Technology
NASENI Assures Nigerians More Locally Produced Tech Products

By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has restated its commitment to enhance production of Nigeria’s branded products, technology transfer domestication, commercialisation and stimulation of indigenous socio-economic advancement.
Its Executive Vice Chairman, Mr Khalil Halilu, said this while unveiling NASENI’s branded products at the agency’s quarterly media briefing in Abuja. The new products included car batteries, laptops, smartphones and Solar-powered street lights.
In February, the agency launched three sets of its branded products which are: solar-powered irrigation systems, electric motorcycles and tricycles, and off-grid solar home systems.
Mr Halilu said that the feats were recorded in line with the agency’s 2023-2027 strategic launchpad to fit into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present Bola Tinubu-led administration.
He said the launchpad was to enhance Nigeria’s manufacturing capacity, reduce the country’s import bill, and reposition the agency to leverage on the comparative advantage of the 36 states.
The NASENI boss said the agency was working assiduously to bring in more products to create a national brand that every Nigerian would love to see.
He said that the agency embarked upon its launchpad to improve the livelihood of Nigerians and foster national development.
“What we are trying to do is to open our doors to people that will contribute to our activities and development of our nation.
Mr Halilu said that the areas of focus of the strategic launchpad were agriculture and food manufacturing, defense and aerospace, sustainable transportation and mobility.
He said others included renewable energy and sustainability, health and biotechnology, information technology and software, construction and smart city.
NASENI boss also presented the agency’s proposal evaluation portal, a website for those who intend to work with the agency.
He said the NASENI Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) would soon be launched for task tracing within the agency.
He said that the agency’s e-procurement portal, an initiative in the launchpad, was to enhance transparency.
According to him, the NASENI youth empowerment programme consists of schemes with the prospect of creating 18,000 direct jobs.
He said the vehicles to drive the project included skills acquisition centres, training, stem box innovation hub and campus.
The EVC said the work of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT) and the Delt-Her initiative programme was geared towards encouraging female participation in the engineering sector.
He added that the agency also trained 20 Nigerian engineers in Indonesia on equipment fabrication under the agency’s full acquisition Saputra coal fertilizer project.
Technology
IBM to Exit Nigeria, Others from April 2025 Amid Low Sales

By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the global tech giants, International Business Machines (IBM), is planning to quit a few markets in Africa from April 1, 2025.
According to reports, IBM will leave Nigeria, Ghana and other key African markets because of its declining sales in the region.
The company has struggled to impress consumers because of stiff competition from rivals like Dell, Huawei and others with attractive products.
Its operations in Nigeria and other African countries will now be handled by MIBB, a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate, Midis Group.
MIBB will sell a wide range of IBM products and services in Africa like software, hardware, cloud solutions, and consulting services.
IBM has had a significant presence in Nigeria for over five decades, playing a crucial role in the country’s technology landscape.
The company provided infrastructure and consulting services to key sectors, including banking, telecommunications, oil and gas, and government.
Technology
50% Tariff Hike to Trigger Investments in Telecom Sector—ATCON

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) says the increase in telecommunication tariffs by 50 per cent will boost investment in the sector.
ATCON President, Mr Tony Emoekpere, said the public concern was natural and expected, especially when considering the economic realities of many Nigerians.
He, however, described the increment as an investment in the future of Nigeria’s digital economy, citing its numerous benefits.
“For years, telecom operators have operated under immense financial strain due to foreign exchange fluctuations, high energy costs, multiple taxation, and rising infrastructure expenses.
“These challenges have made it increasingly difficult to expand network capacity, improve service quality, and bridge the digital divide.
“Without adjustments in pricing, Nigeria’s digital infrastructure would risk stagnation, making it harder for the country to compete in the global digital economy,” Mr Emoekpere said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday.
He said the adjustment was not just about pricing but ensuring enough resources to maintain and improve the quality of services Nigerians rely on daily.
“This tariff increase is an investment in the future of Nigeria’s digital economy, as it will enable operators to expand 4G and 5G coverage across more locations, particularly the underserved areas.
“This increment will bring about the upgrade of network sites to ensure better reliability.
“It will also enhance broadband speeds to support businesses, education, fintech, telemedicine, and other critical digital services.
“At the end of the day, the success of this move will be measured by real and tangible improvements in quality of service with faster internet speeds, fewer dropped calls, and wider coverage, leading to the digital transformation we all desire.
“That is the ultimate goal, and the telecom industry is fully committed to delivering on this promise,” Mr Emoekpere said.
According to him, the tariff hike is necessary, being the only viable option to ensure the right investments guarantee good quality service.
He added that the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) had recognised that sustainable pricing was crucial for long-term network investments.
He, however, stated there were still other pressing industry challenges that must be addressed if the government would truly support digital transformation.
“The focus should also be on simplifying Right of Way (RoW) permits to speed up fibre deployment.
“It should also be to fully enforce Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) protections to stop vandalism of telecom assets.
“Again, we should emphasise the reduction of the multiple layers of taxation that telecom operators face at federal, state, and local levels, and provide incentives for rural broadband expansion to ensure digital inclusion across all communities,” Mr Emoekpere said.
According to him, the positive news is that the issues are at different stages of being solved.
He noted that if the recent successes like the resolution of the USSD debt issue were anything to go by, “We are optimistic that the current administration will make progress in these areas as well.
“This should not stop us from remembering that consumers have a right to demand better services.
“The tariff increase should come with a visible improvement in quality: faster speed, wider coverage, and greater reliability.
“From all indications, the telecom operators are geared toward meeting these expectations, and the NCC has set clear quality service targets,” Mr Emoekpere said.
Technology
Nigeria’s Digital Quality of Life Index Declines to 100

Surfshark’s Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) 2024 ranks Nigeria 100th in the world. The study indicates how well the country is performing in terms of overall digital well-being compared to other nations. Nigeria drops by twelve places from last year, which reflects a lack of commitment to developing the digital landscape and positioning the country as a leader in leveraging technological advancements to improve citizens’ quality of life.
“In an election year like 2024, where the digital realm shaped political discourse and societal values, prioritizing digital quality of life proved to be more important than ever. It helps to ensure informed citizens, protects democratic processes, and fosters innovation. Our annual project helps to better understand where each county stands in terms of digital divide, highlighting where a nation’s digital quality of life excels and where further focus is required,” says Tomas Stamulis, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark.
Out of the Index’s five pillars, Nigeria performed best in e-security, claiming 76th place, but faced challenges in e-infrastructure, ranking 108th. The nation ranks 94th in e-government, 103rd in internet quality, and 106th in internet affordability. In the overall Index, Nigeria lags behind South Africa (66th) and Kenya (89th). Collectively, African countries lag behind in their digital quality of life, Nigeria taking 14th place in the region.
Nigeria ranks lower in e-government than 77% of the countries analyzed, with 93 countries above.
E-government determines how advanced and digitized a country’s government services are. A well-developed e-government helps minimize bureaucracy, reduce corruption, and increase transparency within the public sector. This pillar also shows the level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness a country demonstrates. Countries with the highest readiness to adopt AI technology are also ready to counter national cyberthreats. Nigeria ranks 94th in the world in e-government — six places lower than last year.
Nigeria is 76th in the world in e-security — three places lower than last year.
The e-security pillar measures how well a country is prepared to counter cybercrime and how advanced a country’s data protection laws are. In this pillar, Nigeria lags behind South Africa (75th) and Kenya (69th). Nigeria is unprepared to fight against cybercrime, the country has some data protection laws.
Nigeria’s internet quality is 25% lower than the global average.
- Nigeria’s fixed internet averages 39Mbps. To put that into perspective, the world’s fastest fixed internet — Singapore’s — is 347Mbps. Meanwhile, the slowest fixed internet in the world — Tunisia’s — is 14Mbps.
- Nigeria’s mobile internet averages 78Mbps. The fastest mobile internet — the UAE’s — is 430Mbps, while the world’s slowest mobile internet — Yemen’s — is 12Mbps.
Compared to South Africa, Nigeria’s mobile internet is 15% slower, while fixed broadband is 51% slower. Since last year, mobile internet speed in Nigeria has improved by 65%, while fixed broadband speed has grown by 55%.
The internet is unaffordable in Nigeria compared to other countries.
- Nigerians have to work 10 hours 43 minutes a month to afford fixed broadband internet. It is 46 times more than in Bulgaria, which has the world’s most affordable fixed internet (Bulgarians have to work 14 minutes a month to afford it).
- Nigerians have to work 2 hours 44 minutes 14 seconds a month to afford mobile internet. This is 18 times more than in Angola, which has the world’s most affordable mobile internet (Angolans have to work 9 minutes a month to afford it).
Nigeria is 108th in e-infrastructure.
Advanced e-infrastructure makes it easy for people to use the Internet for various daily activities, such as working, studying, shopping, etc. This pillar evaluates how high internet penetration is in a given country and its network readiness (readiness to take advantage of Information and Communication Technologies). Nigeria’s internet penetration is low (35% — 109th in the world), and the country ranks 102nd in network readiness.
On a global scale, investing in e-government and e-infrastructure improves digital well-being the most
Among the five pillars, e-government has the strongest correlation with the DQL index (0.92), followed by e-infrastructure (0.91).
Internet affordability shows the weakest correlation at 0.65.
METHODOLOGY
The DQL Index 2024 examines 121 nations based on five core pillars that consist of 14 indicators. The study is based on the United Nations’ open-source information, the World Bank, and other sources. Nigeria’s full profile in the 2024 Digital Quality of Life report and an interactive country comparison tool can be found here: https://surfshark.com/research/dql/country/NG.
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