Author: ITPulse

By Maureen Ogwu In a multitude of products and startups, sustaining a tech business can be more or less a herculean task. Statistics show that about 90% of tech startups fail and 10% fail in the first year. The Sales and marketing industry has metamorphosed from traditional channels and methods into a digital sphere with emerging models and tools fitting today’s digital climate. Literally, every industry is tapping into digital marketing and of course, tech startups are not left out. Product marketing employs the most user-friendly approaches to endear and retain customers. It’s easy for a lot of people to…

The Nigerian government has extended the deadline to link National Identification Number (NIN) with SIM cards registration data from 19th January to 9th February 2021. The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) confirmed this to its members, saying the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) got the approval from President Muhammadu Buhari. “We want to thank the President for giving us more time to deliver on this all-important assignment of creating a credible national identity database for the country. We are also grateful to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Ali Pantami, for his commitment to…

The Research and Development Team of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), has released the top 10 cyber threats that may be witnessed in Nigeria and indeed other parts of the world. Tagged ‘National Cyber Threat Landscape 2021’, CSEAN, an umbrella body of all cybersecurity professionals in Nigeria, said the top 10 cyber threats is based on national and global trends in cyber threats over the past few years and expert opinions. Commenting, the President of CSEAN, Mr. Remi Afon noted that cybersecurity intelligence reports have revealed that cybercriminals, last year, advanced their capabilities and deployed more sophisticated…

The Nigerian government today in a statement through its telecom regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gave an update of the National Identification Number integration into SIM cards. The statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director of Public Affairs at NCC, noted that so far, a total of 47.8 million NINs have been collected by the mobile operators. The statement also disclosed that the collection is at an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber, an indication that many millions will be linked up before the deadline in February 2021. This update is coming after a review meeting on 18th January…

Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev) has sealed a strategic partnership with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to empower vulnerable groups in rural clusters in Northern Nigeria with the digital skillset required for the future of work and advanced learnings for the 21st century. Announcing the partnership today at a virtual press conference, Diwura Oladepo, Executive Director at Tech4Dev, said the partnership was sealed to increase the number of digital literate vulnerable populations and people living in underserved communities in Northern Nigeria. “It has become pertinent, especially on the path of the new normal, to focus on digital…

Global market research company Euromonitor International has revealed the trends that will define consumer behavior and influence business strategies in 2021, even as it reminded businesses that the Covid-19 pandemic will create, influence, or accelerate each of the trends. The  “Top 10 Global Consumer Trends 2021,”  are: Expect purpose-driven initiatives that support the triple bottom line—people, planet and profits (Build Back Better). Nearly 70% of professionals expect consumers to be more concerned about sustainability than before COVID-19. Desire the ease of on-the-go, impulse and spontaneous occasions and simplicities of pre-pandemic life (Craving Convenience). Reconnect with nature and turn to open-air…

The total remittances from the telecom sector through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to the coffers of the feral government grew and reached a whopping N344bn in 2020, a document from the telecom regulator has revealed. These remittances, according to the document titled ‘Telecoms in 2020: A Review of NCC’s Regulatory Activities’, were largely generated from the sales of the spectrum, operating surplus and sanctions. Apart from spectrum auctions, remittances were also realized from spectrum re-planning, re-farming to optimise the usage of the scarce resource while it continued to address the quality of service (QoS) delivery through effective monitoring of…

As part of efforts to play a big role in Privacy Week 2021, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is scheduled to host a Privacy Technology Expo 2021 online on the 26th of January 2020. The theme of the Expo is ‘Harnessing Data as a Critical Asset in the Digital Economy’, and is aimed at showcasing our national innovativeness and contribute to the growing global privacy-enhancing technology industry. According to a statement signed by NITDA’s Head, Corporate Affairs & External Relations, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, the expo is spurred by NITDA’s issuance of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) in…

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through its digital learning platform, atingi has empowered over 800, 000 Africans to get vocational education and self-development courses for free. The platform, which berthed in Africa 12 months ago to enables Africa’s youth reach their personal potential helps give educational content that meets the needs of African audiences free of charge. African countries of Togo, Niger, Rwanda and Benin were used as a pilot to run the atingi platform, enabling learning proposition to be dynamically evaluated, adapted and targeted to local needs. Africa is recognized as a potential global workforce…

As a way of guarding against the spread of the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic, Firstbank yesterday announced the launch of a truly virtual payment card that allows its customers to make all financial transactions without physically visiting the bank. The card is designed in such a way physical interaction between the customer and FirstBank Branches is not required. All that a customer needs to do is to download the application and stay ahead in modern banking. “The launch of our Virtual Payment Card is yet another secure and seamless way we promote electronic banking, whilst enabling customers to carry-out their transactions…