GRTech
ATCON says local content a means to tackle unemployment


Nigeria should rework her investment and employment policies as means to enhance local contents policy, says the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).
In line with that, the Association believes the country should urgently reintroduce the indigenization policy as means to tackle growing unemployment, according to a report by TechEconomy.ng.
The Second Vice President, of ATCON, Mr. Muyiwa Ogungboye, made these remarks at the Nigeria Information and Communications Technology Reporters’ Association’s (NITRA), quarterly forum with the theme, “Local content development in Nigeria’s ICT sector: stimulant for national economic recovery” held in Lagos, recently.
Mr. Ogungboye who doubles as the Managing Director of e.Stream Networks Limited, stated that government should urgently reintroduce the indigenization policy in the form of local contents policy; if we are to reduce or eradicate the continuous unemployment of Nigerian youth whether skilled and or unskilled.
He noted that the benefits of liberalizing the telecom and ICT sector would not accrue to teeming Nigerian population until the necessary action is taking by the Nigerian government at all levels.
Ogungboye, who is also the Managing Director/CEO eStream Networks, decried the lack of zeal by government to tenaciously pursue the indigenization policy embarked upon many years earlier.
He cited the case of Ghana who has one of the most protective policies for her citizen in terms of employment and investment.
In his words: “Ghana as a case study has one of the most protective policy for her citizen in terms of employment and investment and majority of the developed countries do not play lip service to the issue of employment of their citizens.
“As a matter of fact, they make sure that their nationality is considered for any employment opportunity before any other nationality is considered as goes for South Africa.
“Nigeria as a nation needs to quickly stop the idea of her citizenry not being given the first consideration even in their own land.
“And Nigeria should rework her investment and employment policies, he added”
As a way forward, he recommended that government should draw a plan to comprehensively develop the ICT sector, ensure speedy implementation of the plan, creation of evaluation, monitoring and enforcement unit and establishment of ICT Park across the federation.
He called on government at all levels to make ICT Sector a top priority in Nigeria, adding that the sector contributes about 8% to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Speaking at the the event, Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo, Secretary, Association for Information Communication Technology Local Content, called on stakeholders in ICT industry to support the ICS 2018 exhibition for local content, adding that convergence is created for stakeholder’s and professionals, initiators, innovators and creators of products and services with local content input and execution.
He revealed that the platform would be an annual project that would base solely to advocate, promote, and protect the use and adoption of Made-in-Nigeria products with relevance to the existing Acts and Orders.
The exhibition according to him is organised to bring together government Agencies and stakeholders in the ICT industry to consider and deliberate on the Themes and Subthemes to fashion out ways we can work together for effective implementation of all Federal Government Executive Orders and Acts on the promotion and protection of Information and Communication Technology related to Local Content.
He noted that the exhibition will serve as a platform to publicize and promote products and services provided by indigenous ICT practitioners in Nigeria.
Akinbo added that the convergence will provide a platform for SMEs and entrepreneurs to meet, share ideas, rub mind and network with major stakeholders and consider ways of partnering with the objectives of promoting Local Content in line with global standard as sustained in the country.
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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