nitec event 2016

NCC At #NITEC2016 Tells Operators’ View On Disruptive Technology

In communications where the traditional operators have enjoyed gilded opportunities, technological advancement in the sector has intruded in the esoteric state of being, according to the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC).

In a presentation at the just concluded Nigeria International Technology Exhibition & Conference (NITEC 2016), titled, “Role of Disruptive Technologies in Catapulting the African Continent’s GDP”, Prof. Umaru Danbatta, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), represented by Mr Tony Ojobo, the director, Public Affairs, affirmed that the word ‘Disruptive’ has been transformed into a beautiful bride whose qualities are being considered strong and positive enough to transform the GDP of the continent.

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Agreeing that Africa needs to step up its technological development to catch up with the trends around the globe, Ojobo said that pre- year 2000, telephone, for instance, was not for the poor even as investment in the telecommunications sector was about $500m which really inserted the phone in the hands of the ‘haves’ in the society.

“Just over a decade and half, with better liberalization of the sector and a firm regulator that is in charge, the Nigerian Communications Commission, the investment profile is over $32bn, the phones out there are over 148m, and with most of them in the hands of ordinary folks who have moved beyond beholding the wonders of this technology to really begin to think of some other derivatives that can profit their lives,” he said, admitting that “Without doubt there is an amount of effusive energy which is at work here to the point of intrusion. This is the danger. And this is where Disruptive is coming from”.

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A Disruptive Technology, according to computing fundamentals glossary, is one that displaces an established technology and shakes up the industry or a ground-breaking product that creates a completely new industry.

The expression, ‘Disruptive Technology’, was first used in 1995 by Prof Clayton Christensen, a Harvard Business lecturer in an article he co-wrote with his colleague, Joseph Bower for the Harvard Business Review.

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Recognizing Christensen’s aphorism, Ojobo said that identifying Sustaining technology as relying on incremental improvements to an already established technology, Disruptive technology lacks such refinement, often has performance problems because it is new, appeals to a limited audience, and may not yet have a proven practical application.

But, “The other interesting aspect of his book is that while large corporations are designed to work with sustaining technologies, excel at knowing their market, staying close to their customers, and having a mechanism in place to develop existing technology; they often have trouble capitalizing on the potential efficiencies, cost-savings, or new marketing opportunities created by low-margin disruptive technologies.

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“Using real-world examples to illustrate his point, Christensen demonstrates how it is not unusual for a big corporation to dismiss the value of a disruptive technology because it does not reinforce current company goals, only to be blindsided as the technology matures, gains a larger audience and market share and threatens the status quo.

Some Disruptive Technologies fall under the genre of Over-the-Top Services which are carried over the networks, delivering value to customers, but without any carrier service provider being involved in planning, selling, provisioning, or servicing them, thereby implying that traditional telcos cannot directly earn revenue from such services

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These over-the-top services include services such as Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony, live streaming and other social media applications, the Director said, “Many traditional telecom service providers are of the opinion that traditional telephony and SMS revenues are under threat from newer IP based alternatives like WhatsApp, Twitter, Skype, Viber, Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and others.

“Similarly, third party web content and social networking companies such as Google and Facebook are increasingly generating huge revenues and driving high levels of data which ride on the broadband networks of traditional telecom traditional network operators even if the latter still have to spend all the money to upgrade their networks to accommodate the OTT intruders.

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“As they say in my village, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. The industry statistics don’t actually favour the disgruntlement of the traditional telcos operators. Globally there is a continuing surge in growth which means that the industry must be heading somewhere for a positive reason.

“The organisers of this conference seem to agree with the latter group that the industry is headed somewhere and there must be something attractive in the direction it is headed. I believe the optimism derives from some of these figures which bear testimony to the transformational strength of a well implemented ICT agenda which incubates new ideas. Total population of Africa by mid-2015 is 1, 158, 355, 663; Internet users by November 2015 were 330, 965, 359; 124, 568, 500 were on Facebook within the same period; There are over 722million mobile phones in Africa and over 127million are smart phones”.

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Globally, Facebook has over 1.5bn users monthly with about 798million accessing the site on their mobile phones; WhatsApp has over 700million users who are sending over 30bn messages every day; Twitter has over 302 million monthly users; Instagram has over 300million active users per month; LinkedIn over 332million registered members; Pinterest has about 70 million of which 56 per cent are females.

“Why would Microsoft want to put in a mind-blowing sum $26.2bn in LinkedIn except there is something they have seen in an organization that may not have as much physical facilities to warrant that amount.

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“But that is the point of vexation by the traditional operators who feel that organizations without tangible investments are creating the new big boys while the old fellas are struggling to balance their books.

To this end, he said, that the operators don’t want go into extinction, but the challenge is that they must listen to the new drumbeat. .

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“The story of growth spreads across the continent, from east to west and north to south, including central. There is no doubt that a liberalized telecommunications sector will help African youth to take charge of their future. Facilitate Broadband Penetration; Improve Quality of Service; Optimize Usage and Benefits of Spectrum; Promote ICT Innovation and Investment Opportunities; Facilitate Strategic Collaboration and Partnership; Protect and Empower Consumers; Promote Fair Competition and Inclusive growth; Ensure Regulatory Excellence and Operational Efficiency”.

He added that every point in the Commission’s present Agenda has been carefully thought out and followed with vision and strategy to help push the industry to new heights in an era of very fair, firm, and forthright regulations.

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“The current Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC is very excited by the opportunity given to drive the growth of Broadband in Nigeria and has already thrown his hat in the ring in full readiness for action.

The Commission is embarking on activities to aggressively drive the deployment of Broadband which it describes as the real game changer.

“It is our pledge therefore, that the Commission will always act responsibly, impartially, transparently and independently in the discharge of its statutory functions in order to validate these expectations for the common good of all Nigerians”, the director said.

Demo Africa 2014

Demo Africa 2014 lived up to Expectation

Demo Africa 2014 has come and gone but it’s memory certainly lingers on for most participants. It is the first time the event touched down on West African soil and I am so proud of what I saw even though I had expected a lot more in attendance.

Be that as it may, I’d give everyone who worked tirelessly to make the event worth the while a big thumbs up because they succeeded in putting up a world class event.

Personally, I had a good time connecting with people from various part of the world including Kenya, Zimbabwe, Germany, Turkey, South Africa, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands and the list goes on. I understand that if not for the “Ebola Scare a lot more people would have showed up especially from the International community but it was above average nonetheless.

Demo Africa 2014
L-R: CFA, Founder, www.ICTwithCFA.com; Mrs. Yewande Zaccheaus, CEO, Eventful Nig. Ltd; Mr. Neal Silverman, Senior Vice President & GM, Demo Int’l & Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication Technology, at Demo Africa

The International community added their voice to emphasize the need to tap entrepreneurial energy among Africans at the DEMO Africa event held recently. It brought together players in the technology scene and provided a critical platform for discussions geared towards fast tracking prosperity and growth in Africa with entrepreneurship being cited as the key to Africa’s freedom and prosperity.

In a video message to the participants, The US Secretary of State John Kerry emphasized the need to groom Africa’s young population to tap the entrepreneurial energy. He reminded Africans that places where people are free to trade and transform ideas are on the right track to growth and prosperity. “You can count on the United States support as you take on this journey to transformation through entrepreneurship.” He assured.

To thump their support, the US State Department through the LIONS@FRICA partnership will this year sponsor five DEMO Africa start-ups for a 10 day trip to pitch at the DEMO US. The five who were picked from the forty that pitched on the DEMO Africa platform, include Jifunza (Rwanda), Nerve (Nigeria), Paysail (Ghana), Chura (Kenya) and Spacepointe (Nigeria).

Demo Africa 2014
Cristina Risen, GM Evernote Europe & CFA at Demo Africa 2014

This year’s event was organized in collaboration with the LIONS@FRICA partners (Microsoft, Nokia, US State Department, DEMO, USAID, African Development Bank, VC4Africa among others) and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.

The DEMO Africa 2014 event was sponsored by Nigeria Information and Technology Development Agency (NIITDA), Microsoft, USADF, Department of State, Evernote, SWELL, Airtel, Bank of Industry, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System, Accenture, MTN, Oasis Management Company, Tony Elumelu Foundation and Main One.

Demo Africa 2014 sure lived up to expectation it was not just about hype – we need more events like this to prove that Africans can indeed play a role in the highly innovative technology market.

SOFEE Conference

SOFEE hosts Business Success Conference in Lagos [Press Release]

CFA’s Comments: A few days ago, I received this press release from my mentor and father who requested that I should let everyone on my network know about the upcoming business event his foundation is organising for corporate Nigeria.

Press Release: Sam Ohuabunwa Foundation For Economic Empowerment (SOFEE) is set to host the Business Success Conference 2014 with the theme: OPTIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FEDERAL AND STATE BUDGETS.

The objectives of the conference are to review the Federal and State a Budgets with focus on growth opportunity and profitability for Operators in the Nigerian Economy, to discuss how the 2014 budget will affect Governance and Business by a clear understanding of the economic policies and variables that will impact business performance in 2014. Overal, it is expected to equip participants with the knowledge for attaining growth and profitability outcomes in the 2014 Business year.

SOFEE ConferenceThe Coordinating Minister for the Economy is expected to be the Special Guest of Honour, while the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment will deliver the key-note address. Dr Bright Okogu, Director Budget office of the Federation and Pastor Ben Akabueze,Commissioner of Budget and Planning in Lagos State will present lead papers on the theme of the Conference. Dr Doyin Salami of Pan ATLANTIC University and Member, Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Austin Nweze of Lagos Business School, Mr Herbert Wigwe, GMD of Access Bank, and Mr Muda Yesufu, DG of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry will help participants discover opportunities and challenges in the Economic environment and understand how to navigate their ways through in order to achieve SUCCESS in 2014.

According to the Founder and Chairman of the Foundation, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, President of the Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce, and Past Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, the Business Success Conference would help participants assess opportunities in Nigeria’s REBASED GDP, the one day conference will hold on Tuesday, 29th April 2014 at the DRV Place, 9 Simeon Akinlolu St, off Oniru Estate Rd, Beside Four Point at Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos starting at 9am to 5pm. Attendance is by registration at www.sofee.org.ng. or by emailing admin@sofee.org.ng

I hope to see you at this event that promises to be richly rewarding.

CFA Speaking

CFA is Speaking at the ISPON National Software Conference and Competition – Tinapa 2013

Yes! I can confirm that I’ll be one of the speakers at this year’s ISPON Conference with the theme “Software Strategies for Retooling the Workforce (SORWORK)” – it will be a power packed event with a host of other experts and dignitaries lined up to attend. I will be speaking on the topic “E-Commerce – Social Media As A Strategic Tool For Business Advancement.”

ISPON stands for the Institute of Software Practitioners in Nigeria and it is a body I recommend all techies both young and old to belong to – it is time to join forces and drive ICT into the very fabrics of the Nigerian state.

Date: Oct. 22nd and 23rd, 2013.

Venue: Tinapa Knowledge City, Calabar, Cross Rivers State.

About the Event

The National Software Conference provides an interactive forum for members of the software ecosystem—developers, consumers, regulators, policy-makers, related professionals, and other interest Groups—to interact and feedback on issues impacting the articulation of this key, albeit nascent, economic sector.

In both government and the business world, the organizations which benefit most from the transformative role of IT are those which treat IT as a key strategic resource for achieving organisational goals rather than as a purely technical input. Your organisation is a leading proponent of this latter as demonstrated by your huge commitment to deploying technology for national development.

The National Software Conference will be the first edition to be organised by the Institute of Software Practitioners in Nigeria (ISPON). ISPON believes that the prioritisation of Software Design, Development and Deployment (SD&D), is one of the best avenues to engage the challenges of global competitiveness, empower the citizenry and enthrone sustainable development and progress.

The overriding vision for The ISPON National Software Conference/Software Competition for Universities is to promote an awareness of the imperative of developing Nigeria’s indigenous software development capacity as a national priority. It is hoped that by exposing the issues, establishing the strategic relevance of the sub-sector in meeting the challenge of national growth and prosperity; and providing a continuous platform for interaction and articulation of industry’s needs amongst a diverse target audience, a specific momentum can be built to create an enabling environment for the growth of the sub-sector.

It is our objective to organise an Exhibition and Conference of international standard, befitting of Nigeria’s stature on the continent; and her standing in the international community of software developers and service providers. In order to achieve this, we intend to package and present a comprehensive and well planned Exhibition and Conference in every respect.

The Keynote Speaker is Prof. Tapio Varis, UNESCO’s Chair in Global e-Learning and Chair of Professional Education, with an emphasis on global learning environment at the Research Centre for Vocational Education, University of Tampere, Finland. He is a Principal Research Associate at UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and a member of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, the European Commission Media Literacy Expert Group, and the Digital Literacy Expert Group.

Other Conference Speakers

  1. Mrs. Omobola Olubusola Johnson, Minister of Communications.
  2. Senator Liyel Imoke, Governor of Cross River State.
  3. Dr Ernest Ndukwe
  4. Prof. Pat Utomi, Founding Faculty, Pan Atlantic University
  5. Hon. Amb. Nkoyo Toyo,
  6. Barbara James, CEO, Henshaw Capital Partners
  7. Prof. Charles Ayo, Vice Chancellor of Covenant University
  8. Prof. Musbau Akanji, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna
  9. Prof.James Epoke
  10. Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole,
  11. Prof. Humphrey Ogoni
  12. and many others including yours truly, CFA

If you would like to attend or participate in this event then I suggest you reach out to

ISPON ADMIN OFFICE

15B Awolowo Road, Ikoyi

Tel: + 08184823854

Email: admin@ispon.org

See you at the event!!!