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Softcom partners DSN to simplify AI for Nigerian students; business executives

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In furtherance of its vision to solve some of Africa’s biggest challenges in identity, education, payment and data for people and businesses, Softcom is supporting easy access to artificial intelligence (AI) learning in partnership with Data Science Nigeria. 

At the Data Science Nigeria summit, which held recently, Softcom facilitated an Artificial intelligence masterclass for business executives, teaching businesses how to leverage Data for more effective business operations. 

The Summit also saw the unveil and launch of the first ever AI book for primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. 

Titled “Beginners’ Artificial Intelligence and Python Programming“, the book was written by the convener of Data Science Nigeria, Olubayo Adekanmbi, an experienced hands-on data scientist, doctoral researcher and business leader with 20 years of experience to introduce Nigerian students to the basics of AI in order to stimulate innovative thinking and drive for global competitiveness. Sponsored by Softcom the AI books will be distributed free to primary and secondary schools across Nigeria. 

According to the CEO of Softcom, Yomi Adedeji, “We constantly strive to build solutions and technology that will positively impact lives. We recognise that leveraging artificial intelligence applications across all socio-economic sectors will can catalyse sustainable innovation and enable all-round societal impact. We also believe that artificial intelligence is critical for national competitiveness and local innovation, hence our drive towards democratizing AI, and making the knowledge available and accessible to everyone, from kids in primary schools to CEOs whose decisions shape the corporate future of our national business landscape”.

The one-day Artificial Intelligence Demystified masterclass for executives and business leaders was organised to help business decision-makers understand the concept of artificial intelligence, and its application, while imparting knowledge on how it can be used by Nigerian businesses for sustainable impact through innovative solution development, cost reduction and improved operational efficiency. 

The masterclass was facilitated by some of world’s best including one of the fathers of artificial intelligence, Professor Thomas Dietterich, the US-based distinguished professor emeritus at Oregon State University and the founder of BigML. Other speakers at the summit were the Director of Data Science at the world’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer, US-based Walmart, Dr Emmanuel Doro; Facebook’s Research Scientist, Dr. Eric Sodomka;  Dr. Nnnana Orieke, Cloud Solution Architect, Data and AI, Microsoft; Margaryta Ostapchuk,  Software Engineer, Microsoft Canada;  Sabrina Smai,  Software Engineer, Microsoft Canada; Nicholas Litombe, US-based Solution Data Scientist; and Olubayo Adekanmbi, the Convener of Data Science Nigeria and Chief Transformation Officer, MTN Nigeria, among others.

Tomi Amao, Softcom’s Chief Technology Officer, stated: “At Softcom, we understand how access to AI  knowledge can drive productivity, especially when technology is simplified to solve everyday problems in ways that improve how we live, learn and work in Africa. 

Softcom, an indigenous technology company, is a leader in deploying technological solutions to solve socio-economic development challenges on the continent. 

The company is known for its people-centric innovations aimed at shaping inclusive growth, and innovative products including Eyowo, Koya, DataBeaver and PassID.

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

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Amarachi Nnochiri
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.

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Glo reduces international call rates 

By Sandra Ani

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Glo and Globacom


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.

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Oil subsidy removal freed up resources for infrastructure – Enugu Governor 

By Orji Israel, South East Correspondent

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Oil benchmark

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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