TECHDIGEST – The Director of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa at Meta, Adaora Ikenze, has expressed concern over the high digital illiteracy in Nigeria.

Speaking at a conference themed, ‘Leveraging Youth Power, Culture, and The Creative Economy: The Key to Africa’s Future,’ Ikenze noted that the high digital illiteracy in the country was affecting how people use technology and what they think their responsibilities were.

She said, “Let me start with the challenges and despite what is happening in this room and the conversation happening on this side of the room, the level of digital illiteracy in this country is outstanding.

“It is not enough that people have phones, and they have data, and that they can go online. People are still fundamentally illiterate about using technology, how technology impacts their lives, and their responsibilities when they use that technology. That I think is the biggest problem that we have, and I don’t hear enough conversations about how we are addressing that.”

She noted that journalists had a high task to educate readers and motivate them to real change. The event, which was organised by Africa Soft Power in collaboration with the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and African Women on Board, focused on the relationship between digital platforms, technology adoption, youth empowerment, and creative entrepreneurship.

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The founder and Creative Director of Africa Soft Power, Nkiru Balonwu, said, “As a country and as a continent, it is imperative to include young people and women in every leadership space.

“From #endsars, to #Congoisbleeding and other several social movements that the continent has witnessed in recent years, we have seen what happens when we do not provide the needed inclusion and security for women and young people.

“We will continue to have these conversations, shining the light on the immense opportunities that Africa’s soft power, deeply rooted in its vibrant culture and youthful population, offers for growth.”
According to her, the advent of digital media and advancements in technology is providing African youths with platforms to express their talents, shape their narratives, and build successful careers across various industries.

Commenting on how insecurity is affecting youths from fulfilling their potential in the country, the Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development in Ekiti State, Akintunde Oyebode, noted that a big driver of insecurity in the country was the absence of consequences.

He said, “A big driver of crime is the absence of consequence. This is why you will find that in a society where there is an absence of consequence, people often gravitate towards crime.

“The challenge of security in Nigeria is a hydra-headed problem. In some parts of the country, there are major kidnappings ongoing. In other parts, there is a drug problem, but at the heart of it all is a clear admission that state capacity has been fourth-largestwaning for a while and has gotten to a point where it is simply incapable of responding to social issues.”

The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Glann Media Consult and former Editor of Guardian Life Magazine, Njideka Agbo, affirmed that the lack of security and inclusion was responsible for the brain drain in Nigeria and parts of Africa.

She noted that as of 2018, Nigerians were the fourth-largest group of asylum seekers in the European Union.

She added, “The level of patriotism that the youth show to their country is determined by the level of appreciation that they get from the government, alongside the security and inclusion that the country provides for them.”

Punch

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TECHDIGEST – The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, has called on the management of global tech giant Meta to involve more fact-checkers with good knowledge of Nigeria’s local languages.

Inuwa made the call when he received WhatsApp’s Director, Public Policy for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Helen Charles, alongside Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa Adaora Ikenze on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami in his office.

The DG noted that fact-checking could be an entirely new industry with lots of job opportunities.

According to him, “the fact-checking aspect of the Code of Practice is critical now because of the election, we need more fact-checkers, and also beyond the election, we are looking at how we can expand it to even make it an Industry which can create jobs within the country”.

READ ALSO: Nigeria Hosts Regional Digital Economy Conference

While assuring Nigerians that government would not meddle in the activities of fact-checkers, as they will be given a free hand to operate, content posted by Nigerians should be thoroughly verified by the fact-checkers to establish its genuineness or otherwise for appropriate action.

Inuwa appealed that the fact-checkers must be proficient in at least the three major languages in Nigeria for easy spotting of such harmful content either written or translated into one of the languages. The DG NITDA further said that Meta’s support is highly needed, especially in supporting the growth of the Fact-checking industry.

“Technology is changing the way we live, work, our democracy, and everything. Technology is just beyond business or other things, it also touches our life and changes everything”, he noted.

He further noted, “therefore, we need to work together and change everything, so we need to improve on accountability, increase competition, safeguard privacy, protect our democracy and transform governance in Nigeria”.

“Everyone agreed that we need regulation, but we don’t know the best regulation, and the best way to go about it is to co-create that regulation in a similar way the Code of Practice was issued”, he added.

The Code of Practice (COP) that the NITDA Boss emphasized came at the right time as the country heads for its general election.

“So far, NITDA has done so much in terms of providing enabling environment for safe Information Technology usage in Nigeria while training a lot of Nigerian youth on the adoption of technology and improved practices as Nigeria keeps on expanding its digital literacy coverage in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2030 target of 95%”.

The Director General noted that NITDA will intensify its effort to ensure internet usage safety devoid of harmful content that could jeopardize the peace and harmonious coexistence among Nigerians before, during and after the elections.

Earlier in her presentation, Meta’s Director, Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Adaora Ikenze, noted that it was important for Nigerians to see accurate information on the services of Meta in Nigeria. Ikenze said henceforth, Meta through its fact-checking partners, FAP, Africa Check and Dubawa will remove any sensitive fake information that could lead to imminent violence or physical harm amongst people living in the country.

The fact-checking, she explained, would review and rate potentially false content on all the platforms, label it and place it lower on the feeds so that few numbers of people could see it.

Meta has since been engaging Fact Checkers in Nigeria and will continue to do so, especially with the Code of Practice in effect, which encourages platforms to engage the services of Fact Checkers, Ikenze said.

To further educate Nigerians on how to spot false news and the actions to take, Meta, she said, is partnering with local radio stations to create awareness against the creation and spread of false news through radio dramas in English and Pidgin.

Ikenze also intimated to the nation’s IT regulator that, Meta would also be executing a WhatsApp awareness campaign, #YouSaid in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and Pidgin to enlighten users on how to verify the information before sharing and running online ads on Facebook.

She explained that Meta’s approach has also been informed by conversations with human rights groups, NGOs, local civil society organizations, regional experts, and local election authorities to help ensure the safety of people using Meta’s family of apps.

She also gave assurance that Meta is deeply concerned and remains committed to protecting the integrity of the Nigerian electoral process, as well as the entrenchment of a culture of zero tolerance for fake news proliferation.

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‌TECH DIGEST – Facebook has announced the launch of Marketplace in Nigeria, an e-commerce service where people can discover, buy and sell items from others in their local communities.

According to a statement made available on Thursday, the service, which is already available to users in South Africa, Ethiopia, and Kenya, is now accessible in Nigeria, where people can browse and search for items, sort based on distance or category.

Commenting on the initiative, the Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Adaora Ikenze, said the launch of Marketplace in Nigeria was to help boost buying and selling in Nigeria and connecting communities.

“This comes at a crucial time as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact people and businesses, and with many people buying and selling on Facebook, this will provide people with a convenient destination where they can discover new products, shop or find buyers for the things they are ready to part with,” she added.

Elaborating on how it worked, Facebook stated that when a seller listed an item on the Marketplace, they had created a public listing that could be seen by anyone on Facebook, including people on Marketplace, News Feed, Facebook search, Facebook Groups or search engines.

It added that sellers could simply take a photo of an item, enter a product name, description and price, confirm their location, select a category, and post.

Providing tips on buying and selling on the platform, Facebook said items, products or services being sold must comply with its community standards and commerce policies.

It advised buyers to request a certificate of authenticity or proof of purchase for high-value items like watches, luxury bags and others.

“If you’re not satisfied with an item’s condition or have doubts about its authenticity, you can decline to complete the purchase. If the seller offers to ship the item rather than exchanging it in person, keep in mind that you may not have the opportunity to verify the item before completing your purchase,” it said.

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It also advised for buyers and sellers to meet in public places and to use cash, Cash on Delivery, or person-to-person payment methods rather than payment links

“Don’t share your financial account information (example: Payment login and password, bank account info) with buyers or sellers,” Facebook stated.

It noted that users could report sellers or products violating the commerce policies.

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