Business
U.S Gifts Nigeria $2 Million Broadband Study Grant
During the Technology Dialogue, the U.S. Department of State hosted a senior delegation from the Nigerian government led by the Honorable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani.
The United States and Nigeria have signed a new $2,095,000 grant to assess the viability of the deployment of at least 90,000 km of new fiber optic backbone infrastructure across Nigeria.
The grant was signed during the U.S- Nigeria Technology Dialogue hosted by the Department of State in Washington, D.C.on January 10.
In a statement, the Office of the Spokesperson said that the project, funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, supports Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 to increase the country’s broadband penetration rate from 42.27 percent to 70 percent and ensure that at least 90 percent of Nigeria’s population has access to affordable and reliable broadband coverage.
During the Technology Dialogue, the U.S. Department of State hosted a senior delegation from the Nigerian government led by the Honorable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani.
The parties discussed enhancing the resilience and security of essential services and facilities; promoting digital trade, e-commerce, and innovation-driven economic growth; developing a skilled workforce to meet the demands of the digital age; expanding our artificial intelligence partnership related to capacity building, infrastructure, and rights-respecting approaches to governance; and promoting information integrity.
Following the formal Technology Dialogue, the delegations joined a roundtable discussion with industry representatives hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Industry participants included representatives from over 25 U.S. and Nigerian companies active in technology sectors, including artificial intelligence, telecommunications, digital infrastructure, satellites, aerospace, fintech, and cybersecurity.
The program featured a panel discussion on Advancing Public-Private Sector Investment in Innovation and Digital Talent Development.
This panel highlighted opportunities for public-private partnership and investment solutions to spur innovation and promote digital talent development through the U.S.-Nigeria commercial partnership.
A second panel discussion on the role of critical infrastructure in advancing the use of AI examined the interplay between the infrastructure that is essential to the development of AI and the governance frameworks that can help spur deployment of emerging technologies to support inclusive growth.
In line with the Technology Dialogue, the United States and Nigeria agreed to hold a virtual expert exchange on AI-enabled biotechnology.
This discussion will explore how the convergence of AI and biotechnology can spur progress in addressing global health, food security, and science – with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa.
Business
Afreximbank wooing Nigeria’s rising culinary stars for participation in 2026 CANEX Junior Chef Competitions
The competition invites Nigeria’s most promising junior culinary talents, aged 16 to 21, to showcase their creativity, technical skills, and cultural storytelling at the CANEX WKND 2026, set to hold from 5 to 8, November 2026, in Lagos, Nigeria.
Photo: Winners of the CANEX Junior Chef Competition display their prizes during IATF2025 in Algeria.
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, has opened applications for the 2026 edition of the CANEX WKND 2026 Junior Chef Competition.
The competition invites Nigeria’s most promising junior culinary talents, aged 16 to 21, to showcase their creativity, technical skills, and cultural storytelling at the CANEX WKND 2026, set to hold from 5 to 8, November 2026, in Lagos, Nigeria.
Now in its second edition, the competition builds on the landmark debut in Algiers, Algeria, during IATF2025, with Fatma Zohra Bendjelida crowned the inaugural winner.
This year, the spotlight turns to Nigeria’s next generation of culinary talents.
Eight aspiring young chefs will earn their place on the live stage at CANEX WKND in Lagos, where they will transform African culinary heritage into bold, signature creations; making dishes that honour the flavours, traditions, and stories of the continent while presenting a fresh, fearless voice in African gastronomy.
Business
Tech giant Oracle cuts 21,000 jobs as it embraces AI
The software and cloud computing firm says it had around 141,000 full-time employees as of 31 May 2026, down from about 162,000 workers at the same time last year.
Photo: Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison/ Getty images
Oracle shed about 21,000 roles globally in the last year as the US technology giant reshapes its business around artificial intelligence (AI), the firm’s latest annual report shows.
The software and cloud computing firm says it had around 141,000 full-time employees as of 31 May 2026, down from about 162,000 workers at the same time last year.
The “deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce,” the report says.
The cuts, which amount to about 13% of Oracle’s workforce, are part of a wider trend among tech firms as they spend hundreds of billions of dollars on building AI infrastructure like data centres.
Business
Dettol apologises after ad to clean up ‘toxic men’ backfires in China
The advert sparked an uproar on the Chinese internet, with some users saying it objectifies women and others calling for a boycott of the brand.
British hygiene brand Dettol has apologised for an advert in China that it claims was meant to call out sexism, but has instead backfired.
The five-minute long advert for a multipurpose disinfectant, styled like a micro drama, starts out with a man looking for a partner who is “clean” and “not tainted by other men”.
A plot twist comes late in the advert when his new girlfriend calls him out for his misogyny and breaks up with him. Dettol is then presented as the solution against “toxic men [who] are just like bacteria”.
The advert sparked an uproar on the Chinese internet, with some users saying it objectifies women and others calling for a boycott of the brand.
Dettol said the advert, which has been removed following the backlash, was intended to criticise gender stereotypes, but that snippets of it that later circulated online distorted its core message.
“We recognise that it has offended many people, especially women. We take responsibility for any negligence in creating and reviewing the content of the advert,” Dettol said in a statement on Monday.
The company also said it would review its content moderation processes.
( BBC)
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