WorldRemit launches Android Pay, targets $600bn industry

ITRealms:

Leading digital money transfer service has added Android Pay to its service, offering a new way for WorldRemit’s Android Pay users to send money internationally and reach millions using mobile money accounts, reports ITRealms.

Pioneering a mobile-first approach to the $600bn a year remittance industry, ITRealms gathered that this move sees WorldRemit bringing together the leading players in mobile payments from Silicon Valley and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Launching the global rollout of the service at MoneyConf 2017, WorldRemit via its Vice President, Products, Alice Newton-Rex, told ITRealms it would enable Android Pay users to safely and securely send money to +112 million mobile money accounts accessible via its network. The integration will make WorldRemit the only remittance provider offering international payments through Android Pay around the globe.

By connecting directly with Android Pay, WorldRemit customers can transfer money instantly across continents in just 5 taps - without entering credit card or 3DS details. Using mobile money, a recipient customer can then pay for school fees, utility bills and groceries among other things directly from their mobile phones - without the need for 3G or wifi. As Android Pay is supported by industry standard tokenization, payments are sent with a virtual account number providing an extra layer of security.

WorldRemit currently sends money to more mobile money accounts than any other operator in the world. The company enables migrants to send money from their smartphones to the mobile phones of the people they love, in over 140 countries to be paid out in cash, paid into a bank account or into a mobile money account.

“Currently 60% of WorldRemit app users are on Android, which is also by far the most popular mobile operating system in the developing world, where 2 billion people are still unbanked, but critically half a billion use their mobiles as a bank account,” she said.

The VP stressed that this integration with Android Pay is the next logical step of mobile first approach, and continues the commitment to provide greater financial inclusion.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Causes of downturn in Africa's mobile phone market

Forecast@ITRealms:

Africa's mobile phone market started 2017 off with a drastic quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) decline according to the latest figures announced today by International Data Corporation (IDC). 

The global technology research and consulting firm's newly released Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker shows that overall shipments for the first quarter of the year in Africa totaled 54.5 million units, down -8.2% on Q4 2016. 

The prime driver of this downturn was a stark -17.6% decline in the smartphone segment, with shipments falling from 25.8 million units in Q4 2016 to 21.2 million units in Q1 2017. 

When viewed year on year (YoY), the overall mobile market was up 8.4%, primarily due to feature phone shipments growing from 26.6 million units in Q1 2016 to 33.3 million units in Q1 2017. 

Feature phones have now been rising as a proportion of the total market for more than a year, which highlights the continuing importance of basic mobile communications in many parts of Africa, particularly in rural areas.

The drop in smartphone shipments in Q1 2017 was caused by substantial QoQ declines in the continent's three largest smartphone markets – South Africa (-13.6%), Nigeria (-8.1%), and Egypt (-11.5%). "In South Africa, the drop was mainly due to high levels of stock in the channel from previous quarters," says Nabila Popal, a senior research manager at IDC. 

"Nigeria's decline was caused by the ongoing recession in the overall economy as well as difficulties in accessing foreign currencies for imports, while continuing exchange-rate difficulties were also behind the major decline seen in Egypt."

The smartphone markets in Morocco and Algeria also performed poorly in Q1 2017, although the QoQ declines were much less drastic at -2.2% and -1.5%, respectively. 

"Morocco's economy was significantly impacted by a stalemate in the government that is delaying the disbursement of budgetary funds, while Algeria's unstable politics continue to dampen consumers' willingness to make discretionary purchases," says Soufiane Bouhaji, a research analyst at IDC. "Tunisia was the only market in North Africa to record a QoQ increase in smartphone shipments (0.5%) in Q1 2017 and that was mainly due to the country's healthier macroeconomic environment."

The East African markets performed stronger than any other region in Africa in terms of smartphone shipments for Q1 2017, with Tanzania and Uganda seeing substantial QoQ increases of 8.1% and 11.6%, respectively. The Kenyan market, which has seen big gains in smartphone shipments over the last two years, was more subdued in Q1 2017, with shipments declining slightly by -1.3 % QoQ.

In terms of vendor rankings, Samsung remains the continent's leading smartphone vendor, with 29.8% share in Q1 2017, up on the previous two quarters but slightly down on Q1 2016. Its big rival in Africa, the China-based Transsion group, took second place with 23.9% share of the smartphone market, thanks to its diversified portfolio of mid-range phones and strong focus on the ˂$150 price segment. In the feature phone space however, it is Transsion that dominates not Samsung, with its Tecno and itel brands accounting for three out of every five feature phones shipped across the continent in Q1 2017.

"IDC expects Africa's overall smartphone market to slowly rebound from its current lull to a state of growth," says Bouhaji. "Despite the tough macroeconomic conditions currently inhibiting much of the region, smartphone prices continue to fall and this will drive their adoption across Africa. Almost 40% of all smartphones shipped in Africa in Q1 2017 were priced below $80, up from 28% just two years earlier. Mobile data charges are also becoming more affordable, while increasing use of video-sharing applications and improving penetration of over-the-top services are further encouraging smartphone adoption."  

IDC is forecasting that Africa's smartphone shipments will remain flat this year, but for growth to resume in 2018 as the economy gradually recovers.

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Over 2,500 ICT4D stakeholders converge for SDGs @WSIS Forum 2017

ITRealms:

Over 2,500 information and communication technology (ICT) experts and advocates from around the globe are taking part this week in the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2017 (WSIS Forum 2017), reports ITRealms.

Participants, ITRealms gathered would afford them to exchange knowledge and experiences towards achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

ITRealms reports that WSIS Forum 2017 commenced Monday, June in Geneva, and expected to end by Friday this week.

The participants also ITRealms report, represents the world's largest annual multi-stakeholder gathering of the ICT for development community, and is co-organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), UNCTAD and UNDP, in close collaboration with all UN agencies.

The Chair-elect of this year's forum is Mr. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister of Youth and ICT, Government of Rwanda.

This year's forum will focus on sustainable development trends and inclusive ICT initiatives in key SDG priority areas such as health, education, gender empowerment, the environment, infrastructure and innovation. Participants are set to include at least 500 high-level policy-makers from 150+ countries, including government ministers and experts, civil society leaders, academics, business leaders and international organizations.

"The ICT community plays a paramount role in supporting the realization of the SDGs. The rich discussions and knowledge sharing among ICT for development stakeholders set to take place here at WSIS Forum 2017 will make great strides to leverage the power of ICTs for achievement of the SDGs," said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.

WSIS Forum has become a real demonstration of how the WSIS and SDGs processes are being aligned at the implementation level, building on the WSIS-SDG Matrix developed by UN WSIS Action Line Facilitators. An interactive mapping tool is available for the WSIS Forum 2017 Agenda to emphasize the linkages between the Action Lines and the SDGs identified by WSIS stakeholders in their respective sessions and workshops.

The WSIS Forum 2017 agenda features more than 200 specialized workshops covering a wide array of topics identified through a participatory process with WSIS stakeholders. This includes a Virtual Reality for SDGs special track bringing together high-level personalities, world class virtual reality experiences, and a focus on education. 

Nonye Dom/GEE

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ICANN unveils gender diversity participation survey

ITRealms:

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has unveiled a survey to determine current perceptions of gender diversity in the ICANN community and to identify potential barriers to participation, reports ITRealms.

The purpose of this survey, ITRealms gathered is to inform community discussions on diversity, following calls for additional data on this topic.

ITRealms also reports that looking to clarify perceptions of diversity and equality, leadership, and inclusiveness, ICANN would like to understand the degree to which barriers such as familial responsibilities play a role.

ICANN, therefore, invite all community members to share their views, stressing that the survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.

In addition, ITRealms reports that the survey closes on 8 July, just as responses would be anonymous and would be used in accordance with ICANN's Privacy Policy.

Further, ITRealms reports that this survey is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. While the survey report will be shared with an analysis of gaps, perceptions, and potential next steps.

This data, ICANN said, would help identify ways to enhance gender diversity and support broad, inclusive participation.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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TD Mobile boss, Gozy Ijogun, Shittu lead speakers @Girls in ICT day

ITRealms:

The Managing Director, TD Mobile, Mrs. Gozy Ijogun, has been confirmed as one of the headline speakers for the 2017 International Girls in ICT Day event scheduled for the prestigious Oriental Hotel, Lagos on Tuesday June 13^th 2017, reports ITRealms.

She will be speaking alongside other notable attendees including the Hon. Minister of Communications, Barr. Abdul-Raheem Adebayo Shittu.

Organized by eBusiness Life Ltd., the International Girls in ICT Day Celebration which kicked off in 2012 is an initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) geared at sensitizing young girls and encouraging them to take up ICT as a career.

One of the most promising female business leaders in the Nigerian ICT eco-system, Mrs. Ijogun holds a Master’s of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Accounting, Organization and Institution with distinction from the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE) and first degree in Chemistry from the University College, London.

Widely renowned as an astute and thorough-bred professional, Mrs. Ijogun joined Technology Distributions as a strategic partner in 2013 and launched TD Mobile which, under her sterling leadership, has become the undisputed leader in the distribution of mobile devices in the West African sub-region, with bold in-roads into the larger African market.

She is expected to inspire and share with the attendees from her wealth of experience and amazing success in the ICT sector and, especially with TD Mobile, which she has transformed into a thriving multi-million-dollar business entity within a space of three years since its launch. Interestingly, TD Mobile, a subsidiary of Technology Distributions Ltd., has also remained in the forefront of the gender-sensitive drive, with females who make up the majority of its workforce finding a convenient platform within the organization to add value and fulfil their dreams.

Already, a number of key stakeholders in the industry and beyond have lined up to partner with eBusiness Life Limited on this edition of the programme in a bid to create awareness among young girls on the need to consider a career in ICT.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of eBusiness Life Communication, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, the need to sensitize young girls is premised on the fact that the society has unconsciously relegated the female gender and delegated careers in technical fields, especially in ICT, to their male counterparts.

According to her, efforts should be made to introduce young girls to career opportunities in technical fields in both the public and private sectors to help them have a wider range of options and contribute their quota in the industry and in the development of the economy.

She stated that the International Girls in ICT Day workshop and attending campaign will further open up opportunities for girls in ICT sector.

As part of the 2017 event, there will be students’ training on basic robotics and graphic design competition between female students from select secondary schools, roundtable discussions, interactive and motivational talk from renowned women ICT professionals, among others. The event will also form a platform for participating companies to network and find areas of mutual interests.

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Whistle blowers under threat - AFRICMIL

ITRealms:

A media inclined civil society organization working on building support for the whistle-blower policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Africa Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has raised alarm that whistle blowers in the country are now threat, reports ITRealms.

 The Co-ordinator, African Centre for Media & Information Literacy, Chido Onumah, revealed that at least, two whistle blowers in the recent past have been sacked.

As said by him, the group expressed worries over recent news of the sack of another whistle blower by yet another agency of the federal government, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN.

“The sack of Murtala Ibrahim, an auditor in the bank, for blowing the whistle and refusing to cover up a contract scam and manufactured financial report of the bank, is yet another slap on the government’s whistle blower policy,” AFRICMIL said in a press statement made available to ITRealms.

The sack of Mr. Ibrahim, the group said, “is one case too many coming at a time when another whistle blower, Mr. Ntia Thompson, is still battling for reinstatement several months after his sack and over two months since his recommended reinstatement by the Head of Service of the Federation”. 

AFRICMIL frowned at what it called obvious witch-hunt of the whistle blower by transferring him from the headquarters to a branch in one of the States and then following up with a query “which cautioned him for doing his official work, and when they couldn’t fault his explanation the bank went on to dismiss Mr. Ibrahim for the ridiculous reason that his service was no longer needed”.

AFRICMIL demands immediate reinstatement of the whistle blower while urging Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works, Power and Housing, whose Ministry oversees the bank, to order a thorough investigation of the scandal. 

On the case of Mr. Thompson, AFRICMIL noted that two separate letters from the Office of the Head of Civil of the Federation (OHCSF) signed by Mrs. Nuratu Batagarawa, Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office, were addressed to Ambassador Sola Enikanolaye, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking him to take urgent action on the whistle blower’s case.

The organization expressed regret over failure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to comply with the directive of the OHCSF requesting that Mr. Thompson be recalled and all disciplinary procedures suspended pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation of the case of fraud at the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA) by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

“The last letter, dated April 5, 2017,” Onumah observed, “made it clear to Ambassador Enikanolaye that by the provisions of the Public Service Rules (PSR), the offences alleged to have been committed by Mr. Thompson were not punishable by retirement from service.”

AFRICMIL unreservedly extends gratitude to the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation for promptly wading into the matter by calling for the immediate reinstatement of Mr. Thompson and reiterating its commitment to safeguarding the policy of government on the protection of whistleblowers by directing its full implementation by all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government.

“We hereby call on the federal government to take decisive action on safety of whistle blowers. If government cannot protect internal whistle blowers what more can be expected for outsiders and other Nigerians? “Instead of persecution or victimization, whistle blowers like Mr. Thompson and Ibrahim ought to be rewarded for their acts of patriotism,” Onumah asserted.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE 

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Nigeria lags in archives preservation

ITRealms:

The President, Society of Nigerian Archivists (SNA), Prof. Olutayo Adesina, has disclosed that Nigeria lags among developing countries of the world at the occasion of 2017 International Archives Day (IAD), reports ITRealms.

Prof. Adesina said it was a monumental tragedy that a country that boasts of treasure troves of records and documents in the past had confined its archives to the dustbin of history, citing the deplorable state of the National Archives as a result of poor funding.

The SNA president, while commending the governments of Lagos, Sokoto and Bayelsa States for instituting efficient archives, however, called on Federal and other State governments to pay more attention to the collection and preservation of archives through requisite funding, recognition and proper remuneration of archivists and record managers.

He challenged NGOs and private individuals to support the campaign by the SNA to revive the nation's decaying archives.

"We must now begin to think of our archives as tools of community and national empowerment rather than irrelevant custodians of the relics of the past. More than ever, we now need to think critically and imaginatively about how to handle the archives in the 21st century. The long term sustenance of the archives should therefore be a collective responsibility," he said.

Uj. N. Dom/GEE

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Osinbajo makes history, signs 2017 Appropriation Bill

ITRealms:

The acting vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo made history Monday when he signed the 2017 budget at his office in Abuja, reports ITRealms.

With the signing of the Appropriation Bill into law for the year 2017, Prof. Osinbajo historically is the first Nigeria’s acting president to perform such a duty.

This follows the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari authorizing him to perform that constitutional assignment.

Senior Special Assistant to the President, (Media & Publicity), Mr. Garba Shehu, according to the receipt of a full brief on the 2017 Appropriation Bill as passed by the National Assembly.

He buttressed the unity at the highest level of government, stressing that President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated that it is in the interest of the nation's economy for the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to sign the Appropriation Bill into law.

In a letter dated June 10, 2017, which he personally signed and addressed to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, the President also said he was "pleased by the joint resolution that the Executive would submit next year's budget proposals by October 2017 and the National Assembly will conclude the Appropriation process by December 2017, so that the country can return to a normal fiscal period from next year onwards."

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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Nigerian Editors condemn EFCC raid on Sun Newspapers

ITRealms:

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has received with shock news of the invasion of the premises of the SUN Publishing Limited by heavily armed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in the early hours of June 12, 2017, reports ITRealms.

Condemning the raid, the Guild of Editors through its President, Mrs. Funke Egbèmode, lamented that the fierce looking operatives prevented staff of the organisation from either entering or leaving the premises of the company and disrupted the circulation processes.

“The unwarranted siege to the company subjected staff of the organisation to crude intimidation, psychological and emotional trauma,” she said.

The EFCC, she said, had accused The SUN of publishing pro-Biafra, Boko Haram and Niger Delta militant stories.

Also, she said, the latest action of the EFCC on a newspaper house is a sad reminder of the dark years of military dictatorship and a deliberate effort to muzzle the press.

As a statutory agency birthed by an Act of Parliament in a democracy, we had expected the EFCC to explore civil means of addressing perceived infraction by a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian democratic project.

Rather than see the Fourth Estate of the Realm as an opposition, the Commission should realise that the media is an indispensable partner in its fight against corruption.

The Guild noted that the latest affront on The SUN by operatives of the EFCC is one in a number of targeted attempts by a section of the nation’s security agency to gag free press.

“We recall the recent expulsion of Mr. Olalekan Adetayo, the State House correspondent of Punch Newspapers from Aso Rock by Bashir Abubakar, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to President Muhammadu Buhari.

NGE said, the alleged forfeiture order the EFCC brandished this morning was 10 years old and a matter still before the Court of Appeal.

“The Guild wonders why the Commission felt it had to act ahead of a case before a court of competent jurisdiction. It bears restating that such an attempt to intimidate the media does incalculable damage to the image of the EFCC and indeed the Nigerian government. Besides, it does not only undermine the foundation of our young democracy, it is a major threat to its sustenance and existence,” she said.

Further, the Guild condemned the EFCC action in its entirety and calls on the Commission to purge itself of all anti-democratic tendencies in order to foster mutual cooperation with the media and other stakeholders in its crusade against graft.

And called on EFCC to put an end to its current attempts to gag the Press and also demands an unreserved apology from the Commission to the SUN Publishing Limited.

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Digital Investment attracts 50m Euros to Africa

ITRealms:

The Paris-based Orange telecom is strengthening corporate venture strategy by creating a new Africa section in its flagship programme for investment in start-ups, Orange Digital Ventures, reports ITRealms.

This is coming on the heels of a renewed commitment with the sum of 50 million euros devoted to indirect investments through specialised funding for Africa.

Confirming this to ITRealms, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Orange and Chairman of Orange Digital Ventures, Pierre Louette, noted that the latest investment corresponds to half of the direct investments made via its new Orange Digital Ventures Africa programme.

Louette also explained that the other half has been devoted to indirect investments through specialised funding for Africa.

The DCEO pointed out that Orange Digital Ventures Africa is the group’s investment vehicle for early-stage innovation projects in Africa in areas such as new connectivities, Financial Technology, the Internet of Things, energy and e-health to name but a few.

“The objective is to target start-ups offering responses to Africa’s fundamental challenges while leveraging the operator’s assets on the continent. This support will concern all innovative start-ups, whether they are based geographically in Africa or they address African issues from another continent,” Louette said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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