GRTech

Winners emerge in DSN 2019 Intercampus Machine Learning bootcamp

Published

6 years ago

November 25, 2019

Microsoft, Terragon Group, BlueChip Technologies, Retina-AI, MainOne, Carbon speak on week-long bootcamp

Kazeem Hakeem, a graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University and Obinna Onuoha, also a graduate of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, have won scholarship for their Master of Science (M.Sc) programmes at Stellenbosch University, South Africa courtesy of the Data Science Nigeria (DSN) intercampus Machine Learning BootCamp 2019 prize.

Microsoft (4Afrika) and BlueChip Technologies Limited, respectively, presented the awards to the duo at the grand finale held on November 23 at the University of Lagos (Unilag).

Data Scientists used to work predominantly in the tech industry at companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, and LinkedIn, but in the last few years, nearly every industry has begun to realize the value of utilizing their data in strategic decision-making.

The fields of telecommunications, banking, e-commerce, medicine, retail, construction, and transportation/mobility are all facing massive increases in their need for data scientists.

The supply of skilled applicants, however, is growing at a slower pace. Taking the bull by the horn, Data Science Nigeria (DSN) has rolled out a roadmap to raise 1million Data Scientists, particularly in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the next 10 years.

As part of this commitment to make Nigeria the Data Science Hub in the world, DSN launched the first Artificial Intelligence Book for Nigerian Primary and Secondary Schools at its 2019 AI Summit in Lagos. DSN also conveyed the Intercampus Machine Learning Bootcamp with 26 international and 13 local experts on ground to tutor the 230 participants.

Rising Odegua won Retina-AI’s Best Postal Award; University of Lagos emerged AI School of the Year; Rising Odegua and Adeola Lawal won Terragon Group’s Mr & Miss Algorithm Awards.

Speaking to journalists immediately after collecting award, Kazeem said, “So, I started preparing early enough with the support of my Friend Obinna; who would always call and sent me materials to read. He was always there to follow up with me.

“I have always wished to get a Masters Degree in Data Science or Artificial Intelligence. So, I am saying a big thank you to DSN”.

To Obinna, “Last year, I qualified for the bootcamp and got inspired. I went back to learn more. This year, the qualification process was crazy. To make it to the bootcamp, we had to build an algorithm to predict the staff that would get promoted for a particular company using data. During the bootcamp, we had a quiz competition and the top two students were picked and it happened that I am one of them.

“I can’t really say this is how I feel because the whole thing is just overwhelming. The first thought that came into my mind was to call my mum”.

The Convener, Data Science Nigeria, Dr. Olubayo Adekanmbi, explained that the bootcamp was one of the means to harness talents and build a formidable Data Science community in Nigeria.

He said, “If we do not address AI capacity today, we may go into another cycle of what I call digital slavery because we do not have skills that makes us capable in developing solutions that solve our problem.

“So this is the responsibility that we have carried out as data scientist and of course we are supported by many organization including Microsoft, Retina-AI, Softcom, Bluechip Technologies, MainOne, Carbon, Terragon, Axa Mansard. Facebook, Carbon, BigML and GRID3/Flowminder UK also sent in their expert”.

Continuing with the awards, Raheem Nasirudeen won Axa Mansards’ Best Participant in the Insurance Kaggle Competition prize while Sarah Adigwe won MainOne Best Female Data Scientist award.

The Chief Semantic Architect / Knowledge Engineer at Cymantiks Nigeria Limited, Mr. Emeka Okoye and Acting Director, Centre for Information Technology and Systems(CITS), University of Lagos, Dr Victor Odumuyiwa; the CEO & Co-Founder, Octave Analytics, Blessing Oladeji, and Bayo Aderibigbe, were among those recognised with ‘Industry Support Award’.

The CEO, Terragon Group, Elo Umeh while commending DSN for the efforts to harness talents in the ecosystem, said, “Essentially, it was very much important for us to participate in this DSN AI Summit and the bootcamp. It has been very rewarding for us because we have been able to see the great work going on at DSN. We thought it would also be a way for us to contribute to the growth of the industry.

As an emerging space in Nigeria there is a limitation of talents.

“So, at the DSN bootcamp a lot of talents have been identified and that is why Terragon Group is sponsoring two people to Tunisia; these are part of our efforts to support the talents grooming process to develop the ecosystem”

We see a great future for Africa – Microsoft

On his part, Developer Audience Lead for Africa, Microsoft, Lawrence Muthanga said, “We see a great future for Africa. We have a lot of problems and data. What we lack are people who will sit in-between the two; knowing the problems and see the solutions from the data that are being created. With the skills that we have seen here, we are about to see a great change on the Continent”.

Solving local challenges

CEO, BlueChip Technologies Limited, Kazeem Tewogbade, explained why they are supporting DSN thus, “…we care about creating awareness. If you start early (from the University) to gain knowledge, the better of you becoming a specialist. So, if you come to the industry it will be easier for us to bring you in.

“Data Science is an ‘application technology’. In other words, you can apply it in any human endeavour like climate impact, banking, telecoms, even in government, either to optimise or improve the system.”

Speaking on why MainOne rewarded the ‘Best Female Data Scientist, the Company Product Manager, Mojide Aluko, said, “MainOne is a believer in developing the capacity of young Nigerians. MainOne believes that one of the greatest potentials Nigeria have is her people. With a population of about 200 million we understand that these people will be the wealth-builders of the nation. Therefore, we need to develop the capacity of these people, especially the girl-child because MainOne also recognises that empowering a woman is a means to improve the family and the society at large.

“We are happy to associate with Data Science Nigeria (DSN) because we have seen the strives they have achieved in a matter of years”.

GRTech

The Economics of Product Decisions: Applying Behavioural Economics and Game Theory in PM

Published

6 days ago

August 18, 2025

Ani Sandra

Amarachi Nnochiri

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.

GRTech

Glo reduces international call rates

By Sandra Ani

Published

7 days ago

August 17, 2025

grassroots

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

Published

7 days ago

August 17, 2025

grassroots

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.