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15 Nigerians make 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices cohorts
By Juliet Umeh
At least, 15 Nigerian content
creators and 25 others from
South Africa and Kenya will be
part of 2023 #YouTubeBlack
Voices creators and artistes'
cohorts.
Online video sharing and social
media platform, YouTube, on
Tuesday, said the expansion was
part of its efforts to support more
content creators and to support
the creative economy in Africa.
It explained that grantees will
receive $20,000 and $50,000 as
seed funding, dedicated partner
support for six months and have
the opportunity to participate in
programmes including bespoke
training, workshops and
networking programmes spread
out through the year.
It said: "Forty creators from
Sub-Saharan Africa will be part
of the 135 #YouTubeBlack Voices
Creators selected globally who are
enrolled into the cohort. Among
the 23 #YouTubeBlack Voices
Artists selected for the programme
are African fast-rising musical
artists, Gyakie from Ghana,
Kamo Mphela from South Africa,
Asake from Nigeria, and BNXN
from Nigeria.
"The cohort will also include
Hip Hop producer MashBeatz
from South Africa and Nairobibased
producer Ukweli, who will
be joining 17 #YouTubeBlack
Voices Songwriters and Producers
•L-R: Peter Oluka and Chike Onwuegbuchi, both Co-Conveners, Africa Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTech); Dr.
Austine Nwaulune, Director, Digital Economy, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Senator Ihenyen,
President, Stakeholders in Blockchain Association of Nigeria (SiBAN) and Mr. Kelechi Nwankwo, Head,
Corporate Planning, Strategy and Risk Management, NCC, during the presentation of awards to the Commission
at the 2022 AfriTech forum held in Lagos recently.
Poor network: Punish culpable
operators by porting out,
NCC tells subcribers
By Juliet Umeh
Following the constant
complaints by Nigerians on
poor services by telecom
service providers, the Nigerian
Communications Commission,
NCC has urged Nigerians to
change their networks when they
feel dissatisfied.
Responding to a questions on
bad network by service , at NCC
DAY event held at the just
concluded 36th Lagos
International Trade Fair, Director,
Consumer Affairs Bureau, CAB,
NCC, Mr Efosa Idehen said the
Commission has taken care of the
issue of bad network a long time
ago by introducing mobile
number portability.
Idehen said: "Consumers are the
king anytime, but the challenge
we face in Nigeria is that
consumers want us to mandate
one particular service provider
they like to do their best even when
others are doing better than their
preferred service providers.
"When you don't like the service
of your service provider, punish
him by leaving. All you just need
to do is to port to the best network
that you feel is better.
Ask them that you want to come
to the network and then they will
give you form and
you type port to
3232.
"You have only 30
days to stay with that
network, if you don't
like it, you can port
to another one. The
reason we did this is
to ensure your
number goes with
you everywhere you
go," he added.
Responding
further to
contributions of the
Commission to
achieve seamless
connection, he said:
"For us in NCC, we
are a technology
n e u t r a l
environment. What that means is
that we really don't tell the
technology the service providers
will use but 5G is becoming a
worldwide phenomenon; it is the
one that can connect all things.
NeüRMS sets pace for retail business
management in Nigeria
By Prince Osuagwu
nnovation-driven ICT firm,
ISoftStructures Limited, is setting the
pace for effective retail distribution, and
hospitality business management in
Nigeria .
The firm which recently introduced a new
management solution called NeüRMS,
says it's a game changer in the Nigerian
and African business landscape.
The solution provides a clear view of all
business operations to help users make
appropriate and timely decisions.
The CEO of SoftStructures Limited, Mr.
Lanre Olaniyan, while speaking at the
launch said, "Some of the most critical
features that apply to our business
environment are unavailable or
unaffordable. Sometimes, the software
packages need help to understanding
your stock. Some solutions are not
We want to
make it
possible for
service
providers to
be able to
deliver
services
seamlessly
in Nigeria
and then to
make
Nigeria ns
also enjoy
intelligent, and users have to input many entries
manually. For example, they have limited live carts
and cannot attend to multiple customers.
"What you now see is that despite the huge
amounts spent on these retail management
solutions, businesses still revert to Excel
spreadsheets or other old computer-based tools
to run their operations. However, they eventually
discovered these methods are too timeconsuming,
prone to errors, exposes them to theft
and manipulations or point-blank too expensive
or overly complex for SMEs to afford."
Having identified these existing problems and
critical business challenges, SoftStructures
Limited, a wholly Nigerian tech solutions firm,
developed NeüRMS to provide cost-effective and
sustainable solutions for businesses to maximize
their potential.
Recently launched in Lagos, NeüRMS is already
adopted by business owners across different
sectors, including online and social media-based
merchants seeking safer and quicker ways to sell
and meet customers' needs respectively.
The developers said it was fast emerging as a
"You will be able to do a lot of
things, such as Augmented Reality,
AR, robotics and several other
things that are necessary for the
internet of things.
"So, we are also going
further to license the
remaining spectrum for 5G.
We want to make it possible
for service providers to be
able to deliver services
seamlessly in Nigeria and
then to make Nigeria to also
enjoy the benefits of
telecommunications.
Speaking on why NCC
was at the 2022 Lagos
International Trade Fair, the
36th edition, Idehen said
NCC uses the opportunity of
the trade fair to get to
consumers, both corporate
and individuals.
He said: "It's an
opportunity for consumers to
understand what NCC has
been doing in the telecoms space
to ensure that life is better for the
consumers because we consider
the consumers the king of
whatever we do.
Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2022 — 19
globally.
MD,
Emerging
Markets,YouTube EMEA, Mr. Alex
Okosi, said: "We are excited about
the creators, musical artists and
producers from Africa joining
others from across the world in the
2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices
Fund. The initiative is dedicated
to equipping up-and-coming
Black creators and artists with the
resources to succeed on our
platform.
"The artists, songwriters, and
producers joining the
#YouTubeBlack Voices Music
Class of 2023 will be required to
set goals, develop content
strategy, and engage with their
fans on YouTube, with the
assistance of a YouTube partner
manager.
"There will be networking
opportunities with other artists,
songwriters, and producers
included in the #YouTubeBlack
Voices Fund, and a chance to
maximise the impact of their
channels as they provide
catalogue-development
opportunities.
Sanwo-Olu, Tek Experts discuss
modalities for developing more
tech talents in Nigeria
By Juliet Umeh
agos State governor, Mr. Babajide
LSanwo-Olu and one of the
leading technology companies, Tek
Experts, are already chatting way
forward to developing more tech
talents in Nigeria to nip the braindrain
epidemic plaguing Nigeria in
the bud.
Discussing in a meeting held at
Tek Experts office in Lagos, Sanwo-
Olu said technology and innovation
are critical components of his
administration's T.H.E.M.E.S
agenda which is the framework for
policy and project implementation.
He said: "With Tek Experts'
outlook, there may be grounds for
solid partnership in the relevant
areas of our policy agenda."
He added: "As an enterprise, Tek
Experts actively promotes Nigeria as
a competitive location for global
companies to meet their technical
talent needs. The company believes
this is crucial to reversing the braindrain
epidemic plaguing Nigeria."
Also, Tek Experts' Country
Manager Nigeria, Mr. Olugbolohan
Olusanya, said: "Our Company is
dedicated to redefining the tech
industry. We pride ourselves on our
technical expertise to support
technology companies by
transforming their technical support
and services function into a strategic
value creation engine for growth.
"Through our partnership with
the Nigerian government and some
of the world's largest technology
brands, we have been able to source,
skill, and scale local talent for the
ICT industry.
"Awareness about the negative
effects of brain-drain on the local tech
industry and the Nigerian economy
is the motivation for Tek Experts'
global advocacy and concerted
efforts at dispelling misconceptions
held about Nigeria's political stability,
infrastructure and talents.
"Specifically, the company
promotes Nigeria's tech capabilities
in addressing the global talent
shortage and the country's meteoric
rise as a dynamic outsourcing and
offshoring location."
Olusanya added: "Accordingly,
Tek Experts' Lagos office has
sourced over 1,800 technical experts
locally to service and support their
regional and global clients."
...As Ogundare emerges Tek
Experts Marketing Lead for Africa
By Juliet Umeh
s part of efforts to advance the
Apositioning of tech talents across
Africa, Tek Experts has appointed
Mrs. Modupe Ogundare as its new
regional marketing manager for the
African continent.
The company said that her
appointment will ensure the
delivering of highly-skilled tech
experts to global organisations across
Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and
North America.
Prior to this development,
Ogundare, who is a marketing and
product leader with over seven years
of industry experience within the
marketing communications
ecosystem, led the marketing team
at Vetifly, a mobility-tech company.
There, she demonstrated
exceptional leadership, creativity,
and strategic business decisionmaking
skills to implement effective
marketing campaign strategies.
Commenting on the appointment,
the Global Head of Marketing for
Tek Experts, Katrina Busch,
expressed her optimism that
Modupe's extensive years of
experience across the marketing
ecosystem is poised to set the
company on a novel ride to success
in Africa.
Busch said: "As Tek Experts
continues to evolve and grow, we
preferred solution because payment can be made in local
currency, saving them the cost of paying in dollars or other
foreign currencies.
NeüRMS is a secure, subscription-based, and easy-to-use
integrated retail management solution that reduces the
mundane workload of running a retail, distribution, or
hospitality business.
•From left: Founder, NeuRMS, Lanre Olaniyan; Relationship
Manager, NeuRMS, Mizpeh Solomon; Communication
Manager, NeuRMS, Bolanle Ogunfowoke and Chief
Technology Officer, Moses Emmanuel at the official Launch of
NeuRMS retail management software and app in Lagos recently
are focused on increasing awareness
and driving leads for our service
offerings. This is because we are
confident that Africa holds great
opportunities for us and having a
strong marketing professional in
Nigeria will help us deliver on our
growth strategy. As such, we are
confident that Modupe's strong
experience in driving business
growth through innovative
marketing strategies will positively
impact our desire to provide enabling
Internet group
announces 2022
business clinic
solutions for startups
By Cynthia Alo
he Nigeria Internet Group, a body
Tset up to establish, guide and
promote Internet use in Nigeria has
announced its 2022 business clinic
targeted at encouraging growth of
startups in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the
President of the council, Mr. Destiny
Amana, called on both individuals
and organizations intending to start
or grow their businesses to actively
participate in the 2022 internet
business clinic which will hold 24th
November 2022.
According to the group, the Clinic
will provide professional consulting,
training services among others.
The statement said: "Thought
leaders will make presentations on key
topics and illustrate how solutions are
impacting various Internet
Businesses, while IT firms, web
hosting companies among others,
exhibiting latest cutting-edge
innovations in Internet trend impact
and technologies as well as answers
to customers numerous issues."
The group also noted that there will
be Web hosting companies, IT
Support Businesses, Developers, and
Bloggers who would be showcasing
their products and services as well as
to also proffer solutions to their
numerous and would-be customers
questions on various issues affecting
the customers and new customers
getting registered.