Author: ITPulse

As part of efforts to improve financial inclusion in West Africa, Lagos based African fintech start-up,  Aella raised a whopping  $10m debt financing round. The fund, which was sourced from HQ Financial Group (HQF), Singapore-based private company specializing in new material science, semiconductor and blockchain financial investments, will make a visible impact on the lives of more than 300k borrowers across Aella’s Employer Backed and Direct to Consumer Verticals, who now have access to simple financial products. According to the report, this debt financing round is Aella’s second race and will bolster the company’s commitment to serving the underbanked population…

The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), today honoured the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) with an “Outstanding Partnership” award. ISACA said it decided to honour the telecom regulator based on the support, collaboration and partnership it enjoys with the Commission, stressing that NCC has accomplished so much as the national regulatory authority for telecommunication in Nigeria. “We referenced activities of the Commission as the regulator of the telecoms, a sector that has enabled growth in other sectors of the economy,” said Glory Idehen, President of the FCT Chapter of ISACA, who was particularly happy to be associated with NCC.…

Nigeria’s largest system integration company, CWG Plc has won this year’s Infosys Finacle’s Regional Alliance FY20 award for the Middle East and Africa for deploying and implementing the Finacle Banking Solution in about nine banks in Nigeria. The award, which was received by CWG recently at an Infosys Finacle Sales & Partners Meet 2020 Awards Night in Goa, India, came as a result of CWG’s expertise in adopting innovations and successfully implementing the industry-leading universal banking solution. A statement by the company quoted Ireti Yusuf – Vice President, Services Delivery, CWG Plc, who received the award on behalf of CWG,…

Governments run the world. Government policies are the fulcrum for economic development or otherwise. Businesses and citizens are either beneficiaries or victims of government policies. The new year has seen a rush of polices across the country by governments at federal and state levels. Some of these policies make citizens worry about whether the government thinks through and examine all possible effect before seeking to implement policies. Here are 5 policies/happening already shaping the economy in 2020:   Lagos Ibadan Rail Project The much talked about and anticipated Lagos-Ibadan railway project is now scheduled for completion sometime in April 2020. The…

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Pantami has warned Nigerians to desist from the use of Windows 7 powered devices for any form of Internet-based services that will require the transmission of sensitive data. The warning became necessary owing to the official End of Support (EoS) of the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System (OS) which came into effect on 14th January 2020. Microsoft, owner of Windows 7 has announced that it will no longer provide technical support and security or software updates for the platform, explaining that systems running on Windows 7 OS will continue to work,…

African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) has given tips on the best ways to avoid the theft of IPV4 Addresses, which it says is on the rise and can severely affect the Internet Protocol market. According to AfriNIC, regional Internet registry (RIR) for Africa, implementing advanced security measures, such as resource management, policies and infrastructure transparency can help IP address providers to reduce IP address thefts, especially IPV4 that is gradually being exhausted and have become a scarce resource. The recent AFRINIC – IPv4 address heist case has shown that due to the lack of tangible evidence, it’s challenging to investigate…

Years after licenses were issued to some Infrastructure companies in Nigeria to lift fibre from the landing stations to the hinterlands in Nigeria, the federal government yesterday said it will soon take a concrete position to enable the Infracos to commence operations. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta disclosed this while receiving a team from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Foundation’s Consultants, Glenbrooks Partners at the Commission’s headquarter yesterday. According to Danbatta,  taking a concrete position to allow Infracos to commence operations has become necessary owing to the huge…

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta has disclosed that over 35 million Nigerians have no access to telecommunications services and by implication, lack access to any form of digital financial services. Danbatta, who stated this while receiving a team from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Foundation’s Consultants, Glenbrooks Partners, also noted that this condition is undermining financial inclusion in Nigeria. This condition, he noted, is caused by the inadequacy of both wireless and fibre connectivity infrastructure, stressing that Nigeria needs to do more investment in both fixed and wireless…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said as Nigeria deepens its embrace of the digital culture, it is also putting measures in place to protect children from cybercriminals and their antics, as it commenced a nationwide cybersecurity awareness campaign. The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta stated this at the NCC-sponsored cybersecurity enlightenment programme, which was a conference attended by students from 24 private and public secondary schools in Abuja. According to Danbatta, NCC has a specific interest in online protection of the youth, especially the children both in public and private schools. “It is an…

The federal government of Nigeria, today has rolled out new guidelines for the registration and revalidation of SIM Cards in the country. The new guidelines were was contained in a statement signed by Dr. Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami The guidelines state that the National Identity Number (NIN) becomes a prerequisite for Nigerians registering new SIM cards, while for foreigners, their passports and visas should be used, while already registered SIM cards are to be updated with National Identity Number (NIN) before 1st December 2020. Other…