Setting agenda for Nigerians in Diaspora

Features of the week:

Forging partnerships among Nigerians in diaspora in bridging the digital and scientific divides, may suffer some set backs due to non-fulfillment of government’s part of the bargain, reports REMMY NWEKE.

OBVIOUSLY in response to the calls by President Olusegun Obasanjo since assuming office on May 29, 1999, the Nigerian Information Technology Professionals in the Americas (NITPA), Association of Nigerian Physicians in America (ANPA) and Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) are jointly putting up a two-day meeting, to raise the curtain for the deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in nation building.

Response
This response, according to the President of NITPA, Prof. Manny Aniebonam, was taken in preparation for this year’s Diaspora Day slated to hold in the nation’s capital, Abuja, by middle of the year.

ITREALMS Online recalled that at the conference on the “Bridging the Digital and Scientific Divides: Forging Partnership with the Nigerian Diaspora,” which held in Abuja between July 25 and 27, 2005, President Obasanjo in his message at the occasion, reportedly declared July 25 as the annual Diaspora Day.

It was organised by the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS), Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government, and Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST).

In realization of this, the conference being coordinated by NITPA along with two other core Nigerian entities decided to put up the two-day event to sensitize Nigerians on the importance of Diaspora Day.

As at Today
As at the time of this report, there are over 400,000 members of the Nigerians in Diaspora cutting across science and technology, residing and working in the United States (US).
This figure, as said by NITPA President, Prof. Aniebonam, comprise doctors, academics, engineers, ICT professionals, pharmacists, and nurses among others.

Dreams
The dreams of the initial conference to herald this historic move in the evolvement of Nigerians in Diaspora, was based on four broad areas, consisting of raising the profile of the Nigerians in Diaspora in the country and contributions they could make in Nigeria’s development process; creating awareness among Nigerian scientists and technology experts abroad on existing government policies especially in the area of science and technology; encouraging and fostering partnerships among Nigerian scientists and professional groups both at home and abroad in the area of science and technology; and collaborating with these groups towards making science and technology the basis for attaining rapid national economic development.

And after the first three plenary sessions, six technical issues were prominent on the list namely biotechnology and agriculture, engineering, infrastructure and environment, as well as manufacturing and technology parks cum incubation centers, ICT, health, basic and applied sciences and space science and nuclear technology.

Specifically on biotechnology and agriculture, the conference had requested that the government should facilitate the Nigerians in Diaspora’s visit, to selected institutions where their expertise is required ranging between two weeks and one month, just as they said this should begin immediately without delay and should be sustained.

In addition, government should establish a Biotechnology Innovation Fund (BIF) to support research, development and training in biotechnology, even as the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NIBDA) should manage the fund, to become accessible before the end of this year.

Equally, a databank of all Nigerian experts in biotechnology in the diaspora and at home should be composed with details of their skills and resources, as well as existing gaps that could be addressed by the former. Also this should be completed within one year, which is few months to the deadline.

On manufacturing and technology parks cum incubation centers, the conference had outlined this with the aim of Nigeria becoming an industrialized nation with diversified economy within 10 years, providing world standard infrastructure, such as near 100 per cent electrical power supply, regular water supply among others should be put in place by appropriate bodies without the burden to the manufacturing companies.

On ICT, they had demanded the establishment of a national or regional fiber-optic backbone and broad based infrastructure as the most urgent national priority; provide science, technology and ICT training at every level of education and integrate information system courses into the national curriculum to address the serious capacity deficiency in the industry.

Moreso initiate within a period of one year, the formulation and legislation of an integrated and sustainable national ICT policy to remove the current ad hoc efforts in the industry; and support local assembly and manufacture of ICT hardware to stem the current serious foreign exchange outflow through local and foreign direct investment and Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) designation, with appropriate legislation to patronize use of such local products amidst several others.

Urgent attention
Barely five per cent of burning issues at the 2005 conference, demands and proposals put in place, could be said to have seen the light of the day.

Some of the things demanding urgent attention now are the efforts made in BIF, NIBDA and formation of databank for Nigerian experts in biotechnology, on top of the anticipated reverse of misconception on National Air Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) evolvement by giving credit to whom its due.

No doubt, the proposals are beautiful but one key element that could undermine the entire efforts is the non-recognition of individuals professionally, which may not be related to finances but a sort of patent.

Partnering with government
Adducing some reasons why government needs partnership, Prof. Aniebonam said that the 2005 Diaspora Day conference in Abuja was to define the framework for addressing all the issues contained in the communique, including the few listed above.

‘We are now meeting in Washington to lay down the operative modalities for effective execution. Granted, these things have been neglected for so long and will therefore take equally longer time and more efforts to address. Our approach now is to do it right with well mapped out strategy and carry everyone along. Gone are the days when we expect the government to do all it takes to develop our nation. A sustainable partnership between government, private sector in Nigeria, donor agencies, and Diaspora Nigerians is what is needed’ he asserted.

Two-day meet
As Nigerians in Diaspora meet in the next two days, some of these unaccomplished proposals would be uppermost in participants’ mind, if a successful nation building will eventually manifest; these questions must be resolved.

Internet is too important – Frendo

REMMY NWEKE, who was in Malta

AS the conference on the modalities to enthrone Internet Governance continues in Geneva,
Switzerland, Internet, the network-of-networks, has been described as too important to be left exclusively in the hands of the organized private sector (OPS).

Maltese Information and Communication Technology (ICT) lawyer and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Michael Frendo, noted this in a speech he presented at the just concluded conference on Internet Governance: The Way Forward, held in Malta.

Internet, he noted, is too important to be left to private hands, declaring “It could not be left exclusively to the private sector”.

He was certain that the Malta conference would add value toward shaping the use of Internet in the future.

Dr. Frendo pointed out that Internet has become a tremendous tool to addressing difficulties in assisting development countries to improve on their position economically.

This, he said, is more evident in creating and strengthening research and development among developing countries.

Expressing optimism that if Internet Governance (IG) is got right, the world would be better for it as it would be used as a tool for development of mankind.

Stressing that there should be a better way of regulating Internet through protecting the consumers, and educational people among several other interests on the Internet.

“At the heart of all the issues in our ability to ensure that Internet Governance does work and directed at all subjects, so that the developing world could see its value, mid-income earners could use Internet to create sectors of business, activities and employment,” he maintained.

Also speaking, Director of Diplo Foundation, organizers of the three-day conference, Dr. Jovan Kurbalija noted that nowadays, accepting online negotiation and deliberations are of great importance to the Least Developing Countries (LDCs).

Emphasizing that the proposed Internet Governance Forum (IGF) soon to be inaugurated by the United Nations, should avoid the application of point-of-order every moment of its proceedings, so as to strengthen trust among forum members.

NCC intervenes in MTN star prize squabble

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has intervened in the MTN star prize squabble reportedly between two subscribers on the network in its recent 7th Yello Season promotion.

The intervention facilitated through its Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) according to the Head, Public Affairs at the commission, Mr. Dave Imoke was to ensure that the rightful winner was presented with the right prize.

The Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC was established in September 2001, to inform, educate and protect all the consumers of telecommunications services in the country.

This intervention se to the complaint received by NCC from Mrs Martha Ugi that her son Mr. Isaac Dike, was the rightful winner of the star prize which hitherto was presented to one Chinenye Onyema,who GSM operator, MTN, claimed had the same winning number as Dike’s, the genuine winner, at the 7th draw of the promo earlier held in Port Harcourt.

Mrs Ugi brought her complain to NCC after several visits to MTN in order to get the claim rectified.

Hence, NCC through CAB took up the complaint after due investigations to ensure that the right prize winner got the appropriate prize.

NCC intervention saw the redemption of the prize on Tuesday, February 14, as the new Kia Optima car was presented to Mr. Dike.

Highlighting NCC input in settling the squabble, Mr. Imoke, explained that the Commission promptly instituted an inquiry into the matter which established that the complainant was the owner of the winning number 08065434897.

The complainant also produced a newspaper report with his number as the wining number and another newspaper report of the presentation of the star prize to someone else in Port Harcourt.

NCC, he also said, came to the conclusion that the error of handing over the star prize to someone else other than the genuine winner was made by MTN and therefore directed the teleco to give the complainant, the appropriate star prize won by him.

In consideration of NCC’s directive, MTN’s General Manager, Northern Region, Mr. Mike Ikpoki, on Tuesday, presented Dike with a new Kia Optima car on behalf of the company at its Abuja office in the presence of a delegation of the commission led by an Executive Commissioner, Licensing and Consumer Affairs, Dr. Bahir Gwandu.

Reacting after receiving the prize, Mr. Dike expressed gratitude to NCC for the intervention, which made it possible for him to get his due as the star prize winner.

Gentoo Linux founder, Robbins leaves Microsoft

Founder and former chief architect of the Gentoo Linux project, Mr. Daniel Robbins, has quit his job at Microsoft after only eight months.

CNET special report indicated that the software giant confirmed the latest move.

Only last May, Robbins made the unusual switch from being a well-known member of the free software community to becoming a paid employee of Microsoft, which is one of free and open-source software’s biggest critics.

He worked under Bill Hilf, who runs Microsoft’s Linux and Open Source Software Lab, and had an “educational” role within the company.

Robbins told ZDNet UK in an e-mail Monday that he decided to leave because he was not able to use all his technical skills in his role.

“I didn’t make the decision to leave Microsoft due to concerns about the company as a whole - Microsoft has just had a string of very successful product launches and I anticipate that it will continue to enjoy great success,” he said.

However, he said that the reason for taking the decision had to do with personal specific experiences working in Microsoft’s Linux Lab.

Expressing belief that the concept behind Microsoft’s Linux Lab is a good one, he was not able to work at full level of technical ability and thus found this frustrating.

His last day at Microsoft was Thursday, January 16.

Robbins has accepted a job as the chief technical officer of ABC Coding Solutions, a company based in Albuquerque, N.M., that provides information products and consulting services in the health industry.

Hilf, the director of technical platform strategy at Microsoft, said the company wishes Robbins well in his new role.

“Yes, Daniel Robbins has decided to leave Microsoft to pursue his passion for software development with an independent software vendor where he will be focused on building in .

Net on Windows. This move also takes Daniel and his family back to their hometown community of Albuquerque…We thank Daniel for his contribution to Microsoft and wish him the best of luck on his new job,” Hilf said.

Chris Gianelloni, the release engineering lead at the Gentoo project, was reluctant to comment on Robbins’ latest career move, but said that it would not affect the project: “While Daniel was a strong proponent of Gentoo back in his heyday, he’s been away from us long enough for his actions to not impact us in any way.”

NATCOMMS insists on switch-off, tomorrow

PRESIDENT, National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers NATCOMS, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, has said that the group’s resolve to embark on a second switch off boycott, tomorrow, nationwide is irrevocable for now.

He told ITREALMS Online Tuesday that mobilization is continuous because the rip-off is becoming unbearable for the Nigerians.

Ogunbanjo said that it is only in Nigeria that you see GSM services getting worse with the kind of growth in number of subscribers recorded in recent times.

Already, he said, that telecommunications operators are making overture for settlement he noted their propositions are nothing to talk home about.

‘This is because they keep giving us excuses of high cost of infrastructure and laying the same’ he said.

For him, what the group wants include reducing tariffs, free weekend calls and Short Messaging Service, 75 per cent reduced intra-network and off peak calls and SMS rates.

Above all, he said they demand efficient service delivery.

Noting that though telecom sector witnessed phenomenal growth, however, it is not reflected in good service delivery, subscriber-friendly products and reasonable tariff structure.

To say the least, the tariff has been deliberately exploitative and this has been further characterized by poor systems responsiveness, low call set-up, accurate, poor call voice quality, high call failure rate, inaccurate billings, low recharge call success rate and poor staff as well as customer-care responsiveness.

3 towns emerge in Vmobile SMS contest

Three new winners emerged in the Vmobile second quarter Short Messaging Service (SMS) contest, which began last year, with two out of the three located in the North East Regions of the country, namely Lessel, Yelwan Duguri and Gelengu.

Lessel, a community in Benue State in North Central Zone of the country with the Town Code 1631 came top in the second quarter phase of the competition followed by Yelwan Duguri, Bauchi State with town code 1070 and Gelengu in Gombe States with town code 1121.

Acting Head, Public Relations at Vmobile, Mr. Emeka Oparah, said the three towns would soon be added to the growing number of the company’s coverage map within 45 days.

Describing it as a success, he note the competition was very keen, especially after the company made it possible for voters to check the voting statistics themselves.

Mr. Oparah explained that the SMS contest was introduced last year under its expansion programme, project Rolling Out Service Everywhere (R.O.S.E) to give Nigerians the opportunity of bringing their communities first into the network’s coverage map more than normal expansion would allow.

This, he said requires those desiring to bring service to their communities to send SMS or text messages to the short code 39800.

Maintaining that it is open to both Vmobile subscribers and customers on other networks.
Stressing that to vote, Vmobile subscribers both pre-paid and post paid subscribers, could send SMS with the selected town code to 39800. Participants could influence others to vote by sending SMS with the referred person’s number and town code to 39800.

Contributors could, according to him vote as many times as they wish, just as, voters could refer as many people as they want too.

For the subscribers on other networks, he said that could participate by sending the code of their choice town by SMS to 0802 100 1000.

A comprehensive list of town codes and short codes for the competition is available in leaflets, Vmobile maps, brochure and posters in dealers’ outlets and Vmobile offices nationwide.
The top 10 voters will receive one free handset each.

To track the voting statistics, Mr. Oparah further said phone users could send SMS 39800 for Vmobile subscribers and 0802 100 1000 for customers on other networks, using the format: STAT (space) town name or code send as text to 39800 (Vmobile subscribers) or 0802 100 1000 indicating that he or she is non-Vmobile subscribers.

Vmobile, he said, plans to invest a minimum of USD 2,000 billion over the next 24 months in achieving nationwide network coverage and excellent quality of Service under its Project R.O.S.E. programme.

During the period, over 3,000 base stations will be deployed across the country and a transmission backbone constructed as well.

Finalists emerge at NISSCOM 2005

TWENTY student’s software genius have been announced as finalists of this year’s Nigerian Students Software Competition (NISSCOM 2005), which presentation comes up next week Thursday.

Most of the finalists came from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, topping the chart with six finalists, followed by Kwara State Polythenic, Ilorin with two candidates, while others were drawn from Olabisi Onabanjo University, and Universal College of Technology, Ogun State respectively, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, University of Calabar, University of Ilorin, Federal University of Technology, Owerri to name a few.

Mr. Moses Braimah, Senior Manager, Marketing at SysteSpecs Limited, organizers of NISSCOM in conjunction with the National Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS), said that presentation of prizes would take place at the annual conference of NACOSS scheduled to take place at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State, next week.

He also said that entries for competition opened on September 2005 and closed on November 30, 2005 with a total of 387 entries received from individuals and groups of which 71 were rated as outstanding.

“It is from this 71 that the 20 finalists, who have been adjudged as very capable of becoming the next computer software guru were selected,” he said.

Mr. Braimah quoted the Group Head Financial Solutions of SystemSpecs, Dr. Hakeem Bakare, saying, “The quality of the entries received are amazing, anyone among the initial 71 entries could win a competition of this nature easily.”

Although NISSCOM 2005 is in collaboration between NACOSS and SystemSpecs, it also enjoys support from Manna Bookstores.

Mr. Braimah further listed the names of these short listed candidates to include Odulami Kayode Olawale with software title: Medical Centre Manager, Adeyemi Babatunde Ayobami, software title: Internet Search Agent Software, Oyedemi Olumuyiwa Abisoye, software title: Citizens Mobile Identification Software, Adegunle Samson with entry Event Manager; Umoh Emmanuel with LABWATCH entry, Folaji Temitope Matthew making the list with ‘Payroll Software’.

Others are Itse Joseph with e-Advocacy, Opaleye Olabode Gabriel with Point of Sale Automation, Okpara Okechukwu Dominic with WIZDOMSHELL and Ibigbami Juwonlo A. with e-banking-XsWOAAD - Shopping with Online Automatic Account Deduction, Ikeora Daniel O. with ‘Parallel Port Interface’ and several others.

SAT-3 and affordable bandwidth

Features of the week:

Lack of competition in the SAT-3 submarine cable is hampering growth of access and afforability of bandwidth on the continent, reports REMMY NWEKE.

Four years on
JUST four years ago, on Monday, May 27, 2002, when the Senegalese President, Mr. Abdoulaye Wade-led African leaders to establish the SAT-3 submarine cable, stakeholders were joyful that at least, Africans and their leaders particularly are making in roads that would see to the problem of low bandwidth, even if not on the continent, but for the sub-region of the West Africa.

This joy seems to be short lived as four years after, the cost of bandwidth is still impediment to the access growth of Internet in the region and generality of Africa.

Described as the foremost global undersea optic fibre cable system around the continent onto Europe and Asia, SAT-3 also known as third channeled to West Africa submarine cable to South Africa, Far East and Europe (SAT3/WASC/SAFE), is a cable system that is certainly a technology and commercial breakthrough of unparalleled significance for the continent.

It is proposed to offer a faster, more efficient trading channel between the continent and international markets.

Historically, SAT3/WASC/SAFE is a feat made possible by the participation of 36 nations, with majority of the landings located in African states. Together they have fully funded the undersea cable system costing more than US$600 million and will own and operate it for the next 25 years.

These results in much of the revenue it generates being ploughed back into the continent. This is a major departure from the current scenario, where many African countries rely on foreign operators to route their international traffic, which outcome is in revenue generated in Africa, leaving Africa.

This project will help bridge the digital divide between Africa and the developed nations and all the role-players will enjoy the access to knowledge brought about by the information revolution that has already had such a dramatic impact in the West, Europe, and the Far East. It will bring the people of Africa the fast, efficient and affordable communications they need for sustained development and progress.

Spearheaded by Telkom South Africa, contributions from state-owned national carriers like the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), the project has engendered a co-operative spirit among so many diverse nations, supporting Africa’s growing telecommunications requirements, as it is predicted to also provide a secure, reliable alternate traffic route between Western Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Optic fibre cable on the other hand, is a plastic or glass fibre with a diameter almost the same as or even smaller than that of a human hair used to transmit information using infra-red or even visible light, usually a laser, according to www.mcmaster.ca/cis/ctl/glossary.htm.

Underutilised
Lamenting underutilisation of SAT-3 recently in an opening address to a workshop on “Achieving Affordable Bandwidth in West and Central Africa” the Executive Director, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Mrs. Nana Tanko, noted that it is a fact that over $600 million has exchanged hands in terms of repatriation done annually to telcos outside the continent whereas these funds could be used to revive some basic connectivity issues in the regions, only if the SAT-3 is optimised.

“It is true that the SAT-3/WASC infrastructure is nearing its mid-life but is yet underutilized,” she decried. Stressing that the tele-density, which is the ratio of telephone per 100 persons on the continent is still far lower than in most states in the United States (US).

She remembered that at the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the issues of Internet Governance (IG) were raised with Africa again taking the sidelines in deliberations or not being considered at all in the final outcomes of the summit.

“We see ourselves and our governments increasingly involving in global politics that should be seen to be transparent and inclusive but the outcomes generally favor certain organizations, countries, cartels or groups,” she observed, describing the idea of achieving affordable bandwidth as a tall order for the continent.

Mrs. Tanko highlighted that these issues are disturbing as well as the fact that there may be existing solutions to the questions of connectivity, access to information and the rights of access of an average citizen to information.

Although Nigeria missed out of such a workshop on affordable bandwidth officially, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) programme officer at OSIWA, Mr. Ben Akoh, said that the workshop was aimed at boosting ICT infrastructure in West and Central Africa.

What’s bandwidth
The term ‘bandwidth’ according to Mr. Chris Sterm of CS Designs, is used dominantly by electrical engineers to make reference to the frequency range of an analog signal. For the Internet community, he said, the term ‘bandwidth’ is used loosely to refer to channel capacity or the bit rate of a link, which simply could be described as the resources a site uses on the computer where the server is hosted.

But for the I.T. Store 2 Options, ‘bandwidth’ technically amounts to data that could be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital devices, experts at I.T. Store, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits or bytes per second (bps), while for analog devices, bandwidth is expressed in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz).

Experts at the Internet Guide online, explained ‘bandwidth’ as amount of data that could be transferred through a computer, while connected to the Internet for a given time. Noting that the higher the bandwidth thus connected, the quicker web pages would load and downloads to be uploaded.

Shared access formula
Executive director of Kafanchan-based ICT driven Fantsuam Foundation, Dr John Dada, disclosed recently that in order to survive the high cost of having access to bandwidth, his organisation has embraced what he called a “shared access formula”.

This, he said, has become a cultural norm in bridging the hard biting digital divide mostly in the rural areas of Africa and Fantsuam Foundation in the rural northern Nigeria is banking on it to reduce cost of access.

Dr. Dada also said that though the foundation struggles to pay estimated $1,800, monthly on Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) access, it has become relevant to share access with other local organisations to empower the villagers and at the same time contributing in closing the gap between the advanced countries and bringing the rural communities closer to the cities in respect of technology usage.

“We are strategically located in Kafanchan,” he said, emphasising that the reason the foundation was set up in a rural area was to be closer to the people which stimulates how the organisation intervenes by contribution to the development of the community, noting that disposal income varies according to communities.

“A community that has road access (what quality?), electricity, telephone, hosts a post office, a secondary school and health clinic is richer than one that does not have these. Graded pricing of services, pay what is affordable, and subsidize the balance via community leaders and understanding,” he explained.

Dr. Dada also said that the current service in use at the foundation is being managed by Emperion, VSAT service provider, even as this, were after trying other products such as Bgan and Arabian telecom.

Overpricing SAT-3 bandwidth
Responding to affordable bandwidth and the effect of SAT-3 so far, President, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said that SAT-3 has lost initial momentum as it was expected to crash the cost of bandwidth in Africa, especially where it has landing points like Nigeria.

In tandeem with Mrs. Tanko that SAT-3 is underutilized presently, Mr. Ajayi who also is the chief executive of PiNet Information Limited, attributed this to lack of competition, saying that daily Nigerians join the fray of Internet enthusiasts, thereby increasing data demands on the Internet from this part of the globe, of which bandwidth to accelerate the required local content uploads is not there despite the establishment of SAT-3 over four years ago.

Describing this as unfortunate, Mr. Ajayi said, the cost of getting bandwidth from SAT-3 is very expensive than anticipated via satellite, that is, the VSAT. Linking this to monopoly in most African countries including Nigeria and is more reason most people if they are not going for VSAT, are keeping the already bandwidth close to their hearts.

“Unfortunately, the SAT-3 consortium has over priced the assets,” he decried, pointing out that till date, only a handful of people are accessing these bandwidth through NITEL’s SAT-3 cable, and that even the commercial access providers under the aegis of the Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN) has advanced initiative to buy this telecommunication ‘gold mine’ in bulk has not materialised but on-going.

Under this arrangement, ISPAN members, he said, could buy at about $3,500 per megabyte per month (pmpm) approximated 50 per cent reduction from what individuals could purchase at about $6,500 pmpm. Just as he agreed that this price could be driven further downwards if the competition is there.

Local investors’ therapy
Chief executive, technology-based research firm in Lagos, eShekels Limited, Mr. Fola Odufuwa, while suggesting solution urged African entrepreneurs to invest on submarine cable and satellite so as to avail bandwidth competition in the ICT sector, in the region.

He said, non-_expression of interest on satellite or submarine cables by African industrialists have kept the cost of bandwidth very high on the continent and particularly in the sub-Sahara.

Lack of interest by African investors, he said, has contributed adversely on satellite or the submarine cable infrastructural investment in the region, in addition to non-liberalisation of the sector.

According to him, on the continent, there are just two sources of providing bandwidth supply, namely through the submarine cable SAT-3 also known as from Atlantis to Dakar and the rest are covered by satellite. Currently, he said, there are about six fleets of satellites all over Africa none of which is owned by an African businessman or woman.

Thus the rate being paid for bandwidth on the continent for now, is therefore, several times above what is obtained in developed economies. Maintaining that in Africa, cost of bandwidth is very, very high, while in the developed countries, they pay quite low prices for Internet access.

“Suppliers have a power, and are exhibiting significant market power because there are few of them and there is no competition,” he said, citing SAT-3 as an instance, which is just one and is even in the hands of incumbent operators, which is usually the national carriers.

“Who have no reason beyond social responsibilities for most of them, who have no commercial reason to maximize the investment,” he declared.

Mr. Odufuwa also said that by allowing consumer and offering lower prices in order to have high volume of people these incumbent operators could still have some margins or even better margins.

Pointing out the need to liberalise the availability of bandwidth very quickly by fibre optic investment through authorizing and encouraging people who have the resources to invest and install submarine cables.

“SAT-3 cost about $250 million connecting South Africa to Portugal, now you can install the same work with one-third of that price,” he said. Emphasising that these are things Africans could do without going cap in hand to any donor agency or World Bank before such a project could take off.

Chioke becomes Vice Chair, GSM Africa

Chairman, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) Consultative Forum of Nigeria, and Head, Regulatory Affairs Division, Vmobile Nigeria, Mr. Ogugua Chioke, has been elected the Vice Chairman of GSM Africa.

His election came a recent meeting of GSM Africa held in Cape Town, South Africa, held last December.

Mr. Chioke, who also is the Chairman, Regulatory Committee of Association of Licensed Telephone Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has been a management of Vmobile since inception in 2001.

A Law graduate from the University of Nigeria (UNN) Mr. Chioke’s law career extended from the Federal Ministry of Justice, to the Law firm of Debo Akande and Okonjo where he grew to become, Head of Chambers.

Late, he became a senior partner of Askira Chioke and Co, a law firm, which was a major firms to the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) from where he gathered most his experience in the telecoms industry.

Mr. Chioke who has been with Vmobile since emerging in the Nigerian telecom scene as Econet Wireless, represented the operator at the renowned GSM Licensing Auction in January 2001.

He rose to the post of General Manager, Regulatory, where he performs key roles for the entire regulatory concerns of Vmobile; dealing with NITEL, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Ministry of Communications and the Federal Government, as well as co-operators on regulatory matters.

Noteworthy was the skillful exhibition in managing the relationship with all telecom operators and the Private Telephone Operators (PTO’s), even as he maintained a cordial business relationship with the government.

This practically led to his election as Chairman, GSM Consultative Forum of Nigeria.

However, as the Vice Chairman, GSM Africa, Chioke promises commitment as he is ready to fully involve in resolving a lot of telecom issues among its membership.

He is married to Modesta and blessed with children.

Loyalty Solutions introduces Opinion metre

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) firm, Loyalty Solutions Limited, has introduced a novel dimension to survey and feed back with the deployment of Opinion metre in strategic service companies in the country.

Opinion metre is a stand-alone Automated Interactive Survey device designed specially to collect anonymous customer satisfaction feed back at point-of-service.

Organisations currently having a feel of this new automated feedback solution include Globacom, Silverbird Galleria and Tantalisers.

Managing Director, Loyalty Solutions, Mr. Kolapo Ademola said that Opinion metre, as a business tool, helps to improve the speed of business intelligence gathering and processing.

“It also automates customer feed back process, business performance evaluation, ensures process integrity, reduces human error, while telling your customers that you care and really mean it,” he said.

He also said that prior to the coming of this electronic solution, “most service companies traditionally depended on the placement of suggestion box for customers’ complaints”.

Mr. Ademola, noted that suggestion box is a wooden box, which comes with lock and key and usually commissioned by companies that pay premium value on the thoughts and emotions of customers, stressing it is placed at the point of sales of a retail outlet.

“But the results collated from suggestion box are usually fraught with human errors,” he noted.

Loyalty Solutions, he said, has offered the Opinion metre product to many sectors of the economy, which range from card payment, oil and gas, telecoms and the quick service restaurants in order to help them rediscover themselves and improve adequately.Its deep knowledge of customer’s behaviour has helped it to turn data into ‘sword’, which these companies deploying Opinion metre use in creating specialized instruments to eliminate paper survey.

Opinion metre also offers the benefit of instant access to on-site survey data and automates customer feedback process, which he said, could completely eliminate human errors and reduces chances of manipulation.

“Its unlimited capability to customize questionnaires, each response with a time, date stamp for trend analysis and cheaper operational cost attract these companies and made Opinion metre a device of choice”, Mr. Ademola declared.

The device, he emphasised, is ideal for measuring and monitoring customer satisfaction, response to change in programmes as well as new product development, and testing, just as its portability makes the usage quite convenient, as it could be placed in service hall, banking hall, waiting room and lobby among others, for quick and easy access.

Mr. Ademola, whose firm partners Colloquy group in the country and Africa, said it continue to provide customer relationship management with distinction, pointing out that with Opinion metre, customers’ opinion would be taken seriously by the management of any company that deploys this product.