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Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015 — 35
E-Commerce
Big data: Driving e-business through open access Stories by JONAH NWOKPOKU
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ig data is a broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. Challenges include analysis, capture, search, sharing, storage, transfer, visualization, and information privacy. The term often refers simply to the use of predictive analytics or other certain advanced methods to extract value from data, and seldom to a particular size of data set. Specifically, businesses especially online related ones use big data, by combining data from web browsing patterns, social media, industry forecasts, existing customer records, etc to predict trends, prepare for demand, pinpoint customers, optimize pricing and promotions, and monitor realtime analytics and results. According to McKinsey analysis of more than 250 engagements over a five year period, companies that put data at the centre of the sales and marketing decisions improved their marketing ROI by 15 to 20 per cent. In Nigeria, the availability of big data has not proved to be very economically useful. This is due to restricted access placed on big data. Some institutions that retain and continue to gather such large amount of data include the telecommunication companies. Through sheer large number of mobile phone users, SIM card registration and increasing penetration of smartphones, these telecommunications companies have been able to gather so much data more than any other institutions in the country. At the just concluded Mobile West Africa conference held in Lagos, Senior Manager, Enterprise Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Tayo Egunjobi, presenting a paper titled: ‘Thoughts on Big Data’ explained that Nigeria has more big data than it knows what it can do with it. According to him, “We are swimming in an ocean of data made possible by the internet, mobile penetration, web and business applications.” Giving instance of big data availability in Nigeria using MTN as an example, he
MOBOfree records 44% penetration in Nigeria
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PARLEY - From left: Mr. Oliver Omajuwa, General Manager, Sifax Off-dock; Mr Philip Ofulue, Executive Director, HR and Administration, Sifax Group; Mr. Machaus Brinsma, MD, Sifax Group and Mr. Sunkanmi Olubi, Asst Manager, Commercial during Sifax Group media parley on the activities of the company held in Lagos. Photo Lamidi Bamidele. noted that MTN with its 60 million active mobile lines records about 2.6 million minutes of voice calls monthly. It also records 77 per cent of Internet Traffic generated through mobile devices utilising about 40 million Megabytes from MTN Monthly. In terms of business applications, he noted that
rights of mobile phones users. For these, industry analysts believe that the restrictions placed on data usage is impeding the growth of electronic business in the country. But the telcos argue that it is matter of security, and most importantly, compliance with industry regulations. At a panel discussing how Nigeria can benefit from
Through sheer large number of mobile phone users, SIM card registration and increasing penetration of smartphones, these telecommunications companies have been able to gather more data than any other institution in the country MTN holds 8.5 Petabytes of Data with a growth rate of 30 per cent. What all these mean is that with such huge concentration of data in one place, decisions around technology consumption habit can easily be made through careful study and analysis of these data. The problem however is that access to these data is restricted by the telecommunications’ regulator, the Nigeria Communications Commission. Although the restrictions to access to these data has not prevented MTN from mining the same data to sell to advertisers who use these with little considerations to privacy
liberal data policy, Chief Executive Officer, eTranzact International, Valentine Obi noted that strides have been made in payments in Nigeria, from the time where data collection was a very difficult task, to 2015, a period that is seeing an increased focus on data collection from regulators and organizations, an example being the recently instituted Bank Verification Number. According to him, access to big data can play a critical role in e-fraud prevention. He said: “One big prerequisite for financial inclusion and in fraud control for financial institutions is a check called ‘Know your Customer.’ It is one of the
biggest challenges we face in the payments industry, and all players can come together to help solve this issue. The Telcos own a lot of user data and can help the payments platforms by sharing this data. "There is a big need for the Telcos to share data in order to safeguard and protect customers from fraud just like banks share data with the switching platforms.” Kojo Boakye, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Alliance for Affordable Internet also speaking, pointed out that Africa stands a better chance at benefiting from increasing broadband and smartphone penetration if better policies regarding data access are put into place. According to him, instead of the telcos monopolising the data, open access can help businesses to consolidate gains while new ventures stand a better a chance at navigating their businesses to profitability and reduce the high failure rates prevalent among start-ups. But in a swift reaction, Airtel Nigeria’s Head, New Products Development, Okechukwu Igwegbe noted that the issue of access to data lies primarily with the regulators. While acknowledging the benefits inherent in open access, he also pointed out that there are still other institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission and the National Identity Management Commission which can also boast of avalanche of reliable big data and have not embraced the open access strategy being canvassed.
OBOfree.com, a social marketplace, has announced that it had experienced an increase of more than 44percent in the number of registered users of MOBOfree.com in Nigeria over the past twelve months, resulting in a 1042 per cent increase in the number of classifieds published on MOBOfree.com in Nigeria which makes more than 500,000 active listings on the platform in Nigeria only. Over the same period, the number of registered users of MOBOfree.com in Uganda increased by more than 1555%, resulting in a 5548% increase in the number of classifieds published on MOBOfree.com in Uganda. With 4 million registered users, including two million monthly active users in Nigeria and a strong footprint in Uganda and Zimbabwe, MOBOfree is one of the largest and most successful classifieds platforms in Africa.
One Africa Media acquires 100% of Jobberman
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ne Africa Media group has confirmed full acquisition of Nigeria’s job portal, Jobberman.com. Under the deal, co-founders, Ayodeji Adewunmi, Opeyemi Awoyemi and Olalekan Olude will double as shareholders and Directors in One Africa Media. The trio will still act in their current roles as CEO and Senior Vice Presidents respectively but will also operate at the group level bringing their experience and expertise to bear in other One Africa Media-owned businesses through a shares roll-up deal. Speaking on the deal, Ayodeji Adewunmi said, “We started Jobberman with the vision of being the No. 1 destination for jobs in Africa; a mission we continue to work toward. With the additional funding provided by One Africa Media, and the new group designations, we are better poised to achieving this goal and also growing other sister companies of Jobberman in the One Africa Media group. We can now go on to conquer Africa and keep a firm grip on Nigeria which is Africa’s most populous nation and largest economy.”