Premium Times requests immediate release of arrested Reporter, NUJ kicks - ITREALMS

#FreeSamuelOgundipe@ITREALMS:

Premium Times has requested immediate release of one of its journalists, Samuel Ogundipe, who was arrested Tuesday by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, reports ITRealms.

Ogundipe was arrested and the Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Musikilu Mojeed, harassed by the purely anti-robbery outfit on a day the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, called for its reform and the need for it to operate strictly within its mandate.

The Publisher, Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi, told ITRealms, the Reporter was arrested by SARS operatives demanding for the source of the damning and error-filled report the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, sent to Osinbajo on the sacked Director General of the Department of State Service, Lawal Daura.

Osinbajo had directed Idris to investigate Daura over the invasion and blockade of the National Assembly by operatives of the DSS last week.

As said by Olorunyomi, “PREMIUM TIMES hereby calls for the immediate release of its reporter, Samuel Ogundipe, who was detained on Tuesday by the Nigeria Police over a report.

“On the day the Nigerian presidency was complaining about the excesses of a unit in the police, the same unit was forcing a PREMIUM TIMES journalist to disclose his source.

“The Nigerian police, through the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on Tuesday arrested and detained the reporter.

“Apart from Mr Ogundipe, this newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed, and its education correspondent, Azeezat Adedigba, were also briefly detained and manhandled by the police at the SARS headquarters in Abuja.

“Ms Adedigba was later released after about three hours of detention.

“Mr Mojeed and Mr Ogundipe were driven from the SARS headquarters in Abuja to the IGP Monitoring Unit at Force Headquarters where Mr Ogundipe was made to write a statement.

“At the Force headquarters, a Deputy Commissioner of Police at the IGP Monitoring Unit, Sani Ahmadu, was heard directing lawyers to ‘rush to court’ to obtain a warrant to detain Mr Ogundipe.

“They repeatedly asked the journalist to disclose his source for a story published by this newspaper.

“The story, also published by other media, revealed a letter written by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on last week’s siege to the National Assembly by security officials.

“When Mr Mojeed alerted the DCP that it was wrong compelling a journalist to disclose a source of information, the police officer became furious threatening the journalist.

“‘He said the police was acting within the law and that Samuel would remain detained unless he discloses those who gave him the document.’

“The police are yet to offer a coherent reason for their denial of the reporter his freedom.

“Premium Times especially condemns the Gestapo manner in which the Nigeria Police have taken Mr Ogundipe into custody and hereby demands his immediate and unconditional release.

“His detention is in gross violation of Mr Ogundipe's rights, the Nigerian laws and all democratic tenets; and is an unacceptable abridgement of his citizenship and professional privileges.

“It should be embarrassing to the Nigeria Police to so brazenly clamp down on a law-abiding citizen and journalist with an apparent sinister view to inhibiting the practice of his profession in line with its ethics and within the latitude guaranteed by the laws of Nigeria and international conventions.

“The subterfuge employed in bringing in the reporter, even while harassing his colleagues should also be condemned by all Nigerians.

“This heavy-handed treatment of a journalist against whom no case of violation of the law has been made is an embarrassment to Nigeria and advertises the country as disdainful of its own laws and democratic practice. 

“We wonder what the Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, finds attractive in making Nigeria a laughing stock at a time the eyes of the civilised world are on the country as it approaches a milestone in the development of its democracy.

“We therefore call on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to direct the Police to release Mr Ogundipe immediately and unconditionally.”

In a statement on the development, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) also condemned the arrest of Ogundipe by the Police and his detention at the facility of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS in Abuja, describing it as horrifying.

According to NUJ, National President, Abdulwaheed Odusile,“Samuel Ogundipe was arrested for reporting on the report sent to the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbanjo by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris on the sacked and detained DG of SSS, Malam Lawal Daura. The NUJ is horrified by the constant harassment and molestation of Journalists by the Police and other Agents of the State and requests that such should abate forthwith.

NUJ he also noted that confidentiality of sources is  necessary for good journalism to flourish and Journalists should not be coerced into revealing such sources.

“We call for the immediate and unconditional release  of Samuel Ogundipe and an end to all forms of impunity against the media.”

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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DPR joins ‘FOI Hall “of Shame’ - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

For disregarding the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has inducted the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory agency, into its “FOI Hall of Shame” reports ITRealms.

MRA’s FOI Programme Manager, Mr Ridwan Sulaimon, noted in a statement in Lagos that “the induction of the DPR into the FOI Hall of Shame evidences a rot in the oil and gas sector that is pervasive, deep-seated and apparently intractable, as it is the fourth public institution in the sector to be awarded this badge of dishonour within a period of one year for lack of transparency and accountability arising from the flagrant violation of the FOI Act.”

He recalled that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the state oil company, was earlier inducted into the Hall of Shame in July 2017, followed by the Petroleum Equalisation Fund in March 2018 and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in June 2018, saying “It is a matter of concern that despite these revelations about the opaque practices of these institutions, no significant steps have been taken to make them open up or comply with their statutory obligations.”

Mr. Sulaimon said: “Clearly, despite the attention drawn to the unlawful actions of its sister public institutions in the oil and gas sector over the last year, the DPR is undaunted in pursuing a path of secrecy and shielding its activities and operations from public scrutiny.”

According to him, “It is repugnant to imagine that a public institution with such a culture of disrespect and disobedience of an existing Law has the responsibility of ensuring compliance with petroleum laws, regulations and guidelines in the Oil and Gas Industry even while it is persisting in its failure to comply with the Law.”

Mr. Sulaimon explained that the DPR was assessed on its level of compliance with various obligations of public institutions under the FOI Act including: the submission of annual implementation reports, the proactive publication of certain categories of information, the training of the institution’s staff on the public’s right of access to information, the designation of an FOI Desk Officer and publication of contact details of such an official as well as responsiveness to requests for information from members of the public.

He said the DPR failed in all the indicators.

He noted that: “since 2011 when the Act was passed into Law until now, the DPR ought to have submitted seven annual reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation on its implementation of the Act, but the institution has not submitted a single report over the period, thereby repeatedly breaching the provisions of Section 29 of the Act.”

Mr. Sulaimon said there was no indication that the DPR has ever granted any request for information, attributing the problem of ascertaining this precisely to the institution’s failure to submit its annual report to the Attorney-General of the Federation, which would have provided the requisite information about a series of facts and figures relevant to the its implementation of the Act.

According to him, “As a direct result of DPR’s failure to submit its annual implementation reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation, we are unable to determine the number of applications for information that it received and number of such applications that it processed. We also do not know how many requests for information the DPR has granted or denied over the years or if at all, the institution has ever at least received and/or acknowledged any request from members of the public”

In addition, Mr. Sulaimon said, the DPR has not fulfilled its proactive disclosure obligations under Section 2 of the Act as it has not published on its websites or anywhere else, the 16 categories of information that it is required by the FOI Act to publish and disseminate widely to members of the public through various means, including print, electronic and online sources.

He alleged that the DPR has also failed to comply with Section 13 of the FOI Act, which requires every public institution to ensure the provision of appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information and records held by the government or public institution for the effective implementation of the Act.

Citing the Database of FOI Desk Officers compiled by the Federal Ministry of Justice, the oversight institution for the implementation of the FOI Act, Mr. Sulaimon said the DPR had not designated any official to whom requests for information should be made and has not published the name of any such official as required by Section 2(3)(f) of the Act and despite repeated requests and reminders issued by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to all public institutions to immediately designate such officials and submit their details to the Office for inclusion in the Database.

He therefore called on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to take urgent measures to ensure that the DPR and other public institutions in the oil and gas sector comply with their duties and obligations under the FOI Act and as part of the efforts of the Federal government to rid the sector of its plaguing corruption.

The FOI Hall of Shame is an initiative of MRA, launched in July 2017, to name and shame public institutions or officials that are undermining the effectiveness of the FOI Act.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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ICANN invites nominations for fellowship selection committee - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has opened call for its Fellowship Selection Committee for a total of seven openings, reports ITRealms.

The committee made-up of each Supporting Organization/Advisory Committee (SO/AC) shall nominate one representative to serve on the ICANN Fellowship Selection Committee, for a total of up to seven individuals.

Also, ICANN SOs/ACs , ITRealms gathered, are strongly encouraged to consider diversity criteria when selecting a Selection Committee member including, but not limited to, geographic and gender diversity.

“Each Selection Committee member will serve a two-year term, as detailed in Terms of Service,” official told ITRealms.

The selection committee member expectations, ITRealms reports, is expected to represent the global Internet community, with a strong history of experience with specific sector(s) of the Internet ecosystem including, but not limited to, technical Internet issues; government, academia, commercial or non-commercial issues; I* entities; underserved and/or under-represented communities and/or Internet related development, or other fellowship programs.

“Be an active member of the appointing SO/AC for at least two years (Definitions of active membership may vary, but generally include penholders for ICANN policy/procedural comments contributing significant time to the SO/AC).

“Have a good understanding of ICANN and work conducted by other SOs/ACs. Have attended ICANN meetings as an active contributor/panelist/chair to a policy session,” ICANN said, stressing that “It is desirable for Selection Committee representatives to have contributed meaningfully to cross-community working groups and/or be an active member or organisations.

Further, ITRealms reports that “Nominated Selection Committee members may be Fellowship Program alumni.”

The ICANN Fellowship Selection Committee, ITRealms reported, is responsible for assessing all applications for the ICANNFellowship received through the online application system. Selection Committee members will then determine which applicants have best met the posted Applicant Selection Criteria. 

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Trending #AfricaThisWeek Volume 1, No. 3 - ITREALMS

#AfricaThisWeek@ITREALMS:

Highlights:

1.  Uhuru urges African teachers to seek AU status, lobbies presidents

2.  Kabila will not stand for 3rd term in December elections

3.  Panic, fear in Gweru over Typhoid

4.  Plot to impeach NASS leadership thickens

5.  Rebels declare ceasefire amid government reforms

6.  Akufo-Addo replaces energy chief in cabinet reshuffle

Follow on Twitter: @#AfricaThisWeek. 

Full edition: #AfricaThisWeek Volume 1, No. 3. This edition is also available in French.

*Courtesy Remmy Nweke/ED, Ops

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Accenture Nigeria to unveil Innovation Index 2018 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Accenture Nigeria has concluded survey for the maiden edition of its Innovation Index which focuses on disruptive business, market and technology trends in the Nigerian financial services industry, reports ITRealms.

The Index will highlight and showcase innovation evangelists who are weaving innovation into the very fabric of culture in their organisations—as well as creating product, process, people and service novelties which are changing the way people live and work.

Accenture during the survey reached out to banking and fintech companies in order to showcase their innovations. In collaboration with Lagos Business School as local research partner, a rigorous adjudication process that examined entries in order to identify innovation leaders based on five categories of the innovation value chain for the banking and fintech space in Nigeria.

“As Nigerian banks and FinTech companies continue to grow and expand their businesses through innovation, index will offer insight on the effect these innovations have had in enabling competitive advantage in the marketplace” said Toluleke Adenmosun, Accenture Nigeria’s Managing Director Financial Services. “We are appreciative of all organizations who participated in the survey. 

Accenture will provide a custom diagnostic report to each participant to aid them on their innovation journey.”

Accenture is looking forward to announcing the winners of the Nigeria maiden Innovation Index with stakeholders in the country in conjunction with its media partners, The Guardian Newspapers and Techcabal.

It is the company’s wish that findings from the survey will spur further innovation that will help to improve products and service creation in the financial sector that will significantly impact lives and also guide other sectors in making informed decisions towards developing Nigeria’s economy.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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eWorld Forum’18 moves to September - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The organiser of the eWorld Forum has revealed that September 20, 2018 is the new date, reports ITRealms. 

The forum, which is 9^th edition has been slated to hold the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.

"The theme for this year’s event, which was initially slated to hold on August 23 is: Nigeria’s Readiness for Digital Transformation."

The theme of this year’s programme is aimed at underscoring the need for Nigerians and the corporate entities to digitally prepare and transform their systems and processes to achieve their stated mission and visions.

According to the chief executive of Ajomedia Limited, publishers of eWorld Magazine, Aaron Ukodie, the more prepared or ready an organization or nation is, the more likely it will achieve its desired outcome.

“Transformation is a process of profound and radical change that orients an organization or a nation in a new direction and takes it to an entirely different level of effectiveness”, Ukodie said.

Some of the issues that the Forum shall seek to address are: Are new technologies imperatives for digital transformation? What should be the focus in our digital transformation bid? What are the manpower imperatives for organizational and national digital transformation? And what is the difference between digitization and digitalization?

The Forum shall also discuss the requirements for digital transformation, the roadmap for digital transformation and address the case for Digital Readiness versus Digital Transformation and answer the question of whether Nigeria is ready for digital transformation.

The eWorld Forum which started in 2009 has helped the Nigerian ICT industry, to chart the direction of discuss and form policies.

Nenye Dom/GEe

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Kwarans no longer panhandlers - Lai Mohammed - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called for unity, sacrifice and commitment from all stakeholders in order to put Kwara State on the path of good governance and also win the state for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 elections, reports ITRealms.

The Minister, who made the call at a stakeholders' meeting organized by the Congress of Kwara Progressives in Ilorin on Thursday, said the time is ripe for the people of Kwara to take back their state from plunderers.

''What an auspicious time for all of us! Never before have we had a great opportunity like we have now to take our state back from the rapacious few, who have held the state by the jugular and prevented it from meeting the hopes and aspirations of its people.

''From my consultations with key stakeholders so far, I can say, categorically, that Kwarans have all resolved to take their destiny into their own hands and take back what rightly belongs to them. This is unprecedented in the history of our state, and we must not waste this opportunity,'' he charged

Alhaji Mohammed stressed the need for unity on the part of the people, saying ''if we all remain united, we can't and we won't lose the looming battle for the survival of our dear state. All that is required is for us all to subordinate our individual ambitions to the collective efforts to wrest our state from the hegemony of one man and his cohorts''.

He said that, on his part, he won't be running for any office during the forthcoming elections, adding: ''For me, it is not about any clamour for office. It is about working with all like minds for the greater benefit of our people.''

The Minister warned that the battle ahead would not be easy, and that those who are opposed to change in the state will deploy all strategies, including blackmail, to retain their stranglehold on power

''Make no mistake about it, the battle ahead will be tough. No one with power will ever give it up easily. But the power of the people supersedes all powers. That's why I am delighted, and indeed encouraged, that the good people of our state, whether from the North, South or Central, are all united in their singular determination to rescue their state from the grinding poverty, monumental misgovernance and the general state of funk that has enveloped it,'' he said.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Africa Magic viewers say ‘Konga, a company to watch’ - ITREALMS

Sponsors@ITREALMS:

Konga has been described as a company to watch closely as a pride to Nigerian corporates by the viewers of the Africa Magic Viewers, reports ITRealms.

Konga, ITRealms gathered, is Nigeria’s e-commerce giant, was the centre of attention at the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) 2018 Nominees/Sponsors’ Party held at the impressive Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on last Friday, 2018.

Hosted by Multichoice, pay-television service provider/operators of DSTV and GOTV, saw the event compere, IK Osakioduwa exposing the echoes from viewers.

The event is a build-up to arguably Africa’s biggest award show attracted the crème of Nollywood, Nigeria’s burgeoning movie industry including a star-studded cast of nominees, celebrities and other elite guests.

Title sponsors Konga put on a memorable display for the distinguished audience in attendance at the cocktail party, with a Wheel of Fortune which afforded nominees a chance to win loads of exciting freebies including shopping vouchers of varying amounts up to N100,000, goodie-bags, refrigerators and the grand prize of a 55’ Smart TV.

Konga which recently re-launched Pay-On-Delivery in August for shoppers in Lagos, also seized the opportunity to reiterate its decision to extend the payment option nationwide very soon.

Speaking at the event, Konga CEO (Offline), Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, disclosed the company’s determination to continue to set new standards and raise the bar in service delivery in the Nigerian/African e-commerce sector by offering shoppers an efficient, seamless shopping experience.

“With Konga, you experience an omni-channel, online and offline, which offers you a wide range of genuine products at the best prices and with a multiplicity of payment and delivery options which guarantees you ease and convenience in shopping, thereby giving you peace of mind. We are probably the only company in Nigeria that takes absolute responsibility for every product sold on its platforms. We also offer you device insurance and support when your device is broken in addition to being the only e-commerce company to guarantee same-day delivery of your orders,” he enthused.

While lauding Multichoice for creating and positioning the AMVCAs as a prestigious initiative to recognize and reward film and TV talent across the continent, Prince Ekeh also heaped praises on the 2018 nominees and other guests for honouring the occasion.

According to him: “Nollywood is huge and one of Nigeria’s biggest exports. Unfortunately, it probably does not get the recognition it deserves. Konga recognizes you, however, and we will keep supporting you and every initiative that puts this industry on the world map.”

Among the celebrities that graced the event were Hilda Dokubo, Adesua Etomi, Odunlade Adekola, Femi Adebayo, Kunle Afolayan, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and Funky Mallam, among others. Also in attendance was a strong cast of former housemates of Big Brother Naija.

The event witnessed performances from a host of comedians and entertainers including Kenny Blaq and winner of the maiden edition of The Voice Nigeria, Arese, among others.

The AMVCAs were created to celebrate the contribution of African filmmakers, actors and technicians in the success of the continent’s film and television industry and with the success of the previous five editions, preparations are in top gear for the 2018 edition.

ITRealms further gathered the main event holds on Saturday, September 1^st, 2018.

Admin/GEE

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Paradigm Initiative selects journalists for media fellowship - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Two journalists and Emmanuel Agbenonwossi and  Victor Ekwealor, have been selected as the pioneer fellows of Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship 2018, reports ITRealms.

The media fellowship, ITRealms gathered, is a project of Paradigm Initiative, a social enterprise dedicated to the promotion of digital rights and inclusion in Africa.

ITRealms also gathered that the fellowship attracted 116 applications from 19 countries.

According to a press statement by Paradigm Initiative, a social enterprise working on digital rights and inclusion in Africa, endorsed by the Communications Officer, Paradigm Initiative, Communications Officer, Sodiq Alabi, said, they were pleased to announce the selection of two brilliant journalists for the inaugural edition. 

"We are excited about the quality of applications the fellowship attracted in its first year," he said.

The fellowship is a five-month programme designed to immerse selected journalists in digital rights advocacy and digital inclusion intervention efforts in Africa.

"Fellows will work with Paradigm Initiative on various projects and contribute to improving media interest in relevant issues,” he said.

"Emmanuel Agbenonwossi  is a Togolese journalist and the managing editor of AfroTribune. Agbenonwossi works to advance professional journalism and digital freedom with media and Internet rights defenders globally.

"Emmanuel has contributed to policy research in Togo, Ghana, Cote-d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and other African countries.

"He is a fellow of UNESCO, ICANN, AfriSIG and the IGF Academy. Emmanuel Agbenonwossi is an alumnus of the University of Greenwich (UK), the Central University of Tunisia and the University of Malta.

"He holds a Master’s Degree in Journalism, a post-graduate diploma in Cyber-Security, Leadership and Business Information Technology.

"Victor Ekwealor is a Nigerian writer, storyteller and award-winning multimedia journalist.

"Victor works as Editor at TechPoint. His flair for storytelling stems from the desire to highlight untold African stories from the highest journalistic standards with modern technological tools.

"Victor believes Africans would either tell more African stories or watch the world do it for them.

"He is interested in, and mostly covers, the interaction of human beings and technology. He is also interested in technology, startups, innovations, policies, digital inclusion and digital rights.

"The fellowship will commence in September 2018, with a two-week residency at Paradigm Initiative’s Nigerian offices, in Aba, Abuja Ajegunle, Kano and Yaba, and run until January 2019.

"Fellows will also get the chance to connect with Paradigm Initiative team members in Yaounde and Nairobi."

Nenye Dom/ED. Ops

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Finalists emerge @Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2018 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Ecobank, the leading independent pan-African banking group, has announced the finalists for the 2nd edition of the annual Ecobank Fintech Challenge, a competition for Africa-focused technology start-ups, reports ITRealms. The list includes eleven (11) fintech start-ups from across the continent and beyond. An Innovation Fair & Awards ceremony will honour the start-ups on August 30, 2018 at the global headquarters of Ecobank in Lomé, Togo. At the ceremony, the start-ups will exhibit and pitch their products to a jury for the Ecobank Africa Fintech Prize, which will be awarded the top innovator and two runners-up. The top three innovators will win cash prizes worth US$10,000, US$7,000, and US$5,000 respectively. After the Awards ceremony, Ecobank will enroll all eleven finalists into the Ecobank Fintech Fellowship. The Fellowship will run for a period of six months during which Ecobank Fintech Fellows will benefit from an opportunity to further explore partnerships with the Ecobank Group that includes: Multinational product roll-out support: for the start-ups deemed commercially viable to grow their businesses across any of Ecobank’s 33 markets in Africa; Service provider & ecosystem partner deals: for start-ups with deep capabilities to become product partners within Ecobank’s ecosystem; Technical & mentoring support: during the six months fellowship period, fellows will benefit from technical support from Ecobank’s global network of technology leaders, fintech experts, investors and management coaches. The eleven start-ups are: Lypa (Kenya), Wallet.ng (Nigeria), Nala (Tanzania), Litee (Benin), SESO Global (South Africa), InvestED (Sierra Leone), Eversend (France), Secapay (Nigeria), Virtual Identity (South Africa), MojiPay (Togo), Awamo (Germany) Group CEO of Ecobank, Ade Ayeyemi, said: “At Ecobank our digital strategy is spectacularly successful and has changed the landscape of African banking, so it goes without saying that we see fintech as a vital component for the economic transformation of the continent and the prosperity of its citizens. We want to do all we can to encourage the next generations of fintech entrepreneurs as they will be a driving force in propelling Africa into a globally competitive power in commercial services, enjoying significantly increased market share.” Eddy Ogbogu, Ecobank Group Executive for Operations and Technology commented: “Africa has a proud history of innovation, and today’s fintech start-ups are the potential giants of tomorrow. We’re delighted by the quality of our Fintech Challenge finalists and have high hopes that they will capitalise on the mentoring and support opportunities of the Ecobank competition on their journeys to future success.” The Ecobank Fintech Challenge is designed in partnership with the advisory firm Konfidants and is supported by partners across Africa and the world. More information can be found on the Program’s website at http://EcobankFintech.com. You can also interact with us on social media via our Facebook page and Twitter page.

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