NNPC bags NIMASA compliance certification on ship, port security - ITREALMS

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The NNPC Ltd has reiterated commitment to sustain the company's march towards process improvement, regulatory compliance and performance excellence, just as the company has been certified on ship and port security by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), reports ITREALMS.

The Executive Vice President, Business Services, NNPC, Mr. Inuwa Danladi, disclosed this while speaking on the recent certification of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code Compliance obtained from NIMASA.

Environment: NSML gets first sub-Saharan African terminal certification - ITREALMS

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The NLNG Ship Management Limited (NSML), manager's of the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) Bonny Terminal, has achieved the terminal’s Ecoport Port Environmental Review System (PERS) certification, making it the first certification of its kind in any port in Sub-Saharan Africa, reports ITREALMS.

According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NSML, Mr. Abdukadir Ahmed, the certification was an attestation that the facilities and operations at NLNG’s Bonny Terminal comply with leading environmental management practices.

Flour Mills gets ISO 27001 certification for robust cyber security framework - ITREALMS

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Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, a leader in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) recently passed the PECB ISO 27001certification audit for its Information Technology (IT) and cybersecurity framework and policies. This certification has placed Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC as the foremost Nigerian firm in the FMCG sector to be presented with such a certification. ISO 27001(Information Security Management System) is the most recognized international standards for information security management for any organization globally. It provides clear processes for effective implementation and continuous mitigation to data/security breach for any organization. This certification has placed Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC as an organization that is in line with the global best practices when it has to do with cybersecurity and data breach.

The PECB ISO 27001 Certification was facilitated by Nigeria’s cybersecurity firms, Kecam Technologies Limited and DataSixth CyberSecurity Limited. These firms in line with an international recognized audit firm conducted series of interviews, ensured that the right implementation was in place and also guided the organization to achieve the PECB ISO/27001 certification.

Court nullifies Stella's suspension, affirms her certification, awards N.5m damages against NUJ, Anne Daniels et al - ITREALMS

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The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting at Area 3, Garki-Abuja on Tuesday March 29, 2022 delivered a landmark judgement on suit number NICN/ABJ/139/2021, in favour of Stella Okoh-Esene, the immediate past chairperson of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, reports ITREALMS.

The court also reinstated her membership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and reaffirmed that her Advanced Diploma Certificate from Times Journalism Institute (TJI) Lagos, remained valid qualification to practice the profession, aside her 20-year experience on the job.

Cognito micronutrient powder earns MANCAP certification - ITREALMS

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The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has awarded the Mandatory Conformity Assessment (MANCAP) certification to the Cognito brand, reports ITREALMS.

Micronutrient Laboratories Limited formulates, designs and markets Cognito micronutrient powder for use in enriching and enhancing the nutritional value of food as a tool to fight diseases caused by micronutrient deficiencies, especially in children under five years.

NAF Hospital Lab wins ISO 15189 certification for quality systems - ITREALMS

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The 661 Nigerian Air Force Hospital Laboratory (661 NAFH), Ikeja-Lagos, has won for the second time, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189:2012 accreditation certificate for quality management systems and excellent service delivery, reports ITREALMS.

CAS Amao receiving the certificate from Dr. Erhabor

According to the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet in a press statement available to  ITREALMS, he said the award was presented to the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao at the Headquarters NAF, Abuja by the Registrar, Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), Dr Tosan Erhabor.

ETSI, OBE partner on FinTech certification

ITREALMS:

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and Open Banking Europe (OBE) have entered into a partnership to offer the public financial services with qualified certificates, reports ITRealms.

The event also known as the eIDAS Meets PSD2 workshop, tends to faciliate securing access to financial services with qualified certificates.

This will take place on 20 March 2018 at ETSI Headquarters in Sophia Antipolis (South of France). 

ETSI is developing a standard for the use of EU Qualified Certificates, as defined in Regulation (EU) No 910/201 (eIDAS), profiled to meet the requirements for securing communications between payment services under Directive (EU) 2015/2366 (PSD2).

This event is to explain the PSD2 Qualified Certificates as specified by ETSI in TS 119 495 and discuss its usage with eIDAS trust service providers and PSD2 payment service providers.

ITRealms gathered that a stable draft of the PSD2 Qualified Certificate standard ETSI TS 119 495 is available for public review and comments until 23^rd March. https://docbox.etsi.org/ESI/Open/Latest_Drafts/ts_119495v000003_for-public-review.pdf

The organisers added that attendance to the workshop is free of charge and open to all upon registration.

Nony Dom/GEE

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ETSI plans Cybersecurity Certification

ITREALMS:

Due to the proposed EU Regulation called the 'Cybersecurity Act', the European Telecommunication Standard Institute (ETSI) is planning cybersecurity certification to deepen the essentials among stakeholders, reports ITRealms.

ETSI also noted that this will contribute to opportunities and challenges for the European Standardization Organizations.

The cyber security Act, ITRealms reports that the European Cybersecurity Certification Framework for ICT products and services promotion.

“It specifies the essential functions and tasks of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) in the field of cybersecurity certification,” part of the statement read.

This Act raises a number of questions regarding the standards needed to support such certification framework and the role of the different cybersecurity stakeholders.

The conference will present the Cybersecurity certification landscape and unveil what it means for policy makers, industry, citizens, certification bodies, and the European Standardization System.

At the end of the day, attendees will have a clearer view about the legislative landscape and the path forward for standards to support the Cybersecurity certification framework.

The conference aims to foster the dialogue among policy makers, industry, standardization organizations, certification bodies and those involved in the development of the ICT certification framework in Europe, in view of an effective implementation of the CyberAct upon its adoption.

Participation is free of charge but registration is obligatory. Save your seat and register online.

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NITDA reorganises certification process for OEMs

ITRealms:

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reorganised the process of registering and certifying indigenous Information Technology (IT) Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), other government establishments, reports ITRealms.

Disclosing this to ITRealms, the Director-General cum chief executive officer (CEO), NITDA, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, said it has become imperative to bring this to the notice of all stakeholders including organised private sector and public at large.

Also, a press statement made available to ITRealms, Dr. Pantami was quoted as saying that this reorganisation became necessary considering the incessant complaints received from consumers of indigenous IT devices.

“It is also aimed at facilitating and ensuring adherence to world class standards. This will guarantee the quality and durability of locally assembled devices,” he said, stressing that NITDA will henceforth mandate quality after-sales-support as a significant part of the registration and certification process and as mandatory part of the operations of all indigenous OEMs.

For this, he said, all previously registered indigenous IT OEMs whose certifications have expired should note that continuance of sale of machines and equipment not tested and certified by NITDA is a violation of existing rules and procedures of the Agency. They are therefore advised to initiate the recertification process with immediate effect. We also call on all customers to demand current certification of NITDA before devices are purchased from indigenous OEMs.

As said by him, all other entities desirous of assembling and selling IT devices in Nigeria should also apply to the agency for registration and certification.

Pantami further said that interested entities should note that only NITDA registered indigenous OEMs are entitled to the reliefs and incentives as contained in the Regulatory Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 2013. The certification process of OEMs and the Regulatory Guidelines for Nigerian Content Development in ICT 2013 are issued and implemented pursuant to Section 6 of the National Information Technology Development Act 2007.

NITDA, ITRealms recalls was created in April 2001 to implement the Nigerian Information Technology Policy and co-ordinate general IT development and regulation in the country. Specifically, Section 6(a & c) of the Act mandates NITDA to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology practices, activities and systems in Nigeria; and render advisory services in all information technology matters to the public and private sectors.

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Constructed Facility: Rack Centre gets Tier III certification

ITRealms:

Acclaimed Sub Sahara Africa’s premium data facility, Rack Centre has attained the Tier III Tier Certification of Constructed Facility (TCCF) from the Uptime Institute, reports ITRealms.

With this certification, ITRealms reports that Rack Centre has joined the elite data centres in the world-over to be certified and the first in the West African sub-region.

Rack Centre, a co-location services provider, said the TCCF certification was achieved after a thorough forensic assessment of all aspects of Rack Centre’s facilities and operations by Uptime Institute experts team from the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK).

Affirming this, the Managing Director, Rack Centre, Mr Ayotunde Coker, told ITRealms that Uptime Institute is the global authority for data centre certification through its Tier Certification framework and the standard it sets is recognised as the global benchmark for quality and international best practices in data centre design, construction and operations.

This certification, he therefore said, demonstrates that Rack Centre facility and all its data centre elements are built as per the original Tier III design and engineering specifications and validates that it is meeting the defined availability of concurrent maintainability.

“we are delighted that Rack Centre has achieved this certification by such a respected and distinguished global body as the Uptime Institute.  We are passionate that we have attained one of the highest standards and achieving the Uptime Institute Tier III TCCF certification validates this, and demonstrates to our existing and future customers, that here in Nigeria, we are meeting the highest standards at the global level.  Rack Centre is the most connected Tier III certified and truly carrier neutral data centre in Africa.  We are proud of this achievement,” he said.

For the Managing Director, EMEA, Uptime Institute, Mr Phil Collerton, Rack Centre  certification clearly demonstrates commitment to its customers and unwavering focus on not only designing but also building a world class facility that meets the most demanding requirements.

“This data centre will continue to underpin the region’s economic development as more businesses and people join the digital ecosystem while also strengthening Rack Centres’ position as a highly resilient infrastructure hub for connectivity partners and end customers in the region,” he said.

ITRealms recalls that Rack Centre based in Oregun, Lagos, Nigeria and owned by Jagal, a Nigerian conglomerate holding that operates leading energy businesses and manages a diverse portfolio of investments is a state of the art data centre offering carrier neutral colocation services and provides over 6000 sqm (65,000sqft) of energy efficient and secure centre. A modular scalable data centre, currently with 255 racks and scalable to 3000 racks at completion, with access to all undersea cables serving Nigeria, ensuring all countries on the Atlantic coast of Africa are connected by a wide choice of high speed fibre.  Rack Centre has consistently maintained 100 per cent uptime since it launched four years ago.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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Etisalat receives EMS certification on ISO 14001:2004

ITRealms:

Telecommunications operator, Etisalat Nigeria has received the prestigious International Organization for Standardization (ISO)14001:2004 Environmental Management System (EMS) certification, reports ITRealms.

The certification, ITRealms gathered heralds Etisalat as the first telecommunication company in Nigeria to successfully implement the ISO 14001:2004 standard.  

Also, the certification, ITRealms reports, was awarded to Etisalat Nigeria by Bureau Veritas, a global leader in testing, inspection and certification, is conferred on organisations that establish and run an environmental management system of the highest standards.

Confirming this, the Managing Director, Bureau Veritas Nigeria, Mr. Sebastiano Fruciano, while presenting the certificate to the Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Matthew Willsher, in Lagos, commended the telco for surpassing the set standards for the industry.

“We wish to congratulate Etisalat Nigeria on achieving this great feat. We commend you for establishing and operating one of the best environmental management systems in the country, at least the best among telecommunications operators,” Fruciano said.

Willsher thanked Bureau Veritas for recognising the commitment of Etisalat Nigeria to sustainable development, environmental protection and strict compliance with existing regulations.

“The successful incorporation of ISO 14001: 2004 EMS into our business operations is a confirmation of our continuous commitment to excellence and regulatory compliance. This international certification has again affirmed the leadership role we play in the industry. We strive to be the best in everything we do, from product innovation to service delivery and compliance with all relevant regulations and we will continue on this path,” he said.

Head, Environmental Compliance and Public Relations, Oluseyi Osunsedo, said Etisalat as a socially responsible organisation takes compliance, stakeholder interest and best practice very seriously.

“We have voluntarily set the highest standards of performance for ourselves and our business partners to ensure sustainability is interwoven into business decisions. The result of this is that every aspect of our operations does not only comply with our internal operational policies, but all operations meet and where possible, exceed the local regulatory requirements as well as conform to international best practice,” she said.

Osunsedo further said that, indeed Etisalat is the first operator in Nigeria and possibly in Africa to get certified to the ISO standard for environmental management.

“This goes to show that Etisalat is doing many things right particularly in terms of proactive management of environmental concerns. The recent ISO certification is an independent validation that we are operating our business in such a way that prevents negative impacts on our operational environment,” she said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE 

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Pix: L-R: Managing Director, Sebastiano Fruciano; System Certification Manager, Adenike Akinbote, both of Bureau Veritas Nigeria presenting the ISO 14001:2004 EMS Certificate to the Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher in company of Head, Environmental Compliance and Public Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Oluseyi Osunsedo.

NIRA Academy, AfriNIC sign MoU on IPv6 certification, capacity building

ITRealms:

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) Academy and Mauritius-based African Network Information Center (AFRINIC) Ltd, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop and certify skills in Internet Number Resources Management and Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6) in Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

NIRA Academy, ITRealms gathered was established by NiRA, the managers of the country code Top Level Domain Name (.ng ccTLD) to breed Nigerians that will take full advantage of the jobs and business opportunities, wealth creation and financial rewards that the .ng domain name string has to offer, while AFRINIC is the Regional Registry for Internet Number Resources serving the African Internet Community. Thus among the world’s five Regional Internet Registries (RIR) that manage IP Addresses and Autonomous System numbers based on policies defined by the community.

Confirming this development to ITRealms in a press statement, the Dean of NIRA Academy, Mr. Sikiru A Shehu, said he signed on behalf of NiRA, whilst the chief executive officer (CEO), AFRINIC Limited, Mr. Alan P. Barrett, signed on behalf of AFRINIC.

According to Shehu, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was actually effective on Tuesday 24th January 2017, in Nairobi, Kenya, to develop and certify skills in Internet Number Resources Management and IPv6 in Nigeria.

Shehu also said that the Memorandum of Understanding creates an accessibility to International IPv6 certification for Nigerian System and Network Engineers, and provides the opportunity for Nigeria to increase the number of internationally recognised and skilled IPv6 engineers, following the pattern established by AFRINIC. The trainings would be conducted at the NiRA Academy, using AFRINIC course wares and certified trainers for the certification programmes.

Further, he said, the signing ceremony was witnessed by key players within the African and Global Internet Community, including the President/CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Mr. Goran Marby; Ghanaian Internet Pioneer, Prof. Nii Quaynor, representing the African Internet Community, NIRA President, Revd Sunday Folayan who is also the Chairman of the AFRINIC Board, Immediate Past President NIRA , Mrs. Mary Uduma, NIRA Board of Trustees member, Emmanuel Edet, NiRA's Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Edith Udeagu and AFRINIC Board/ICANN ALAC member Seun Ojedeji.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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IIM-Africa introduces GIMC certification

ITRealms:

The Institute of Information Management (IIM-Africa) has introduced an exclusive General Information Management Competence Certification (GIMC-Certification) to mitigate information risk and raise awareness among stakeholders and employees in several organisations, reports ITRealms.

According to the President of IIM-Africa, Dr. Oyedokun Oyewole, introduction of this certification has become imperative due to obvious prevailing information breaches in government and private entities in recent times.

Oyewole who also is the Chairman Board of Directors/Governing Council at IIM – Africa, told ITRealms that information, no matter the form in which it is currently remain a valuable asset to any organisation whether in the public or private sector respectively.

He pointed out that from the management executives, employees, customers and other stakeholders rely on the information being timely, reliable, accurate and complete to make the next step.

Equally, Oyewole noted that it’s no longer a surprise to see insider threats as the biggest risk to information management and security as employees will always be the one thing that cannot be controlled.

“Employees and other information users within any organisation constitute one of the greatest threats to information security, as the individuals closest to the organizational data and information. They do not necessarily have to be malicious to put a company at risk due to the fact that they may not understand the possible risks and consequences associated with their actions” he said.

However, Oyewole stated that good information, could be undermined in many ways, as corrupted or compromised information could cause a wide range of problems, from those that are simply annoying to those that could have a major impact on an organisation’s future.

“Information risk encompasses all the challenges that result from an organisation’s need to control and protect its information” he said.

The GIMC-Certification, he anticipated to have a huge impact on all kinds of insider information security threats, being the most effective means to combat negligence that could results in data loss or exposure as every organisation, regardless of its size or sector, handles information which must be appropriately controlled and protected against the threats, non-technical as well as technical, that could upset it.

Oyewole emphasized that IIM GIMC-Certification would promote the awareness of information management and security across board; assist employees to understand the basics of what information management is, comprising individual roles and responsibilities in the process of information creation, storage, usage, sharing and disposition; educate employees and other users on how to better manage both personal and corporate information, aimed at assisting individuals and organisations understand and imbibe best practices on how to mitigate information risk and handling of sensitive information within their establishments.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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MainOne’s data center achieves West Africa 1st SAP certification

ITRealms:

The data center subsidiary of MainOne, the MDXi, has achieved SAP-certified provider of Infrastructure Services for SAP solutions, reports ITRealms.

This new certification, according to the Temitope Osunrinde of the Public Relations and Digital Communications at MainOne, confers on MDXi the ability to deliver high-quality cloud and infrastructure operations services for customers running SAP solutions and recognizes the company as the region’s first SAP Certified Data Center.

The Chief Executive Officer of MainOne, Funke Opeke, while receiving the certificate was quoted in a press statement made available to ITRealms , said it would afford MDXi to host and manage SAP applications utilizing the company’s enterprise cloud platforms, across its private, public and hybrid cloud solutions, via a consumption-based delivery model.

As a SAP-certified provider of hosting services, she said, MDXi would offer a cost-effective yet reliable delivery model for mission-critical applications for customers of SAP, stressing that SAP customers who rely on MainOne’s data center for hosting services will be empowered to focus on the business value of their solutions and benefit from reduced operational expenses that a commercial data center provides.

"We are pleased to receive the SAP certification for Infrastructure Operations Services, as it validates our commitment to providing world-class data center and cloud solutions in Nigeria. With this certification from SAP, it is now possible for Nigerian enterprises and businesses to host SAP applications in-country on MDXi’s Cloud platform and optimize their accounting processes, data analytics and sales chain management. This will improve response times for SAP applications, ensure data security and assure more cost effective subscription charges.”

Equally speaking the Managing Director of SAP West Africa, Kudzai Danha noted ht more than ever, SAP Africa is excited about the SAP HANA certification of partners like MainOne. The current market demand for attractive business applications in the cloud presents great business opportunities and through SAP HANA®, customers can innovate and redesign business processes, capitalizing on the agility of this unique platform.”

SAP HANA Cloud is an in-memory platform that runs analytics applications smarter, business processes faster and data infrastructures simpler! It is the foundation for all the data needs of a business, removing the burden of maintaining separated legacy systems and siloed data, so business can run simple in this new digital economy.

The SAP certification process is rigorous and culminates with an onsite audit session to determine that the provider meets all the local and global requirements as stipulated by SAP to run its applications. Some of the criteria include quality and knowledge management, data center, network and connectivity, back up and data recovery, IT service management and project management. In order to meet this certification requirements, MDXi demonstrated its professional competence in all aspects of infrastructure operations including possessing a comprehensive operations manual, system landscape diagrams, security guidelines, OS access, required technical skills amongst others.

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RLG’s certification to liberate Nigeria as dumping ground

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The Regional Communications Director for West and Central Africa, RLG Communications Limited, Mr. Tosin Ilesanmi, has said that the certification of the company’s products by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will ensure that Nigeria is liberated as a dumping ground, ITRealms learnt.

NITDA recently approved the operating licence of RLG Communications Limited to enable it manufacture computers and other similar devices within the country.

However,ITRealms reports that it is still hazy how much of RLG’s production workflow will be carried out within the country. Some equipment manufacturers that have attempted to build ICT hardware in Africa, report said, have been discovered to produce hardware component in China and only to couple them in Africa.

Techcabal quoting The Punch, said, RLG applied for accreditation with NITDA in April 2014, and within this period of accreditation process NITDA had opportunity to inspect and test the facilities of the company.

ITRealms investigation revealed that RLG Group of Companies Limited started in Ghana with the incorporation of Rogams Link. As the leading Ghanaian computer and handset manufacturing company, it is the first indigenous African company to assemble laptops, desktops and mobile phones and offer ICT training in computer and phone repairs. The Accra-based company is modeled to generate mass, high-skilled employment for thousands of African youth and meet the rising demand for computers and other ICT devices.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE with addition report from The Punch

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DCC achieves Cisco certification

The communications division of the Computer Warehouse Group, DCC Networks has achieved the Cisco Gold certification in West English Africa countries.

A press statement endorsed by the head, corporate communications and marketing, Mrs. Nkechi Okpara, said the achievement of this certification demonstrated CWG’s compliance with strict standards enforced by Cisco Systems regarding service management, solution architecting, project management and support capabilities, required to achieve and maintain a high degree of customer satisfaction.

According to her, as a Gold Certified Partner; DCC would be privileged to have high level of support and economic incentives from Cisco, including access to best-in-class products and services, technical support, productivity tools, online training, marketing resources, and sales promotions which will be cascaded down to all our most valued customers and prospects.

She quoted the Cisco channel certification team as saying that DCC met the personnel, support, and specialization requirements for achieving Cisco Gold Certification.

“CWG has demonstrated that it is qualified to sell, install, and support Cisco solutions in West English Africa” a letter from the team read, adding that they are committed.

They also said that with the expertise that DCC Networks Limited has demonstrated and look forward to a continued successful partnership.

The General Manager, DCC Networks, Mr. Oladipo Raji expressed delight over the new Cisco Gold status because it would translate to more value, quality services and more offerings to CWG customers at large.

He recalled that DCC Networks has the broadest range of expertise having achieved four advanced specializations: Unified Communications, Routing & Switching, Security, and Wireless LAN technologies and have also integrated Cisco Lifecycle Services into their offerings and demonstrated a measurably high level of customer satisfaction in each level of certification.

Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) provides technology solutions to business problems across multiple sectors of the Nigerian economy and across Africa. With a staff base of more than 500 and customer base spread across the blue chips, Computer Warehouse Group has earned a reputation for dedication to customer satisfaction.

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