20032019 -Petition: My case against Buhari, by Atiku

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019 — 25
Global businesses spend $3.2tr on innovation, ROI drops
27% in five years — Accenture
By Prince Osuagwu
Research firm, Accen-ture, has
disclosed that although businesses
are increasing their innovation spend,
bringing it to about $3.2 trillion in the last
five years, ironically, return on investment
has declined 27 per cent over the same
period. The firm, however, said almost
one-third (29 per cent) of those it surveyed
still expect to increase their investments
in innovation by more than 50 per cent
over the next five years.
The professional services firm said that
according to its research, more than half
(57 per cent) of businesses making significant
investments in innovation have
underperformed against industry peers
when it comes to growth or
market value.
Managing Director, Financial
Services at Accenture,
Toluleke Ademosun,
said the fact that return on
investment overall is dropping
is worrisome. She
stated that businesses are
spending more than ever,
but their inability to see
proper returns is shocking.
Ademosun said: “One of
the reasons for this could
be that many organisations
still see innovation as a peripheral
activity separate
from the core business; an
“ad-hoc creative process”
Sterling Bank connect harmAccess,
others on digi-health summit
Chioma Obinna
Sterling Bank Plc appears to be wor
ried about the failing state of the
country's healthcare sector and in a bid
to provide a life line, has linked up with
two other organisations, Premier Medical
Systems, PMS, and PharmAccess
Foundation to hold a digital health summit
aimed at repositioning the healthcare
system.
Managing Director, Sterling Bank, Mr.
Abubakar Suleiman said the bank acknowledged
efforts made so far towards
improving the sector even though such
efforts are yet to take the industry to
safety.
Suleiman said the Bank however decided
to influence collaborations in the
sector in other to find way forward to a
sustainable digital solution.
He said: "Our operations are based
on three pillars. We have an agile mind,
we have a digital platform and we also
have specialist skills. We are bringing
the specialist skills we have to the health
care sector using the digital platform.
So we will find the parties that can
make it digital," he said.
He further argued that solution to the
challenges in the health sector cannot
be provided by doctors, nurses, pharmacists,
hospital administrators or even
partners that are providing financial
support, he said the bank intends to use
available technology to leapfrog the
sector.
He further argued that solution to the
problem cannot be tackled without adequate
and reliable information, adding
that the current state of affairs in
the sector was pitiable because anyone
Airtel rolls out 0901
new number plan
By Juliet Umeh
Telecom operator, Airtel Nigeria, has
announced a new number range, 0901,
saying it will create opportunity for more
Nigerians to sign onto the network straight
on a 4G platform.
Airtel says the new number range, which
brings its numbering series to eight, will
offer seamless telephony/mobile Internet
service on an innovative and affordable
network with expansive 4G coverage.
Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria,
Dinesh Balsingh, said Airtel would leverage
on the development to position itself as first
choice for voice calls and mobile Internet
“Airtel is pleased to expand its number
range to accommodate more telecoms
consumers who desire exceptional
telephony and mobile Internet experience
as well as affordability and new innovation.
“With the new 0901 number range, we are
inviting more telecoms consumers to come
experience the best and widest 4G and
digital experience,” he said.
Aside the 0901 number range, Airtel
currently has the following numbering
series: 0802, 0808, 0708, 0812, 0701, 0902,
and 0907.
looking to get information
about the sector will get
contradictory statements
from different sources.
Suleiman stated that the
bank wants to work with
digital partners to get reliable
data that stakeholders
in the health care sector
would be able to use in
their work.
Financial inclusion:
Smile, IFIS provide alternative services
to under-served internet subs
AI: Dangers of patronising third party vendors
Continues from Page 24
school but didn’t drop out of learning. They
left the four walls of the university where
professors taught them to the boardroom
where venture capitalist taught them and
also wrote the cheques.
“Africa needs to build processes; not to
prepare the young people for certificates
but a life time growth trajectory. To start
with, broadband affordability is key. It
amazes me that Facebook can be free in
Nigeria but most online courses and
materials are not free. I believe that if
Satellite broadband brings down the cost
of connectivity, most African kids can have
access to the internet to learn new courses
and improve on their skills.”
For the CEO, Fireside Analytics, Shingai
Manjengwa, automation has become the
future of work: “Automation forms one of
the most critical part of the future of work
because it has the potential to replace 51
per cent of jobs across multiple sectors that
Africa is dependent on.
“Africa’s future of work story will be
different from developed markets. With
much of the workforce of tomorrow, we can
program the requisite skills today by
embracing Data Science.
rather than a set of practices
that will fundamentally
change their way of doing
business. It’s like going
jogging once a month and
then expecting to be able
to run a marathon.
“Over the last five years,
roughly $3.2tn was spent
on innovation worldwide.
Yet, the study shows it is
not how much you spend
that matters, it is how you
spend it. The companies
bucking the trend and
seeing the biggest returns
are investing in bold, watershed
moves rather than
incremental shifts.”
“The companies reaping
the biggest rewards show
a go big or go home mentality
by investing in truly
disruptive innovation
projects. They don’t just
tinker around the edges,”
she added.
Ademosun also argued
that some companies just
chase the latest tech trends
without thinking about
how to connect what
they’re spending to the
problems or opportunities
in their business.
•From left: Onyeka Ukpaka, Head, Business Development; Titilola
Shogaolu, Divisional CEO, all of Interswitch Financial Inclusion Services
and Gbolahan Thomas, Head, Legal and Regulatory Services, Lotanna
Anajemba, Head, Brands and Communications; Adenike Ajayi, Head,
Retail Business; Tunde Baale Ag. General Manager, Sales and
Distribution, all of Smile Nigeria, during an MoU signing ceremony
between both organisations in Lagos recently.
By Juliet Umeh
Apparently trying to
expand its footprint
across Nigeria, Smile
Communications, said
it has collaborated with
Interswitch Financial
Inclusion Services
Limited, IFIS, to make
its products and
services easily
accessible.
Rack Centre boss now among 200 individuals
affecting the data centre world
By Juliet Umeh
Managing Director, Tier III certified
facility in Africa, Rack Centre, Dr
Ayotunde Coker, has emerged one of the
200 Power List individuals who is
transforming the world data globally.
Coker was named by the UK-based
publications dedicated to the global data
industry, Data Economy, recently, as one of
the personalities leading the global data
economy
The publication showcased the
personalities and executives around the
world who are leading the global data
economy through charting new innovations,
technological breakthroughs and
exceptional entrepreneurial skills sets and
leadership.
Coker who is the Secretary-General of the
Africa Data Association was also identified
in the Global Top 50 executives by the
respected publication in 2017.
The choice of Coker among the 200 as one
of the most powerful drivers of Data Centre
transformers demonstrates vividly that Data
Centres based in Africa and the executives
running them have not only come of age but
•Tunde-Coker
are contributing immensely to the world’s
digital transformation.
According to a recent study by Xalam
Analytics, a research firm, the recent demand
for data centre colocation services in Africa
has been strong, driven by improving
connectivity levels and rising data traffic
volumes. As African digitisation has
quickened, said Xalam Analytics, drivers of
demand have been plentiful and going
digital at a frenetic pace. Rack Centre which
Coker has steered its affairs in the last four
years, is a carrier- neutral state-of-the-art
Tier III Certified data centre in Africa.
•From left: President/CEO, Printers
Digest/DCS Integrated Media Limited,
Tunde Obokhai; representative of the
Statistician-General of the Federation,
Lola Talabi-Oni and Founder of iDAF and
Lead Convener of the conference,
Theophilus Babatunde Mederios, at the
event.
“The big data market is worth an
estimated USD$42 billion and Africans are
well positioned to contribute significantly
to this economy due to three factors,
including favourable demographics; high
The collaboration provides flexibility of
payment for everyone, through
Quickteller Pay point agent locations
across the country, to have access to
internet and voice services from the
network.
General Manager, Sales and
Distribution, Smile, Mr. Onamari
Horsfall, said such deal has a
combination of making Smile’s products
and services easily available and
reducing customers' travel time to
purchase a device or airtime.
Horsfall also said the latest
collaboration with IFIS further
underscores Smile’s unending quest to
best serve its customers.
He said Smile launched the first 4G
LTE network in West Africa in Nigeria in
2014 and claimed the launch
revolutionised the way people access the
internet across cities like Lagos, Abuja,
Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Benin City,
Kaduna, Onitsha and Asaba.
Meanwhile, divisional Chief Executive
Officer of IFIS, Titilola Shogaolu, said:
“At IFIS, we are not only committed to
reducing the financial exclusion gap, we
are continuously working to provide
convenient services and this latest
collaboration is just one of the many ways
through which we are achieving this.”
Shogaolu noted: “Interswitch Financial
Inclusion Services Limited, trading as
Quickteller Paypoint, has been positioned
by Interswitch Group to serve as the
interconnect point and infrastructure for
integrating and delivering financial, nonfinancial,
retail and social services to the
unbanked, under-banked and banked.
IFIS collaborates with financial service
providers, merchants, billers and other
organisations that aim to increase their
efficiency and outreach through our
network of human service interfaces
nationwide.
•DabConference: From left: Founder
of iDAF and Lead Convener of the
conference, Theophilus Babatunde
Mederios; CEO of Heckerbella Limited,
Yemi Keri; CEO of Rise Networks, Toyosi
Akerele-Ogunsiji; guest participant and
Co-convener, Prince Ogwuru.
and increasing internet penetration and
changing education trends.”
The take away from deliberations at the
event appeared to be that management of
huge data resource in Nigeria could
determine how best Artificial Intelligence
could benefit Nigeria’s economy just like
it has done to several economies of the
world.