of the art 4G LTE network ensures high-speed internet connectivity for the customers.

Spectranet 4G LTE is a recipient of multiple awards for Best Internet Service and 4G LTE Provider in Nigeria in 2016, 2017 and 2018. 

CoYP is currently a web application which is silent for College Yellow Pages. The idea was conceived by a young Nigerian scientist and budding serial entrepreneur in the middle of an MBA – marketing class at Boca Raton, Florida, USA. While there is nothing American about CoYP, its creation was spurred on the heels of an interesting discussion about existing “corpo-similars” (we’d say “bio-similars” if CoYP were a biotech product) like Yelp, YP.com and others. But back in Africa, the only thing that comes to mind about Yellow Pages are the big yellow books containing classified ads often found by those old Nitel telephone booths. That is where we would find local business listings for “Baba Jamiu” the plumber, “Bala” the “mae-shai” (a skillful road-side tea brewer in northern Nigeria), or “Mama Okoro” the “Ugwu” (green vegies) seller. Naaah! You really won’t find such listings in Yellow Pages, but in my mind, I thought that is what they should contain. However, back in those days, only the rich and the high middle class families would have a Nitel home or business telephone line in the first place. “Baba Jamiu” or “Jamiu” himself with the side hustle wouldn’t possibly be able to afford placing a classified ad in Yellow Pages. And as a matter of fact, the entity (YP.com or Yellow Pages) used to be owned at a time by AT&T but it was later sold to Cerberus Capital in 2012 for about $1billion – for a controlling stake. Yep, it was and is still a serious but evolving product.

So right in the middle of this MBA class, all I could think about was a social utility that would be useful for student entrepreneurs back in Africa – but starting out at my crib in Nigeria and maybe Ghana. At least, those markets are understandable or at best identifiable. According to a recent (2017) data by UNESCO, Nigeria alone has a school-age population at the tertiary level of about 20million people – which is a target marketplace about the entire population of some African countries like Ghana, Angola and Cameroon – among others. 

So from conception in 2015, it took about four more years of initial ideation, design iteration and eventual launch of an MVP (www.coyp.biz) in the Spring of 2019. We pushed out a bare minimum functional application where college students (and by college, we mean tertiary institutions like Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education) can list, find and share college businesses. To list a business, a college entrepreneur just needed to sign up on coyp.biz with an email address, activate the account via an email generated activation code, then complete a business listing form that will be published as a public business page to the world. There are even options for a YouTube video upload (if the business has product videos to share), a business logo or picture upload, and basic business contact details such as a physical business address, phone number and a clickable website url – if there is any. Listed businesses can also have followers from users registered on the platform – where complementary business reviews or comments can also be made on a CoYP Entrepreneur’s page.

These features sound basic and cool, but then there needs to be something of value to onboard actual college entrepreneurs. Typical Nigerians for example would browse through such apps and ask you – so what?! Then we would attempt to recap what the app could do; but to the nice ones, they’d just applaud the application as a laudable idea, and that would be it. So we thought we needed to integrate something of value that could make it stick or at best stand out beyond the regular business directories. 

Beyond listing, sharing and finding businesses on our platform, we intend to buildout the application into many facets of value. We have just completed a crowdfunding application which can be used by student entrepreneurs to crowdsource funding for their businesses right from their social circle. “CoYPFundMe” campaigns can be easily launched on the platform once a user signs up as a CoYP Entrepreneur and lists a business on CoYP.biz. 

Following the integration of “CoYPFundMe” and since we had been bootstrapping CoYP from scratch with no external funding yet, we thought the application has got some merits and can now be put to work. So we focused on some targeted social media advertising via Facebook and Instagram as well as Google just to maintain an easy search presence. However, Facebook seems to have driven a lot of traffic to CoYP.biz because it is regarded as a continental village with more than two billion global users; and Instagram because it is probably the millennials’ haven. With a modest advertising budget to test the waters, we have been able to sign up more than 500 users till date while the platform’s engineering was being optimized. Even with a targeted social media advertising to onboard users from Nigeria and Ghana for now, we noticed that a typical college entrepreneur (age range 18 – 34) is not by any means an easy catch, so we decided to put up a N500k promo to complement our ad-efforts, where the cash award would be shared among the top three CoYPers with the highest followership. For a virgin app that is yet to gain significant traction like ours, such incentives are able to push mere clicks to converted leads – which would be actual signups, possibly listed businesses and crowdfunding campaigns on the platform.

Although we are providing a freemium version of the application for now, our major revenue model will be hinged to corporate ads and commissions from the crowdfunding feature. And should we land a major significant seed investment (which we are still open to from interested backers) in the coming weeks, the mobile version of the application will be launched. We also hope to further integrate additional valuable tools for CoYP Entrepreneurs such as “CoYPay” – a robust fintech feature to facilitate payment transactions safely on the platform. We are also looking into making physical cashless operations fluid with “CoYPSquare” – which will be a card processing device that can be requested and used on the platform by CoYP Entrepreneurs via their mobile phones.

In the near future, if CoYP survives its first 2-3years of mastering its predominantly millennial market, then a pivot into the general non-student entrepreneurial population might be tested. We would therefore scale the product one step at a time into new territories (countries), then after we may have onboarded a good number of African College Entrepreneurs, we might go all out for the rest of the Corporate Entrepreneurs – and the possibilities would then be endless.

We have set out with a reasonable vision, and we hope that CoYP will indeed be the next big thing for college and corporate entrepreneurs in the years to come. Check us out at www.coyp.biz today!

Olumide Adenmosun is the Founder/CEO of CoYP, Eurekan Biotechnologies and DNA Ensemble . He can be reached at info@coyp.biz or olucyno@gmail.com. 

Africa’s most preferred smartphone brand, TECNO, has launched the long-awaited addition to the TECNO Phantom smartphone series. The new device, The Phantom 9, comes with an array of enhanced features that bring a whole new dimension to the smartphone experience. One of its exciting new features includes an AI Triple Camera that allows you to take immersive wide-angle photographs of landscapes, cityscapes and indoor architecture, without breaking a sweat.

Speaking at the launch event held In Lagos, PR and Strategic Partnership Manager, TECNO, Jesse Oguntimehin, while unveiling the device noted “This new device has been in the pipeline for a while. With the amazing AI Triple Camera plus other wonderful features, we are proud to say it was worth the wait. Photography enthusiasts and business professionals will find that the Phantom 9 is a great addition to their work and entertainment toolbox” 

Aurora-Inspired Beauty

Besides sporting an amazing camera, the new TECNO Phantom 9 draws on beauty from the skies above – the colourful aurora! The impressive aurora, visible in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, inspired the design of this new device. Seasoned design engineers from Paris, France worked with the TECNO team to create the look and feel of the new device. 

The triple camera function also comes equipped with Google Lens, that allows the TECNO Phantom 9 do smart identification of objects as soon they come into the view of the camera.  The device does this by automatically showing all the relevant information on the object. This brings a whole new dimension to smartphone photography. 

The Phantom 9 comes with 6GB RAM + 128GB memory space and is powered by Android 9. Last but not the least, the device features curved edges which make for an easy firm grip and spares you the heartache of having your phone fall out of your hands. All these and more are reasons to get the TECNO Phantom 9. 

The TECNO Phantom 9, a great addition to the PHANTOM series and an improvement on the older PHANTOM 8 is priced at 77,000 naira, proving that TECNO is for Nigerians. 

The triple camera function also comes equipped with Google Lens, that allows the TECNO Phantom 9 do smart identification of objects as soon they come into the view of the camera.  The device does this by automatically showing all the relevant information on the object. This brings a whole new dimension to smartphone photography. 

The Phantom 9 comes with 6GB RAM + 128GB memory space and is powered by Android 9. Last but not the least, the device features curved edges which make for an easy firm grip and spares you the heartache of having your phone fall out of your hands. All these and more are reasons to get the TECNO Phantom 9. 

The TECNO Phantom 9 a great addition to the PHANTOM series and an improvement on the older PHANTOM 8 is priced at 77,000 nairas, proving that TECNO is for Nigerians.

Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) has unveiled HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019, the latest Y Series device, a line of smartphones that caters to the younger generation to realize their true potential. The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 packs premium features and innovations which include a new and improved display and a revolutionary auto pop-up front camera.

Announced at a price of NGN83,900 the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 is a very compelling product especially in today’s video-centric social media landscape.

Designed for users who demand the most out of their screens, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019boasts an all-new Ultra FullView Display which is not interrupted by any notches creating a seamless viewing experience. Sized at a massive 6.59 inches with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 FHD+ and an aspect ratio of 19:5:9, the display is 91% pure screen estate, allowing users to enjoy a display like never before. The display is also capable of authentic and rich colours with a wide colour gamut of 85%. Be it watching videos, browsing social media or any simple task, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 promises users with an immersive viewing experience without any interruptions.

However, a display like this can result in extensive usage. Huawei has taken care of this as well, thanks to the TÜV Rheinland’s certified Low Blue Light Eye Protection. The screen filters out harmful blue light emissions and intelligently adjusts colour temperature and brightness to protect against eye strain. Additionally, when in low light situations, the screen brightness can also be brought down to 2 nits for a more comfortable viewing experience.

Distinctive Design

The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 boasts a design style that is divided into thirds. The upper third houses the Triple camera and fingerprint sensor, while the bottom two-thirds has a minimalistic look with a darker hue.

Even with its massive 6.59-inch bezel-less display, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 is still comfortable to hold and is complemented by the overall 3D Arc Design that shines like glass, while still being durable and shatter-resistant, making it both visually appealing and functional

Auto Pop-up Selfie Camera

While most phones use the bezels and notches to house the front camera and various other sensors, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 uses clever and innovative design to hide these sensors, but the front camera position is a sign of Huawei’s innovative technologies. Seemingly invisible, the front camera is tucked away and will only appear when needed. Once the camera is turned on and selfie mode is selected, the front camera will pop-up automatically out of the top of the phone. Additionally, it also includes an intelligent protective feature that detects free falls and automatically retracts the lens as much as possible.

Housing a 16MP lens and supported by Huawei’s powerful AI, the Auto Pop-up Selfie Camera is capable of identifying up to eight scenarios for the accurate scene and object recognition. The upgraded AI backlight imaging technology also fixes lighting concerns retaining stunning clarity and colours for stunning selfies. Additionally, users can also enjoy stunning studio effects in their selfies including 3D Portrait Lighting.

Innovative Triple Camera setup on the back

The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 packs a 16MP + 8MP + 2MP triple-camera on the back. Both the 16MP primary and 8MP secondary sensors feature a 6P (six-lens plastic array) design that reproduces minute details within an image and captures more photons. As a result, the phone empowers users to recreate scenes in their full complexity, with enhanced image clarity, contrast, and overall quality.

The 16MP primary camera’s F/1.8 aperture is a top performer, receiving 50% more light than the F/2.2 aperture that is more commonly seen on the market, as well as focusing more quickly and controlling noise more effectively. The 8MP sensor offers a 120° field of view that fits more within the frame and increases visual tension, creating a three-dimensional effect that is even more mesmerizing due to the bezel-less display. The 2MP sensor assists the primary camera in generating a lifelike depth of field in the photo, enabling SLR-quality images on a palm-sized handset. The powerful cameras also house a stunning Night Mode with AI Stabilization for low light photos and videos. The AI Stabilization also helps in shooting Super Slow-Motion videos at a stunning 480fps.

Powerful Performance

Under the hood, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 houses an Ultra Large 4000 mAh battery for extended periods of intensive use. The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 uses a Type-C port, which is smaller, faster and reversible. Additionally, you can still find the 3.5mm headphone jack as well.

Powered by the Kirin 710F chipset, the phone promises super-smooth performance. The chipset is 30% more efficient than its predecessor and manages phone heating during complex resource allocation, saving battery life. The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 runs Android 9.0 with the EMUI 9.0, which learns and analyzes user behaviour which enables a more optimized user experience and has a 12.9% higher performance. The system is further optimized by F2Fs 2.0 (Flash-Friendly File System) and EROFS (Extendable Read-Only File System), which provides better memory management, improving performance and speed. In terms of storage, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 comes with 4GB RAM and 128GB ROM and an Expanded Memory up to 512GB.

A Futuristic Gaming Experience*

In order to provide a more enhanced gaming experience, the HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 utilizes artificial intelligence to identify gaming scenarios and match them with real-life sensations.

Price and availability

The HUAWEI Y9 Prime 2019 will be available for Pre-Order from 15th July on Jumia, 3CHUB, Pointek and SLOT stores nationwide in three colours: Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green. Huawei is offering Customers that Pre-Order a FREE package and a chance to WIN a Surprise Delivery from a Ceec, Timini or Sharon Ooja. The smartphone will be available from 22nd July nationwide.

Collaboration will help improve digital transformation journey of the telecom industry within the African continent

Rhino Niger Networks announces a strategic partnership with Subex, a leading telecom analytics solution provider, to cater to the digital transformation demands within the African markets. This partnership comes at a time when governments across the continent have announced their plans and aspirations to go digital. 

Rhino Niger Networks offers digital services covering assurance, fraud prevention, network data governance amongst others. The primary goal of this partnership will be to leverage Subex’s technical expertise coupled with Rhino’s local presence and understanding of the Nigerian and African market at large. The collaboration will act as a catalyst to drive the adoption and application of digital products and solutions, as well as enhance customer experiences. 

Shankar Roddam, Chief Operating Office, Subex added, “Africa is unique by virtue of its diversity, culture and economic challenges. Driving a digitalization initiative in a diverse continent requires a combination of strong technology, robust domain and a very good understanding of the nuances of rolling out large scale initiatives. 

In line with this, Subex is delighted to be partnering with Rhino Niger Networks. This partnership is based on leveraging complementing competencies and will enable Subex to further strengthen its presence in Nigeria and other African markets. Subex currently holds the highest market share in Africa for our core portfolio. Our expertise in the area of Digital Trust coupled with Rhino Niger Networks understanding of the market and their extensive reach will go a long way in enabling the digital transformation agenda. Our collaboration has already started bearing positive results in terms of a number of key wins and we are confident of greater success in the near future.”  

Commenting on the partnership, Russell Osi the Chief Technical Officer at Rhino Niger Networks said: “We are very excited to be working with Subex, who are world-class leaders in the telecom industry. Both companies offer complementary operations and share similar values. This partnership underscores our dedication to providing innovative in-class digital capabilities for regulators and other stakeholders in the telecommunications sector in Nigeria.”

About Rhino Niger Networks

Rhino Niger Networks is a leading provider of end-to-end technology solutions, enabling a digital Africa. Since 2012, Rhino has been at the forefront of digital transformation solutions with a specific focus on assurance, security and analytics. Rhino partners with global leaders to deliver turnkey and customized solutions to governments and enterprises. Driven by a team of technocrats and business leaders with deep connections in the African business landscape, Rhino is one of the fastest growing system integrators in the region.

About Subex

Subex is a pioneer in enabling Digital Trust for businesses across the globe. Founded in 1992, Subex has spent over 25 years in helping global Communications Service Providers maximize their revenues and profitability. 

With a legacy of having served the market through its world-class solutions for business optimization and analytics, Subex is now leading the way by enabling all-round Digital Trust in the business ecosystems of its customers. Focusing on privacy, security, risk mitigation, predictability and confidence in data, Subex helps businesses embrace the disruptive changes in the business landscape and succeed with Digital Trust. 

 Subex leverages its award-winning product portfolio in areas such as Revenue Assurance, Fraud Management, Network Analytics, and Partner Management, and complements them through its digital solutions such as IoT Security and Insights. Subex also offers scalable Managed Services and Business Consulting services. Subex has more than 300 installations across 90+ countries. In case of any queries, please reach out to Idris Oseni of our External Affairs team via +234 805 617 0169 or idris.oseni@rhino-networks.com.

Access Bank Plc. has yet again proven its commitment to support the growth of the creative sector, by organizing a 2-day interactive forum to promote and provide adequate support for the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI) loans, developed by the CBN, in collaboration with the Banker’s committee. 

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) initiative, CIFI, focuses on four sectors in the Creative industry namely, movies, music, fashion and information technology.  The loans have a maximum interest rate of 9% per annum and a repayment period of up to 10 years and were set up to develop the sectors by boosting jobs, increasing capacity, encouraging entrepreneurship and revenue generation for the country. The first tranche of the CIFI facility has over N20bn set aside to be disbursed.  

The forum named the Access Bank Creative Loan forum took place on the 2nd & 3rd of July 2019 at the Access Bank headquarters in Lagos, Victoria Island. Each day of the forum held two interaction panel sessions. The first day had movies and music while the second day had IT and fashion sessions. All sessions were attended by industry leaders, stakeholders within the tech and other creative sectors along with experts in legal, finance and business consulting. Also, present were Access Bank representatives who were available to educate all on the CIFI loan facility, the eligibility criteria and the process for obtaining the loan. 

Speaking at the forum, Mrs Chizoma Okoli, Executive Director Business Banking at Access Bank Plc. reassured that the loan process will be very flexible and that Access Bank would help potential customers understand how the loans can help them attain their goals.

In attendance at the forum was Chineye Mba-Uzoukwu, former General Manager (Anglophone West Africa), Microsoft, who is currently the Managing Partner of Grand Central. Also, in attendance was Oamen John, CEO Faultless Finish, Chika Mordi, General Manager, Resource Development, and other notable leaders in the IT industry.

At the end of the session, guests and customers at the forum thanked the CBN for the initiative and commended Access Bank for its continued commitment to providing adequate financial support and capacity building to its customers, through its innovative products and services. 

To learn more about the Creative Sector Loans, visit https://www.accessbankplc.com/Personal-Banking/LOANS/Creative-Sector-Loan.aspx

The new TECNO Phantom 9 is an innovative device coming almost two years after its predecessor-the Phantom 8.  The Phantom is back and is the first TECNO smartphone to use an in-display fingerprint sensor, triple rear camera, wide angle lens as well as 128GB of storage. 

The Phantom 9 promises an unrivalled mobile experience thanks to its stunning AMOLED display, fast and smooth operation and a glamorous Aurora design. The device was launched in Lagos on Thursday, 4th of July, 2019. So is the full unboxing review.

Key Specs of the Phantom 9

• 6.4″ Full-HD+ display
• 1080 x 2340-px resolution
• 16MP + 8MP + 2MP Main cameras with quad-LED flash
• 32MP front selfie camera featuring Uniquely Placed front LED flash
• Octa-core 2.3 GHz Mediatek Helio P35 CPU
• 6 GB of RAM
• 128 GB of built-in memory
• HiOS 5.0 based on Android v9 (Pie)
• 3500-mAh non-removable battery
• In-display fingerprint scanner; AR and Emoji Stickers

So the device is housed in an attractive grey box with the inscription of the product name, a schematic of the phone and a fingerprint scanner which is placed under the screen.

And yea, when you opened the box, you are greeted with the phone itself.  Believe me, this is one of the most attractive Android smartphones from TECNO. Accessories inside the box include a TECNO fast charger, a pair of headphones, a free pouch, SIM ejector tool, user manuals. 

The device is quite stylish and well-crafted. It has a glossy feel design with an Aurora inspired insulation at the back. 

Display-wise, the front of the Phantom 9 is occupied by the almost bezeless 6.4-inch AMOLED screen. There is a Dot-hole cut-out that houses the 32MP front-facing selfie snapper followed by a dual LED flash. The mouthpiece is also placed at the top which is something interesting if you consider how slim the chin at the top is.

At the bottom of the screen, you will find the multitasking button followed by the home button and the exit button.

The 3.5mm audio jack, noise-cancellation mic, the USB 2.0 and the single-firing speaker are located at the bottom chin of the phone.

At the top, you have nothing except a noise-cancellation mic. 

At the right-hand side of the device, is where the volume controller and the power buttons are placed. This gives the device a neat look from the left-hand side, asides the SIM slot which can take two Nano-SIMs and a micro-SD card.

 The all-new Phantom 9 is quite gorgeous with its glamorous artistic design, which is created with the aurora colour of Lapland on its back cover, giving the mobile a perfect level of aesthetics. 

The back houses a triple rear camera set up consisting of a 16MP main camera, a 2-megapixels depth sensor and a wide-angle 8-megapixel sensor

The device will be available in Nigeria in the coming weeks and customers will be able to purchase it at a retail price of N77,000

VDT Communications announced the launch of retail data network – 4G LTE Advanced service – that will offer internet speed of up to 300Mb/ss (megabyte per second) into the Nigeria market.

Speaking at the ceremony in Lagos, Managing Director, Biodun Omoniyi said VDT is known for the provision of premium quality services to enterprise customers, adding, the theme;…”Iive the life” is what the organization is leveraging to drive home the unique lifestyle changing attributes and benefits of its service.

The retail broadband service space, he said, would witness the same premium quality service for homes and individual subscribers in Nigeria.

He added that unlike many networks, VDT 4G LTE is unique as it is built from the scratch as 4th generation high-speed internet and it is not an upgrade from 2G to 3G to 4G, adding that this promises a whole new internet experience to millions of Nigerian users.

According to him, the opportunity to actualize this dream came with the successful acquisition of a broad channel 2.3GHz Spectrum 5vyears ago from the Federal Government through Bitflux Communications Limited; a consortium which VDT is the principal partner. VDT LTE is leveraging on the Bitflux network it painstakingly and deliberately built from the scratch to provide premium quality 4G broadband experience in the country.

According to Mr Omoniyi, the decision to launch VDT 4G LTE service is owing to the gaps existing in the market due to poor quality networks, customer service and support service inherent in the market.

VDT 4G LTE Advanced, he said, has come to fill these yawning gaps with superior network quality, top-notch network performance and proactive customer and support services.

“Our ultimate goal is to offer members of the public an exceptional broadband experience every time they use our network. Thus, enhancing all aspects of their lives qualitatively and quantitatively; helping them to achieve more and truly live the life they are meant to.”

The company also said, following  Lagos launch it will expand to other cities up to 18 states by the year 2020 by taking advantage of its various offices in 30 states of the country. 

VDT products range include home CPE and mobile MiFi devices at highly attractive rates. These we offer with free 3068 of data. We also offer the most attractive free night browsing [8 pm to 7 am] plan available in the industry. Furthermore, we still offer a free power bank [depending on the home CPE purchased]. Our data plans also come in highly affordable rates; as low as N3,500 and unlimited internet data plan at low prices. See the flyer attached for details.

With about 80% network coverage of Lagos State, VDT LTE would expand strategically to cover the entire Lagos State and other leading cities in the key economic zones of Nigeria and the rest of the country in phases.

VDT LTE also leverages on the huge capacity, world-class quality standard and customer-centric disposition of the VDT service organization. VDT Communications Limited is an lSO 9001:2015 and the lst ISO 20000:2011 internationally certified Telecom Company in West and Central Africa for excellent IT service management and winner of several awards including Broadband Company and Corporate Internet Service Provider of the Year 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2015, among several others. 

VDT currently operates in over 30 states in Nigeria spread across the country. From its various points of presence, VDT is able to provide quality Broadband services with localized support services nationwide and currently provides premium quality services to all top banks and other financial services institutions in Nigeria as well as other blue-chip companies across several other sectors.

VDT calls on individuals, families to embrace the VDT AG LTE experience and live the life! For more information about VDT 4G LTE visit www.vdtlte.com

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But, imagine a device with a beautiful design inspired by the awesome aurora! Imagine beauty so great that it comes from up above in showers of brilliant colour. That is beauty no one can ignore, and the kind that the new TECNO PHANTOM 9 reportedly exhibits. 

From leaked images gracing the internet at this time, the new TECNO PHANTOM flaunts swirls of blue, black and red, feature prominently in various shades on the new device, which looks very much like the colourful aurora lights visible in the Northern and Southern hemispheres of our planet the – beautiful lights which inspired the design of the new device. 

The new device, which is highly taunted to be the best PHANTOM device yet- even though I think, the standard set by the PHANTOM 8 would be hard to surpass. However, tech pundits and industry sources claim that the PHANTOM 9 will be something extra extra. 

The PHANTOM also features an AI Triple Camera, that is useful for macro photography – which involves taking beautiful close up shots of very small items; In-display Fingerprint Scanner – that ensures you can keep doing your thing on the device with little or no interruptions; Dual Flashlight – so that your pictures are ultra-bright with no dark spots; and Google Lens – for easy image recognition. 

That is not all- The beautiful PHANTOM 9 was reportedly crafted by a French design team based in Paris- this just further increases the anticipation for the PHANTOM 9. For a device to be crafted the French style, then you just have to own it to understand. Well, when it comes to TECNO Mobile and delivering amazing smartphone aesthetics to its budding fans, they always go the extra mile. 

An Aurora inspired French style designed smartphone, an extraordinary triple AI camera and host of other top-of-the-line specification on just one smartphone? Personally, I cannot wait to see the device for myself.

People say beauty is subjective. They try to explain it by saying that it all depends on who is viewing the object or person in question. While that is generally true, when it comes to the new TECNO Phantom 9 expected soon from Africa’s most preferred smartphone maker, one cannot help but disagree. 

The design of this new device is out-of-this-world, literally speaking, and so is its beauty. The stunning aurora lights that appear as showers of colour in the Northern and Southern hemispheres of our planet inspired the design of this new device. From leaked images currently available, we can definitely say that the new TECNO Phantom 9* will flaunt swirls of blue, black and red in various shades.  

Sources say the new device will be a real game-changer with mind-blowing specs to match the amazing, otherworldly design. We can expect a camera that will be a lot more powerful than the dual camera on the older TECNO Phantom 8, perhaps an AI Triple Camera; a processor that will be equipped to take on huge tasks without any lag; and a much better screen among other things. 

Some other expected features on the TECNO Phantom 9 are In-display Fingerprint Scanner to minimize interruptions; Dual Flashlight for ultra-bright pictures; and Google Lens for easy image recognition on the device. 

We also hear the device was crafted by a French design team based in Paris – talk about fine taste! No need to take the Lagos to Paris flight to enjoy French style. We can hardly wait for the device’s release. This also shows how far the brand will go to ensure that their devices are top-of-the-range and proves that TECNO is for Nigerians. 

So, what prevents us from getting our hands on this Aurora-inspired, French-styled and designed smartphone with AI Triple camera and so much more? Only time. TECNO Phantom 9 is expected to be launched on July 4.

• ORide, a new on-demand motorbike hailing service has launched in Nigeria
• The ORide service can be accessed in the OPay app currently on Android and iOS.
• Launching first in Lagos, expansion plans have been made to cities like Ibadan.
• Passengers can take advantage of up to 90% discounts on fares during the current promo, off every trip 

ORide, a new and innovative on-demand motorbike ride-hailing service has launched its services in Lagos Nigeria with immediate expansion plans throughout Nigeria.

Driven by technology, the ORide service is accessible via the OPay app – a super app that’s available on Android and iOS, with features that cater to a range of lifestyle demands including food order and delivery, utility bills payment, cash access and more.

Launched in May 2019 with initial operations flagging off in Lagos, the service has since expanded into other cities like Ibadan.

The service launches with ORide Green, its flagship motorbike models of 200cc engine specification aimed at servicing long distance trip requests as well as ORide Street, it’s lighter offering to cater to shorter intra-city trips. 

ORide is a solution to a myriad of transport challenges, particularly heavy traffic. The service offers flexible payment options including cash, card payment, and payment through the OPay app that allows riders to access promotional offerings.

Iniabasi Akpan, Country Manager at Opay says “About 25-30% of the Nigerian adult population are uneducated, poor, and have little or no access to financial services. As a business, we exist to remove the barriers to financial services and access to a better quality of life for the underprivileged and the financially excluded. Through our business operations, we provide opportunities for operators and users in the less formal and informal sector to access the tools, training, skills and finance they need for a better life leveraging the use of mobile phones and technology. ORide is just one of those channels we consider vital to achieving our goals of providing access to financial services and improving the quality of life of low-income families. There are also several other social benefits of ORide which includes the potential to create more than 100,000 tax paying jobs, easing the movement of people and goods, and boosting commerce and entrepreneurship.”

A huge emphasis has been placed on driver training and safety. Several steps have been taken to ensure this.

Ridwan Olalere, Director of Product says “All ORide motorbike riders have been trained by safety professionals – our first training resulted in a 50% pass rate. We have then taken steps to hold a monthly class for the riders.

All ORide motorbikes come with a pre-adjusted speed limit of 60kmph. Also, the motorbikes have unique tracking devices attached to them and can be tracked online in real time”.

Both riders and passengers who take ORide are covered by comprehensive insurance and will also have access to 24hrs customer support service. In addition, Riders have access to healthcare.

Customers can download the Opay app now on iOS and Android or from the ORide website and for this July, pay only N200 for every trip they take that’s less than N2000.

Download the OPay app on the Google Play store or iOS app store.

About ORide

ORide is an on-demand motorbike ride-hailing service created with the vision to solve the transportation challenge of getting people and goods to their destination, in a timely and safe fashion. ORide is a service featured in the OPay app

About Opay

OPay is a company founded by Opera Norway AS group in 2018 to offer unique payment solutions for businesses and retail customers in Nigeria, Kenya and across Africa. In August 2018, Opay was launched as a product in Nigeria and since then, it’s been on a journey of constant growth. In December OPay processed 11 Billion Naira working with over 5,000 agents. 

About Opera

Opera, founded in 1995 in Norway is an internet technology company delivering cutting-edge internet browsers to 320 millions of people. On July 27, 2018, Opera Software went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange, raising $115 million in its initial public offering.

While there are hundreds of different software brands that serve the online casino industry, only a handful are behind the majority of the internet-based casinos today. Though there are some casino platforms that use custom-designed software, most of them use one or more software solutions that power the other online casinos too.

For instance, the extremely popular Betway Casino is powered by Microgaming software, which is also behind many other reputed casinos in the online world. A major upside of using a software that is also implemented by other casinos is that you become a part of a bigger network and get to share bigger progressive jackpots across all the casinos that run it.

Let’s take you through some of these well-known software companies that power the majority of the online casino platforms of today.

Real Time Gaming or RTG
One of the most widely used and oldest online casino software provider, Real Time Gaming (RTG) has been around since 1998. It offers a vast variety of custom slot games and is well known to casino players from all parts of the world. They go by the motto, “We take gaming seriously,” which is well evident in the overall gaming experience offered by their licensees to customers everywhere.

Microgaming
Used by a large majority of online casinos, Microgaming is often recognised as the first real online casino software supplier. The company has been delivering top-notch online casino and gambling experience for around 20 years now. Their software is available in almost all the languages and run by hundreds of different casinos on the Internet today. Not just that, some of the biggest progressive jackpot wins have come through Microgaming slot games such as Mega Moolah and more.

NetEnt or Net Entertainment
Popularly referred to as just NetEnt, Net Entertainment has been supplying top-notch slot machines and casino games since the year 1996. Their products have excellent gameplay and neat graphics, apart from mobile gaming option as well. Majority of the games offered by NetEnt are developed in Java, so the players can enjoy them on any device, without the need for downloading anything.

STEM METS Resources, an organisation committed to inspiring Nigerian children by providing quality, innovative and alternative educational learning platforms, has marked its fifth anniversary. 

In the past five years, the organisation has delivered world-class Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M) based programs to children with the mission to inspire creativity and innovation and also ensure that they are equipped with the skills required to succeed in their careers in future and contribute to the economic development of Nigeria. Since its inception in 2014, STEM METS has organized over 50 workshops, and trained over 7000 learners through its various programs across South-West Nigeria. 

While expressing her delight about the achievements so far, Director, STEM METS Resources, Jadesola Adedeji, said, “ We are committed to bridging the 21st-century skills gap within the Nigerian educational system by providing hands-on & project-based training programs to children ages 3-16. These STEM-based programs develop critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and collaborative skills and the knowledge of these skills will equip the Nigerian child with future ready, employable skills sets to compete in the technology-enabled future workplace. We want to develop and nurture creative thinkers who will bring innovation into solving local problems, inspire entrepreneurship and also teach them HOW to think not WHAT to think”

The 5th-anniversary event featured a panel discussion with professionals such as  – Folawe Omikunle, Lanre Oniyitan, and Modupe Adefeso-Olateju – who provided insights on the importance of education and skills development for economic development. They emphasized the significance of building transferrable skills for students necessary to improve the overall quality of education in schools, and called on corporates to invest in sustainable projects that will impact the quality of education in Nigeria.  

STEM METS Resources programs include Bricks4Kidz, The Little Engineer, and Robotics and Computer Programming which are available through after-school enrichment clubs, holiday camps, and teacher workshops.

Also, as part of its commitment to educating and exposing young minds to advanced tech learnings,   STEM METS partnered with Airbus Foundation, a leading innovative manufacturer of commercial aircraft in Europe to introduce “The Airbus Little Engineer Robotics Program” in 2017. This initiative was established to roll out a series of workshops across different secondary schools in Nigeria to train students in robotics, programming and introduction to aviation and space technology. The program has successfully reached nearly 2300 participants into a date.

Infinix Smart 3 Plus Key Specifications

• 6.21-inch HD+ waterdrop display
• Android 9 Pie O.S with upgraded XOS 5.0 software
• Dual sim 4G LTE connectivity
• Mediatek 6761 processor with 2GB/3GB of RAM
• 16GB/32GB built-in storage
• 8MP A.I lowlight selfie camera and triple rear cameras (13MP+2MP+QVGA)
• Face Unlock and fingerprint sensor

The advanced variant to the Infinix Smart 3 dubbed the Infinix Smart 3 Plus was unveiled recently and upon the first impression, it was obvious to note that the device adheres to the status quo of the Infinix smart series. The Smart series is the entry-level smartphone series targeted at empowering young people to become trendsetters through a laudable array of superior techy features and a scintillating price tag.

The Smart 3 Plus is smothered with remarkable features such as 6.21-inch HD+ screen size, 18:9 Infinity display screen for an entirely new formed viewing ordeal. There’s the dual sim 4G LTE connectivity, 3500mAh battery, 2GB/3GB RAM coupled with MT6761 processor chipset and Android Pie OS based on XOS 5.0 for seamless usage of the device.

There’s also Face Unlock and fingerprint sensor feature for optimised security at all times. You simply get to unlock your smartphone by just staring at it. For the selfie lovers, there’s the 8MP lowlight selfie with dual LED flash for deluxe quality selfies even in low light scenarios. The Smart 3 Plus also comes with triple rear cameras (13MP+8MP+ QVGA) with bokeh effect and other sub-cameras modes that all showcase the best pictorial quality and so much more.

At a price tag of N39,900, the Smart 3 Plus does everything a high-end smartphone can do and more but at an unbelievably affordable price

The TECNO Pouvoir 3 smartphone is a super slim device measuring just 3.8mm in visual thickness despite its remarkably huge 5000mAh battery. So if one of the reasons you buy a device is the battery life, then, the new Pouvoir 3 might just be your device of choice.

The device comes in three fashionable colours of Midnight Black, Champagne Gold, and Aqua Blue. Check out the full unboxing pictures of the Champagne Gold version below

Key specifications

• 6.2-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 720 x 1520 Pixels
• Android 8.1 Oreo, 2GB of RAM
• MediaTek MT6739, Quad-core 1.3GHz [ 4×1.28 GHz Cortex-A53 ]
• 32GB built-in storage
• A 13MP rear camera and 13MP selfie camera
• 5,000mAh non-removable battery
• 4G LTE
• Fingerprint Sensor
• FM Loud Speaker
• Face Unlock

TECNO Pouvoir 3 Unboxing – The Box

The smartphone is housed in a sleek rectangular white box with a picture of the smartphone and key specifications such as the 5000mAh battery capacity, 4G LTE and the internal storage capacity boldly written on it.The device is well sealed and there is a “CAUTION, DO NOT ACCEPT IF SEAL IS BROKEN”.

Inside the box

Immediately you open the box, you are greeted with the beautiful device, it is sleek and slim as well but a bit heavy. This we think is as a result of the huge 5000mAh battery that TECNO has been able to craft into such a very slim profile.

Other things inside the box include

• A transparent back cover
• 1 Power adapter
• 1 USB cable
• 1 Earphone pair
• 1 Ejector pin
• Manual and Warranty card.

The Design

It is a well-crafted device from both the back and the front. In terms of visual thickness, it measures about 3.8mm. The one we have is the champagne Gold colour.

At the back, you have the 13MP rear camera, dual LED flashlight followed by the fingerprint sensor as well as the Pouvoir and TECNO branding just beneath.

The speaker grille, noise cancellation port and USB 2.0 charging port

The 3.5mm audio jack is placed at the top

The SD card tray can be seen at the left-hand side.

The SIM card ejector tray, volume controllers and the power button are positioned at the right-hand side of the phone

In terms of display, the device features a notch cut out that houses the single LED flash, a 13MP front-facing camera and the microphone. It uses an 18:9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1440 *720.

The TECNO Pouvoir 3 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box with an overlay of TECNO’s HiOS 4.1 custom UI on top. The device will retail for N42,500 and can be purchased across all retail outlets in Nigeria.

The report shows Opera’s growing leadership in the digital transformation of Africa

Opera, one of the world’s major browser developers, and a leader in the field of content platforms presented today the report State of Mobile Web 2019, which gives a detailed look at the digital landscape of the African region.

The report reveals that in Q1-2019, the Opera browsers and standalone news app were used by nearly 120 million internet users in Africa and by more than 350 million people globally. Moreover, the State of Mobile Web 2019 shows that Opera experienced a user growth of more than twenty-five percent over a one-year period.

“We are thrilled to see that our mobile browsers and news app have grown by 25 million monthly users in the last year in Africa” said Jørgen Arnesen, Head of Marketing and Distribution at Opera. “The new Opera News app has led this positive growth, as well as the introduction of new features to our mobile browsers such as a built-in VPN and crypto wallet. The successful partnerships Opera has with major smartphone manufacturers in Africa have also contributed to the massive growth”.

In the 2019 edition of the State of the Mobile Web report also looked into the use of the Opera Mini browser and the Opera browser for Android.

The mobile browser used more than other apps

The State of Mobile Web 2019 report shows that mobile browsing is one of the most popular activities among African internet users. For example, in South Africa, nine out of ten people use their mobile browser every day, an activity they prefer over the use of other applications.

In the State of Mobile Web 2019, Opera gives detailed insight into the use of the data savings features in the Opera Mini browser. In the report, Opera compared the average prices of mobile

data in twenty countries in Africa. The results revealed that the data compression mode in Opera Mini saved users nearly 100 million USD of data cost in 2018.

In this analysis, Opera also compared the cost of data in some African countries with the cost of mobile data in India and Germany. The outcome of this analysis showed that South Africans pay six times more per gigabyte of mobile data than Indians.

Rapid changing news and video consumption landscape

The report takes a look at the trends of news and video consumption across Africa. This includes analyzing the usage of its standalone Opera News app, which grew from launch to over 20 million users in a period of one year. Categories like breaking news, local news, and entertainment were the favourites of the users in the first quarter of the year.

Video content is also becoming more popular among people who use the Opera News app. The report indicates that people spend 50% of the in-app time in Opera News watching videos on Instaclips, the recently added video feature on the news app.

The usage of Instaclips keeps growing since its test launch in December 2018. In Q1-2019, Instaclips registered a total of 122 thousand videos uploaded in different languages such as English, Portuguese, French, Arabic and Swahilli.

Expanding beyond browsing to fuel the digital transformation

Opera’s commitment to the African digital transformation has already started. Beyond the development of its mobile browsers and standalone news app, Opera has made major investments in the African region expanding its services to other technology areas such as FinTech and digital advertising. In 2018, Opera announced the launch of OKash, a fintech solution for micro-lending that quickly got traction among mobile internet users in Kenya. Today, OKash ranks among the most downloaded micro-lending applications among Kenyans and its user base keeps on growing.

In May 2019, Opera announced the introduction of Opera Ads, a new advertising platform that allows media agencies and publishers to run more targeted marketing campaigns across the Opera platforms.

Available online

The full version of the State of Mobile Web 2019 report is available to read online or for download by clicking here.

About Opera

Founded in 1995 in Norway, Opera delivers browsers and AI-driven digital content discovery solutions to more than 350 million people worldwide. The quickly growing company remains one of the most innovative browser creators in the world. Opera is listed on Nasdaq under the OPRA ticker symbol.

Ventures Platform in Partnership with the National Social Investment Programme (N-SIP) has launched Startup Nigeria 2019. A 3-month Incubation program designed to provide free entrepreneurship skills training, mentoring, and funding to help Entrepreneurs and Innovators in Nigeria get the training, support, and access to the capital they need to grow their startups.

Due to the success of Startup Nigeria 2018, Ventures Platform and the National Social Investment Programme felt it was imperative that a second Cohort was implemented – Startup Nigeria 2019. This time the program is accepting applications from 3 zones – North Central, South East, and North West. It will focus on multiple sectors of the economy. The program offers many benefits for all participants; one on one mentorship, opportunities to access funding and an immersive hands-on approach to teaching entrepreneurial skills.

Last year, the Federal Government launched the first cohort of Startup Nigeria. The incubation program was created under the National Social Investment Programme as one of the initiatives intended to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s Digital Economy and also help solve the youth unemployment problem by equipping young innovative Nigerians with the skill sets that would help them create successful startups.

Startup Nigeria 2018 focused on Agriculture and Governance in the North Central zone and Commerce and Finance in the South Eastern zone of Nigeria.

Aamorise, led by its founder Dr. Aamo Iroliam, emerged the winner for the North Central zone. Aamorise is a forensic startup that helps track activities on digital devices remotely. It is intended to be used in curtailing digitally aided crime like boko-haram and herdsmen clashes in addition to hacking and financial crimes. The South East leg was won by House of Uwe an online tailoring shop that delivers quality and on-time tailoring service through its web platform. Its founder is Eberenna Collins; a web developer and tailor.

You can participate in this year’s cohort by applying to Startup Nigeria at www.startupnigeria.ng for a chance to access funding, training, and mentorship!

Follow @startsng on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to keep up with the program and learn any new information as soon as it comes up.

African companies have been called upon to leverage on Data Analytics revolutionizing modern-day businesses to boost sales performance through data-driven insights.

This call was made by Terragon Group, Africa’s fastest-growing enterprise marketing Technology Company, who currently holds access to over 50 data points and 10x superior audience insights across the continent.

Working with leading African telco’s, financial institutions and consumer brands to unlock personalized digital experiences for mobile users in Africa, Terragon group helps to improve bottom-line for businesses by leveraging its cloud marketing technology, algorithms, artificial intelligence and difficult-to-source African consumer data.

“It is extremely important for companies to be data-centric, as the understanding and utilization of consumer insights in business will help drive sales performance,” said Elo Umeh, CEO of Terragon Group.

Elo Umeh, CEO of Terragon Group

Companies are also faced with the problem of collecting valuable data and being unable to fully apply or gain insights from it. However, Terragon Group has developed a proprietary mobile advertising technology known as Adrenaline that utilizes consumer data and delivers targeted messaging via web & non-web channels.

“At Terragon, data has proven its worth and earned its place, as we have been able to gain real business value from all the records collected.” Umeh stated. “Executives need to adopt a new system of decision making based on big data.” he added.

Terragon Group has also successfully completed certification to the ISO 27001:2013 standard, serving global enterprises across all sectors who have benefitted from unparalleled security and protection of their data.

About Terragon Group:

Terragon is Africa’s fastest-growing enterprise marketing technology company.

We aggregate and enrich difficult-to-source consumer data, generating measurable outcomes for telco’s, banks, and larger brands.

Terragon uses its on-demand cloud marketing platform, attribution software, and deep analytics capability to enable thoughtful, targeted omnichannel access to 100m+ mobile-first African consumers. Headquartered in Lagos Nigeria, the group has offices in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and India.

www.terragongroup.com

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) hereby notifies the general public that consequent upon its official issuance and public presentation of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation on the 25th of January 2019, full implementation of the Regulation commenced from the 25th of April 2019. The Data Protection Regulation seeks:

• to safeguard the rights of Nigerians to data privacy;

• ensure the exchange of personal data is done safely and securely;

• prevent the manipulation of personal data; and

• ensure that Nigerian businesses remain competitive globally as Data Protection is a key requirement in ensuring confidence in business transactions.

The Agency, according to section 6 (c) of the NITDA act of 2007, is mandated to develop regulations for electronic governance and monitor the use of electronic data interchange and other forms of electronic communication transactions among others.  The Act also grants NITDA powers to enforce compliance and penalise defaulters.

The penalty for breaching this Regulation in addition to any other liabilities includes:

1. a) Payment of the fine of 2% of the annual gross revenue of the preceding year or the sum of 10 million Naira, whichever is greater in the case of a data controller dealing with more than ten thousand data subjects; and
2. b) In the case of a data controller dealing with less than 10,000 data subjects, payment of the fine of 1% of the annual gross revenue of the preceding year or the sum of 2 million Naira, whichever is greater.

NITDA as Nigeria’s Information Technology Regulator, notes with pleasure, the interest, inputs and efforts of many stakeholders in complying with the Regulation and to further explore the economic and job creation potential the Regulation presents to Nigeria. We urge all Nigerians to support this initiative as your right to privacy is fundamental!  

For comprehensive information on the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, please visit our website on www.nitda.gov.ng

Signed

DR ISA ALI IBRAHIM PANTAMI,

FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, MPCN

This month, NG_Hub is celebrating one year of its operations in Nigeria. For those who don’t know what NG_Hub is, we’ve got you. On the 22nd of May 2018, Facebook in partnership with CcHub created NG_Hub as part of their ongoing commitment and investment in growing the start-up ecosystem.

NG_Hub is a multi-faceted space which connects and bring together developers, start-up’s and the wider community to collaborate, learn and exchange ideas. With a number of expert training and events with partners across Nigeria, undertaking in the hub and externally, the aim is to equip individuals and businesses to grow.

Speaking on the anniversary, Adaora Ikenze who is the Head of Public Policy, West and Central Africa said: “I’m proud of the incredible impact that NG_Hub has had in its firNG_Hub Infographic_Revised[3]st year,and continues to have on the lives of young Nigerians. We remain committed in deepening our engagement, increasing skills development and supporting the next set of innovators, tech entrepreneurs, start-ups,in our collective bid to change the face of technology and grow the economy.”

Commenting on the partnership Bosun Tijani, Founder/CEO of CcHub, added: “We’re glad about the tremendous impact Facebook’s investment in NG_HUB has had in such a short period and the ecosystem is already seeing the fruits of this commitment. We’re committed to working with Facebook to position NG_HUB as a major platform that drives smart application of technology innovation for economic prosperity across the region and beyond.”   

Here are some highlights over the past year:

• Trained over 50,800 SMBs in digital skills across 20 states in Nigeria  
• Delivered 526 events with over 11,490 attendees at NG_Hub, including programmes such as AR/VR meetups, FbStart Accelerator Programme, Facebook Community Leaders Community meetings (CLCs), Developer Circle gatherings etc.
• Directly supported businesses in 11 different industries from agriculture, through to catering, education and fashion  

L – R: The CEO of HIP Consult, Mr. Judah Levine; the Chief Executive Officer of MainOne, Ms. Funke Opeke, and MainOne’s Head of Marketing, Mr. Tayo Ashiru at the media launch of the “Digital Lagos: Broadband for All” campaign initiative held at the MainOne head office, Victoria Island, Lagos.

West Africa’s leading connectivity and data centre solutions provider, MainOne launches its “Digital Lagos: Broadband for All” campaign initiative to enable the digital transformation of Lagos state through the deployment of ubiquitous broadband infrastructure across the state.

MainOne’s ambitions for Lagos is inspired by the vision of Lagos Governor-elect Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who noted presciently that “Technology will improve the rule of law, education, ease of doing business and government processes of Lagos”.

At the campaign launch organized in Lagos to announce its plans on Tuesday, Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer, MainOne, said, the company is keen to collaborate with the Lagos State Government and all other relevant stakeholders to build Digital Lagos and help citizens from all walks of life realize the benefits of broad, sustainable economic growth, modernized education, health, and other services delivery, and improved quality of life.

“MainOne is pleased to have the opportunity to present its plan for Digital Lagos, a proven path to ubiquitous broadband connectivity. This plan will involve the investment by MainOne of over N25 billion over the next 2-3 years to develop critical fiber optic infrastructure to enable broadband services across Lagos state,” she said.

A presentation was made by Mr Judah Levine, CEO HIP Consult, a Washington DC-based, independent, management consulting firm with specialization in ICT in emerging markets. HIP Consult worked with MainOne in developing a concept paper and implementation plan for Digital Lagos. Mr Levine touched on the research done for Digital Lagos, its implementation plans and subsequent impact in Lagos State.

Opeke said MainOne has pioneered investments in critical internet-enabling infrastructure across West Africa, Nigeria, and Lagos. To date, the company has invested over N120 billion funded by leading African banks and has proven its capabilities in expanding and densifying localized fiber networks in neighbouring Ogun and Edo States by deploying almost 1,000kms of fiber in partnership with Facebook to expand broadband access and connect government institutions and other areas of interest.

Opeke said, as the licenced InfraCo for Lagos zone, the resulting network to be built by MainOne would provide essential connectivity to critical State institutions, cover over 300 government agencies, up to 10,000 State CCTV locations, Telecom operators and ISPs, public Wi-Fi hotspots, Smart City components / IOT devices, in addition to Enterprises.

In Lagos, MainOne’s existing 700-kilometre network already covers major population centers and Yaba, where it provides connectivity for the majority of the Yabacon ecosystem and has connected startups like Andela, ccHub, Paga, and Flutterwave and others that have raised up to USD500million Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nigeria.

Africa’s most preferred smartphone brand, TECNO, has unveiled a new addition to its Pouvoir series which is known for its huge battery capacity. The new TECNO smartphone, Pouvoir 3, features an enormous 5,000mAH battery, giving users the opportunity to enjoy four days of non-stop fun and usage in just a single charge! More reason to believe that TECNO is truly for Nigerians!

Highlighting the key features of the Pouvoir 3 in relation to its numerous benefits for the user, PR &Strategic Partnership Manager, TECNO, Jesse Oguntimehin states

“Being from the stables of the Pouvoir series that is known for its incredible battery capacity and performance, the Pouvoir 3 proudly delivers on battery life, with 4 days uninterrupted stand-by performance. With the 5000mAh battery being the focal point, the Pouvoir 3 device takes the user to a place of utmost comfort and satisfaction with an impressive battery charge that can last for an extremely long time,”

The new powerful addition to the Pouvoir family comes with a high performing glossy design that is light weight, slimmer and sleeker than its predecessors. The device also comes with a 6.2-inch notch screen and super full view that projects images better –which is a substantial improvement from its predecessor, the Pouvoir 2.

The Pouvoir 3 is integrated with new age smartphone tech and is packed with an exemplary array of new features such as: Face Unlock, Fingerprint Sensor for optimized security, AR emoji, wireless FM radio and so much more.

On the camera side, the new TECNO Pouvoir 3 dons a 13MP front camera and 13MP rear camera, has a large internal storage of 32GB ROM+ 2GB RAM and runs on Android 8.1 OS based on HiOS 4.1, which guarantees an overall fluid performance.

TECNO Pouvoir 3 comes in 3 distinct colors: Midnight Black, Champagne Gold and Aqua Blue and is currently on sale at every authorised TECNO retail store nationwide.

For more information on this and more, please visit: www.tecno-mobile.com

Pouvoir fans can also win big in the TECNO Pouvoir 3 Promotion. The Promo runs from 27th May, 2019 to 8th June, 2019. To be part of this promo, visit any TECNO exclusive store and buy Pouvoir 3, collect your scratch card and scratch it.

What you see is what you win. Take a picture of your scratch card and post it on your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter page with the hashtag #OneCharge4DaysOn and you could win the Grand Prize of a 24/7 Solar Power Energy Inverter & Power Back Up Battery, a Generator, Power Bank and other gift items. Visit our Facebook page, @TECNOMobileNigeria for more information.

With over 80 million people, Nigeria’s workforce population is about 4 times the population of all of Ghana. Thus, it is no surprise that it has the largest economy in Africa, and remains a superpower in the continent’s economy. Analysts have often stated that any brand truly interested in the African regional market cannot afford to ignore Nigeria.

But, prosperous as Nigeria is, even sceptics agree that it is not yet optimizing its potential. Economic policy enthusiasts and analysts have often opined that Nigeria and Nigerian businesses will not be able to truly compete on a global scale until they equip themselves to tackle the challenges and meet the demands of the 4th industrial revolution.

But what does the 4th industrial revolution mean for Nigerian businesses? How will Technology disrupt the landscape and what are the implications for companies doing business in Nigeria; for educational institutions that want to remain relevant; and for people, employees, that want to retain marketable skills and expertise? What does it mean for government agencies and how can policymakers provide an enabling environment?

The Future of Work in Nigeria report by Passion Incubator attempts to answer these questions. The report examines the subject from a practical study of more than 900 stakeholders across 20 sectors in Africa’s largest economy. It offers trends, resources, information, actionable tips, and recommendations for employers, employees, educational institutions, policy makers and heads of government agencies.

It looks at how technology has enabled Nigeria to leapfrog its growth in certain industries, what it has disrupted, and how companies have adapted; it then looks at the future with a view to identifying the key technology changes that will impact businesses in Nigeria, what kinds of skills will be in demand, and how Nigeria will work.

With this knowledge, the report then explores, by way of recommendations, how Businesses, Individuals, and Educational Institutions can position to remain competitive. Finally, it explores ways Nigeria’s government can provide an enabling environment for these changes.

“This report is one of Passion Incubator’s many efforts to enable an empowered population and a more productive private sector,” said Olufunbi Falayi, Passion Incubator’s Managing Partner. “We and our partners on this project want to ensure Nigerians are prepared for the future of work that has already come to stay.”

The Future of Work in Nigeria report is sponsored by Union Bank of Nigeria, with support from Dalberg, Accenture, Facebook, Veins Advisory, CMRG and others. It is free to download using this link https://futureofwork.africa/nigeria/

About Passion Incubator (PI)

Passion Incubator is a technology incubator and accelerator with expertise in innovation program design and technology investments. Established to support and promote innovation and facilitate collaboration within the African ecosystem, we are a platform for nurturing, cultivating and exhibiting African entrepreneurial talent as well as providing thought leadership.

We invest in entrepreneurs tackling some of Africa’s most pressing challenges and partner with corporate organisations, government agencies, DFIs, academia, and embassies to develop and implement innovative solutions.

On Sunday, May 26, 2019, 7 tech start-ups currently incubating at the Heritage Bank Lab/Business accelerator which commenced on the 11th of March 2019 will be given the opportunity to demonstrate and showcase their solutions to a select group of panellists, mentors and fund providers. The teams will be seeking additional investments to progress and accelerate market introduction/adoption of their solutions.  The team with the most compelling solution will emerge winner and be awarded a grant of $25,000 at the end of the program.

Over the last ten weeks, the HB Lab has hosted a number of business leaders and founders within in the tech ecosystem who shared the experiences and evolutions of their respective businesses with the aim to inspire and impart business knowledge in the young minds looking to start out their own tech-enabled businesses.

Some of the mentors at the program include; Gbenga Awe (Heritage Bank Plc), Tosin Eniolorunda (TeamApt), Abolore Salami (Riby), Deji Oduntan (Gokada), Muyiwa Faulkner (Mines.io), Shile Owoka (Smile Identity), Moses Sule (Oradian) to mention a few.

Heritage Bank Plc remains committed to championing sustainable value creation, leveraging technology to ensure a culture of innovation and mutually beneficial partnerships. 

Meet the finalists!

FASHIONMAP

Fashion Map is an on-demand platform that connects customers to Tailors & Fashion Designers at the click of a button. They have leveraged technology to enable local fashion businesses in Africa.

LADIPOMARKET
LadipoMarket.com.ng is an auto spare parts e-commerce website that provides customers with information on various spare parts within a safe and guaranteed environment where they can buy quality parts fully guaranteed by verified vendors.

TREP LABS

Trep Labs is focused on developing technology to address health-related problems. They have invented a drip monitoring device which helps monitor drip fluid transmission during patients care. This Made in Nigeria device also provides status updates to caregivers (Nurses & Doctors) via SMS and a Mobile App.

SIMBI BOT

Simbibot is an Ai-powered intelligent and interactive learning assistant. The platform helps African students LEARN, MASTER and EVALUATE themselves on any topic in different subjects. Simbibot is a unique platform designed specifically for secondary school students to learn new concepts and prepare for examinations.

BBOX

BBOX is an SME focused Fintech. They are looking to aggregate SME focused services into one tech platform to enable businesses to function more efficiently. This platform has automated complex problems faced by small businesses.

IDEN2FIVE

IDEN2FIVE is looking to digitize and mechanize agriculture in Nigeria. Their technology leverages blockchain to create an open data platform for agriculture using artificial intelligence algorithms; to create a predictive pricing model which ensures farm produce are distributed effectively and profitably.

WEDDING PADDY

WEDDING PADDY will leverage technology to provide convenient and efficient wedding planning. After planning weddings for years, this team of young, vibrant and intelligent minds have built a platform which automates the entire wedding planning process from vendor selection to couple-planner engagement etc.

Signal Alliance, a leading system integrator, today announced the launch of a new product called CloudGo built on the Microsoft cloud platform and targeted at small and medium scale businesses.

CloudGo comprises of digital workplace tools bundled with managed support. The value delivered by this solution is the power to engage customers, reduced cost on IT infrastructure, enhanced collaboration and improved productivity.

L-R: Uchechi Nwaukwa, Chief Technology Officer, Signal Alliance; Bode Fagbemi, Director, Business Development, Signal Alliance; Bright Ubamadu, Product Manager, CSP(Cloud Solutions Provider), at the CloudGo launch for SMEs.

According to Uchechi Nwaukwa, Chief Technology Officer, Signal Alliance, “Huge investment in IT Infrastructure, upgrade challenges, data protection and security, disaster recovery form the core of major challenges faced by SMEs. Hence, an efficient and secure solution that enhances the way employees communicate, collaborate and scale innovate solutions for the business, becomes an inevitable need.”

In addition, CloudGo users can benefit from Microsoft services, tools, methodologies to determine the business direction and implement communication, collaboration, and data-based services that can change the way your employees work together.

Also, Cloud migration, adoption and on-boarding training, consumption analytics dashboard, managed support and cyber assessment are all managed support services bundled in CloudGo to provide a robust modern digital workplace for businesses.

To register for cloudGo, Click here: https://bit.ly/2Gz4Zp1

About Signal Alliance

Signal Alliance is a leading systems integrator with over 20 years’ experience in sub-Saharan Africa. A multiple Microsoft gold partner and services some of the largest Microsoft customers in Nigeria, supporting some of the critical applications that have made Microsoft the number one software company in the world.