Tech
#AfriTECH2021: Ojobo, AfIctF President, Stresses Need For Digital Equality In Africa
Mr. Tony Ojobo, President and Chairman of the Board, Africa Information and Communication Technology Foundation (AFICTF), has called for digital transformation and equality among Nigerians.
Ojobo made the call on Wednesday, October 13, at the African Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTECH2021) organised by TechEconomy.ng.
The hydride event with strict compliance to COVID-19 protocols under the theme: ‘Embracing Change and Digital Transformation in the New Normal’ held in Lagos, Nigeria.
The AFICTF President explained that lack of access to technology in rural communities fuels division between urban and the rural population, adding that: “Inability to afford devices, e.g. Computers, Smart Phones, internet Covid-19 put 826 Million children out of school in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2020.
“Lack of access to distant learning facilities in rural communities and some demographics in the cities 1.5 Billion students globally were unable to have access to online education during the pandemic in 2020 63 Million primary and secondary school teachers were unable to teach during the same period.
“The world is embracing more of “Man- to – Machine” and “machine – to –machine” communications. This has implications for HR professionals, jobs, mental health and interpersonal relations.
“The world has changed. COVID 19 caught the world unprepared. Things will never be the same again. The world as we know it has changed to new normal behaviours, social distancing, vaccination, PCR, C face mask use, booster shots, handwashing, hand sanitization etc.
“The following have been affected; education, news gathering and reporting, work culture, organizational behaviour, management functions, marketing, PR, commerce, agriculture, tourism & travels, aviation, sports and business models and strategies.
“Two things that changed the world significantly; Covid-19 & 9/11 digital transformation entails the following: organizational/culture change ( remember Nigerian Ease of business? still business as Usual ) operational changes through the use of technology reduced person – to – person interface (curbs corruption)
“Encourages machine – to – machine and person – to – machine communications establishes reporting formats and timelines Bottom –to – top and Top- to- bottom adoption of technology in organizational processes.
Ojobo therefore called for bridging the digital gap between the urban and rural population/schools through the provision of low cost devices in schools for digital learning.
He also believes that incentivising mobile network operators to provide services in underserved and unserved areas cannot be neglected as adequate budgetary provision for pervasive Broadband infrastructure has become a sine qua non in the continent’s digital transformation journey.
Tech
Anambra School Emerges Winner In National Girls In ICT Competition With Groundbreaking VR Technology
St. John Vianney Science College, Igbariam, used their virtual reality project to conquer the National Girls in ICT Competition 2024, claiming the national championship title yesterday!
The National Girls in ICT Competition, organized by the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, is a technology innovation competition for all girls in secondary schools across Nigeria.
Their innovative project, M-Tag VR, allows users to explore iconic landmarks like Zuma Rock and learn about fascinating cultural aspects of Nigerian tribes. The girls, Immaculate Ebube Ikegwuonu, Camilla Anyadike, and Nweke-Nonso Oluchi, mentored by their coach, John Onuigbo, triumphed over teams from all 36 states.
The girls’ talent shone brightly throughout the competition. They started at the state level where they aced the Anambra state competition, then proceeded to conquer the Southeastern regional championship, defeating teams from Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, and Enugu, to make it to the national finals.
Rivers and Lagos states secured the second and third-place positions, respectively.
Tech
Google To Delete Billions Of Browser Records To Settle ‘Incognito’ Lawsuit
CNN reported that Google will delete billions of data records as part of a settlement for a lawsuit that accused the tech giant of improperly tracking the web-browsing habits of users who thought they were browsing the internet privately.
The suit was originally filed in 2020 and accused Google of misrepresenting the kind of data it collects from users who browsed the internet via “Incognito” private browsing mode in Chrome. Google agreed to settle the suit late last year, but the terms of the settlement were first disclosed in a filing on Monday.
As part of the settlement, Google must delete “billions of data records” that reflect the private browsing activities of users in the class action suit, according to court documents filed Monday in San Francisco federal court.
Google will also update its disclosure to inform users about what data it collects each time a user initiates a private browsing session. Google has already started implementing these changes.
For the next five years, Google will also let private browsing users block third-party cookies as part of the settlement. Google also will no longer track people’s choices to browse the internet privately.
Tech
NIN-SIM Linkage: NCC Directs Telecommunication Operators To Bar Non-Compliant Subscribers
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed that it would not be reviewing its deadline to bar owners of more than four SIM cards whose SIM registration data failed to match their National Identity Number (NIN) data.
A source within the Commission explained that the Commission’s position was hinged on its objective to clean the country’s SIM ownership database, and ensure that criminals could not take advantage of having multiple unlinked SIMs to carry out their nefarious activities.
“We are not standing back on our decision. March 29th is sacrosanct. Our resolve is hinged on the need to close in on the chaos of untoward ownership of multiple SIM cards with unverified NIN details. We have instances where a single individual has over 10,000 lines linked to his NIN. In some cases, we have seen a single person with 1,000 lines, some 3,000 plus lines. What are they doing with these lines?
“From our interim findings, the owners of these lines did not purchase them for decent purposes or to undertake legitimate activities.
“We have given them enough time to make the decision of which of their lines they want to keep, and discard the others. They did not. All lines in this category with unverified NINs will be barred. They will be then expected to go to their operators and decide which of the lines they want to keep, as well as submit correct NIN details.
“Some people would say they want to use it for car trackers, or for IoTs, but provision has been made for these services already. They are not under the ‘Max-4 Rule.’
“Across the world, no country allows you to have 1,000 SIM cards to make calls or texts.”
The Max-4 Rule announced by the Federal Government in April 2021 provides that telecom subscribers cannot have more than four lines per mobile network operator.
The NCC has also provided Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) an extension till July 31st 2024 within which they are expected to verify all NINs submitted by subscribers with four (4) or less SIMs, as well as bar those whose NIN fail verification with NIMC.
An authoritative source within the Commission who is familiar with the matter stated that the Commission’s management arrived at the decision at a crucial meeting it held today to review requests from the major Mobile Network Operators requesting for extension for the verification of NINs submitted.
The source also stated that the Commission is mulling the idea to approve an online application solution for MNOs where their subscribers whose NIN verification failed due to biometric mismatch can update their records on the app, while existing subscribers can register additional lines.
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