Technology
CMMI Institute Unveils New Professional Certification
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
CMMI Institute has announced a new certification for professionals seeking to advance their performance improvement expertise.
Thousands of organizations around the world like GE Aviation, Hewlett Packard, Honeywell, IBM, Infosys, Raytheon, Samsung and the US Air Force have utilized CMMI to build capability in their processes, people, and technology to deliver results.
Recognizing that top employers look for candidates who possess the advanced knowledge, experience, and abilities necessary to drive organizational performance and profitability, the Certified CMMI Professional program gives individuals a way to maintain their competitive edge.
Based on the globally-adopted capability improvement framework, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), the Certified CMMI Professional pathway provides professionals with guidance for elevating and maintaining skills within the strategically targeted areas deemed most critical to advancing their organization’s key capabilities.
According to the Dice.com 2015 Salary Survey, “CMMI skills and expertise command a 7.6% salary increase over the last year.” This is an increase for an average salary of $ 124,265. In fact, thousands of job postings around the globe currently request applicants with CMMI credentials. The Certified CMMIProfessional certification program offers instant value for organizations by providing practitioners with hands-on training and scenario-based exams. The certification program advances and validates the ability of practitioners to:
Provide organizational road maps for enduring elevated performance
Coach team members on how to improve performance
Lead ongoing organizational change efforts
Establish a culture of continuous improvement
Ideal candidates for this certification are those who seek to support their organizations by building a culture of continuous improvement, comparing their operations to industry best practices and then identifying and remediating performance gaps. The certification is available to professionals who have a minimum of three years of experience in product or systems development, service delivery, or acquisition of products/services.
“We are pleased to introduce this professional certification for practitioners aiming to streamline operations within their organization and advance its ability to scale,” said Kirk Botula, CEO of CMMI Institute. “Our goal is to help professionals drive higher quality and more reliable delivery of their projects and programs while maintaining their professional edge in today’s competitive market.”
Companies implementing the CMMI will benefit from investing in training and certification for their CMMI teams so that they might better understand the business value of each CMMI requirement and how it affects project quality and performance. “The entire team overcame challenges and created new tools and standards, developing a new state-of-the-art process for software development,” said Carlos Henrique Novaga Alves, general manager for industrial IT solutions at Chemtech (a Siemens Business). “This has provided a unique opportunity for the team to rethink the way our process is executed—from gathering requirements to increasing productivity. The deployment of the CMMI was also a way to leverage process knowledge amongst all collaborators, training the entire team on the new process and tools while creating a new standard of work.”
Professionals looking to take their career to the next level should apply now for the Certified CMMI Professional Program.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Aminu Maida, has reemphasised the need to protect the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure, especially fibre networks, noting that damage to fibre networks carries significant economic consequences.
Speaking virtually at the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Critical Conversation Forum on Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) in Lagos recently, he described FTTH as a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital future.
“FTTH is uniquely positioned to meet Nigerians' next phase of data demand. The quality of our broadband will increasingly shape the competitiveness of our businesses, the growth of our digital industry and the opportunities available to our citizens,” the NCC chief stated.
“We must uphold deployment standards. Nigeria needs fibre that is properly installed, properly documented, and properly protected,” Mr Maida further said at the event themed Fibre to the Home in Nigeria: Addressing Challenges, Strengthening Standards and Ensuring Sustainable Deployment.
During a panel discussion titled Policy, Governance and Regulatory Alignment, the Deputy Director of Strategic Business Initiatives at ipNX, Mr Segun Okuneye, highlighted the need for stronger collaboration across the telecommunications ecosystem to unlock the full potential of fibre broadband in Nigeria.
According to him, sustainable fibre deployment extends beyond technology and investment to include policy consistency, stakeholder alignment, infrastructure protection, and shared responsibility.
“Achieving universal fibre connectivity requires more than deploying infrastructure; it requires sustained collaboration between operators, regulators, government agencies and host communities.
“When policies are aligned, deployment standards are consistently enforced, and critical infrastructure is protected, we create an environment where investment thrives and more Nigerians can enjoy reliable, high-speed broadband.
“At ipNX, we remain committed to working with all stakeholders to build resilient digital infrastructure that will support Nigeria’s economic growth for generations to come.”
Earlier in his welcome address, ATCON President, Mr Tony Emoekpere, underscored the strategic importance of FTTH in achieving the country’s broadband penetration targets while calling for greater public awareness around protecting communications infrastructure.
“This forum is critical because Fibre-to-the-Home is the technology that will enable the country to achieve full broadband penetration. We all depend on communication infrastructure, and it must be protected,” he declared.
Drawing a comparison with power infrastructure in the country, he added, “If somebody comes to your neighbourhood to tamper with your transformer or power cables, everybody will come out. The same thing needs to apply for communications infrastructure. When we see people damaging fibre cables, we should raise an alarm.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Thursday, July 23, 2026, provided an opportunity for financial services professionals to converge on Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, to brainstorm on ways to meet the rising customers’ expectations.
The platform used for this purpose was Core by Interswitch. It is part of the company’s broader commitment to strengthening Africa’s digital payments ecosystem by fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing and operational excellence across the financial services value chain.
At the event, participants, numbering over 400, also highlighted the growing importance of operational excellence in sustaining resilient payment infrastructure.
As digital financial services continue to expand across Africa, closer collaboration among financial institutions, fintechs and payment service providers will be essential to improving responsiveness, resolving operational challenges more effectively and delivering consistently reliable customer experiences.
The Executive Vice President for Operations and Technology at Interswitch, Mr Babafemi Ogungbamila, said the forum reflects the company’s belief that exceptional customer experiences are built not only on innovative technology but also on the expertise, collaboration and commitment of the professionals who keep payment systems running every day.
“Every successful digital transaction is powered by professionals whose work often goes unseen but is fundamental to building trust in digital payments. Core by Interswitch was created to recognise their contribution, strengthen collaboration across the industry and create opportunities for shared learning that ultimately benefit financial institutions and the customers they serve.
“As digital payments continue to evolve, investing in the people and processes that power the technology is just as important as investing in the technology itself,” Mr Ogungbamila said.
Beyond recognising the professionals whose work often goes unnoticed, the programme underscored the value of creating stronger connections across the payments ecosystem.
By creating a dedicated platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration and professional development, Core by Interswitch aims to build a more connected community of payments operations professionals equipped to respond to the evolving demands of the digital economy.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
WhatsApp has been updated with a web calling feature, allowing users to now make and receive audio and video calls, both one-on-one and group, directly from WhatsApp Web.
A notice from the Meta-owned messaging platform disclosed that this feature works without the need to download any app.
It was disclosed that this update was made to WhatsApp to make it easier for users to make calls wherever they are and on whatever device, phone or laptop.
Users will have access to features available on their other devices, including screen sharing, reactions, and a dedicated Calls tab with full call history and favourites, all from their browsers.
WhatsApp noted that calls from this feature are end-to-end encrypted, with no time limits and at no cost, as it is the same private experience they expect from the platform.
WhatsApp has also been embedded with easy call transfer, enabling the movement of an active group call from one device to another without hanging up. Users can seamlessly transfer calls to WhatsApp Web or Desktop when they arrive home to collaborate on a larger screen – or vice versa.
The platform further said it now has QuickHD, which allows for an improved video experience at the beginning of a call. With QuickHD, users can now enjoy high-definition video immediately in the very first few seconds of the call.
In addition, it has launched noise suppression to remove the background noise around callers so their voices come through clearly to the person on the other end, even in loud or busy environments. This can be managed at any time in in-call settings.
WhatsApp said these features are rolling out gradually and will be available to everyone soon, expressing its desire to make WhatsApp calling simpler to use.
