AfCFTA: NCDMB advocates database skills, uniform standards for goods, services - ITREALMS

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As the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) unfolds, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has advocated the removal of visa restrictions among African nations, the creation of a database of available skills, and the simplification of cross border deployment of labour.

The Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe made these recommendations in the keynote address he delivered on Monday in Lagos at the Nigerian Local Content AfCFTA Energy Summit organised by the Board in partnership with the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN).

Taylor advises CTO member countries to centralize databases

ITRealms:

The Secretary-General, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Mr. Shola Taylor has advised member nations to centralize their databases in the urge to increase trust of the citizens, especially in a developing economy like Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

Speaking at a press parley of day-one of a three-day Digital Broadcasting Africa Forum 2016 in Lagos, Taylor said that centralizing databases of the government, mostly in Africa has tendency to earn citizens trust.

Stressing that the less of the disjointed database are harmonised, the more trust a country gets from the citizens.

In addition, he said, CTO is concerned that most African countries lack the expertise, so the organization is providing training to affiliate countries through some institutions on cyber security.

This, he said, helps the benefiting countries to have a structured framework to combat cybercrimes.

ITRealms recalls that the forum, which commences Wednesday at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, would last till Friday this week, with focus on “The pan-Africa transition: Achieving digital migration success.”

While some of the highlights include session on “Broadcast Technology Trends, Next Generation, Entertainment, Creation of Local Content, Digital Migration and Spectrum Allocation, Financial and Business Considerations, The consumer Perspective, Digital Radio, Achieving Digital Inclusion, and Financial and Business Considerations.”

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Oracle partners MTN to train 2,000 MTNF Scholars in ICT

ITRealms:

In a bid to bridge Information and Communication Technology skills acquisition gap in Nigeria, technology solution company, Oracle Corporation and MTN Foundation (MTNF) have planned to train up to 2,000 MTNF scholars in database design, SQL and Java programming skills, as well, fund one student to attend the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) open-lab Summer School in Switzerland reports ITRealms.

Speaking on the collaboration, ITRealms gathered that, Mr. Adebayo Sanni, Country Manager, Oracle Nigeria, said the initiative focuses on teaching database design, SQL and Java programming skills to MTN Foundation Scholars, using Oracle Academy curriculum and hosted online learning materials. “Students will be taught by two trained faculty from the Ajayi Crowther University and Aived International who have attended and passed the formal Oracle Academy faculty training courses.” He said. 

Sanni also added that, “With the rapid adoption of technology in Nigeria, it is imperative that students are equipped with the right skills to take advantage of career and entrepreneurial opportunities.”

On the MTNF Scholarship Scheme, Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck said it’s a corporate social responsibility which covers students’ tuition, books and pocket allowance helping to reduce poverty as well as foster sustainable development in Nigeria.

According to Goodluck, it is renewable provided recipients maintain a minimum of 3.5 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in their course of study and an overall 2.5 CGPA.

Equally, ITRealms learnt that MTN in collaboration with its partner, have selected to fund Mufutau Akuruyejo, a computer science student of the University of Lagos, who emerged the best student from Africa, at a global academic competition, organized by CERN, for a nine week training programme on ICT in Switzerland.

The highly competitive student programme, ITRealms gathered is a cornerstone of CERN open-lab and recieved over 1,500 applications from all over the globe this year.

Sanni, who confirmed this, ITRealms learnt, said that the support from Oracle in funding Akuruyejo to Switzerland for ICT training would assist Nigeria in bridging ICT skills gap in the country. He said Oracle has been involved in several partnerships with state governments to further drive technology development across the country.

CERN open-lab was created more than 10 years ago to tackle computing, data, and infrastructure challenges, with summer school which also focuses on research and development activities in the ICT space.

Akuruyejo, an MTNF scholar, ITRealms gathered will be the first Nigerian student to participate in the annual CERN open-lab nine week programme.

Daniel Nsolibe/GEE

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What makes Oracle data backup unique – Iyoha

L-R: Nasiru Izegwire, Olusola Kokoye, Oduwole Tayo, Femi Ibine,

all of ExpertEdge and Adeola Adebari, Oracle.

Lead presales consultant for Oracle West Africa, Mr. Hamilton Iyoha has outlined what makes Oracle data backup system unique.

He made this disclosure at a one-day Business Technology Summit organized by both Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) and Oracle at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, with the theme: “Data Security & Optimization: The Oracle Way for IT professionals in the Manufacturing and Services Businesses.”

He said that top on the list of what makes Oracle data security unique is the fact that backups are encrypted, lamenting that only 22 per cent of all databases backup files are currently encrypted, according to 2011 Oracle Security Survey user group.

“What makes oracle backup unique is because it is encrypted,” he declared, adding that Oracle advanced security has shown that with advance complete encryption for application prevents direct access to data stored in database files, on tape, and exports to name a few by Information Technology (IT) staff or Oracle System (OS) users.

Over 1bn records have been bated from database servers over 6 years. Database here means structured data, which means two thirds of sensitive and regulate information now resides in database, which doubles every two years.

Data breaches caused by insiders’ records stolen, he said, accounts for 46 per cent usage of Structured Query Language (SQL) injection, which is a database computer language used to query, retrieve and manipulate data, while hackers used stolen credentials ranked 86 per cent.

With fast growing data, he noted that demands for data security will also increase manifold, maintaining that the larger the number of data that you have determines the number of threats you are likely going to have.

He quoted recent Decency Forrester reports, which shows that government of Nigeria has plans to provide multiple IT services to citizens, thus entailing that those databases must be protected.

“So your database must be protected in order to be secure,” he declared.

Iyoha also said that Oracle database security has been built in two tier key management for Segregation of Duties (SoD) in Oracle with support for canalized key management using Key Management System (KMS).

This, he said, is a strong authentication of databases’ users for great identity assurance.

“The whole idea of encryption is to make the data unreadable,” he said, warning that this should not mean that users cannot even get access again.

Iyoha emphasized, there should be a separation of duties in the management of database security namely system management, user management and security management.

Remmy Nweke

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