Education
AC vs DC Power: All the Pros and Cons for Your Business Needs
Thanks to the marvels of our constantly advancing and eternally impressive technological advancements, flicking on a light switch or plugging in a laptop is even simpler than primitive tasks like combing your hair or putting on clothes.
But when you’re in business, power is even more useful than keeping the lights on. A stable, reliable supply of electricity keeps your operations safe and productive, keeps you in touch with your customers, streamlines your operations, and keeps those profits flowing as consistently as the power to your computers, machines and premises.
Digging a little deeper, though, reveals the true marvel of power. Because while the power to your power-points is AC, the power delivered to your computers, phones and other electronic devices and equipment is much more likely to be DC. Why’s that? What’s the difference? And why does it matter for your business?
Let’s dive in:
AC versus DC
If your knowledge of AC/DC extends a little further than the rock’n’roll band, let’s start right from the beginning: the difference between the acronyms.
AC stands for alternating current, which can both change direction and magnitude, while DC is direct current – an electrical charge that is one-directional.
Thomas Edison famously pioneered DC, but it ultimately proved difficult to convert into either the lower voltages required for the end-user.
Luckily, Nikola Tesla was busily experimenting with AC, which ‘alternates’ multiple times with each blink of the eye – and the rest is history.
In fact, the power supplied to every home and business across the world runs on the Tesla principle, which is generally understood to be an easier and more reliable way to transmit power across long distances.
DC, though, is easier to manage and store locally, especially with the delicate workings and ultra-thin wiring of most applications and devices familiar with the DC power connectors you use both at home and work.
AC: The pros and cons
As well as being better for transmitting electricity from its source to the user, AC power is easily ‘stepped up’ or ‘stepped down’ from lower or higher voltages, including the more stable and precise DC requirements of most of the devices we use power for. AC generators and motors are also quite significantly simpler and cheaper than their DC counterparts.
However, despite the simplicity and the other benefits, AC tends to interfere with other communication lines, including harmonics problems that electrical operations that are erratic and difficult to diagnose and remedy.
DC: The pros and cons
Transmitting DC power requires only one or two smaller conductors, and there are also fewer issues in terms of capacitance, phase displacement, inductance and even power surging. That means less insulation is needed for the same voltage as AC, while interference with other systems is also lower.
However, DC voltage is unable to be ‘stepped up’, unlike the much more versatile AC. In practice, that means a 240-volt device requires DC power delivered at precisely 240 volts, with any additional resistors or instruments to reduce the voltage only complicating the arrangement and wasting energy in the process.
Why it matters for your business
In a nutshell, that’s essentially why your business may be in the market for a DC power connector, which enables your small to medium devices to receive the precise power requirements via the AC source.
As a result, there are countless DC power connectors out there to enable safe, secure, efficient and reliable energy for your business needs, so talk to an expert today to match the right choice to your precise requirements.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, with 61.54 per cent of candidates obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Mr Amos Dangut, announced the results at a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday.
Mr Dangut said 1,200,514 candidates met the benchmark for admission to higher institutions, out of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination nationwide, held between April 24 and June 19.
He said 102,708 examiners were engaged in the marking exercise held at 88 marking venues across the country between 2 July and 20 July.
“Today, I am happy to inform you that all the processes leading to the release of results have been completed. It is now my pleasure to announce the release of the results of candidates who sat the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026 in Nigeria,” he said, directing candidates to the agency’s portal to access their results.
“UPDATE: 2026 WASSCE (SC) results have been released. Generate your PIN at waec.org and check your results now on waecdirect.org,” the examination body said, noting that candidates must obtain their Serial Number and PIN before they can check their results.
To generate the required credentials, candidates are expected to visit WAEC’s official website and select the “Serial Number and PIN” option at the top of the page.
They are then required to select the appropriate examination year and diet, enter their examination number and National Identification Number (NIN), and ensure that the NIN provided is the same one used during registration for the examination.
Candidates must also provide their email address and phone number to receive a One-Time Password (OTP).
After entering the OTP, candidates can recover their Serial Number and PIN, which they can subsequently use to check their results through WAEC Direct.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Over 200 senior students of Cleggs Girls High School, Surulere, Lagos, were on July 23, 2026, engaged in practical knowledge about the risks associated with smoking, vaping, and shisha.
This engagement was made possible through a collaboration between Breathe Life Foundation and Teach Nigeria Fellow.
Participants were students aged 15–19 years. They were also informed about the misconception that shisha is a safer alternative to cigarettes or other substances.
Through an engaging and interactive discussion, students explored the influence of peer pressure and learned practical strategies for making healthier, more informed lifestyle choices.
They also gained a better understanding of common environmental triggers of asthma and other respiratory conditions, including cigarette smoke, generator fumes, bush burning, mosquito coil smoke, candles, charcoal, and firewood.
The session highlighted an important reality: young people may not always recognise how seemingly routine lifestyle choices and environmental exposures can gradually affect their respiratory health, quality of life, and long-term wellbeing.
For Breathe Life Foundation, this reinforces the importance of shifting the conversation from treatment to prevention through awareness and education.
By equipping young people with the knowledge to identify risks and make healthier choices early, the foundation is helping to build a generation that is more conscious of – and better prepared to protect – its respiratory health.
The organisation said it is dedicated to advancing respiratory health, an often-neglected public health priority. Healthy lungs are essential to life, yet respiratory diseases remain among the world’s leading causes of death and disability, even though many are preventable and treatable.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) schemes, the Obajana Plant of Dangote Cement Plc has distributed some educational materials to some pupils in Kogi State.
The items shared to the beneficiaries included school bags, exercise books, writing materials, water bottles, and other essential learning aids aimed at enhancing the learning experience of the pupils and preparing them for the next academic session.
The General Manager for the Social Performance Department of Dangote Cement at Obajana Plant, Mr Ademola Adeyemi, said the materials were donated days after Dangote Cement distributed similar education materials to pupils in public schools in its catchment communities of Oyo, Iwaa, Obajana and Apata; and commissioned a multi-million-naira hospital in Obajana, which added to the growing list of social investments that includes an earlier hospital project in Iwaa and Oyo Communities.
He noted that, over the years, the company has invested billions of naira in a wide range of social programmes for host communities, including empowerment programmes, road construction, and potable water projects, and it remains resolute in its commitment to sustaining and expanding its interventions.
He noted that the company’s corporate social responsibility programmes are aligned with government development priorities and are implemented through sustained, mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The intervention was informed by findings from a needs assessment conducted by Dangote Cement. During the assessment, it was observed that several pupils attended school without school bags, while others carried their books by hand. It was also discovered that many students lacked essential learning materials such as exercise books, pens, pencils, and other basic learning materials,” the cement firm said.
The Head Teacher of UBE LGEA School, St. Luke Model II, Adankolo, Lokoja Local Government Area, Mr Abubakar Sanni, expressed profound appreciation to the management of Dangote Cement for the gesture.
The Head Teacher expressed gratitude to the Group President of the conglomerate, Aliko Dangote, for extending the company’s educational support programme beyond its host and impacted communities to schools located at the state headquarters.
The beneficiaries, school management, parents, and community stakeholders expressed gratitude to Dangote Cement for the timely intervention and prayed for the continued growth and success of the company in its efforts to improve lives and support sustainable community development.
