Nigeria in 2014: The African telecommunication sector will grow and quality is expected to improve in Nigeria

Part of research conducted by Informa Telecoms & Media, entitled: Africa Telecoms Outlook 2014: Maximising digital service opportunities, identifies mobile broadband and the increase in global connectivity as key drivers behind this projected growth. According to statistics revealed in the research, there were 778 million mobile subscriptions in Africa by end June 2013 and the expectation is that the mobile-subscription count will reach one billion during 2015. Contrary to what is being experienced in other regions, in Africa mobile voice revenues are expected to grow over the next few years. The research adds that annual mobile data revenues on the continent are expected to rise from US$8.53 billion in 2012 to US$23.16 billion in 2018. Data accounted for 14.3% of mobile service revenues in Africa in 2012 but will account for 26.8% in 2018. “The growth in data revenues in Africa is being driven by factors including: the continent’s new submarine and terrestrial cables; the rollout of mobile broadband networks; the increasing affordability of data devices; and economic growth. As well as facilitating a rise in data connectivity in Africa, these factors are creating a platform for a range of new digital services on the continent, such as mobile financial services, e-commerce and digital content and services for the business market,” states an excerpt from the study. In an article on BizTech Africa, Nigeria govt talks tough over service quality, Minister of Communications Technology, disclosed at media parley with senior journalists, said the Ministry of Communication Technology, the Consumer Protection of Nigeria (CPN) and the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are collaborating to sanction or prosecute erring telecoms operators that have been delivering poor quality service to Nigerians. The Minister said “the Federal Government will no longer condone poor service delivery to subscribers and reiterated that henceforth, it’s no longer shall be business as usual, and operators must rise up to redress the current poor state of quality service delivery.” Another related development is the reduction in the cost of Right of Ways (RoW) in certain states in the country which will facilitate the roll-out of telecoms infrastructure in the country. Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) identified that this reduction would definitely impact on telecoms service delivery. It will be interesting to keep tab on events as they unfold in 2014.

Read the full article here: 10 Economic Highlights to look out for in Nigeria in 2014. Want to share you thoughts on the Nigerian Economy in 2014? You can drop your comment below or continue the discussion with on twitter Tweet to @seunoyeniran

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Nigeria in 2014: e-Commerce will take centre stage

This is very related to the above point on Mobile payment and transactions. On 16th December 2013 German e-commerce incubator and cloning giant Rocket Internet, MTN, Africa’s largest cellphone operator and Stockholm-listed Millicom International Cellular partnered to develop internet e-commerce businesses in Africa through Africa Internet Holding (AIH), a vehicle to develop e-commerce businesses across the African continent (alongside partner Millicom International Cellular). They each took a 33.3% stake but the value was undisclosed. While still subject to regulatory approval, the parties expect the transaction to close during the second quarter of 2014. The implication for Nigeria? More transaction will be fulfilled online and there will be a radical change from the traditional brick and mortar shopping to shopping online as seen in developed countries. Businesses will have to respond by developing B2C and B2B enterprise architecture that will facilitate e-commerce. AIH has already developed a number of e-commerce ventures in the last 18 months, including Jumia, Zando, Kaymu, Jovago, Lamudi, Carmudi, EasyTaxi and Hellofood. The partnership is expected to capture the growth potential of the digital media space across footprints in the region.

Read the full article here: 10 Economic Highlights to look out for in Nigeria in 2014. Want to share you thoughts on the Nigerian Economy in 2014? You can drop your comment below or continue the discussion with on twitter Tweet to @seunoyeniran

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Nigeria in 2014: Information technology (ICT), Social media and mobile device use will expand enforcing better governance

As Samsung gains leadership in the indian market, it is well positioned to become African leader in the mobile device market. In 2014 the battle between Apple and Samsung (for mobile device space) will have impact in the African market as Apple will strive to expand its market niche in the growing African economy. A Positive impact should of course be expected for Africa as this will not only bring in new products, prices should fall too. Africa is seen as a growing market when it comes to internet usage. According to the World Bank Africa Development Indicator 2012-13 report, of the 89-million recorded internet users in sub-Saharan Africa, half were in Nigeria. While only around 15.6% of Africans are online, infopreneuers, journalists, bloggers and the likes will take on social media in 2014 to utilize various platforms in sharing information and shining the light on injustices. A recent survey of 1000 university student found that 90% of them use Facebook. Twitter and other social media will witness higher use in Nigeria moving forward.

There are also a growing number of social entrepreneurs in Africa, who are utilizing their training and education to develop businesses and initiatives that tackle social challenges. Innovation hubs, incubators and accelerators are supporting entrepreneurs across the continent and are gradually attracting investors and corporate partners. Spaces supporting tech entrepreneurs, such as the Co-Creation Hub in Nigeria and iHub in Kenya, are creating jobs and improving the livelihoods of the poor. iCow, an application that provides timely agricultural information to dairy farmers in Kenya via SMS has reached almost 12,000 farmers and increased their income through elevated milk yields and decreased disease outbreaks.

Efiko, an application that enables students in Nigeria to test their knowledge of the school curriculum and compete with friends, has been played by thousands of senior secondary school students. Although most of these initiatives are at times criticized for being elitist, the applications springing up from them will definitely play impactful roles as we enter into 2014.

Read the full article here: 10 Economic Highlights to look out for in Nigeria in 2014. Want to share you thoughts on the Nigerian Economy in 2014? You can drop your comment below or continue the discussion with on twitter Tweet to @seunoyeniran

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