The newly appointed Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim, yesterday said the immediate past acting DG, Dr. Vincent Olatunji still have an integral role to play at NITDA.

Pantami stated this in his inaugural address to the management and staff of NITDA at its corporate headquarters in Abuja.

According to him, the handover note he received from Olatunji last week, has availed him of the understanding of the Agency’s activities, adding that he would keep in touch with the immediate past acting DG for clarification where necessary.

“The handover notes have given me some insights into what is on the ground here. In the next few days and weeks, I would like to meet with departmental and unit heads, individually and collectively, for a better appreciation of where the agency is today and what challenges lie ahead of it,” he said.

Speaking further, Pantami urged the staff of the federal government agency, saddled with the responsibility of IT capacity building in Nigeria to always display  integrity, expertise, professionalism and commitments to duty. He revealed that his administration would introduce special reward for productivity.

“In order to encourage productivity and motivate honest, ethical, hardworking members of staff, I will move staff welfare to the front burner, and introduce special awards for best performance,” he said.

Describing the Agency as a very strategic agency, Dr Pantami stated that, NITDA it one of the most knowledge based government institution that requires a harmonious blend of knowledge and creativity, adding that its  mandates has placed on it a huge responsibility and from which so much is expected.

”Clearly, the agency is crucial to the technological aspiration and the development of our country in this ruthless competitive global world where we can’t afford the luxury to lag behind. This is particularly true in these challenging economic times when our country dearly needs ICT in its bid to diversify its economy.”

He remarked that he would strive to demonstrate both in word and action that all Nigeria is my constituency, adding he would not indulge in corruption and favoritism.

The DG reiterated his intention to work with the staff as a team; he sought for advice, prayers and cooperation of all staff I order to realize the mission and vision of the Agency. He advised them to rededicate their energies and creativity toward moving the Agency forward.

While urging the staff to always employ the official channel of communication, he assured them of his open door policy to suggestions, ideas and observation. “I am receptive to new ideas and suggestions. Most importantly, however, I want your single-minded commitment to ensure the success of NITDA and by extension the creation of a modern, IT-driven Nigerian society, Dr. Pantami added.

He has, however promised to continue with the all good projects of the Agency and consolidate on the past achievement of his predecessors noting that

“I am glad to continue with all the good projects of the agency as long as they meet irreducible minimums in due process, and conform to the law that established the agency. Where projects violate due process or impose needless burdens on the core mission of the agency, they will be reviewed in the interest of the nation.

Nigeria needs to go big on agriculture. It needs to copy China.

The Agricultural Development Bank of China, one of the country’s main policy lenders, agreed to loan at least 3 trillion yuan ($450 billion) by 2020 for the modernization of China’s agriculture industry, state media said on Sunday.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the bank, which lends in line with government policy, signed an agreement to protect national food security, support the sector doing business overseas and develop China’s seed industry, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

It was not immediately clear whether this commitment is separate from the bank’s plan announced in May to lend 3 trillion yuan for poverty reduction via agricultural investments.

The following are the key ways to stay fraud free.

• Know the source: only download app from the official sources of the OS
•  Free Wi–Fi may come with a cost: Some free or public Wi?Fi connections may intercept your sensitive credentials. Only connect to networks you know and trust.
•  Lock it up: Keep your phone safe by enabling it to automatically lock after a certain period of time. Ensure your password is strong and not easy to guess, or use Touch ID to balance security and convenience.
•  Communicate with caution: Fraudsters may call, email or text you pretending to be someone else and request sensitive information or funds. Always validate the request with another party and communicate through a trusted channel.
• Check for green: Always look for green in your browser’s address bar to ensure you’re on an authentic bank website when doing online banking
•  Keep your password safe

As part of its economic empowerment agenda, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, said it has disbursed a total of N366.39 billion for the execution of 465 projects under the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme, CACS, from 2009 to date.

This shows that funding in agriculture is moving up in Nigeria.

The Scheme, established to address the financing challenges of the entire value chain, such as production, processing, storage and marketing/distribution of agricultural produce in the country.

The Governor of CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele who disclosed this at the International Conference on Environment Dialogue on: “Diversification of Economy: The Role of Jatropha,” said the apex bank provided finance to commercial farmers at single digit interest rate.

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The second major TED conference in Africa, TEDGlobal 2017 will focus on the challenges and opportunities facing the continent. We encourage all talented innovators in their fields – science, art, technology, entrepreneurship, film and beyond – to apply to become a TED Fellow, especially those working on the African continent. If selected, you will attend the TEDGlobal 2017 conference, and participate in a Fellows only pre-conference designed especially to inspire, empower and support your work. Fellows will also deliver a TED talk at the conference, to be filmed and considered for publication on TED.com.

The TED Fellows program is designed to catapult your career through transformational support like coaching and mentorship, public relations advice for sharing your latest projects, hands on speaker training – and most importantly, access to the vibrant global network of the other 400 Fellows from 90 countries. We will select twenty TEDGlobal 2017 Fellows based not only on what applicants have accomplished so far, but also on their character and grit, their collaborative spirit, and their potential to break barriers as they build their careers.

The online application includes answers to general questions, short essays and three references. Only those aged 18 and older should apply. If selected, Fellows must reserveAugust 21 – September 1, 2017 on their calendars for the TEDGlobal 2017 Conference in Arusha, Tanzania.

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Source: TED