Nigeria DARES: REA, signs grants for 8 renewable energy companies - ITREALMS

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The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has taken a significant step towards accelerating energy access in Nigeria by signing grants with eight renewable energy companies under the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) Project, reports ITREALMS.

This initiative, funded by the World Bank, ITREALMS gathered, aims to provide reliable and affordable electricity to 17.5 million Nigerians.

SDG: Oyo Govt organises workshop on grants, data gathering, agenda implementation - ITREALMS

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The Oyo State Government has organised a one-day training workshop for directors on budget, research and statistics and SDG desk officers across the 33 local government areas and various Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state on the preparation of the 2024 Conditional Grant Scheme CGS-SDGs.

The workshop, with the theme: "Expected Official Roles and Responsibilities Towards Successful Implementation of 2024 CGS-SDGs in the state," was organised to aid the fast-tracking of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the state.

FG flags off cash grants in Anambra - ITREALMS

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The Federal Government (FG) has flagged off cash grants for vulnerable people in Anambra State, reports ITREALMS.

The event which held at the late Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka, the state capital was in conjunction with the Anambra State government and is known as conditional cash transfer grants was meant for vulnerable indigenes of the state.

CBN grants Airtel PSB licence for SmartCash - ITREALMS

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Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries across Africa, has confirmed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) granted its subsidiary, SmartCash Payment Service Bank limited (Smartcash) operational license, reports ITREALMS.

Airtel also affirmed it has now received final approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria for a full Payment Service Bank (PSB) licence, which would enable the group the opportunity to deliver a full suite of mobile money services into Nigeria.

Internet Society Foundation offers $300,000 in grants - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The new set up Internet Society Foundation (ISOCF) has issued its first set of medium and large grants (ranging from $12,000 to USD $30,000 each) to 13 ground-breaking projects that seek to spread the benefits of the Internet around the world, reports ITREALMS.

The Internet Society established the Internet Society Foundation to fund projects that will improve the quality of people’s lives everywhere. The Foundation awards grants to Internet Society Chapters as well as non-profit organizations and individuals dedicated to providing meaningful access to an open, globally connected and trusted Internet for everyone.

Of the more than 40 applications received this year, 13 projects were selected by a committee that evaluated projects based on criteria that included originality and innovation, community impact and sustainability and technical feasibility, among others.

The projects in Africa selected for grants are:

• $30,000 to create Wi-Fi access points and an off-the-grid Media Center within the Mamaila Tribal Authority, South Africa. The project will also build community capacity through training on cybersecurity, content development, entrepreneurship, and the construction, operation and maintenance of community networks. This aims to empower unemployed youth to organize themselves into cooperatives to advance their socio-economic aspirations and expand the planned network infrastructure.
• $12,322 will go towards creating community networks for 5,000 people in three remote farming communities and awareness-raising in Madagascar. The project will also provide technical training and basic Internet skills to a group of people who will train others to use the Internet to capture practical information for their economic development (such as on weather forecasts that can impact harvests and the prices of the agricultural products they sell).
• $30,000 to generate reliable statistical data on Internet use in Mali, in particular on the use/misuse of social media, which has become popular in both rural and urban areas. Most existing data has been produced by telecoms operators, for commercial ends, and results have not been made widely accessible. The results of this project, however, will be widely available through its publication and dissemination.

The Internet Society Foundation provides grants to the Internet community, Internet Society Chapters, non-profits and individuals working on one or more of the following program areas:

• Initiatives that build community capacity to access and benefit from the Internet (including digital literacy skills, reaching unconnected populations, awareness-raising and local content-production);
• Initiatives that respond to natural disasters;
• Opportunities for research across technical, economic and public policy topics;
• Initiatives that demonstrate innovative techniques to advance an Internet for all; and Local and regional projects supported by ISOC’s nearly 140 Chapters Beyond the Net.

The Internet Society Foundation will launch its next call for grant applications in early 2020. 

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Microsoft offers Ekovolt, 11 others grants to accelerate affordable Internet access

ITRealms:

Microsoft Corporation has awarded Affordable Access Initiative grants to 12 entrepreneurial businesses, including Ekovolt in Nigeria to scale-up their solutions and business models to increase affordable Internet access in communities around the world, reports ITRealms.

Each company, ITRealms gathered, received seedgrants, and resources including BizSpark tools such as free software, services and technology support to help extend the reach of their hardware, applications, connectivity and power solutions.

In Nigeria, the grant received by Ekovolt would enable simplify everyday life and connect people, places, and things with technology.

ITRealms also reports that with Affordable Access Initiative grant support, this wireless broadband and cloud services provider is expanding its solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises in Nigeria.

The Managing Director, Ekovolt, Mr. Emeka Ebo, the partnership would help in the application of new technologies in delivering Internet services to underserved markets and rural communities in Nigeria.

“As we combine Microsoft’s cloud solutions with Volt Internet services, we can offer bundled packages of customized Internet and Enterprise solutions for small to medium-sized businesses typically only found at large corporations,” he said. 

The executive vice president, business development at Microsoft, Peggy Johnson, pointed out that with more than half of the world’s population lacking access to the Internet, connectivity is a global challenge that demands creative problem solving.

“By using technology that’s available now and partnering with local entrepreneurs who understand the needs of their communities, our hope is to create sustainable solutions that will not only have impact today but also in the years to come,” Johnson said.

ITRealms recalls that Microsoft’s Affordable Access Initiative aims to democratize access to the Internet through grants, commercial partnerships, connecting new leaders and community engagement. 

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