Truecaller Reintroduces ‘Who Viewed Your Profile’ Feature

By Adedapo Adesanya The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Aminu Maida, has charged Nokia Networks to increase its investments in Research and Development (R&D) to support the growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria. Mr Maida spoke when a delegation from Nokia Networks of Finland led by the Deputy Minister, Under-Secretary of State for International Trade from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Mr Jarno Syrjala, visited the commission recently to explore further opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships. He told the delegation that the Nigerian government is

By Adedapo Adesanya A new research from global payments giant, Visa, done across 17 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) has revealed a disconnect between consumers’ confidence in recognising fraud and their online behaviour, highlighting the importance of staying alert and mindful of fraud attempts. The study forms Visa’s Stay Secure Campaign, focused on raising consumer awareness, strengthening education, and building confidence to combat social engineering threats. Despite more than half of consumers (56 per cent) claiming to be savvy enough to sidestep online and phone scams, it was found that 90 per cent

By Adedapo Adesanya The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, intends to close the world’s tech talent shortage by almost a quarter with Nigerian workers. He said this would be achieved through the federal government’s plan to train 3 million technical talents over the next four years. The initiative could help achieve President Bola Tinubu’s goal of creating a million tech jobs in the first two years of his administration. “I believe, based on data that LinkedIn has projected, Nigeria can fill about 23 per cent of the current global shortage in technology talents,” Mr Tijani

On Wednesday, Google rolled out its Search Generative Experience (SGE) in the SSA region as an opt-in experiment in Search Labs. This AI-powered experience is available in English. With new breakthroughs in generative AI, Google is reimagining what a search engine can do and is bringing these powerful new capabilities to Search in a bold and responsible way. This powerful new technology can unlock entirely new types of questions that Search could not previously answer and transforms the way information is organized in Search to help people sort through and make sense of what’s out there. Improving Search with generative

By Dipo Olowookere The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced on Monday night that 229 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported in the country in the last 24 hours. In its daily announcement, the agency said most of the cases were recorded from Lagos, the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria. The latest addition has brought the total confirmed coronavirus cases in Nigeria to 8,068 since the index case was reported in February 27, 2020 in Nigeria. The NCDC said in the last 24 hours, Lagos recorded 90 fresh cases followed by Katsina with 27, Imo with 26,

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Three start-ups from South Africa, Benin and Tanzania have been chosen from the 174 submissions received from 27 different countries across Africa for the Nestlé Research and Development (R&D) Sub-Saharan innovation challenge. The selected firms are Shopit from South Africa, Exportunity from Benin Republic and Wakulima from Tanzania. They were picked by a panel of Nestlé. The 3 start-ups winners have been awarded a 4-month residency in the new Nestlé R&D Accelerator for Sub-Saharan Africa, located at the Nestlé R&D Center in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. During their stay, they will have the opportunity to tap into Nestlé’

By Adedapo Adesanya The international crude oil benchmark, the Brent crude, fell by 6.76 percent or $1.45 to $19.99 per barrel on Monday. The decline in oil prices was caused by demand worries and oversupply facing the market lately. This is coming after the crude fell last week to such levels for the first time in two decades. After last Monday’s performance, which saw the United States’ oil prices falling below $0, the West Texs Intermediate (WTI) came under pressure yesterday, plunging 24.03 percent or $4.07 to sell at $12.87 per barrel. This is happening because global oil storage is

By Dipo Olowookere Veteran broadcaster, Mr Cyril Stober, has taken his colleague, Elizabeth Banu, who works with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), as his new wife. Mr Stober recently retired from NTA after working for the Federal Government owned media platform for many years. The veteran newscaster was in Yola, Adamawa State on Saturday, January 13, 2018, to perform marriage rites for his new lover, who hails from the state. Friends and family members of the new couple were present at the traditional marriage ceremony today to honour the lovebirds. While in service, both Mr Stober and Elizabeth Banu read

By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel Customers of the Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria (SCBN) Limited with credit cards can now purchase items from stores and pay in instalments as the banking institution has introduced a new initiative called Easy Payment Plan (EPP). The lender, in a statement, explained that the EPP, a flexible payment plan, allows its credit cardholders and new clients that sign up for the credit cards to choose an instalment plan at a reduced interest rate for bulk purchases made. The Head of Personal Banking and Alliance, Mr Bonaventure Odukwe, further explained that customers can spread the repayment of items

By Adedapo Adesanya The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) are expected to stick to their plan and ratify another modest production increase next week as they try to satisfy rebounding oil demand when they meet on Wednesday, February 2. The 23-nation coalition led by Saudi Arabia and Russia will probably authorise a hike of 400,000 barrels a day for March. The coalition has stuck to its schedule for gradual monthly supply increases since forging the agreement in July 2020. Whether the cartel will actually be able to add this volume to the market is unclear.

By Investors Hub European stocks have moved higher on Friday as upbeat manufacturing data from China helped offset investor concerns over prospects of a U.S.-China trade pact. A private survey showed factory activity in China expanded at its quickest pace since February 2017. The data contrasted with the official gauge showing a contraction for the sixth consecutive month. On the trade front, optimism over a concrete U.S.-China trade deal faded after a Bloomberg report suggested that Chinese officials are unwilling to budge on the thorniest issues and have cast doubts about reaching a comprehensive long-term trade agreement. Investors appeared somewhat

By Adedapo Adesanya The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Olayemi Cardoso, has admitted that the country recorded a revenue drop of $1.4 billion between 2015 and 2019 after imposing foreign exchange (FX) restrictions for import of 43 items over eight years. The apex bank governor made this known on Friday while delivering his keynote address at the 58th Annual Dinner of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Lagos. The apex bank head, during the preparation of his monetary policy thrust, cited available data saying, “Studies have shown that during the period when the