THE HARMATTAN NEWS

Blog

  • Nigerian Govt Seeks To Commercialise River Basin Development Authorities

    Suleiman Adamu, the minister of water resources has said the government is seeking alternative sources of funding to shore-up the revenue base of the nation’s River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) and make them self-reliant as part of the ongoing reforms in the agency.

    Adamu said the reform of the RBDAs is not privatisation but partial commercialisation to make them economically viable, self-reliant and sustainable.

    He disclosed this in Abuja at a three-day business implementation training on the partial commercialisation of four pilot RBDAs.

    He assured that the reform would cause no job losses, adding that the federal government was aware of the RBDA’s challenges.

    Four RBDAs namely: Ogun-Osun RBDA, Upper-Niger RBDA, Sokoto-Rima Basin RBDA and Niger-Delta RBDA have been selected by the federal ministry of water resources in collaboration with the BPE for phased pilot partial commercialisation.

  • Buhari Appoints Wife’s Biographer, Others As Heads Of Education Agencies

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of new heads for key agencies in the education sector.

    The Director of Press and Public Relations in the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said the President approved the appointment of Prof. John Enaohwo as Chairman, governing council of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and Prof. Abdullahi Abba as the Chairman, Governing Council, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State.

    The President also appointed Mrs. Hajo Sani as the Ambassador and Nigeria’s Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

    Sani’s appointment came just a few days after the launch of a book she authored on the President’s wife, Aisha Buhari.

    The statement read: “President Buhari appointed Prof. Idris Bugaje as the Executive Secretary, National Board For Technical Education (NBTE), Kaduna, Dr. Benjamin Abakpa as the Executive Secretary, National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Abuja and Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, as the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

    “Prof. Ibrahim Muhammad was appointed as Director, Nigerian Arabic Language Village, Ngala, Borno, and Mrs. Hajo Sani as the Ambassador and Nigeria’s Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

    “The appointments took effect from March 16,” the statement added.

  • Nigeria’s ClassNG Launches As Open Marketplace For Education

    Nigeria’s ClassNG launches as open marketplace for education. 2 other things and a trivia

    1. Nigeria’s ClassesNG launches as open marketplace for education


    Nigerian startup Classes.ng has, on Thursday, announced launching its free and open marketplace for classes.

    The platform allows tutorial centres, freelance tutors, schools, universities, training institutions and online institutions to list courses and programmes that are instantly available for registrations and enquiries.

    ClassesNG was founded in September 2020 as a platform to provide a listing facility for “classes” of all kinds.

    Speaking on the digital facility, co-founder Daniel Osi, stated that the platform drives organic traffic, and students, to the institutions and tutors listed on it.

    He said: “Unlike conventional on-demand tutoring platforms like Tuteria and PrepClass, we do not provide the training and we do not take commissions on bookings.

    “It’s a totally free and open marketplace and we generate revenue mostly from traffic with only a select number of institutions benefitting from the commission model.”

    Tech Trivia: Registered on March 15, 1985, which of these was the first domain name on the Internet?

    A. Symbolics.com
    B. Think.com
    C. Xerox.com
    D. Northrop.com
    Answer: See end of post.

    2. GoGettaz opens application for $50k Agripreneur Prize

    GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize has opened application for African agri-tech startups.

    The prize, which aims to find Africa’s brightest young agri-food entrepreneurs, will award US$50,000 in cash to each of two winners.

    Last year, the prize was won by startups from Tanzania and Rwanda.

    This year, the organisation is in search of agribusinesses that bring technology, innovation and passion to the agriculture and food industries.

    According to the board, Successful applicants will win one of two US$50,000 cash prizes to help scale their innovations.

    Building on the success of the previous years, the organisers are looking for businesses that show originality and innovation, market potential and traction, social and commercial impact, environmental sustainability, and an inspiring and investible team.

    3. Tunisia’s GoMyCode expands into more African markets

    As it expands in the wake of a funding round secured last year, Tunisian ed-tech startup, GoMyCode, has launched operations in Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Egypt, as well as Bahrain and France.

    The four year old startup started life as a coding school but now offers different types of training programmes for technology and digital jobs.

    According to media reports, the startup uses a blended model comprising offline and online learning to offer training in web and app development, artificial intelligence, data science, user experience, video game development, and business intelligence.

    Speaking on its growth traction, the startup noted that after opening its doors for the first time in a co-working space, it opened its first hackerspace in Tunis before expanding to Sousse, Sfax, Nabeul, El Menzah V, Beja, Gafsa and Gabes.

    Today, it has trained more than 10,000 students and set up associations with 100 partners among private and public organisations, colleges and non-administrative associations.

    In 2020, it raised a US$850,000 pre-Series A round from Wamda Capital, Meninx Holding, Anava Seed Fund, and Jasminum Capital.

    Tech Trivia Answer: Symbolics.com

    The first domain name was Symbolics.com, registered by Cambridge, Massachusetts computer company Symbolics Inc. In addition to being the oldest domain name, it’s also the longest running and you can still visit it today, though it’s no longer under operation by its original owners, who sold the domain in 2009 after 25 years of ownership.

    Today Symbolics.com is owned by private digital investment firm XF.com, which bought the domain for an undisclosed amount, presumably as a means of marketing its services, though there is certainly a cool factor in owning the Web’s first domain name.

  • Lagos To Upgrade Colleges Of Education, Polytechnic To Universities

    The Lagos State Government has said the two-state colleges of education, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin and Sir Micheal Otedola College of Primary Education, Epe, will be upgraded to universities of education, while the Lagos State Polytechnic would be upgraded to a university of science and technology.

    This was disclosed on Friday by Tokunbo Wahab, Special Adviser on Education to the Governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the yearly ministerial briefing to commemorate the governor’s second anniversary in office.

    According to him, the process for the upgrade had been approved by the state governor and the state executive council, noting that a formal announcement would be made by the governor soon.

    He noted that the decision was based on the discrimination between the certificates issued by colleges of education and polytechnic, which also affected the enrollment level.

    Furthermore, he said about N436 million has been paid as scholarship and bursary to indigent and outstanding students and pupils.

    “Lagos State Scholarship Board paid about N219m as bursary award to 6411 students of Lagos State origin in various higher institutions of learning to support their education while about N218m was paid as a scholarship award to 981 beneficiaries,” Wahab said.

    Also, the special adviser said about 120,000 students and pupils in public primary and secondary across the 720 schools in the six educational districts of the state have been trained in the area of basic computer skills, coding skills, cloud services and world wide web internet technology, among others, through the Digital Skills Initiative of the state government.

    Similarly, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo said the state government conducted the monitoring and e-registration exercise of 45,447 students in all public senior secondary schools.

    “Mr Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu paid N680 million to West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) for the registration of the captured students for West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) 2020. This gesture by the administration of Governor Babajide is poised towards reducing the burdens of parents and expanding access to free and quality education,” Adefisayo said.

  • Ganduje Advocates For Technical Education To Reduce Unemployment

    Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has disclosed that there is a need to revisit the curriculum of Nigerian universities to give priority to technical education.

    Ganduje made the call on Saturday in Kano while receiving the Presidential Visitation Panel of Bayero University Kano (BUK) at the Government House.

    He made a case for technical education as a means to reducing the unemployment situation in the country.

    “The number of unemployed graduates keeps increasing. There is a need to give and shift priority to technical education.

    “Education is not only about gaining employment, but rather to increase the level of one’s power of reasoning.

    “I urge for the inclusion of technical education in our curriculum,” he said.

    The governor also commended the former and present leadership of the university for the cordial, constant touch, and appreciative relationship.

    Ganduje also promised to intervene and make sure that the existing cordial relationship between the university and the host communities was stronger.

    “With regards to the issue of allocating land to villagers around the university, I will definitely look into that with the view to finding an amicable solution.

    “Even for the sake of improving security around the university, something concrete and effective will be done,” Ganduje assured.

  • Nigerians To Pay Taxes For Using Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Others

    Nigerians using any of twitter, Facebook, Google, Skype, Netflix and other companies will now pay tax for service rendered.

    This was confirmed in a mail sent to customers by one of the affected companies, Skype, on Thursday.

    The tax is directly to Nigerians who use the platform as a means to market, sell their products and also those who use subscription services.

    With the new regulation, Nigerians will now pay a value added tax (VAT) at the applicable rate of 7.5 percent.

    The new tax regime is in pursuant of the Companies Income Tax (Significant Economic Presence) Order, introduced in 2020 as an amendment of the Finance Act 2019.

    The document imposes tax on any “foreign entity with respect to certain services or digital transactions tax foreign digital service providers offering services to Nigerians and earning revenue in naira.

    The email to Skype customers seen by Ripples Nigeria reads:

    “Due to recent changes to Nigerian tax requirements, from 1st July 2021, Skype is required to include a 7.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) on purchases of Skype paid products for Nigerian customers.

    “How does this impact the allocation of Skype subscriptions?

    “If you have a recurring billing subscription, including a Skype Number subscription, payments after 1st July 2021 will include the new VAT rate of 7.5%.

    “Example of how the price of product will change with a VAT rate of 7.5%:

    1. Before 1st July 2021, a subscription costs USD 2.99 (no VAT is

    charged).

    2. After 1st July 2021, the same subscription will cost USD 3.21

    (inclusive of applicable Nigerian VAT of 7.5%).

    “If you do not agree with this change, you must cancel your subscription before 1st July 2021 by signing into your account.

    “Does this impact the cost of Pay As You Go (PAYG) rates?

    “Yes. From 1st July 2021, PAYG calling rates will include a VAT rate.

  • Google Unveils Paid offering For Gmail Users, Two Other Things And A Trivia

    This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today.

    1. Google unveils paid offering for Gmail users

    Tech giant, Google has unveiled a paid offering targeting small business owners.

    The new offering comes as an upgrade to their Gmail accounts for greater calendaring, video chat and email newsletter functionalities.

    According to the tech company, Google Workspace Individual, for instance, starts at $7.99 monthly and will include a temporary $2 discount.

    The development also adds to the company’s expanding efforts to have users subscribe to some of its services such as YouTube and Google Photos in exchange for more support and features than are available for free.

    Should Google record massive success in this new front, the subscription sales would help Google grow revenue beyond advertising.

    Workspace Individual is, however, expected to launch soon in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and Japan.


    Tech Trivia: What does PDF stand for?

    A. Portable Document Format
    B. Printable Document Format
    C. Perfect Document Format
    D. Powerful Document Format

    Answer: See end of post.

    2. Kenyan Sky Garden secures $4m Series A funding round

    Kenyan e-commerce startup Sky Garden has announced securing a US$4 million round in Series A funding.

    Sky Garden was launched in May 2017, and the new founding is expected to see it accelerate its growth.

    The startup, since inception has operated as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for mobile commerce built specifically for African businesses.

    According to local media, its easy-to-use online marketplace allows informal traders, SMEs and established businesses to sell their products.

    Earlier in 2018, Sky Garden raised a US$1.2 million seed funding round.

    The new raiser totalling US$4 million in capital comes as a Series A round featuring SANAD Fund for MSME, Aavishkaar, UNCOVERED FUND and KSK Angel Fund, the latter founded by Japanese former AC Milan footballer Keisuke Honda.

    3. Egyptian matchmaking app Hawaya hits 4m user milestone

    After expanding to 12 other countries, Egypt-based matchmaking app, Hawaya, has hit the four million user milestone.

    With a vision to use technology to enhance traditional matchmaking process, the startup was founded in April 2017 by Sameh Saleh, Shaymaa Ali, Tamer Saleh and Aly Khaled.

    Barely four years later, Hawaya has quickly grown in popularity, and has already facilitated more than 18,000 marriages across the world.

    Recently, the startup launched a new version of its app with new features.

    Some of the countries where the startup currently operates include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as France, Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States (US), and Canada.

    Saleh, who spoke on the venture, explained that the goal was to help singles find love through social interactions on the app.

    He said: “Through innovation, tech, and cultural respect, Hawaya prides itself to be a progressive app that aims to destigmatise the taboo of online matchmaking, and empowering women to take their time and spark a real connection with the love of their lives.

    “It does that by removing the pressure to settle down quickly with someone unsuitable and by offering a platform where real singles can start real love stories, based on serious intentions and commitment.”

    Tech Trivia Answer: Portable Document Format

    Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1993 to present documents, including text formatting and images.

  • Nigeria’s Helium Health Launches Venture In Kenya. Two Other Things And A Trivia

    This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today.

    1. Nigeria’s Helium Health launches venture in Kenya

    Nigerian startup Helium Health has thrust its foot into Kenya as it looks to expand its venture.

    Then startup is an electronic medical records (EMR) and hospital management information (HMI) systems provider.

    In 2016, the startup was founded as an initiative looking to take hospitals and clinics instantly digital with its flagship Electronic Medical Records/Hospital Management Information System (EMR/HMIS) product.

    Not long, its flagship system became the most widely used of such solution in West Africa with over 300 healthcare providers and over 5,000 health professionals using its technology in Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana.

    In 2020, the startup closed a US$10 million Series A funding round to expand its African footprint.

    Speaking on the development, Tito Ovia, co-founder of Helium Health, noted that Kenya is a good fit for the startup.

    Tito said: “We have been planning to expand into Kenya’s thriving health-tech sector since last year, so we’re very excited to be hitting the ground running in 2021, already working with three new local partners to help improve efficiencies and provide a better service to patients.

    “We believe there is a great opportunity to harness cutting-edge technology to help improve the way healthcare data is gathered and managed across Africa, so partnering with like-minded healthcare providers and facilities in Kenya is an excellent fit for us.”

    Tech Trivia: Which year were Toyotas first sold in the US?

    A. 1975
    B. 1958
    C. 1990
    D. 1955

    Answer: See end of post.

    2. Egypt’s MoneyHash closes pre-seed capital

    MoneyHash, a Cairo-based fintech, has Thursday announced closing an undisclosed pre-seed investment.

    The new funding was led by Amir Farha’s COTU Ventures, a leading seed stage venture firm in the Middle East.

    According to local media, other VC that participated included Kepple Africa Ventures, a VC based in Africa fostering growth of startups.

    The startup is expected to use the funds to further develop its technology, expand its team and launch its services.

    In 2020, the startup was founded by Nader Abdelrazik, Mustafa Eid, and Anisha Sekar.

    Today, it is building a super Application Programming Interface (API) that will aggregate payment and fintech solutions, allow merchants to give their customers a unified checkout experience and access reports and data through a central dashboard.

    3. Kenya’s Kune secures $1m pre-seed funding

    Kune, a food-tech startup in Kenya, has secured a pre-seed funding round worth US$1 million to help it scale.

    The startup delivers freshly-made, ready-to-eat meals at affordable prices.

    Founded by French entrepreneur Robin Reecht in 2020, Kune is a food delivery service that aims to provide busy, modern Nairobians with access to freshly prepared meals at affordable prices.

    According to local media, the startup aims at clients from all social groups.
    Reecht, who spoke on the development, noted that the company spent three months designing the structure.

    He said: “After three intensive months spent structuring the company, finding land for our factory, and hiring key team members, I started fundraising. I’m delighted that Kune has attracted this level of interest from investors who immediately saw the potential to grow Kune not only in Kenya but across Sub-Saharan Africa.”

    Tech Trivia Answer: 1958

    Toyota was formed on Oct. 31, 1957. Known as Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the company established its headquarters in a former Rambler dealership located in Hollywood, Ca. Toyota began to make its first sales in 1958 with287 Toyopet Crown sedans and one Land Cruiser.

  • Edutech Startup, KidsTech Africa To Expand Beyond Nigeria

    Nigerian edutech startup, KidsTech Africa, is set to expand its frontier beyond the country.

    The startup Co-founder and Lead Strategist Ishola Kayode, disclosed this in a statement sent to Ripples Nigeria on Thursday.

    KidsTech Africa was founded in 2019 to improve technology education in Africa.

    The KidsTech Africa team facilitates children education in tech, especially in areas of programming languages and coding.

    Two years after its launch, the startup has reportedly trained over 2000 kids in different communities in Nigeria.

    Kayode, who spoke on the milestones achieved by the team, noted that the startup gives kids hands-on training on how technology can solve social problems.

    He said: “Early in the year, we secured a UNESCO partnership and recently expanded our physical training center to more cities.

    “We help kids between the ages of 6 and 15 to launch into the tech world by giving them hands-on training on how they (kids) can use technology to solve problems innovatively.

    “We have trained over 2000 kids in different communities in Nigeria and are extending to two more countries soon.”

  • Truecaller Launches Spam Eliminating Feature, Two Other Things And A Trivia

    Truecaller Launches Spam Eliminating Feature, Two Other Things And A Trivia

    This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today.

    1. Truecaller launches spam eliminating feature

    The world’s most trusted and accurate Caller ID and telephone search engine, Truecaller, has launched a new feature to further augment its user experience.

    The new feature will serve as a spam filter, helping users focus on important messages.

    According to Truecaller, the feature was introduced based on user feedback and was designed to cater to the evolving needs of consumers.

    It is expected that the new feature will offer a host of new services to make day-to-day communication a lot more convenient.

    Speaking on the development, Zakaria Abdulkadir Hersi, Truecaller’s Director of Business Development & Partnerships Africa, noted that the new feature was to reduce distractions of users.

    He said: “Roughly 80% of SMSes one receives daily are from businesses, disengaging users from important/useful messages. To combat that, SMS apps need to become smarter by filtering out spam and categorising useful information”.

    Tech Trivia: Brilliance Auto is from which country?

    A. Nigeria
    B. Korea
    C. China
    D. Russia

    Answer: See end of post.

    2. Ghana’s Motito launches interest-free credit venture

    Ghana’s ‘buy now, pay later’ platform, Motito, has announced launching a venture to offer interest-free credit to small businesses.

    The startup, which only launched in Ghana last November, participated in MEST Express accelerator programme, and is one of the three Ghanaian startups selected to receive equity-free grant funding and support from MEST and the Mastercard Foundation.

    According to local media, Motito is a value added service for merchants, and offers consumers increased affordability and convenience.

    The startup recently took part in the Pan-African Fintech Accelerator programme.

    Since its launch, users can download the app, sign up, go through an underwriting process tied to source of income, and then proceed to buy now, while they pay later.

    Speaking on what inspired the initiative, Tobi Martins, co-founder of Motito, lamented the inefficiencies of exciting solutions.

    He said: “Access to credit is still relatively low on the continent, credit cards are practically ineffective and micro lenders have high interest rates.

    “For payment plans that go beyond four weeks, we charge a five per cent service charge to our customers as well.”

    3. Payment24 launches ‘vehicle biometrics’ to fast track refueling

    South African payment solutions specialist, Payment24, has launched a ‘pay by car, not by card’ model as it looks to drive cardless, contactless payment in South Africa.

    Under the name FastLane, the technology works as a ‘biometrics for the vehicle’ and is capable of identifying any vehicle enrolled in the system as it drives into the forecourt.

    According to Payment24, after identity is confirmed, the technology then authorises refuelling and automates payment.

    The new solution is designed to allow petroleum companies and organisations operating their own fuelling homebases to improve service and efficiency, while also reducing the risk of fraud.

    Operating in the artificial intelligence field, FastLane system uses programmed cameras to detect a vehicle’s registration number, make, model, colour and type as it drives into the refuelling station.

    Speaking on the new technology, Nolan Daniel, CEO, Payment24, stated that the development of the new model was to shift the payment game away from traditional methods while leveraging technology.

    He said: “We are advancing to a stage in which the vehicle becomes the payment mechanism, taking away the time and effort that was traditionally needed to refuel a vehicle. Using advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence, we have made ‘paying by car’ a lot faster and more secure than using something like a fleet card.

    “It’s the gateway to a world of cashless transactions, real-time visibility, and satisfied customers. Payment24 FastLane is a way to distinguish yourself, giving customers peace of mind and building loyalty with them.”

    Tech Trivia Answer: China

    Huachen Automotive Group Holdings Co. Ltd., known for its brand name Brilliance Auto Group, is a Chinese automobile manufacturer headquartered in Shenyang. Its products include automobiles, microvans, and automotive components. Its principal activity is the design, development, manufacture and sale of passenger cars sold under the Brilliance brand.