GRTech
SOLUTION: Osun to use drones, call centre to combat herdsmen attacks


By Sandra Nnaemeka
‘The State of Osun’ is leaving many States behind with its latest technology that will eliminate acrimony between herders and farmers.
The report by TechEconomy.ng indicates that Governor Rauf Aregbesola led Government will leverage the technology to tackle other security and emergency issues, if the technology is fully implemented.
The State, will in the coming week, launch unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as drone as a monitor tool to track movement of live stocks in the State.
To make this possible, the State has built a call centre and obtained a Short Code from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which farmers and other residents can use to track the movement of live stocks in the environs.
The GPS technology will result in significant advances in the ease and flexibility of studying animal movement patterns, yet removing the barriers remain to identification as each live-stock shall become trackable.
The State of Osun developed low-cost and logistically simple approach solution shall be deployed among small and inexpensive GPS units to monitor cattle movements and habitat use and to assess the impact of cattle grazing on farmlands, the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Engineer Oluremi Omowaiye, said ICTEL expo 2018 which commenced Wednesday in Lagos.
Engr. Omowaiye, also spoke on the impact of NCC’s short code on the project.
He said, “We are launching some unmanned aerial vehicle that will interface with our call centre. Through that platform, we want to ensure that all live-stocks will have an ID. So, when the live-stock comes to your farm, all you need to do is text the first three digits to the short code; once you do that you get a response from the call centre on who owns the live-stock. From the call centre, the owner will also be called.
“Apart from that, we are also going to use it for other services like ambulance services, because in the call centre you have linkage to the Army, the Police, and the security operatives”.
He said that the infrastructure to support the initiative has been developed by the State Government in partnership with other the private sector.
“We have done a lot; we have the infrastructure. We are working in the area of power; of course, the major challenge IT has in Nigeria is power. So, we are working on power generation in the State”, the Commissioner said.
So, we commend NCC for living up to expectations.
“When we started putting up an inquiry and call centre the need a short code arose; so that it will be easy for people to call. We approached NCC for a 3-digit short code which we are going to make a toll free line. NCC supported us. We are going to commission it next week”.
He also hinted on the State’s Industrial park, thus, “We are looking at building an industrial park. So that we won’t have some of these infrastructure scattered all over the State. We are discussing with some Chinese investors on the part. When that is in place you will have ICT centres and other infrastructure in there”, Engneer Omowaiye said.
GRTech
The Economics of Product Decisions: Applying Behavioural Economics and Game Theory in PM


Product managers often need to make a clear-cut decision: what should we build next? But the decisions which hold real importance go beyond adding features.
It’s about getting what makes people tick.
It goes way beyond what you would expect, getting into how people behave and using game theory.
These areas give insight into how users decide and how a product’s design can improve growth and keep people interested.
This is what Amarachi Nnochiri excels at. She is a senior product manager that knows how to use economics and psychology in her job.
She goes beyond simply managing product tasks; she develops whole product systems based on how users think, feel, and use a service. Her background shows how understanding human psychology and behaviour can give you a significant advantage in the competition.
One idea Amarachi uses is “loss aversion.” In this scenario, people feel worse about losing something than they feel good about gaining something of equal value.
She uses this when designing her products, mostly when it comes to pricing and getting people to try new strategies. For example, instead of giving a free trial, she might use a freemium setup where users get some stuff for free but could lose it if they don’t buy an upgrade. This pushes them to pay.
She might also use progress bars or streak counters, since losing progress gets people to keep using the product.
Amarachi also uses ideas from “game theory” to get how users act and change their behavior. She realizes that users are doing more than operating a product, but are playing a game with other users or with the product itself. She designs things that use ideas like “Nash equilibrium,” where nobody can do better by changing what they’re doing. For a social product, this could mean creating a system where doing something good for yourself (like inviting friends) also helps everyone else. This makes the whole thing stable and positive.
Her know-how in game theory also applies to making strong “network effects.” This means making stuff that gets better as more people use it.
A good example is a social network where each new user makes the product more helpful for everyone else. Amarachi endeavours to make things go viral on purpose, not just by luck.
She might use “commitment devices,” which are things that make a user stick with a behaviour by making them depend on it socially or functionally. For example, inviting team members to a tool makes the user stick with the platform and makes the product’s network stronger.
This way of thinking is better than just following the usual steps. By using these economic and psychological tricks, Amarachi develops competitive advantages which are difficult to replicate.
She knows that a company’s best thing is not just a simple interface, but a product that’s designed to sync with how people behave.
Her product choices aren’t just about the needs of users, but equally focus on motivating them to like the product, use it, and stick with it.
In her work, choosing a subscription price isn’t just a business thing; it’s about behaviour. Designing a social feed isn’t just about the content; it’s about balancing what people want and watching how they interact. Amarachi knows extensively about the economics of product decisions. This makes her products innovative and appealing to human behaviour, which leads to more use, keeps people around, and helps the product grow. She’s a leader in product management, where identifying customer desires is backed by understanding human motivation.


Technology Company, Globacom, has announced significant reductions in its International Direct Dialing (IDD) rates, making international calls more affordable for its existing and new customers across Nigeria.
Effective August 10, the new rates began applying to over 15 popular international destinations, including United States which will has moved to ₦30 per minute, down from ₦35, United Kingdom is now N350 from ₦400, while India also moved down to ₦40 from N45.
The rates for China, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon however recorded major reduction moving to N75, N300 and ₦700 respectively.
The reduction was also extended to African countries including Benin Republic which goes for ₦650 per minute, Niger Republic ₦750, Ghana ₦500, and Togo ₦650. United Arab Emirates also moved from ₦450 to ₦325, Germany to ₦550, Côte d’Ivoire ₦700, Libya ₦700, while calls to Malawi is now N1,100 from ₦1,200.
Glo aims to provide more value for its customers through these revised rates, encouraging them to make Glo their preferred network for international calls. New IDD bundles will also be introduced, offering frequent international callers even more attractive deals.
Globacom, which remained optimistic that frequent international callers will benefit immensely from the reductions in IDD bundles, enjoined customers to take advantage of the new rates to stay connected with friends and business associates across the globe.
GRTech
Oil subsidy removal freed up resources for infrastructure – Enugu Governor
By Orji Israel, South East Correspondent


The Executive Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has attributed the financing of numerous infrastructure projects embarked by the state government to the oil subsidy removal policy of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
He made this declaration at the Govermment House, Enugu, during a courtesy visit by a delegation of federal government led by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, as part of activities lined up for the 2-day Citizens’ Engagement Series in the South East geo-political zone.
“For us in Enugu, we are able to accomplish all we promised our people during the campaign, thanks to the bold decision taken by President Bola Tinubu, which has freed up resources needed to execute humongous capital projects,” said Governor, while listing ongoing projects in the state, which include the construction of 7,000 classrooms, 3,300 hospital beds and 2,000-hectare of 260 farm estates across the 260 wards of the state.
Governor Mbah also pledged more support for the policies of the federal government, saying they are in the best interest of the people of the state.
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