In a classroom at the Electronic Engineering Department of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), a lecturer teaching the theories and principles of engineering mentioned an equation and its constituent constant.
A curious student wanted to know the value of that constant and how it applied in real life, he wasn’t ready for the answer. “In Nigeria you won’t need that knowledge, you don’t use it. So we just show you the formula and you’re good to go.”
That student was Tochukwu Clinton Chukwueke, engineer, inventor and founder of Clintonel Innovation Centre (CIC) and Clintonel Technologies, based in Aba, Abia state. Continue reading.
This week on Techpoint
Watch a video version of this newsletter or read on below
The struggles of student entrepreneurs in Nigerian universities. Once upon a time, attending a university and graduating with a good degree was all you needed to secure a good job in Nigeria.
Today, things have changed, good jobs are scarce and a university degree no longer guarantees one. As such, more students are beginning to take up entrepreneurship ahead of graduation. Unfortunately, many institutions of higher learning still focus solely on raising employable graduates rather than entrepreneurial ones. Read.
What you should know about the emerging tech scene in Aba. Aba, the commercial capital of Abia state in Nigeria, is renowned for its prowess in trade and manufacturing. For instance, the Ariaria International market is the manufacturing hub for several products, including shoes and textiles, that are exported all over Africa.
However, beyond this, there is an emerging tech scene that is reshaping the way young people in Abia state approach entrepreneurship. Read.
Can millennials save Africa's struggling eCommerce industry? This week's guest contributor, Quadry Olalekan believes so.
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Comedy skits and music videos kept Nigerians on YouTube in 2017. As the year 2017 draws to a close, we have to admit that it has been quite an emotional rollercoaster for us as Nigerians.
It is no wonder we seek an escape from these harsh realities by watching comedy and music videos online — despite the high cost of internet data subscription — and YouTube has numbers to prove it.
Startup Weekly
Every weekday at noon (WAT), we feature up and coming startups attempting to break into the market.
This week's featured startups
- Kiakia — get real-time capital as a business owner or working class
- Shugaban — stream Nollywood movies online
- Tech Prints — get on-demand and hassle-free printing service
- Freeciti — connect to Nigerian freelancers at cheap rates
- Quickfinda — compare prices of products online
Opportunities: Global accelerator programme in London, New Ventures closing in 2 days and other opportunities this week.
- WorldRemit raises Series C. The African-founded, London-based digital money transfer service recently raised $40m, which it looks to utilise in quintupling its user base from 2 million to 10 million. Half of that number is expected to come Africa. Link.
- Improving internet connectivity in Lagos. Nigeria’s MainOne and Tizeti have announced a joint project with Facebook that is expected to improve internet connectivity in several parts of Lagos. Link.
- AWS comes Africa. During the week, SA-based vendor-neutral collocation data centre, Teraco announced the availability of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect through it’s Johannesburg JB1 and Cape Town CT1 data centres. Link.
- Death to Net Neutrality. Despite a huge outcry from diverse interest groups, the United State of America’s Federal Communication Commission(FCC) took a final vote yesterday in favour of killing net neutrality. Link.
- Walt Disney buys 21st Century Fox. In a move of the century, The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire majority of 21st Century Fox — and its 39% stake in satellite broadcaster Sky — for $52.4 billion. Link.
