UK deepens digital partnership with Nigeria to drive inclusive economic growth - ITREALMS

The United Kingdom government has announced a major expansion of its bilateral collaboration with Nigeria, launching a robust suite of technical and regulatory initiatives under the UK’s flagship Digital Access Programme to accelerate the country’s burgeoning digital economy, reports ITREALMS.

At the core of this deepened partnership is the introduction of the State-level Policy, Regulatory and Institutional Reforms Enabling Digital Transformation (SPRIRET) initiative. The project was officially unveiled following a diplomatic visit by the UK Minister for Africa and International Development, Baroness Chapman MP.

UK Minister for Africa strengthens ties with Nigeria in strategic partnership visit - ITREALMS

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The United Kingdom's Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury, concluded a three-day visit to Nigeria focused on deepening the UK-Nigeria strategic partnership, reports ITREALMS.

Discussions were centered on mutual economic growth, prosperity, security, and migration, whereas Lord Collins reaffirmed the UK Government's commitment to strengthening trade and investment ties.

Lessons from the U.K. Brexit Election - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

The U.K. has announced the result of the “Brexit Election”, and Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party won a landslide victory, mostly at the expense of Jeremy Corbyn’s opposition Labour Party.

Listen to their statements after the results; “I will work night and day to repay voters’ trust” … Boris Johnson. “I will not lead the party in any future general election campaign” … Jeremy Corbyn.

Despite the very high stakes in this election, there was no acrimonious stirring of tribal sentiments, nor calls on supporters to protest or reject the results. Rather, leaders on all sides called on their supporters to accept the line in the sand and move forward together. The central message of the winner was – let the healing begin.

Here are the key facts:

· The decision to go for elections in the U.K. was taken in late Oct 2019, but officially kicked off on Nov 06th

· Voting started at 7am on Dec 12th, and stopped by 10pm the same day

· The polls all come in by 8am next day, Dec 13th, except for St. Ives, an island caught in a storm

· The fastest returning record was 45 mins after voting closed

· There was 67% voters’ attendance

· There were no incidents of ballot snatching, violence or deaths as a result of the election

They did not have four years to plan; in fact, they barely had two months, and they had to deal with the exigencies of the attendant “holiday mindset” of the Christmas season; and yet there was no thought of postponement.

What can we learn from the UK elections? Can we replicate this in Nigeria? What do we need to do to make this happen?

I asked these questions on my social media handles and got a myriad of responses ranging from genuine self-introspection to excuses, and even outright justification of the status quo.

It is an unfair comparison of apples and oranges. Comparing a country created in 1536 with a country that was colonised and whose independence was given in 1960 is not a fair comparison; Nigeria needs time! One of them declared. Some others postulated that until we pass into law the electoral reform bill, there will not be elections in 2023.

I don't think the comparison is unfair; technology evens things out. We have to start aspiring towards superior systems instead of wallowing in our status quo, another countered.

If the U.K. is too far from Nigeria in development for a fair comparison, then maybe we should measure our electoral process against our neighbours here in Ghana and assess how we stack up. It cannot be gainsaid that the deliberate policy of free quality education in Ghana is at the root of sustained electoral maturity. The elections are more about developmental manifestos of the candidates than about parochial tribal and religious sentiments.

Even if we compare “apples with apples” with respect to the period since independence, how do you explain that countries like Botswana (1966), Mauritius (1968) and Singapore (1965) who were also colonized and gained independence after Nigeria are doing much better in their political process.

Perhaps the most telling comment was that elections in the U.K. are not do-or-die affairs because there's a limit to what a party can spend, coupled with the fact that the rewards and perks of political office are not way out of proportion to other careers.

Nigeria’s political process seems to be riddled with rigging, violence and deaths. We seem to take one step forward in electoral reforms, followed by two giant leaps backwards. Success at organising elections will certainly boost our standing among nations, and indeed our self-esteem as a people.

While it is pertinent to do an introspection about how we got here, it is more important to focus on how to dig ourselves out of this predicament and our respective parts in the plan; what I call healing “the man in the mirror” to heal society. Credible elections will instill good governance, assure shared prosperity and stem the massive brain drain plaguing our nation. This is certainly not rocket science, or is it?

It will be interesting to hear your views.

*Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc, the largest ICT Company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange & Entrepreneur in Residence at CBS, New York. Austin also serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network, and on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship. Austin now runs the Ausso Leadership Academy focused on Business and Entrepreneurial Mentorship

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Nigeria 2019: U.S, U.K insist on genuine free, fair, transparent elections - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The duo of United States of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK) have insisted on free, fair, transparent exercise in the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria, reports ITREALMS.

In join press statement made available to ITREALMS, both USA and UK affirmed their support for a credible election beginning with the presidential election till the last exercise.

U.S. Statement read in part:

“The conduct of the upcoming elections in Nigeria is important not only for Nigeria, but for the African continent.

“The United States government does not support any specific candidate or party in Nigeria’s upcoming elections. The United States supports the Nigerian democratic process itself. We support a genuinely free, fair, transparent, and peaceful electoral process.

“We, and other democratic nations, will be paying close attention to actions of individuals who interfere in the democratic process or instigate violence against the civilian population before, during, or after the elections. We will not hesitate to consider consequences - including visa restrictions - for those found to be responsible for election-related violence or undermining the democratic process. Under U.S. immigration law, certain violations may also lead to restrictions on family members.

“We welcome the signing of peace pledges by Nigerian candidates and their commitment to a peaceful electoral process.

According to the United Kingdom, yesterday, “23 days to the Presidential and National Assembly elections and 37 days to the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections, the British High Commission in Abuja would like to reaffirm our strong support for free, fair and peaceful elections in Nigeria.

“We and our international partners remain committed supporters of Nigeria’s democracy. We do not support any party or individual and believe that the Nigerian people should be able to choose their leaders in an environment free from hate speech and insecurity.

“We continue to provide significant support to Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission and to Nigerian civil society to help them deliver credible elections. We also regularly engage with actors across the political spectrum to encourage them to respect electoral rules and maintain an atmosphere of peace and calm. We will be deploying an extensive observation mission for the forthcoming elections, including coordinating with the EU’s Election Observation Mission. 

"Our monitors will in particular be looking out for any attempts to encourage or use violence to influence the elections, including on social media. We would like to remind all Nigerians that where the UK is aware of such attempts, this may have consequences for individuals. These could include their eligibility to travel to the UK, their ability to access UK based funds or lead to prosecution under international law.

“The UK is a friend and partner of Nigeria. We hope our continued support will play a role in helping Nigeria take a further step towards consolidating the progress made since democracy returned in 1999.”

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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What Buhari told Nigerians on return from UK

For the Records@ITRealms:

Broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, August 21, 2017 after return from medical tourism at the Abuja House in United Kingdom. Excerpts.

"My dear citizens,

I am very grateful to God and to all Nigerians for their prayers. I am pleased to be back on home soil among my brothers and sisters.

2.     In the course of my stay in the United Kingdom, I have been kept in daily touch with events at home. Nigerians are robust and lively in discussing their affairs, but I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in the social media have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation. This is a step too far.

 3.     In 2003 after I joined partisan politics, the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu came and stayed as my guest in my hometown Daura. Over two days we discussed in great depth till late into the night and analyzed the problems of Nigeria. We both came to the conclusion that the country must remain one and united.

4.     Nigeria's unity is settled and not negotiable. We shall not allow irresponsible elements to start trouble and when things get bad they run away and saddle others with the responsibility of bringing back order, if necessary with their blood.

5.     Every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance.

  6.    I believe the very vast majority of Nigerians share this view.

  7.     This is not to deny that there are legitimate concerns. Every group has a grievance. But the beauty and attraction of a federation is that it allows different groups to air their grievances and work out a mode of co-existence.

8.     The National Assembly and the National Council of State are the legitimate and appropriate bodies for national discourse.

9.     The national consensus is that, it is better to live together than to live apart.

10.   Furthermore, I am charging the Security Agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months be a sign to relax.

11.     Terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety.

 12.     Therefore we are going to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight not only against;

·       elements of Boko Haram which are attempting a new series of attacks on soft targets

·       kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes,

·       in addition to ethnic violence fuelled by political mischief makers. We shall tackle them all.

13.   Finally, dear Nigerians, our collective interest now is to eschew petty differences and come together to face common challenges of;

·       economic security,

·       political evolution and integration

·       as well as lasting peace among all Nigerians.

14.     I remain resolutely committed to ensuring that these goals are achieved and maintained. I am so glad to be home.

15.    Thank you and may God bless our dear Nation."

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One route to the market

For the Records@ITRealms:

The acceptance speech by Nigerian TV screen goddess, Funmi Iyanda, during her investiture as Honorary Fellow of University of Cumbria, United Kingdom (UK). Excerpts.

Vice-Chancellor, University Staff, Distinguished Guests, Graduates, Ladies and Gentlemen, family and friends, thank you so much for those kind words and indeed for this wonderful honour. 

I’m very grateful, not just for this invitation to be an Honorary Fellow, but to be invited to share it with so many gifted individuals that it has been my pleasure to meet today.

This fellowship is important to me because my father always wanted me to be a medical doctor. Since that wasn’t happening l thought l’d get a doctorate to please him but l never got round to it so perhaps he’d posthumously accept this in lieu. Also, l have never worn a graduation gown so it was on my bucket list. This lovely university is close to my heart because it has educated some of the people dearest to me, accepted my country men and women with warmth and provided me great opportunities to share my rather skewed world view. I am excited at the prospects of future opportunities for education that this fellowship will mean.  Now let me share a few stories with you because stories are nice.

Nothing ever went the way I planned, well almost nothing. I had planned to torment my mother with teenager angst but she died before I turned 10, ruining that excellent plan. At the beginning of this year I planned a major cinema project, a new TV show and a fashion school but then I fell very sick ruining that senseless plan.

Last week my over thinking 14-year-old daughter Morenike asked if I thought there was an afterlife. I told her I doubted it but feel that’s in much the same way our current existence makes little rational sense and we cope without prior prep, so will we cope in an afterlife without further prep from here on were such an afterlife to exist.

It must be my week of pointless questions because my friend John Maclean the kindest misanthrope in the world also asked how I have been able to do so many outstanding things despite limitations and setbacks. Because I like to confound him with Nigerian idioms, I told him the saying, “when in soup, lick it,” because I knew the idea of licking soup off one’s body would undo his tidy mind.

Growing up, I was an impoverished skinny girl with fat dreams. Naturally there was a lot of frustration but there was also a lot of going to markets because well my mother was dead and I was the oldest and only female child so I did most of the cooking. I developed a love for markets and a dislike for my aunt who always responded to all my frustrations with a non-committal “ona kan o woja” (there is no one route into the market). I could be discussing quantum physics with her and at my most perplexed point, she’d say but “Aduke ona kan o woja.”

It took years for me to understand that she was trying to teach me to repudiate ideology and dogma in favour of adaptability, functionality and multiplicity.

In my culture, getting good education is non-negotiable so l was determined to go to university.  I worked three jobs from age 15 to save up for university. When l walked into the lush fields of the prestigious University of Ibadan in Nigeria, l kissed the grass and shed tears. Four years later when l walked out, l didn’t even bother to collect my certificate. In my second year of university l had also walked out of the church of my youth. Granted l was tired of the bloody virginity requirement, being unaware that l could have lied about that like many wiser than me had. I walked out really because l was no longer convinced about the infallibility of the one way, the true way, the only way.

I had begun to discover that for many things there are many ways, particularly for markets.

I like markets; it is a place of human interaction, of pride in one’s product and hopefully fair exchange of products for needs.

Good markets have clear functional rules that allow fair and equitable exchange. When kingdoms seek to overtake another, they break their markets and militarily surround them. Breaking markets is symbolic of a suspension of respect for negotiation, interaction and fairness. A conviction that one’s way is best and others are best following that one way. You may recognise that principle in modern foreign diplomacy as “our interests”.

I hated school but loved education, I wanted to know things and discover things not be told things.

I wanted to be a writer but I didn’t see how writers got paid. Since I hated asking anyone for money, I decided I’d be a journalist but my father wanted me to be a doctor because well, everybody’s father wanted them to be a doctor, also my father wished he was a doctor.

He said doctors made money and were respected; journalists just get blown up or become impoverished.

My father ate his words before he died five years ago, not because I didn’t get blown up, but because he liked to eat and words are nice.

So as a journalist, I saw and reviewed the world. Recently a friend asked me what I thought about modern civilisation and I answered that we may have made magical technological leaps but I doubt that we have a civilisation. More importantly I have begun to think that a lot of what we know may not have been completely unknown to past generations; I am alarmingly beginning to suspect they chose not to unleash some of that knowledge because they recognised our interest must align with the earth’s interest.

I have always thought that the greatest tragedy of civilisations lost around the world to slavery, colonisation and oppression is deprivation of our modern civilisation of alternative political, cultural and economic thought and systems, some of which were very sophisticated.

My mind boggles when l listen to my friend Dr Bibi Bakare-Yusuf talk about the documented seven different pre-colonial forms of marriages in Yoruba culture. A culture evolved enough to be gender neutral without sloganising.

So as I stand today in this gorgeous cathedral, suffused with a sense of history, of wonder and respect for those who have gone before us. Monuments like this emphasise how great our individual capacity is within the limit of our role in a never ending continuum of human endeavour.

The challenge with a winner takes all, one way to the market, best way to be approach is that it leaves too many behind and gives those lucky enough to fall within a narrow accepted box an over inflated sense of importance and a genuine lack of ability to solve unknown problems. Everyone ends up playing a role rather than living a life whether it is in marriages, parliament or academia. This does not make for responsive, adaptive and happy living. We are best when we are intelligent forces at play.  Responsive, adaptive, artistic, functional and magical.

We are at a time of unknown problems with leaders schooled to solve known problems without the education to be robust in world view and a distracting pressure to perform to the lights rather than function in spaces of wisdom and introspection.

This is however not as scary as it may sound because when things no longer respond to plan, no matter how we posture or fight, it may be that we are in a large vat of soup with nothing but ourselves. It may be time to start licking that soup, not a very aesthetically pleasing solution, certainly not meant for TV but l bet it’ll be great on YouTube after all there is no one way to the market.

What is the point of education if smart people can’t find those alternative routes to the market?

That is my challenge to a new generation of leaders, thinkers and doers.

Thank you.

• Ms Iyanda was awarded the Honorary Fellowship on the University of Cumbria at a ceremony held at Carlisle Cathedral in Cumbria, North West England on Wednesday, November 25, 2015.

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UTEL plans debut @ GITEX 2015

ITRealms:

The United Kingdom (UK)-based company United Technologists Europe Limited (UTEL) says it plans to make a debut in the Middle East debut at the Gulf International Technology Exhibition (GITEX) 2015 in Dubai, reports ITRealms.

Managing Director, UTEL, Mr. Frank Kaufhold said the leading research and development company would be showcasing its innovative Fast Light technology and copper test solutions at GITEX - taking place October 18-22 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

He also said in a press statement available to ITRealms that with the FTTH market exploding in the Middle East and the demand for new technologies rapidly increasing, there has not been a better time to make the UTEL mark.

“As Middle East operators begin their transition from copper to fibre networks, this is the best time to debut our innovative technologies, especially Fast Light which is vital to move forward initiatives like the Smart Home and Internet of Things (IoT),” he said.

Kaufhold explained that fast Light  which he described as an easy to use system that could test fibre cable systems and report any issues that are affecting service is UTEL’s system for monitoring and managing Fibre Optic cables.

“Fast Light uses UTEL's revolutionary Advanced Reflection Detection (ARD) technology which sets a new global benchmark for optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) performance and has the potential to greatly reduce the cost of building and operating fibre networks,” he said.

In addition, he said, UTEL’s copper test solutions would be displayed at the show, because these solutions deliver improved repair time for high revenue xDSL services at lower Operational Costs (OPEX) and can be customised specifically for customer requirements.
 

 

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Prof. Falko joins University of Manchester as Research Director

ITRealms

Professor Vladimir Falko, one of the United Kingdom (UK) leading condensed matter theorists has joined The University of Manchester as Research Director for the National Graphene Institute (NGI), ITRealms reports

Falko who resumes on October 1, 2015will be responsible for developing the research strategy for the NGI, has made substantial contributions towards the understanding of electronic and optical properties of graphene, including the discovery of bilayergraphene. 

Graphene, is a thin layer of pure carbon; it is a single, tightly packed layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. In more complex terms, it is an allotrope of carbon in the structure of a plane of sp2 bonded atoms with a molecule bond length of 0.142 nanometres.

ITRealms gathered that Professor Falko began his career by studying for his PhD at the Institute for Solid State Physics RAS, and gained postdoctoral experience at Max-Planck-Institut in Stuttgart and Oxford University, followed by 20 years of service at Lancaster University where he was Distinguished Professor and Head of Theory Division. 

A fellow of the Institute of Physics, he has previously held an ERC Advanced Investigator Grant and in 2010 won the prestigious Royal Society Wolfson Foundation Research Merit Award.

Professor Falko said: ‘I am looking forward to working in the outstanding intellectual environment of The University of Manchester, where the research facilities of the NGI will form the platform for interdisciplinary collaborations between academics and for engagement with industry”. 

The University of Manchester, ITRealms learnt, has more than 230 researchers in graphene and 2D materials, led by Nobel laureates Sir Andre Geim and Sir KostyaNovoselov. The appointment of another world-class graphene academic, who has collaborated with the Nobel laureates for the recent decade, reinforces the University as the leading institution for graphene research in the world.  

CyriacusNnaji/GEE

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Pix:Professor Vladimir Falko

SimbaPay, Choice Microfinance Bank app for Kenyans

ITRealms

SimbaPay, a leading digital money transfer provider is partnering with Choice Microfinance Bank to bring financial services to Kenyans living in United Kingdom and other European Union countries, ITRealms reports. 

Kenyans living in the UK with a bank account, debit card or credit card are now able to use the SimbaPay app to make money transfers from any mobile phone, tablet or computer. The service will be rolled out to Kenyans living in other EU countries in the near future.

In the press release made available to ITRealms, the Head, Operations, SimbaPay, Victor Karanja, “Our customers who already bank with Choice Microfinance Bank or have friends and family using the bank will be glad to see their transfers being credited instantly”. 

The Deputy CEO, Choice Microfinance Bank, Stanley Kasyoka, added that “We are very excited about this new partnership with SimbaPay which is heavily engaged with the economic force that is Kenyans living abroad. Kenyans abroad are the country’s largest earner of foreign exchange today”.

SimbaPay and Choice Microfinance Bank, ITRealms gathered, announced the partnership on August 29, 2015 in London at the annual “Kenya in the Park” event where they also exhibited the service. The two companies jointly sponsored the event  with other businesses targeting Kenyans abroad. The event is an annual celebration of Kenya’s rich vibrant culture.

For ease of use, Choice Bank has been pre-loaded on to the SimbaPay platform which eliminates the need for customers having to remember the Choice Bank pay bill details. At the time of making a money transfer using SimbaPay, customers will be required to select the bank from a database of Pay Bill businesses and then enter the destination account number and amount, ITRealms learnt.

SimbaPay also launched free, instant transfers to all Nigerian banks in May 2015.  In June it became the first platform in the world to allow Kenyans living abroad to make M-Pesa Pay Bill payments and continues to disrupt the cross-border remittance industry with its focus on speed and convenience, ITRealms informs.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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Pexip expands to UK & Ireland, 3 other countries

ITRealms:

The Norway-based video conferencing software company, Pexip, has expanded reach to multiple regions United Kingdom and Ireland, Southern Europe, Brazil and Australia, reports ITRealms.

The chief executive officer and co-founder of Pexip, Simen Teigre, made this disclosure Thursday, saying the company added some staff in these markets. 

Expansions, he said, include the addition of John Harald Grønningen in Barcelona, Spain and the hiring of industry veterans Eddie Clifton for the UK & Ireland and Paulo Cardoso in Brazil. 

Also, he said, Pexip strengthened its presence in Australia through the addition of Mark Bedwani as senior sales engineer. 

"Increasing our team and expanding our capabilities are fundamental for supporting our growing customer base and partnerships across all regions. As organizations execute on strategies for improving their competitive advantage, our Infinity platform continues to grow in popularity as an enabler for efficient collaboration. It's fantastic to see such strong pick up of our platform, continuing to fuel the need for more resources to support our customers, partners and exponential growth,” Teigre said.

For the cofounder, Pexip's presence in Barcelona ensures local support for Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece is strengthening the company's support for customers and new and existing partners. 

This includes local companies such as Techno Trends — a leading visual collaboration company with offices in Barcelona and Madrid. Together, Pexip and Techno Trends have already led initiatives such as cosponsoring IDC's UC & Mobility conference held in Madrid. Pexip Southern Europe is headed by John Harald Grønningen who comes from NetCom, REC Solar, and Tandberg. 

Equally speaking, the CEO of Techno Trends, Ernest Companys, said the partnership with Pexip has rapidly grown into a major player within the unified communications marketplace. "Their Infinity solution lets workers collaborate face-to-face without leaving the familiarity of their current environment. This is important for users, enabling easy collaboration from virtually any device and client, and giving companies that competitive edge," he said.

In the UK & Ireland, Pexip welcomes industry veteran Eddie Clifton, who joins the company from strategic partner Viju Group. Based in Hurst, near London, Clifton's vast experience in the videoconferencing and collaboration industries includes strategic director positions for Cisco and Tandberg, and several years' experience in managing strategic accounts on a global level, among others.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +ITRealms DSA +PexipInc 
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