CeBIH Calls for Collaboration to Fix Challenges Facing e-Business Industry

Sunday Okobi
The Chairman of the Committee of E-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH), Adeyemi Atanda, has stated that the challenges facing the e-business industry in Nigeria could be fixed if more collaboration is brokered and platforms such as CeBIH continue to create forums for engagement.

Atanda, who said this at the recently held CeBIH annual retreat in Abeokuta, Ogun State, explained that some of the challenges plaguing the industry include infrastructure, connectivity and cost, which hinders inclusion.

Also speaking at the event, Chairman Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Adeolu Akande, opined that the extensive demand for digital services is driven by the affordability of end-user devices.

According to him, “With the current trend, it is envisaged that the digital sector will overtake the oil sector in contributing to the GDP earnings of Nigeria in about five years.”

While delivering his keynote address at the event, the Managing Director of Globus Bank Limited, Mr. Elias Igbinakenzua, said: “Banks of the future must embrace API strategy and platforms that will make them agile, invest in dev-ops and can’t run away from cloud computing.”

Also, the Director, Payment Systems Management, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Musa Jimoh, who provided insights on the role of the e-Naira on the growth of the economy, said the focus of the e-Naira is to bring down the cost to serve, considering the expenses incurred in printing one note of the naira and its resultant effect on the value chain.

He said: “It is a big source of pride for us to say that Nigeria is the first African country to implement and one of three nations to fully commercialise the e-Naira.”

Jimoh assured the bank of their role in driving the digital payment systems, and encouraged the participants to download the app via the Google or IOS app store, reiterating that the goal is to bring an increase in financial inclusion and bring access to cheaper financial services.