TECHWARF | Let's Talk Innovations

Nigerian Minster of Communications Technology, Honorable Dr. Omobola Johnson, last month (December), at the A4AI Coalition Forum, announced that five of its thirty-six states Abuja, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos and Ondo are working towards the reduction and removal of multiple taxation of Information and Communications Technology ICT.

In a release on the Alliance For Affordable Internet's (A4AI) website, the Minister at the A4AI forum referred to the states as the ''Smart States''. These smarts states have formally signed a memorandum of understanding with Dr Johnson to join the country's Smart State Initiative, which aims to improve the growth and faster deployment of ICT infrastructure across the country.

''Each of the five states have reduced levies and taxes on ICT infrastructure by much as 50%, and the Smart States will make a single agency to collect fees on behalf of their governments. This reduction in taxes and fees will help lower costs of accessing the internet and enabling more Nigerians to come online.'' she says.

The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) is a ''global association working to make broadband inexpensive for all.'' It aims to reach the UN Broadband Commission target broadband priced at less than 5% of monthly income, thereby allowing billions of people to come online.

 

 
  

Etisalat and First Bank have revealed First Monie, a product to develop the use of mobile money on the mobile technology driven EasyWallet SIM application.

First Monie, is a mobile payment service that allows phone users send and receive money, pay bills, buy airtime and lots more with their mobile phones without a bank account. As a result of the partnership between Etisalat and First Bank, the First Monie service will run on Etisalat's EasyWallet SIM application menu.

''Etisalat EasyWallet, is one of the most secure and convenient stage for mobile money services. With the easywallet, etisalat subscribers can create financial transactions such as peer-to-peer transfers, bills payment and airtime top-up directly from mobile devices'', Said Dada Lucas, Director, Business Segment at Etisalat Nigeria.

Mobile Money has reported huge success in countries like Cote d'ivoire. Kenya, Gambia and South Africa, according to a Business Day report, but is it is not yet clear if it will achieve similar levels of success in Nigeria.





 

Nigerian online payment processor, VoguePay and South African Bitcoin company, ICE3X have entered into a partnership that will allow the buying and selling of bitcoin in Naira using VoguePay wallets.

ICE3X founder, Gareth Grobler said, ''Bitcoin technology has yet to be packaged and applied correctly for it to be a mainstream alternative currency, but as an agnostic payment settlement mechanism within a larger framework it ticks all boxes and could perhaps have a important impact on shaping the Nigerian digital economy landscape. It is a market that simply just cannot be avoided any longer.''

Confidence in Bitcoin waned in 2014 as a frenzied speculation, followed by enormous security breaches and theft to the tune of millions took over 60 percent off the currency's value. Security still remains a burden as $5 million worth of Bitcoin went missing on the 5th of January from a major Bitcoin exchange based in Slovenia.

Nonetheless, experts still expect that Bitcoin could mark a watershed moment for financial services and inclusion in Africa. So far, South Africa and Kenya have been the continent's cryptocurrency's biggest adopters, with a slew of startups rushing to implement locally important applications for the technology.

Nigerians in Nigeria will be able to trade bitcoin on the VoguePay and ICE3X powered platform from the 12th of January, 2015.

Back in the day, we reported that messaging app Snapchat was raising over $100 million in a round led by Kleiner Perkins and then the WSJ stated that it was $20 million, which left us wondering why a growth round would be so small in terms of total principle. Well, it turns out it's not.

Snapchat has raised a much bigger amount nearly $500 million in aggregate, according to an SEC filing that it slipped out as the working day for New years Eve was coming to a close. The filing notes that 23 investors took part, although it is not clear from the SEC document who led the round.

Here is what happened, according to our sources. Snapchat originally set out to raise $40 million, but request for the round skyrocketed, and it decided to shoot for an ambitious $900 million instead. When that didn't work out, it dialled it back to $500 million. Rumor has it that Kleiner is leading this latest round, with GIC, Yahoo and maybe wildcards August Capital participating. Portion of that, such as the Yahoo part of the fund-raise, shut out some time ago. The SEC filing notes that the date of first sale was in April 2014.

We have also heard that the current post money valuation is $20 billion, although others have disputed this and said it is closer to $10 billion.

The cash is much needed. One source said that Snapchat has an over $30 million per-year burn rate, and pays half of that to Google Apps Engine to host all it's photos, though this number seems low to us. Another noted that at one point the company was paying $3 million each month in legal fees alone. Snapchat's had its share of lawsuits.

Alibaba was the initial lead on that round as Re/Code stated. According to a source, the Alibaba position was then punted to Yahoo, which put in $20 million of its own cash on hand post the Alibaba IPO. We have also heard that Yahoo has really put in more than this but have been unable to verify that beyond the $20 million close.

The cause of the numerical ups and downs of Snapchat's fundraising is the company's unique spin on financing, which works on a ''rolling'' basis, from how one source describes it.

Snapchat is interesting in that they break the conventions of traditional fundrasing, one source tells us. Traditionally an entrepreneur will set out raise a round for a specified amount of money, and then you get interested investors on the same page based on an agreed valuation and then you close it. Spiegel does this some what differently. ''He goes after individual investors at different valuations. It is a rolling contribution and a rolling close. In theory you could say he is already done 40 rounds.

What this means is that, if it is true, then yes, Snapchat may have raised nearly $500 million in the last six months. of that $ 500 million, it may be that only 75% of it is closed, and with portions at different valuations, some getting in pre $10 billion, like Yahoo, and some above it and closer to $20 billion.

The logic for the high valuation is fascinating, and points to some of the big hopes Snapchat and its investors have for the app. The last announced number of active monthly users of the ephemeral message app was 100 million back in August 2014, but things moving fast. From what we get the MAU number is now approaching 200 million users. The company in May 2014 announced 700 million photos sent per day on the app, with 500 million Snapchat Stories.




 



 

As the year slowly comes to an end, we can look back and agree on one positive thing that has been on the rise, that has been on the rise, that is e-commerce. Add that to the fact that Internet penetration across Africa is on the increase and judging from our Submit Your Company form, we can say that e-commerce is the new witch money.

Africa is a burgeoning and largely unexplored consumer market. According to  McKinsey and Co. Consumer facing industries in Africa are predicted to increase by over $400 million in 2020. This includes the aforementioned e-e-commerce among other sectors.

This has led the Africa Internet Group to access and rank the top 7 countries for technology and e-commerce increase in the region, with the help of independent studies, field surveys and research.

Below is a list of the top seven countries in Africa where iGDP is important and why it is in the spotlight for AIG's ventures, investors and venture capitalists.

 1. SENEGAL

This country leads the pack in Africa with an iGDP of 3.3%. Initiative like the Jjiguene Tech Hub, Jjiguene means 'woman' in wolof are made by women for women in Senegal, it goal to help women enter the world of IT driven businesses. The potential for this initiative has been recognized by a number of investors including IT giant Microsoft.

2. KENYA

Close on the heels of Senegal is Kenya, with an iGDP of 2.9%. The previous president of Kenya started $14.5bn project earlier this year to create  city to shape African tech businesses something similar to the Silicon Valley; called the African Silicon Savannah. This city is designed to become a hub for outsourcing of BPO operations and general IT support, as well as helping to foster growing businesses. Kenya is also the birthplace of the BRCK.

3. MOROCCO

This North African country is developing fast and is well positioned to become Africa's financial center. With projects like Casablanca Finance City and Casablanca Technopark, it isn't surprising that their iGDP is 2.3%. King Mohammed VI of Morocco is on his way to achieving his dream of making Casablanca the financial hub of Africa and attracting investment to help companies tap into the huge Franco-African market. There are over 100 companies in the Technopark already.

4. MOZAMBIQUE

On the international radar as one of the top three African countries with rapid development. Recent collaborations with China have further improved their agricultural industry and in addition to this, real estate and hospitality opportunities are bountiful. It is among the top five economies in Africa which have made significant progress in the IT sector. Mozambique now has an iGDP of 1.6% and this looks set to increase as IT underpins many other areas of development in the country.

5. NIGERIA

The pride of Africa, being its largest economy. It has an iGDP of 1.5% and is also the e-commerce hub of Africa with businesses like Jumia, Kaymu, Konga and many others. IT is  successful in Nigeria and apart from multiple technology hubs, there are several accelerators in Nigeria to help start ups and to promote IT based businesses. I really would like to know how the iGDP was calculated and how we are 5th. but maybe I'm being biased.

6. SOUTH AFRICA

Follows Nigeria closely with an iGDP of 1.4%. It is among the most economically grown nations in Africa and it is one of the most receptive. South Africa has IT hubs all along the Western Cape province among which is the city of Stellenbosch is known as  the Silicon Valley of South Africa but development needs to be accelerated as other African countries are steaming ahead with investment into the IT sector.

7. GHANA

Though last on the list here, with an iGDP of 1.1%, it is definitely not the least. Only recently, the president of Ghana agreed to build an IT city near Accra the capital with a total investment of about $5,2bn. Plans involve building a tower which aims to be the tallest in Africa.

  







  



 



  

 

There's no need to be an expect on technology but it helps not being entirely ignorant about it. In fact, business characteristics are a lot more important than knowledge base. When it comes to founding your own company, here are six aspects that you will need to have if you want to be successful.

1. NETWORKING FLAIR.

Founders of New York start-up Huxxster had no engineering experience when they sat out to make their shopping assistant site a reality. Their success is due to the ability to talk to anyone and everyone, constantly, for months to make as many connections as possible.

''Through that network, we were introduced to VCs who were able to give us feedback early on. We were brought in to some later-stage startup founders who have been mentors along the way,'' the founders said.

Knowing how to work with others and when to listen to advice is crucial.

2. BELIEVING IN OTHERS.

The ability to execute an idea is exponentially more important than the idea itself. Investing in a team of expects that can move your idea reality is of the utmost importance.

When getting a team, the trick is to make sure that everyone that is hired shares the same passion for the initiative at hand and not just people who are best suited for the job. Fostering a culture where ideas are appreciated and everyone has the opportunity to work on problems of genuine interest to them will drive growth faster internally.

Becoming the boss means honing your listening skills and in a the startup environment that is doubly true. There is no point in having a team that doesn't raise concerns or offer criticisms, flattery won't be able to lay a solid foundation for starting a business. The team will want to see your idea embellish as much as you do, rather than let it be driven into the ground.

3. BELIEVING IN YOURSELF.

Most startups fail but the important thing is to keep motivated if things start going sour, Keep a positive attitude. Great leaders believe not only in their products and their teams, but in themselves. This means knowing when to listen to doubts, when to work on fixing problems, and when to cut your losses. Be honest and clear about the belief you have for yourself and your team.

4. PERSPECTIVE.

The most important characteristics of a successful CEOs is that they can look at minute details and then to step back to see things from another perspective. Being able to see where the industry is going and your business with it is vital. Fluidity during market changes will allow your business to seamlessly transition into whatever is next rather than lagging behind.

Larry Page did this when he returned to Google as CEO because,'' he thought the company had over-diversified and wanted it to focus on doing fewer things adequately'', said Michael Yoshikami, CEO and founder of YCMNET Advisor's.

It's crucial to have clear ideas but to also know when to step in to make sure things continue going in the right way.

5. PASSION.

Passion, is an incredibly overused word in business. Whatever you want to call it, drive , zeal, you have to have it. People that can create that kind of enthusiasm in others are the ones that grab the attention of potential investors and attract the best staff.

Think of Steve Jobs. He was a very experienced public speaker, on top of being a design maverick, who was able to sell his vision by showing people why his products were not just hype and worth purchasing. Being able to communicate your passion will pay dividends when you are beginning your tech company.

6. EXTRA INTERESTS.

You might think that extra-curricular activities become distractions once you leave school, but the truth is that having diverse interests will help you to stay concentrated and even create new ideas.

Former French President Sarkozy likes collecting stamps. Jean-Luc Robert, CEO of California based Kyriba, likes to jump out of helicopters. Richard Branson likes exploring untouched places like the deep sea and space.

Whatever your interests are, they might assist you become a better business person too. Purchasing a hobby can help you with decision making, systematic thinking, creativity and boldness. Stepping away from your own project and delving into others can give you an edge. Workaholics with no outside interests are rarely as productive as they think.

 

  







 
 

 



 

Basically an electronics repair shop with a website, RepairAm allows you place repair orders for damaged personal computers, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets, saving you the trip to computer village or the local tinkerer whose services are at best spotty.

The process id fairly straight forward. You visit the site, fill in contact information as well as some preliminary info about the gadget that needs repairing, and then fix the pickup date. RepairAm comes to pickup your gadget, fixes it, return it, you pay before or after service, it's up to you.

Simple huh? Life and Lagos will probably throw in a few choice wrenches in practice, but you get the idea.

Perhaps the most ''creative'' aspect of the process is the order tracking feature that allows a customer view the repair status of their gadget. Great for managing expectations. RepairAm was produced by Onibokun Ayobami and Odebode Ademol.

It's been a long coming: Blackberry's return to its roots. Rather than chasing the pack, Blackberry has brought back exactly what its fans have been waiting in a package that is usable, fun, and solid. But can it save the company?

I'm a fan of the $450 Classic and will post a full review on Monday but until I've provided a brief hands on. I've found myself reaching for the Classic more and more this weekend and I'm happy to see what it can do.

 
The Toyota Camry is one of the most popular cars in Nigeria, Dubai and many parts of Africa. You could hardly count 5 cars without seeing a Toyota Camry, The Camry is very reliable, efficient and comfortable, you could hardly find a car as reliable and efficient as the Camry in its segment. It offers you the comfort of a luxury car with the cost efficiency of a small car, Which would account for its wide use and appearance everywhere in Africa. The Toyota Camry's sculpted appearance exudes sophisticated styling and attitude in a blend aerodynamic elegance and refined functionality with a sporty edge, The Camry is a beauty to behold and the interior finishing is luxury personified.
   The Camry is loaded with an array of unique features, for instance the power rear window sunshades provide privacy in the rear seats and will automatically retract when the reverse gear is engaged, Rear seat control panel provides switches for the power reclining rear seats, power rear window sun shades, audio system and air conditioning system among others. The Camry's class leading drive performance comes from its powerful engine and automatic transmission. The Camry is available in 2.5 and 3.5 litre engines, both engines are equipped with a super intelligent six speed automatic transm

ission.
   The Camry safety features are class leading, they include " multi SRS airbags, crash safety body, back monitor, WIL concept front seats, intelligent VSC for cornering and intelligent AFS that illuminates driving direction at night". All these and more make the Camry standout above others in its class.

  The Porsche Cayenne continues to exude class leading features 12yrs after it made a debut in the automobile luxury SUV segment, Now in its second generation, the Cayenne offers better handling, comfort and family friendly size that made the original a hit in a lighter package with greater power and fuel efficiency, Available in three new variants, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo and for the first time the Cayenne SE Hybrid, The first plug in hybrid in the premium SUV segment, The new Cayenne features a redeveloped engine which delivers higher torque than its predecessors.
  Porsche has also enhanced the fuel efficiency of the Cayenne to continue its ethos of delivering increased power without compromising efficiency, When matched with more precise handling capabilities, the new Cayenne represents a sport SUV beyond compare, another chapter to Porsche unrivaled legacy of breaking new grounds.
  MR Anurag Shab, Brand manager at Porsche center in Lagos, a subsidiary of stallion motors limited acknowledged the outstanding characteristic of the Cayenne at a media launch in Lagos on Tuesday 25th November, He said "The new Porsche cayenne embodies the ultimate Porsche traits, class leading performance and outstanding drive ability, no matter the road conditions the new cayenne delivers a unique experience". He added that the cayenne incorporates an even sharper design with precise lines and purposefully placed light re fracturing edges with front body wings, bonnets and air blades which are all newly shaped. At first glance the new cayenne is a Porsche through and through with its bi xenon headlights and four points LED daytime running lights, The new layout of the models rear lights creates a three dimensional effect with the break lights designed in four elements.
   

All these features make the Porsche cayenne standout above others.

Proforce Nigeria ltd is an indigenous Nigerian defense company specializing in the production of different varieties of armored vehicles and personnel protection and up armoring of vehicles. Proforce Nigeria ltd was incorporated in 2008 as a total defense solution provider specializing in armored vehicles and personal protection. the company's focus is on the delivery of confidence in protective mobility, proforce produces a variety of products which include combat helmets, body Armour(vests), up armored cars, armored personnel carriers(APC), infantry combat vehicles(ICV), tactical armored vehicles, UAV drones and military trucks among others. Proforce is also said to be in the process of designing an indigenous armored tank(MBT), This if successfully tested and incorporated would be the first armoured  tank produced in the whole of west Africa and possibly the whole of africa and would shoot the Nigerian industry to the league of weapons producers because even in developed countries very few countries produce the MBT. Proforce Nigeria ltd's line of armored vehicles are comparatively cheaper than its counterparts produced elsewhere in the world due to internally and locally sourced materials but provides the same level of protection as the others. example is the proforce MK1, MK2 and MK3.





 COMPONENTS MATERIALS AND PARTS : CONSEQUENCES ON THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY


 Components and materials used in the production of the proforce line of armored products are sourced in country and this accounts for its relative cheapness and also it encourages local industries such as the ajaokuta steel mill located in nigeria's western parts, this factory is capable of producing militarygrade steel which is used for armoured vehicle production and up armoring. The job creation possibilities are also numerous as it could provide jobs in a number of sectors in the economy like exports, steel industry, engineering sector among others. On a yearly basis the NIGERIAN government, army, airforce, police and paramilitary acquire, refurbish and maintain over 1500 armored  vehicles for both private and military use at the cost of millions and sometimes billions of dollars from foreign countries to the detriment of local industries. Proforce Nigeria ltd produces over 400 armored vehicles yearly with the possibility of expansion to accommodate larger orders.
 The proforce MK3 which is similar to the Carat black scorpion fast attack vehicle offers almost the same level of protection and firepower and troop carrying capacity but at a lesser prices than that of the Carat black scorpion. The Nigerian government and military have fought the war against insurgency in grossly inadequate 4WD vans and this has led to the unnecessary deaths of troops and this has affected morale, While an indigenous solution lies at proforce Nigeria ltd.

AUTHORS NOTE

Proforce Nigeria limited is a welcome technological development as it provides jobs, protection for the gallant troops laying down their lives for their country, provides a home grown solution for armored vehicles like bullion vans and vip protection and improves Nigeria's standing as an indigenous weapons producer in the international community, a position formally held in Africa by south africa, It also helps in the area of research and development, technology development and transfer and more. It is the belief of most nigerians that if an indigenous solution to our defence problems is found then it should be wholeheartedly supported by the nigerian government and state governments who are tasked with the purchase of products for the nigerian security agencies. It should be noted that in the 90's the Nigerian military was held to ransome by the western world with sanctions which in turn delayed the supply of weapons platforms purchased and paid for by the Nigerian government and also in 2014 where the western world and its allies refuced to supply the Nigerian military with weapons systems and troop protection systems(apc's and ifv's) for the persecution of the war against terror, Efforts of proforce nigeria ltd if supported would result in a sense of pride and national unity in the nigerian populace and Africa at large and should be encouraged.