Synthetic audio and video generation technologies, known as deepfakes, have reached a critical threshold. Once mostly limited to social media entertainment or occasional political manipulation, they are now fully integrated tools in cyberattack tactics. This shift represents more than a technological evolution; it marks a transformation where human perception itself has become an attack surface. Recognizing a familiar voice or face is no longer a guarantee of authenticity.
In this context, businesses face a threat that relies less on raw technical skill and more on subtle manipulation of human behavior. Fraud campaigns now exploit cloned voices and manipulated videos to simulate authentic communications, deceiving even the most vigilant employees.
It’s the crack of dawn. Magnolia Ordoñez leaves in a small boat along with her husband - the captain- and her colleagues— all women. Their task: to find and collect pianguas, a type of saltwater clam, that lives buried within the roots of mangrove trees in the Pacific region of Colombia.
Reaching the pianguas is no easy endeavour. They must find the right place to anchor, always a different spot from their last harvest, to ensure sustainability. Magnolia then jumps overboard, climbs a wall of mud and walks as far as possible into the mangrove forest, jumping and weaving through long roots. She lights incense to ward off mosquitoes and takes a moment to sing to the mangroves, thanking them for the food they provide. Then, she wades through the mud, sometimes reaching above her knees, to carefully dig up the clams. With each piangua she unearths, she checks its size and takes only the mature ones. This labour-intensive process is a race against the rising tide.
The Menxtt Technology NG, a fast-growing indigenous technology start-up, is expanding its portfolio of tech services to include a comprehensive Tech Support Service for organizations. Specializing in web and software development, Menxtt Technology NG is now offering businesses an eco-conscious and efficient solution for managing and repairing their tech devices, helping reduce electronic waste (e-waste) and lower carbon footprints.
With growing concerns about e-waste and its harmful environmental impact, Menxtt Technology NG’s new Tech Support Service provides organizations an opportunity to extend the lifespan of their devices through repair and maintenance, rather than discarding them prematurely. This initiative not only supports sustainable practices but also aligns with the global movement to reduce carbon footprints by reusing and fixing devices instead of contributing to the increasing problem of e-waste.
The Africa’s trusted payment solutions provider, SeerBit, has announced a strategic partnership with Zoho, a global technology company that provides cloud-based business software, to unlock growth for businesses across Africa.
To scale their offerings and drive growth, businesses need to effortlessly manage and receive payments from their customers in Africa. Consequently, SeerBit noted that the partnership marks a significant advancement in simplifying financial transactions for businesses in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and other African countries who are utilizing Zoho Books.
Global cybersecurity leader, Trend Micro Incorporated has revealed that it blocked around 18 million email threats, almost two million malicious Uniform Resource Locator (URLs) and over four million malicious mobile apps targeted at Nigerian businesses and consumers between January and December 2023, reports ITREALMS.
This as threat actors deviate from big-batch attacks to focus on a narrower range of more lucrative targets.
Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, has advised businesses to adjust to the potentials of disruptive technologies which have been adopted across the globe for enhanced productivity and sustainability.
A press statement endorsed by the Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka made available to ITREALMS, quoted EVC as telling industry leaders and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) innovators, who gathered at the 2023 edition of the Information, Communication, Technology and Telecommunications (ICTEL) expo organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Lagos, that advancements made in the global ICT industry have become business and enhancing.
The Creative Director, Val Cakes 'N' Events Affairs, Oshogbo, Folasade Makinde, spoke to ITREALMS’ GBEMI OMOTOSO on a number of industry issues, advising entrepreneurs to always separate friendship and family from businesses, in addition to making Google her friend.
What prompted your entry into the cake industry? This was ignited by my passion from childhood. I developed passion for baking when I was little, then I used to go to weddings organized everyday at the church located behind our house.
Introduction: With the widespread popularity of YouTube, businesses worldwide are recognizing the platform's immense potential to engage with audiences and drive growth. In Nigeria, where digital consumption is on the rise, YouTube offers a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with a vast and diverse audience. To harness the full power of YouTube and achieve meaningful results, Nigerian businesses need a comprehensive content strategy tailored to the platform's nuances. In this article, we delve into the intricacies of YouTube content strategy and unveil essential tips and techniques for Nigerian businesses to thrive.
Define Your Objectives and Target Audience:
Before embarking on your YouTube content journey, it's crucial to establish clear objectives and identify your target audience. Define the goals you wish to achieve through your YouTube presence, such as brand awareness, lead generation, or customer engagement. Simultaneously, conduct thorough research to understand the demographics, preferences, and behaviors of your target audience in Nigeria. This knowledge will inform your content decisions and enable you to create compelling videos that resonate with your viewers.
The Lagos Digital Summit, a gathering of digital communication adopters, professionals and enthusiasts for the accelerated development of their businesses and the attainment of consistent value-add to various sectors and spheres of existence in Nigeria, is set to return for its 6th edition.
Organised by Mustardels Media and Expoze Nigeria, the summit, themed “Scaling Businesses leveraging Digital Technology”, is set to hold on Friday, 25th November 2022 at The Zone Tech Park, Gbagada Lagos by 10 amand will focus on the use of digital technology to increase sales or revenue in a fast-evolving digital world.
The leading public relations and integrated communications consulting firm, Chain Reactions Nigeria, has rebranded and repositioned to become a digital-first platform and 24/7 solution house for governments and brands desirous of winning in Africa’s reputation economy.
The repositioning, which involves a name change from Chain Reactions Nigeria to Chain Reactions Africa, was announced at a colourful 15th-anniversary celebration attended by eminent players in corporate Nigeria and the public sector on Wednesday, March 30, at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
The Governor 'Seyi Makinde (GSM) of Oyo State, has decried the suspension of Twitter operations in the country by the Federal Government, saying it will hamper thousands of businesses and services, reports ITREALMS.
A press statement available to ITREALMS and personally signed by Gov. Makinde, he counseled the Federal Government of Nigeria not to hamper the operations of thousands of businesses and services with its recent suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria.
Growing a business is not easy, and for women firm owners the challenges can be acute, especially when they are poor and run subsistence level firms. In developing countries, 22 percent of women discontinue their established businesses due to a lack of funds, and women are more likely than men to report exiting their businesses over finance problems, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.
Meanwhile, personal savings are a crucial source of entrepreneurial financing, and nearly 95 percent of entrepreneurs globally state that they used their own funds to start or scale up their businesses. Women, however, face unique constraints in accumulating savings to invest in growing their firms. Women entrepreneurs are highly underserved by traditional financial institutions. They are often deterred from accessing traditional saving accounts by high transaction costs and implicit or explicit biases against female customers. In turn, they are sidelined to informal, less secure saving channels, such as cash savings, which they may divert to other uses because they face higher family and social pressures than men to share their cash. If women do accrue some savings despite these obstacles, another challenge to firm profitability and growth can be gaining the necessary business skills and financial literacy to scale their businesses.
Two recent randomized control trials (RCTs), one in Tanzania, the other in Indonesia, tested the impact of two interventions—separately and together—to address these constraints: a mobile savings promotion program to increase women’s access to and use of mobile savings accounts, and a business training program to improve financial literacy and good business practices.
In Tanzania, the savings intervention focused on easing demand-side constraints in women’s access to mobile savings products. It involved a training session for women microentrepreneurs on M-Pawa, a mobile savings account linked to M-Pesa that also gives customers access to microloans. Participants in the training created mobile savings accounts, set savings goals, and set up weekly SMS reminders to save. The business training intervention, designed by TechnoServe, offered 12 weeks of weekly group sessions that taught women standard good business practices, how to mobilize finance, the importance of personal effectiveness and perseverance, and the benefits of gender equality in society. An interactive mobile phone learning platform complemented the training.
In Indonesia, the savings intervention took a different approach, targeting supply-side constraints preventing women’s access to mobile savings accounts. It provided local bank agents with either ‘high’ or ‘low’ financial incentives for signing up new customers and trained all agents on the mobile savings product and the importance of targeting female customers. The business training intervention, designed and implemented by Mercy Corps Indonesia, provided female entrepreneurs with an average 3-hour session on financial literacy and mobile savings, complemented by three group mentoring sessions to reinforce the training.
The studies found that in both Tanzania and Indonesia the promotion of mobile savings worked (women increased uptake of mobile savings significantly) and, when combined with business training, had significant impacts on intermediate business and individual outcomes. In Tanzania, women who participated in the mobile savings intervention saved double using M-Pawa, were 14 percentage points more likely to receive a mobile loan, were 4 percentage points more likely to grow their business activities by operating a second business, and reported an increase in their household decision-making power, compared to the control group. Meanwhile, women who received mobile savings promotion and business training saved almost four times more on M-Pawa and were 16 percentage points more likely to obtain a loan compared to the control group. In addition, they increased their good business practices by six percentage points, worked two hours more a week, and increased their capital investments by 23 percent, compared to the women in the mobile savings intervention alone. These effects were observed 15 months after the training ended. Notably, the Tanzania results showed that women’s total savings balances did not actually increase, but rather, firm owners appeared to have shifted savings and loans from other sources (such as cash savings) to the more secure mobile platform.
In Indonesia, women served by high-incentive agents promoting mobile savings increased their total savings by seven percent, whereas women receiving business training increased their total savings by 11 percent, compared to the control group of women served by an agent promoting mobile savings under low incentives—although neither of these increases was statistically significant. Women in both interventions independently also increased their household assets significantly --by 24 percent for women in the high incentive agent group and 20 percent for women in the business training group. Women served by better paid bank agents and receiving training and mentoring increased their total savings significantly by 24 percent, increased their mobile savings balance by a statistically significant four percentage points, and reported being significantly more empowered in household decision-making. For a majority of the women these effects were observed a month or less after the last mentoring session, and, in this short-term interval neither intervention (independently or combined) influenced women’s business outcomes. The question remains of whether women’s increased savings will be invested in their businesses in the long run.
Together, these studies illustrate how easing supply-side constraints, by directly promoting mobile savings and by having more highly motivated, better paid agents do this promotion, contribute to boosting women’s mobile savings, and how easing demand-side constraints through business and financial literacy training can further amplify these effects on savings. The evidence also suggests that savings and mobile savings increase women’s household decision-making power. Yet, these intermediate effects are still not enough to increase women’s firm profitability and business performance in the short run. Is it only a question of time, and further accumulation of capital from savings (and loans) will trigger this business growth? Alternatively, are there additional constraints in the business environment where these women-owned firms operate that only more capital-intensive interventions will help overcome? Follow-up surveys in Tanzania and Indonesia should provide additional insights on these questions.
To drive higher levels of payroll and accounting automation
among businesses, especially small, micro and medium-sized enterprises, would
help Nigeria to achieve its tax goals, says the Regional Director for Sage West
Africa, Mr. Magnus Nmonwu, reports ITRealms.
Reacting to the recent comments accredited to International Monetary Fund (IMF) which warned that Nigerian governments’ ability to
effectively finance infrastructure and services is constrained by low tax
collection, said that despite recent tax reforms by the Federal Government,
Nigeria needs to grow tax revenue by registering more tax payers and enhancing
collections and compliance.
Initiatives such as the government’s Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme
(VAIDS) - hich gives taxpayers an opportunity to voluntarily declare all
previously undisclosed assets and income are steps in the right direction, he
adds. Higher levels of automation and modernisation among tax authorities as
well as increased use of digital filing and payment are also positive developments.
“Another way Nigeria’s Federal and State Governments could
enhance compliance is by encouraging businesses of all sizes to use technology
to streamline capturing of transactions and automate payroll calculations.
These solutions can help minimize the risk of non-payment of tax or incorrect
remittances of taxes to the relevant government agencies,” he said, stressing
that the ability to generate financial statements, tax certificates, reports
and electronic payslips with the click of a button is a major timesaver.
“An automated, cloud-based solution also means that
businesses have an audit trail and reliable backups for all of their financial
transactions, so that they can demonstrate their compliance with tax laws,” he
said.
Such software, he said, could help address some of the
complexity Nigerian businesses face in paying tax, as Nigeria aims to move from
its current position of 181 out of 189 countries to top 50 on the Ease of
Paying Taxes World Report, which means that we will see a lot of reform of the
tax system in the years to come.
The Federal Government (FG) on Tuesday at the ongoing 2014 GITEX
Technology Week in World Trade Center, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
reaffirmed readiness to offer investors’ a continuous friendly environment to
conduct their businesses, reports ITRealms.
This was the position of the Director-General of the
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Dr. Peter Jack, when
he reassured participants at the Nigerian ICT Investment Forum’s day at the
GITEX 2014 tagged “Invest in Nigeria: The Gateway to Africa” of government
readiness to ensure enabling business environment for foreign investors,
especially in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.
Presenting the Nigeria’s position paper to participants at
the forum, the chief executive officer Alteq.ict, Dr. Armstrong Takang,
declared that despite the seeming challenges Nigeria is facing like other
countries of the world, there has been a continuous progress.
“We are making a lot of progress from what we are 15 years
ago,” Dr. Armstrong said, stressing that the a lot more of Foreign Direct
Investments are coming into Nigeria.
According to him, Nigeria has a young group of individual
who are gearing up to impact on the world.
He pointed out that the recent rebasing of the Nigeria’s Gross
Domestic Product of the economy has shown that the exercise was real.
Nigeria, he emphasized comprised about 60 per cent of the
Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) region.
The duo of James Ebuetse, a director of the Nigerian
Investment Promotion Commission and Managing Director of the Nigeria Export
Processing Zones Authority, Mr. Gbenga Kuye, added their voices to the efforts
of the Federal Government to making the investing environment an attractive
one.
The forum was attended by potential investors and members of the NITDA board led by Dr. Tosin Ajayi in attendance as well as Dr. Olaopa, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication Technology, who stood in for his Minister, Dr. Mrs. Omobola Johnson.
Brief: ‘Etisalat Prize for Innovation’
Award seeks to reward corporate organisations; small and growing businesses as
well as individuals developing advanced mobile broadband solutions and platforms
in Africa.
Highlights:
Here
are some highlights of ‘Etisalat Prize for Innovation’ to
reward the most innovative existing mobile broadband
product or service in Africa, according to the chief executive officer, Mr.
Steven Evans.
The
award, according to the chief executive officer, Mr. Steven Evans, would be one
of the
1.
Holding @ 15th annual AfricaCom Conference scheduled to take place
in Cape Town, South Africa in November 2012.
2.
Two categories, namely for driving or facilitating mobile broadband use on the
continent of Africa.
3.
The first prize of $25,000 is for the most innovative
product or service launched in the last 12 months
4.
Second prize of $10,000 for the most innovative idea
5.
Entries opened Thursday 16th of August till the 6th of
September 2012
