‘CODESRIA is best think-tank in Sub-Saharan Africa’

ITRealms:

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) has been rated the best think-tank in Sub-Saharan Africa, reports ITRealms.

Disclosing this, the Executive Secretary, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) Dr. Ebrima Sall, noted that this was contained in the just released 2016 Global Go-To Think Tanks Index published by the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania, hence CODESRIA has some reasons for celebration on this eve of its 44th anniversary.

This, he said, is an improvement on recent years when CODESRIA has generally been ranked 3^rd or 4^th.

The report, he said, which evaluates close to 7000 think tanks worldwide, also rated CODESRIA highly in many other categories, including its work on international development and social policy were acknowledged with rankings as the 18^th and 72^nd best think tank in these fields worldwide respectively.

“Our commitment to transdisciplinary research is also acknowledged in our ranking as the 26^th best think tank worldwide in that category,” he said.

As said by him, the wisdom in CODESRIA’s insistence on support for basic research in the social sciences and humanities as an effective way of contributing to public policy is positively endorsed by its ranking as the 35^th best think tank worldwide for influence on public policy. It is also ranked as having had the 48^th best advocacy campaign worldwide.

The executive secretary said that CODESRIA looks at the report as a reinforcement of the Council’s decision to undertake a wide-ranging process of self-reform that was set in motion in 2014.

“In the area of communication, we hope to improve on ranking as the 40^th best think tank worldwide in the use of the Internet. We also hope to improve on the use of print and social media for which we are not even mentioned in the rankings,” he said.

Also, he said, CODESRIA hopes to improve its reflections on and contributions to knowledge in the critical areas of health, the environment and science and technology. Just as the Council’s new 5-year programme cycle represents an opportunity to leverage the Council’s strengths to cement its position as the leading social science research organization in Africa and as a leading contributor to the broad visions for national, continental and global transformations that are captured in the many documents circulating today.

He expressed appreciation to all those who have been supporting CODESRIA including staff and the authorities of the country that hosts the CODESRIA’ secretariat, Senegal; for their confidence and support.

“I would also like to urge the African social science research community to continue to redouble our efforts to move African research forward and advance the production of knowledge on our continent,” Sall said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Afrique Telecom partner Eutelsat, Wikimédia offer free access French Wikipedia

ITRealms:

The trio of Afrique Telecom is partnering with Eutelsat and Wikimedia France to offer free access to French language Wikipedia in Sub-Saharan Africa via Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), reports ITRealms.

This ITRealms also gathered the trio would progressively deploy Internet solutions over Sub-Saharan Africa in combination with Eutelsat’s satellite capacity. 

“Its “TamTam” service extends access to the Internet in rural areas using Wi-Fi hotspots for collective access,” a press statement made available to ITRealms revealed, stressing that it would be used to offer free access to French-language Wikipedia content for many thousands of users. 

This initiative, starting in French-speaking Africa, supports Wikimédia France’s strategy to promote free access to educational content, in particular through Wikipedia.

In order to offer free, unlimited access, Afrique Telecom has developed a server located at “TamTam” hotspots that would locally host French-language Wikipedia content. The content would be updated regularly via a satellite link provided by Eutelsat.

Equally, ITRealms reports that Afrique Telecom’s ambition is to roll-out “TamTam” between 4000 and 8000 hotspots in the next two years, while Eutelsat has agreed to finance servers hosted by the first 1,000 hotspots as a springboard that will further measure the impact of the service.

The Wikimedia movement has made a priority of improving accessibility and content creation on Wikipedia for so-called “Southern” countries. There is still a large gap between Northern and Southern countries in terms of the number of readers and contributors to Wikimedia platforms as well as content on Southern countries. French-speaking Africa is a priority action area for the Wikimédia France Foundation, as a complement to its Afripédia project.

Uj Dominic/GEE with additional report from APO

 

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TD shines with 2 awards at Budapest

ITRealms:

Once again, Technology Distributions (TD), the biggest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) distributors in Sub-Saharan Africa, has clinched the APC West African Distributor of the Year award for 2014, reports ITRealms.

At a prestigious ceremony held in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, TD was proclaimed as such, while a staff of the company, Uche Nnadi, smiled home with the West African Product Manager of the Year award.

The glamorous event which held from May 10^th –14^th, 2015 had in attendance over 70 delegates from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region including distributor account managers, product managers, distributor representatives and directors of the American-based integrated power management and cooling systems  manufacturers. APC joined the Schneider Electric conglomerate in 2007 which saw the formation of the Critical Power & Cooling Services (CPCS) Business Unit, which includes the APC and MGE UPS Systems brands.

The awards ceremony, which offered APC an opportunity to review the regional business terrain, also witnessed the communication of new product releases and upgrades on existing versions as well as the sharing of marketing initiatives with the participants drawn from various countries in the Middle East and Africa region.

Speaking on the double honours claimed by TD at the event, General Manager, TD Volume Segment, Mrs. Adesuwa Igho-Okere who represented the Chief Executive, Mrs. Chioma Ekeh at the occasion, noted that the awards were fitting rewards for the company’s landmark achievements in growing APC footprints in the region as well as its undeniable status as the biggest driver of technological revolution on the continent.

“I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of the entire Management and staff of Technology Distributions. This award is a reflection of the hard work, excellence in service delivery and operational efficiency which sets us apart in the distribution of ICT devices in the West African region and on the continent as a whole.

“The selection of TD as APC’s West African distributor of the year for the second year in a row is no mean feat especially considering the intense competition from other distributors in the region. This award is only going to spur us to greater heights in our mission of making ICT products accessible, affordable and usable across Africa through the building of an efficient distribution network,” she enthused.

Also expressing his excitement at the recognition, Mr. Uche Nnadi, who received the Product Manager of the year award, affirmed his intent to retain the award for the coming year by meeting and surpassing his targets for the current financial year.

“Although the award came as a surprise to me in view of the calibre of contenders from the region, I am determined to work even harder to retain the award for 2015. The can-do spirit which TD emphasizes is what brought me this recognition in the first place and I intend to fully maintain that tempo.”

With branches in major cities coupled with expansion into other African capitals, TD has forged a reputation for being the prime ICT distributor in the West African sub-region. Backed by its status as the pioneer manufacturer-accredited local distributor for the sub-region, TD has successfully represented a number of globally renowned brands which has helped maintain its position as the market leader.

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Nothing like MasterCard ID card for Nigerians – Daniel Monehin

DigitalSENSE Business News:

Division president, sub-Saharan Africa, MasterCard, Mr. Daniel Monehin, has declared that there is nothing like MasterCard identity card for Nigerians, reports DigitalSENSE Business News.

Speaking to DigitalSENSE Business News at a day session with media in Lagos in conjunction with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said that those describing the ongoing national electronic ID (eID) process in Nigeria as ‘MasterCard ID’ are short of the truth.

“There is nothing like MasterCard ID card it is simply a national Identity card for Nigeria,” he declared, stressing that the beauty of the current ID card by the Federal Government through NIMC is that Cardholders can actually pay for goods and services at Point-of-Sale (POS).

In addition, Mr. Monehin noted that whoever gets this kind of card from NIMC would use it to withdraw cash, deposit funds, receive social benefits, and even for savings.

Also, he said, this card could be loaded as there are now loading and reloading channels being pioneered by Access Bank, while NIMC promises to provide a centre for those who may be in need of reload their cards among other channels to be unveiled soon.

He maintained that Nigerian national eID card is a cashless economy and financial inclusion tool, hence, “All Nigerian national eID card will be issued with prepaid solution,” and offers government to people (G2P).

Also speaking to DigitalSENSE Business News, the Director-General of NIMC, Mr. Chris Onyemanem lamented the spate of State Governments are introducing individualized identity card in the name of growing their internally generated revenue (IGR).

He also warned the affected states to desist from wasting tax payers money and allow peace to reign by joining hands with the presidency to capture their citizens for maximum benefit of the national eID.

The eID by NIMC, he insisted would benefit the populace more and has potential to make life more easier for the citizenry especially in accessing government of the day with open mind.

@NIMC @Remmy Nweke +Naija AgroNet +DigitalSENSE Africa Media
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Iyanya, Naeto C, J.Martins others for TD-Mobile launch

ITRealms:

TD-Mobile, the digital lifestyle and highly mobile products distribution arm of Technology Distributions Limited, the acclaimed No.1 ICT value added distributor in Sub-Saharan Africa, will be formally launch on September 29, 2014, at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, ITRealms reports.

In a press statement made available to ITRealms by Gbenga Ajayi stated that TD-Mobile has already signed distribution agreements with world-class mobile products manufacturers like Lenovo, Nokia, HP, Zinox, Toshiba, Dell and so on.

He quoted the Marketing Head, TD-Mobile, Mrs. Gozy Ijogun, as saying that TD-Mobile is everything about original digital mobile products like smart phones, phablets, tablets, laptops and mobile printers from world class manufacturers for all highly upwardly mobile resellers and partners across the country, who really deserves the best with peerless aftersales services.

Also, Mrs. Ijogun said that what differentiates TD-Mobile from other distributors is that they are focused on digital mobile products direct from manufacturers and we take responsibility for all our products.

“The market is full of fake products and we thought we should define this market for the good of the country. We have in the past six months hired smart and well educated Nigerians with style to drive the vision of the founders of Technology Distributions.In a nutshell, we are everything about digital lifestyle mobile products distribution and this forthcoming launch is a statement of intent to provide ready access for all to cutting edge mobile technology for business and pleasure,” she said, stressing that they have invited selected partners nationwide for this great evening which promises to be an eye opener to modern digital lifestyle mobile products distribution.

“Trust me, TD-Mobile will be a rewarding experience for the whole of Africa,” she declared.

She further revealed that the Nigeria leading musician, Iyanya, will be leading other Nigerian artistes such as Naeto C and J. Martins, who have been confirmed to perform at this event which kicks off at 6.00pm.

As affirmed Mr. Ubi, Iyanya’s Manager, Iyanya will make it a night to remember.

“As you know, Iyanya is associated with digital lifestyle and he thinks this is one of the greatest companies emerging in Nigeria this century to take the entire populace to another level in digital evolution” he said.

Remmy Nweke: 

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Pix: Iyanya.